Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-25
IN HISTORIC CAPITAL
President at. Montgomery,
Ala, Yesterday.
TRIBUTE TO VETERANS
PRACTICAL TALK TO SOUTHERN
PEOPLE.
Responsibility of Citizenship-Cotton
Interests-Panama
Canal.

Amid the booming OF cannon, blowing OF
whistles, and the cheering of many thou
sands of people, President Roosevelt ar
rived at Montgomery, Ala, promptly at
noon yesterday from Tuskegee, and became
the guest of the people of the first capital
Of the confederacy. The general reception
committee was headed by Governor jerks,
Mayor league and Judge ]. B. CASTOR, and
met the party. After few preiminaries
the parade moved from the depot.
At the station the police had difficulty in
keeping the thousands back, but finally
the place was cleared, and no .one except
members of the reception committee was
on the platform. Surrounding the station
and sidewalks was crowd of several thou
sand. The patriotic sentiment of the peo
pie was expressed everywhere by the float
ing of flags and tricolored bunting. and
dents carriage moved off from the union
station, followed by the civic and military
parade
The route was through the principal
streets to the capitol, where a platform had
been erected in front of the historic old
building, and within a few feet from the
spot where Jefferson Davis took the oath
of office as the first president of the con-
federacy. The welcome to the President
was more than perfunctory civility. 1t was
cordial and enthusiastic. The President
seemed pleased with his reception.
Welcomed by the Governor.
At the capitol the President was welcomed
on behalf of the city by Representative
Wiley. Governor jerks delivered the ad-
dress of welcome for the state. and intro
duced the President
The President spoke briefly He expressed
appreciation of the hearty welcome. espe-
ciaiiy since 1t came from the first capital
or the confederacy. He touched upon the
building of the isthmian canal and what
1t meant to the people of the south The
cotton question was also taken up by the
President, and he said it was one of the
country's most important exports.
Il am glad to see so many children" said
the President. las you know, l believe in
children. 1 like your stock and want it
kept up
The subjects touched upon by the Presi-
denf were civic pride, self government and
social duty. The President said:
Governor, Col. Wiley and You. Fellow
Americans and Fellow-citizens: I cannot
sufficiently express the pleasure I feel in
being here and in being greeted with more
than lavish warmth of hospitality as you
have greeted me, and, oh, my friends. oh,
my fellow-citizens, think what a privilege
Is ours, think what it means for this ma
tion that there Is no place in the Union
where the President of the Union can feel
more at home, can feel more that he is in
deed the President of all the Union of a
ing here under the shadow of the first cap
itol of the confederacy. Poor indeed would
be the soul Of the man who did not leave
Montgomery q better American than when
he came into it after being received in 1t as
l have been received.
Greeting for the Veterans.
I'm speaking to all Of age and younger
still, you will not grudge me saying a spe-
cial word of greeting to the veterans of the
great war Here, again.. think how fortu-
nate we are There Is no other people of
which history tells which, having passed
through such war as we have passed
through, now, after forty years finds not
only that the flag which had been rent
asunder is once again whole, without a
seam but finds all her people challenging
as theirs the right to claim their part in the
heritage in the glory bequeathed to every
American alike by the American who wore
the blue and the American who wore the
gray III the great civil war.
Here l have come to your mighty and
beautiful state, with its wealth of agrcul-
ture, it's wealth of manufactures, and more
than ever, l am impressed with the solidar-
lty of our interests as a people AS the
governor pointed, the greatest and most i'm
portant single export of our people is the
export of cotton, that is the most impor-
tant crop among our exports, and the whole
nation IS concerned in the welfare of the
cotton growers. 1t is not only important
for Alabama and the rest of the gulf states
it is important for the entire Union, be-
cause II is the cotton crop which determines
the balance of trade al being in favor of
this nation. Whatever is the business of
any part of this nation the trade of the
entire nation and the national government
are bound to do everything possible In the
interest of the cotton growers to preserve
your markets, to do everything that can
possibly be done to see that the demand for
cotton the natural demand for cotton
abroad. is kept up, and is met here under
fair conditions by our own people.
Canal the Worlds Greatest Feat.
Probably no state in this Union is more
interested in the building of what Is to be
the greatest engineering feat the world
has yet seen. the building of the isthmian
canal The cotton crop largely goes to
Asia, and, OF course. the canal greatly
shortens the route Our influence in the
orient must be kept at such pitch that
will insure our being able to guarantee fair
treatment to our merchants and manufac-
turers in the markets of China. We must
insist upon having fair treatment, and as
a step toward getting 1t we must give fair
treatment in return. 1 would demand that
on ethical grounds alone. / would demand
1t also grounds of self-interest.
And now, in greeting all of you today,
having paid first of all special tribute to
the veterans, want to go to the other end
of the procession and say word about the
children. AS you know, l believe In chill
dren. like your stock. and I want to see
it kept up. Nothing pleases me more than
to see the care that you Az devoting to
education in this state, and TINS among the
many splendid heroic deeds to be credited to
the southern people in peace as well as In
war, is the fact that having to face as they
did the future in. the midst OF broken
and war-swept country they not only built
up their industrial prosperity, but they
have provided steadily for the education OF
the coming generation.
Value of Individual Citizenship.
'The prime factor in the growth of any
nation is the factor of Individual citizen
ship. The nation is going to be all right
IL the average man and average woman
are all right. If the average man is good
father. good husband. is decent man
In his own home, If he does his duty by
his neighbors. IL he does his duty In peace
and yet has the stuff in him to enable him
to do his duty In war, If the time comes,
then the average man is all right; and If
the average woman IL a good wife and
good mother. then think she Is just lit
tie bit better fellow thnn the esssage nan,