The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-10-21
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT
 IS CHEERED BY GEORGIANS

, dent of Georgia was my great-great grandfather, Archibald Bulloch after whom one of my boys Is named. No man could meet with such a reception
 as you have given me today; no man could see your city; could see your people; could address such. an audi ence as have addressed, and not be better citizen afterwards. It means great deal to me to meet all of you personally, with all that you gentle men typify in the world of politics, the world of business and the world of ethical effort which can alone render either business or politics noble.
 Discomfort to Uncle Remus.
 Now, I am going to very ill repay the courtesy with which I have been greeted by causing for a minute or two acute discomfort to a man of whom I am very fond-Uncle Remus Presidents may come and Presidents may go; but Uncle Remus' stays put Georgia has done a great many things for the Union; but she has never done more than when she gave MT. Joel Chandler Harris to American litera- ture. I suppose he is one of those lit- erary people who insist that art should have nothing to do with morals and will condemn me as a philistine for not agreeing with them; but I want to say that one of the great reasons why I like what he has written is because after reading it I rise up with the purpose of being a better man, a man who is bound to strive to do what is In him for the cause of decency and for the cause of righteousness. Gentlemen. I feel too strongly to indulge in any language of mere com pliments or mere flattery. When MT. Harris seems to me to have done one of his greatest services Is that he has written what exalts the South in the | mind of every man who reads 1t and yet what has not even a flavor of bit terness toward any other part of the union. There is not an American any where who can read MT. Harris's sto- ries-I am not speaking at the mo- ment of his wonderful fox tales, but of his storfes-who does not rise up better citizen for having read them i; who does rise up with a more earnest desire to do his part in solving Amer ican problems alright.
 Obligations to MT, Harris.
 T cannot too strongly express the obligations I am under to MT. Harris {; as principle that it Is my duty (which if l have transgressed I have not transgressed knowingly, never as an American to say anything that could be construed into an attack up- on any portion of our common coun- try.
 The surest way of bunting the public conscience in dealing with cor ruption Is to confuse the public mind as to who is corrupt and who Is not. There are plenty of men with whom we differ radically, plenty of men of whom we radically disapprove as to whom 1t is right and necessary that we should express that disapproba- tion: but beware of expressing 1t in terms that imply moral reproduction. When we express moral reproduction let us be sure that we know the facts and then that we say only exactly what is true. To accuse an honest man of being thief is to gladden. the heart of every thief in the nation. In our legislative body. in our national con- gress, If you find that any mind is corrupt you are not to be excused if you do not hunt him out of public life whether he is of one party or wheth- CT he Is of another. But if you ac- cuse, either specifically or in loose general Reclamation all men of being corruptionists you by just so much weaken your own strength when it becomes necessary to assail the gem uine corruptionist.
 Not Lenient, But Just.
 So far from asking that you be lenient in your judgment of any pub lie man, hold that you are recreant to you duty if you are thus lenient. Do not be lenient but do be just. If you dislike a mans policy. say so. If you think he is acting in a way so misguided that he will bring ruin to the State or nation say so, but do not accuse him of corruption unless