The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1905-02-23
AMERICAS TWO
GREATEST MEN
Were Washington and | lincoln,
Says Roosevelt
PHILADELPHIA SPEECH
DRAWS COMPARISON BETWEEN
THE FIRST PRESIDENT AND
TIE PREsERvER OF
THE UNION.

Philadelphia, Feb. 29-Preslden'
Roosevelt was the orator tonight a.
the celebration of Washington's birth
day by the University Of Pennsylya,
MIA. The president spoke as follows:
TWO Greatest Americans.
CAS- a ma ION we have had our full
share OF, gf Eat men, but the two men
Of pre-eminent greatness who. as the
centuries go on, will surely loom
above all others are Washington ana
Lincoln; and it is peculiarly fitting
that their birthdays should be cele
bra ed every year and the meaning
of their lives brought home close to
US.
NO other city in the country ia
so closely Identified with Washing
TOMS career as Philadelphia He
served here ia l7T5 IN the Continent
al congress- RE was here as com.
mander of the army at the time Oh
the battles Of Brandywinc and Ger.
mantown; and it was naar here that
with that army he faced Fl ien,hesolate
winter at Vallc3 Forge. The winter
which marEe ha turning point Of
the Revolutionary we Here hc came
again as prosisen of tee convention
which framed tie Con iituticn. and
then as president Il fhd PUrltcl
States, and finally as iieW aDlntgen
eral of the army after he had retired
from Tho presidency.
"One hundred and aigft yesrs ag3
just before he left tbe presidency he
issued his farewell address, ana IN
~ he laid down certain priuclples
which he believed shnnla guhle she
citizens OF this republic Cor All tune
to come, his own words Deing, which
appear to me all Important to the
permanency Of your felicity as a peo-
pie
Comparison OF mer.
Washington though n sornc ways
an even greater man thap Lincoln
did not have Lincoln's wonderful gfft
of expression that gift which makes
cer;ain speeches Of the railsphttei
from Illinois read Hike The inspired Ut
terances Of the great Hebrew seers
and prophets. But he bad al Of Lin
coins sound common sense far-sight
edness, and devotion to q lofty idea
Like Lincoln he sought after the no
blest objects. and like Lincoln he
sought after them by thoroughly prac
tical methods. These TWO greatest
Americans can fairly be called the
best among tho great men Of the
world. and greatest among the good
men Of the world Each showed In
actual practice his capacity to secure
under orr system the priceless union
Of individual liberty with govern
mental strength Each was as free
from he vices Of the 'yrant as from
tho vices of the demagoguc To each
the empty futil'ty of the mere doc
trinaire was as alien as the baseness
of the merely selfseeking politician
Each was incapable alike OF the wick
edness which seeks by force OF arms
to wrong others and of the no loss
criminal weakness which fails Il
provide effectively against being
wronged by others.
Coed Faith Wi Nations.
Among Washington maXims
which he bequeatbed to his country
men were the two following: Observe
good faith and justice toward all na
tons and To be prepared for war
is the most effective means 10 pro
mote peace These two principles
taken toge her should form the basis
of our whole foreign policy Neither
is sufficient taken by itself 1t is
not merely an idle dream, but a most
mischievous dream to believe that
mere refraining from wrong-doing win
insure us against being wronged. Yet,
on the other ham, nation prepared
for war is a menace to mankind un-
loss the national purpdse is 70 tres;
other nations with good faith and
jastce.
Navy Used for Justice
Never since the beginning of our
countrys history has the navy been
used in an unjust war. Never has il
failed to render great and some.
times vital service TO 1he republic. II
has no. been too strong for our good
though often not strong enough to
DO all the good It should have done.
Our possession Of the Philippines
our interest in the trade of the Orr
ent. our building Che Isthmian canal.
our insistence OF the Monroe doc
trino all demand tha1 our navy shall
be of adequate s,ze and for its size
of unsurpassed efficiency. II it is
strong enough. I believe it viii min
imize the chance Of our being drawn
into foreign war. II We let it run
down, it is as certain as the day
that sooner or la.er we shall have
to choose between a probably disas.
trous foreign war or a peace kept
on terms that imply national humilia-