Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-19
PRESIDENTS SPEECH
Delivered at Raleigh, North
Carolina, Today
BEFORE BIG AUDIENCE
MATERIAL PROSPERITY OF THE
STATE DWELT UPON.
Education and Good Citizenship-The
Railway Problem and Government
Ownership-Shippers' Interests.

The following is President Roosevelts ad-
dress on the fair grounds at Raleigh, N. c..
today:
1 am glad here at the capital of North
Carolina to have chance to greet SO many
of the sons and daughters of your great
state. North Cardinals part In our history
has ever been high and honorable. 1t was
in North Carolina that the Mecklenburg
declaration of independence foreshadowed
the course taken in few short months by
the representatives of the thirteen colonies
| assembled in Philadelphia. North Carolina
can rightfully say that she pointed us the
way which led to the formation OF the new
nation. In the revolution she did many
memorable deeds; and the battle of King s
| mountain marked the turning point of the
revolutionary war in the south. But con-
graduate you not only upon your past, but
upon your present.
/ congratulate you upon the great indus
trial activity shown in your commonwealth,
an Industrial activity which, to mention
but one thing. has placed this state second
I only to one other in the number of it's tex
tile factories. You showing In practical
fashion your realization of the truth that
there must be foundation of material
well-being In order that any community
may make real and rapid progress. And
am happy to say that you are in addition
showing in practical fashion your under
standing of the great truth that this ma
terial well-being, though necessary a
foundation, can only be the foundation, and
that upon 1t must be raised the super
structure of a higher life, If the common
wealth is to stand as 1t should stand
Education and Good Citizenship.
More and more you are giving care and
attention to education; and education
means the promotion not only of industry,
but of that good citizenship which rests
upon the individual rights and upon the
recognition by each individual that he has
duties as well as rights-in other words of
that good citizenship which rests upon
moral integrity and Intellectual freedom.
The man must be decent in his home life,
his private life. of course; but this is not
by itself enough. The man who fails to be
honest and brave both In his political fran
chise and in his private business contrib
utes to political and social anarchy. Self
government is not easy thing. Only
those communities fit for it in which the
average individual practices the virtue OF
self-command, of self-restraint, of wise dis
ineerestedness combined with wise self-in-
terest: where the individual possesses COM
mon sense, honesty and courage.
And now l want to say word to you on
a special subject in which all the country
is concerned, but in which North Carolina
has special concern. The preservation of
the forests is vital to the welfare of every
country. China and the Mediterranean
countries offer examples of the terrible eff
feet of deforestation upon the physical
geography, and therefore ultimately upon
the national well-being, of the nations. One
of the most obvious duties which our gen
Grafton owes to the generations that are to
come after US is to preserve the existing
forests.
The prime difference between civilized
and unciviiZed peoples is that in civilized
peoples each generation works not only for
its own well-being, but for the well-being of
the genera ton" yet unborn, and If we per-
nit the natural resources of this land to
be destroyed so that we hand over to our
rtx =; talon
thereby prove our unfitness to stand in the
forefront of civilized peoples.
Our Forest Wealth.
One of the greatest of these heritages is
our forest wealth. 1t is the upper attitudes
of the forested mountains that are most
valuable to the nation as whole, especial
ly because of their effects upon the water
supply. Neither state nor nation can afford
to turn these mountains over to the I'M
restrained greed of those who would exploit
them at the expense of the future. We can
not afford to wait longer before assuming
control In the interest of the public, or
these forests; for if we do wait, the vested
interests of private parties in them may
become so strongly intrenched that it may
be a most serious well as most ex
penSive task to GUST them.
If the eastern states are wise, then from
the Bay of Fundy TO the gulf we will see
within the next few years policy set on
out in the high Sierras of the west by the /
national government. All the higher APP
palachians should be reserved, either by the
states or by the nation. l much prefer that
they should be put under national control,
but II is a mere truism to say that they will
not be reserved either by the states or by
the nation unless you people of the south
show a strong interest therein.
Such reserves would be a paying invest
ment, not only In protection to many in
terests, but in dollars and cents to the
government. The importance to the south
ern people or protecting the southern
mountain forests is obvious. These for
ests the best defense against the
foods which, in the recent past. have.
during a single twelvemonth destroyed
property officially valued at nearly twice
what it would cost to buy the southern
Appalachian reserve.
Southern Water Powers.
The maintenance of your southern water
powers is not less important than the pre-
vention of floods. because IL they are in
jured your manufacturing interests will
suffer with them. The perpetuation of
your forests, which have done so much
for the south. should be one of the first
objects of your public men. The two sem
ators from North Carolina have taken an
honorable part in this movement. But I
do not think that the people of North
Carolina. or of any other southern state,
have quite grasped the imp ortance or this
movement to the commercial development
and prosperity of the south.
The position of honor in your parade to-
day is held by the confederate veterans.
They by their deeds reflect credit upon
their descendants and upon all Americans,
both because they did their duty in war
and because they did their duty in peace.
Now If the young men, their sons. will not
only prove that they possess the same
power of feaHy to ideal, but will also
show the efficiency in the ranks of indus
trial life that their fathers. the confeder-
ate veterans, showed that they possessed
in the ranks of war, the industrial future
of this great and typically American COM
monwealth is assured.
The extraordinary development of indus
trialism during the last half century has
been due to several causes, but above all
to the revolution In the methods of trans
portation and communication: that is to
steam and to electricity, to the railroad
and the telegraph.