The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1905-10-26
ROOSEVELT IN RICHMOND.
First Formal Address Made on
Southern Trip.
Capital City Of Old Dominion Pays
Signal Honors to Distinguished
Ouest-.Pre sident Captivates Hear
ers by His Words of FriendIess and
Praise.

Praise.
The first stop made by President
Roosevelt on his Southern trip WAS
in Richmond He received royal
reception and made a speech which
greatly pleased his hearers. The
President was introduced by Gov.
Montague and spoke in the Capitol
Square He said:
trust | need hardly say how great
is my pleasure at speaking in this
historic capital of your historic State;
the State than which no other has
contributed Il larger proportion to
the leadership of the nation; for on
the honor roll of those American
worthless whose greatness is not only
for the age, but for all time, not only
for one nation, but for all the world,
on this honor roll Virginia's : name
stands above all Others. And in
greeting all of you, know that no
one will grudge my saying special
world Of Acknowledgement to the vet
Grams of the Civil War. A man would
indeed be but poor American who
could without n thrill witness the
way in which, in city after city in the
North and the South, on every pub
lie occasion, the men who wore the
blue and the men who wore the gray
now march and stand shoulder to
shoulder, giving tangible proof that
we are all now in fact as well as in
name areunited people, apeople inf
nitely richer because OF the priceless
memories left to all Americans by
you men who fought in the great war.
Last Memorial Day | spoke in
Brooklyn, at the unveiling of the
| the auspices of the Grand Army of
the Republic, and that great audience
cheered every allusion to the valor
| and self-devotiOn of the men who fol
lowed Lee us heartily as they cheered
every allusion to the valor and self
devotion of the men who followed
| Grant. The wounds left by the great
Civil War have long healed, but it's
memories remain. Think of it. oh,
my cOuntrymen, think of the good
fortune that is ours! That whereas
every other war of modern times has
left feelings of rancor and bitterness
to keep asunder the combatants. our
great war has left to the Sons and
daughters of the men who fought on
which ever side they fought, the same
right to feel the keenest pride in the
great deeds alike of the men who
fought Oh one side and of the men
who fought on the other. The proud
self-sacrifice, the resolute and daring
courage, the high and steadfast de-
vOtiOn to the right as each man saw
it, whether NOrtherner or Southerner
these qualities render all Americans
forever the debtors of those who in
the dark days from 'G1 to 60 proved
their truth by their endeavor. Here
around Richmond, here in your own
State; there lies battlefield after bat
tlefield, rendered forever memorable
by the men who counted death as but
a little thing when weighed in the
balance against doing their duty as
it was given them to see it. These
men have left us of the younger gen
Grafton not merely the memory of
what they did in war, but of what
they did in peace. Forei ign observers
predicted that when such u great
war closed it would be impossible for
the hundreds of thousands of com
batants to return to the paths of
peace. They predicted ceaseless dis
order, wild turbulence, the alterna-
ton OF anarchy and despOtism. But
the good sense and self-restraint Of
the average American citizen falsifed
these prophecies. The great armies
disbanded and the private in the
ranks, like the officer who had COM
manded him, went back to take up
the threads of his life where he had
dropped then when the call to arms
came. 1t was n wonderful, n mar
velous thing, in a country consecra
ted to peace with but an infnitesimal
regular army, to develop so quickly
the huge hosts which frouted one
another between the James and the |
Potomac and along the Mississippi
and its tributaries But it was al
even more wonderful, and even more
marvellous thing, how these great
hosts, Olce their work done, resolved
themselves into the general fabric of
the nation.
NOBLE STRUGGLE SINCE WAR.
Great though the need OF praise is
which is due the South for the sol
dierly valor her sons displayed dur
.g I .,,1.
that even greater praise is due to her !
for what her people have accomplish /
cd in the forty years OF peare which !
followed. For forty years the South
has made not merely a COURAGEOUS,
but at times desperate struggle, as
she has striven for moral and mate
rial well being. Her success has been
extraordinary, and all citizens OF our
common country should feel JOY and
pride III it; for any great deed done, /
or any fine qualities shown. by one !
group OF Americans, of necessity re-
fleets credit upon all Americans.
Only heroic people could have bat
tied successfully against the condi-
tions with which the people of the
South found themselves face to face
ut the end of the Civil War. There
had been utter destruction and dis
aster, and wholly new business and
social problems had to be faced with
the scantiest means. The economic
and political fabric had to be read
iusted in the midst of dire want. of
grinding poverty. The future of the
broken, war-swept South seemed be-
yOnd hope, and if her Sons and