The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-10-22
Hearty Reception Accord cd the President. THE DAY AN IDEAL ONE Makes Speech at Negro Bap-
 tlSt Academy. Tells the Blacks There is Only . Linn ited Amount of Space in the
 Professions-The Decent
 Life Lauded.
THE DAY AN IDEAL ONE

Jacksonville, Fla, Oct. 21.-The re- ception of President Roosevelt today was a hearty one. Thousands thronged the streets on his line of march and the President, showed in his manner his appreciation of the good will that was manifested on every side. So far as comfort was concerned, the way was ideal A cool north wind had begun to blow the night before his arrival and gave temperature that no one could call too hot or too cool.
 After driving through the principal streets, the President was taken to the Seminole Club. where he made brief address on good citizenship. He was then driven to the Jacksonville Board of Trade Auditorium and luncheon was served. After luncheon the President spoke as follows:
 Here in Florida. the first of the Gulf States which have visited upon this trip. wish to say special word that the canal will be of great benefit to all our people. but most of all to the States of the South Atlantic, the Gulf and the Pacific slope. When com pleted the canal will stand as a mon ument to this nation; for 1t will be the greatest engineering feat ever yet accomplished in the world. It will be a good thing for the world as a whole, and for the people of the Isth- mus and of the northern portions of GOutn AneElCd III pATtiCuldT.
 Because of our especial interest in it, and because of the position we oc- cupy on this hemisphere, is mat tor of special pride to us that our na- ton. the American nation, shall have undertaken the performance of this world duty. A body of thefmost eminent engineers in the world, both Ameri- cans and foreigners, has been sum moned to advise as to the exact type of canal which should be built. At no distant date l hope to be able to an nounce what their advice is, and also the action taken upon their advice.
 Meanwhile .Ae work is already well under way, and has advanced sufE- ciently far to enable me to announce with certainty that 1t can surely be e accomplished, and probably at less ex- pense than was anticipated. But upon the last point, as we'll as upon the question Of time, no positive state ment can be made until the report of the commission of ngineers as to the exact type. of canal has been received.
 Work DlfAcuit and Important.
 The work is as difficult as 1t Is i'm portant; and 1t is of course inevitable that from time to time difficulties will occur and checks be encountered. Whenever such is the case the men of little faith at home will lose that little faith, and the critics who confound hysteria with emphasis will act after their kind. But our people as a whole possess not only faith, but resolution. and are of too virile fiber to be swept one way or the Other by mere sensa- tionalism.
 No check that may come will be of more than trivial and passing conse- quence, will inflict any permanent damage. or cause any serious delay. The work can be done, is being don ;, and will be done. What has already been done is a guaranty as to the fu- ture.
 When any such work is undertaken there are always many mere adventur- CTS who flock to where it Is going on. and many men who think they are ad- venturers, but who in reality are either weak or timid, follow in their foot steps. Some of the first class will now and then cause trouble in one way or another. But every care will, be taken to detect any misdeed on their part and to punish them as soon as the misdeed is detected.
 As for the second class they will cause trouble chiefly by losing heart, returning home. or writing home. and raising a cry that they are not happy and that the conditions of life are not easy, or that the work Is not being done as they think it ought to be done. Now these men stand just as the strag- . Rlers and laggards stand who arc ever to be found in the rear of even a vic torious army.
 The veterans of the Civil War who are neTe present VIII tell you that the very rear Of an army, even when it is victorious, is apt to look and behave as if the victory were defeat. And just the same thing is true in any great en- terprise in civil life; there are always weddings who get t:ampled down or pie who listen to their complaints. They amount to nothing one way or the other, so far as achieving results is concerned; and their complaints and In
 Health on the Isthmus.
 I call your attention specifically to the matter of health on the Isthmus. The climate was supposed to he dead iy and yellow fever, especially, was supposed to be epidemic Yet since we have assumed control there has been far less yellow fever than in our own country. The administration Is steadily becoming better and more ef- fective, from the hygienic. as we'll as from every other. standpoint. The work of building the canal is a great Amer ican work. in which the whole Amer ican people are interested. It has nothing to do with parties or partisan ship. and is being carried on with a6- solute disregard to all merely politi- cal considerations; with regard only to efficiency. honesty and economy.
 The digging of the canal will, of course, greatly increase our interest in the Caribbean Sea. It will be our duty 
 est of other nations and in our own interest To do this i, is, of course. indispensable to have an af1cient navy (and I am happy to say that we are we'll on our way toward having one), and also to possess, as we already pos sess, certain strategic points to con- trol the approach to the canal. In ad- dition 1t is urgently necessary that the insular and continental countries with in or bordering upon the Caribbean Sea should be able to secure fair deal ing and orderly liberty within their own borders.
 No Purpose of Aggression.
 need not say that the United States not only has no purpose of ag- 9ression upon any Republic, continen.- al or tnsular, to the south of us. but has the friendliest feeling toward them. and desires nothing save their prog ress and prosperity. We do not wish another foot of territory. and I think our conduct toward Cuba is a guaran- ty that this is our genuine attitude toward all our sister Republics. If ever we should have to interfere In the affairs of any of our neighbors it