Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-25
BIRMINGHAM SP EEgH
OVATION TO PRESIDENT ALONG
THE LINE OF MARCH.

&..-
The Presidents train arrived in Birming-
ham. Ala, promptly on time. Mayor Geo.
B. Ward. surrounded by reception COM
mittee, delivered the formal address of well
come at the station, and Immediately after
ward the party entered carriages and be-
gan the march to Capitol Park. eight
squares distant. The entire line OF march
was packed with humanity, Rows of In
candescent lights the full length of the
street made the scene all the more bril-
liant as evening came on. The ovation to
the President was continuous, and he stood
in his carriage the whole way. acknowledg-
ing the outbursts of enthusiasm.
A pretty incident at the close of the
march was when the President asked the
name of the lady riding at the side OF his
carriage. Miss Sammie Harris was spon-
sor for Troop D, one of the local cavalry
organizations. The President was intro
duced to her by Major Ward. and as he
reached over to shake her hand, he crowd
ed the mayor. Excusing himself, he said:
Il would run over man any time TO
shake hands with a LADY,
Gen. Rufus N. Rhodes. editor of the Biz
mingham News, welcomed the President
on behalf of the citizens of Birmingham.
President Stirred by Patriotism.
Il wish to say that / am stirred most
what Mr.. Rhodes has SO well called the
Magic City of the south. No American
worthy of the name would fail to be stir
red with patriotism as he comes into your
magnificent state into this magnificent city,
Alabama has made wonderful record. AT
the close of the war, shattered, war swept.
1t seemed that it was impossible for her
people, in the grip of poverty as they were.
to rally; and any people less strong than
you of Alabama would have failed, but
you, had the stuff in you and you sue
ceeded.
About the year 1880 the tide turned. and
the last quarter of a century has seen in
Alabama progress that would have been
absolutely impossible in any other age or
In any other nation than ours. The agri-
culture OF the state went upward by leaps
and bounds; but even more marvellous was
your mechanical and Industrial progress.
You have here in your state coal and iron,
the two basic elements in modern indus
triaiisnl, and you have also a wealth of
water power only partially used. and given
that amount of natural resources and the
right type of man to use them, the result
Is what we have seen. But my friends
there Is something that is ahead of any
kind of natural resources, and that is the
citizenship of the men of the soil. l want
now to say that, proud though 1 am OF
your extraordinary industrial prosperity,
L am proud of the men who have achiey-
ed It.
SooAtAy EOIeVSr
Think what it means for our nation to
have the President of the United States
greeted as he has been greeted today, on
his right and on his left hand, as the guard
of honor, the veterans of the civil war the
men who were the blue. the men who wore
the gray, united forever
II / came up the street nothing pleased
me as much the sight of the school chill
q Iy1y ,1N Il.
Remember that we leave this country in
the hands of the children of today, and
that the American of tomorrow will be
what we train the boy or girl to be. 1t is
a mere truism to say that If the children
are not we'll educated. if they are not
go down. We of this generation have re-
ceiyed splendid heritage from you men
of the years of 60 and '65.
Honor to us If we treat your great deeds
as squirting us onward. and shame to US IL
we treat your great deeds as excuses for
our idleness or folly. When 1 speak of
education 1 do not mean only education In
Intelligence. That counts tremendously;
but education In character counts more. 1t
Is character that determines the nations
progress in the long run.
I'm the organizations of veterans after
the civil war each halls the other as COM
rade. 1t makes no difference whether the
man was a lieutenant general whether
he was the youngest recruit that served at
the very end of the war. All that is asked
is did he do his duty. If he did, you are
for him. If he did not, you have no COM
radeship with him.
II ask that the same lesson that you
of the civil war applied practically in your
persons during and since that war be ap-
piled by the rest of us in civil life. l ask
that we scorn alike the base arrogance OF
the rich man, who would look down on his
poorer brother and the equally base envy
of the poor man who would hate his richer
hrn her nd h9f n Oft IL
zen of this republic just this one test, the
test that gauges his worth man. Does
he do his duty fairly by himself, his family,
his neighbor, and the state and natony
If he does. be for him. whether he Is rich
or poor, because if you do not you are
recreant to the spirit of Americanism"
Presented Confederate Badge.
Following the Presidents speech. ex-Gov.
Joseph F. Johnston spoke in behalf of Camp
Hardee, United Confederate Veterans. and
presented to the President several young
ladies. descendants of confederate soldiers
and sponsors and maids of honor, who pre-
scented to the President a badge from the
camp.
We do this to expire SO to you our re-
spect for the President of the United
States" said the governor. Our conf
dence in the courage, unseetional patriot
ism and generous impulses of Theodore
Roosevelt, and in appreciation of your
many kindnesses to confederate veterans
and especially for the unsought honor re-
Gently conferred upon the members of the
camp.
1--WE present this, too. sir, because we be-
lieve that you come nearer standing for
the ideals that have inspired our lives than
any President that we have had since the
war Had we been born north o. Mason
and Dixon's line, Mr.. President, many of
us in the war between the states might
have followed the flag of our fathers the
stars and stripes. but We sure that had
you been born twenty years earlier, and in
Georgia. where you should have been born
You would have been a gallant leader of
brigade under Forrest or Stuart
From Capital Pa X the party went to I'D
avenue and 9th street, and boarded a spe-
cial electric train, and proceeded to the
Alabama state fair grounds AT the
grounds the President was introduced by
T. Fl. Motion president of the rningham
Commercial Club The crowd at the fair