Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-30
PRINCIPAL FEATURE
President the Leading Figure
in New York's
MEMORIAL EXERCISES
PRINCIPAL ADDRESS AT UNVEII-
ING OF sLOCUM STATUE.
Special Train Arrived There from
Washington Early This Morn
ing-Incidents of Day.

NEW YORK, May 30-President Roose-
welt was the principal figure in New York's
Memorial day celebration, and the feature
events of the day were scheduled to take
place In the borough of Brooklyn There
ne chief executive was to make the princi-
pal address at the unveiiing of a statue to
Ieh- Siocun, review "a parade of veterans
ma attend a reception at the naval branch
Of the Young Mems Christian Association.
His special train reached Jersey City from
Washington at 1903 am. and was met by a
delegation from the Brooklyn organizations
whose guest the President was to be- This
delegation was headed by former Mayor
Schierf of Brooklyn and President Gunni-
son OF the Brooklyn Union league Cub.
and was accompanied by heavy police
guard, which escorted the party from the
depot to Il ferrybCat, which was to take
them across the river.
The boat was gaily decked in honor of
the occasion, and it was given many a
shrill salute during the short trip between
the shores. On the Brooklyn side the es-
cort was reinforced by Squadron of the
New York state National Guard and the
President was taken at once to the Union
League Club, where he had an early
ton was held.
Program for President.
The program which had been arranged
ioT the fTeSlUSnl allowed Tor little leisure
time during his brief stay in the city,
From the Union League Club he was to go
direct to Bedford avenue and Eastern Park
way to take part in the unveilng cere-
monies OF the Gen. Siocum statue and de-
| liver the principal address.
Immediately after the close of these eXer-
cises he was to review the parade of the
Kings county Grand Army from a stand
| which had been erected near the statue,
| and then go to the new club house of the
| Naval Branch of the Young Mems Chris
| tan Association, where he was scheduled
to make another address. At ! O clock this
afternoon he will start from Jersey City on
| the return to Washington.
| The President remained at the Union
League Club several hours and was then
| driven TO the SloCum monument.
At the dedication of the statue of Gen.
| Slocum. Brooklyn. President Roosevelt
| spoke follows:
The Presidents Address.
Mr. Mayor, Mr.. Commissioner and you
my fellow-citizens and above ALL you VINO
took part in the great war in which the
man whose statue is raised today won for
| himself and his country renown and honor
| (Applause) Day before yesterday l list
eued to sermon in which the preacher.
dwelling upon the exercises to be held
| throughout the Union today, preached on
| the text which commentaries the altar
| raised by command of Moses TO commemo-
| rate the victory gained by the children of
| Israel over. the wild tribes of the desert
who sought to bar their march toward the
promised land, wherein Amalek came out
and Israel fought all day, and while Aaron
and Hur upheld the hands of Moses until
as night fell the sun went down on the
Israeltes and tlsy raised an altar to Je-
| hovah, to Jehovah who stood as the ex
| ponent of the principle for which Israel
warred; they raised 1t TO the principle of
| righteousness, which alone can Justify any
| war or any struggle (applause), and Mr..
/ a tG he "a
| oped in the excellent address to which we
have just listened, that we make today to
| commemorate the great victory, the tri-
| umph Of the cOuse of Union and liberty; not
| primarily because 1t was victory, but be-
| cause it a victory for righteousness
and the peace and the liberty and the eter-
| nal spiritual welfare of mankind. (Ap-
| plauSe)
II see before me here men who won high
| honor serving comrades in arms of Gen
! Slocum, and l know that there exists in the
Union no men who will appreciate more the
| fact that now. forty years after the war
| the crowning triumph of what they did Is
| TO be found in the fact that we have a gen.
| timely reunited country-a country In which
| the man who wore the blue stretches out
| the hand of loyal friendship to his erstwhile
| foe, his now devoted friends and fellow
| countryman, the man who wore the gray.
(Applause)
Reference to Texas Visit
"A short while ago I passed through the
great state of Texas. Wherever I stopped
| in that great state I was greeted by repre-
| sentatives of the Grand Army marching
| side by side with or intermingled with men
clad in the gray uniform that showed that
I they had fought in the armies of the con-
| federacy-men who had tested one another 8
worth on the stricken fields. men who knew
each that the other had been ready, when
| the hour of supreme appeal came. to show
his worth by his endeayors, and men who
| t,.;- MA o,,I f1air Il, I
.drens children as heritage Of honor for
| ever the memory of the great deeds done
| alike by those who fought under Grant and
by those who fought under Lee, for we, be-
| cause of the very fact that the Union tri-
| umphed, now have the right to feel a like
| pride In the valor and devotion OF those who
| valiantly fought against the stars in their
| courses and those who finally saw their eff
| forts, their suferlngS, crowned by triumph.
| (Applause.)
Think of it, my fellow countrymen.
| Think of what ce-blessed fortune has
| been ours that the greatest war that the
| nineteenth century saw after the close of
| the Napoleonic struggles should have LETT,
| not as most wars inevitably do and must
! leave. memories of bitterness, dishonor and
shame to offset the memories of glory,
memories which make the men one side
| hang their heads but which have not left
that, but should have left to tho victors
and vanquished alike. after the temporary
soreness is over, the same right to feel the
proudest satisfaction in the fact that the
Union was saved and the greatest pride in
the honor, the gallantry, the devotion to
the right as each side had given 1t the right
| to see the right done alike by those who
| overcome as victOrs and those who finally
| went down An defeat. Applause)
| Il congratulate the people of Brooklyn.
| not primarily upon raising this statue, be-
| cause that they ought to do. but upon the
| opportunity upon the chance Of having 1t
to raise" (Applause.)
| Two Sides Of Lesson Taught.
Now. want all you people to remem-
Der the two sides Of the lesson taught by
| Gen. Slocum's life A successful war for
| unrighteousness Is the most dreadful Of
all things: 1t Is the thing that sets back
more than aught else the course of civiii-
| cation. But no people worth preserving
| ever existed nor will exist that was not
| able to fight II the need arose (applause) /;
| and so with the individual.
| THE man who possesses great ability
| and great courage unaccompanied by the
moral sense, courage and ability un-
| guided by the stern purpose to do what
| Is just and upright, that man Is rendered
| by the fact Of having the courage and
| the ability only SO much the greater me-
| mace to the community ~ which he I'M