The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-07-04
SPIRIT OF LINCOLN
PRESIDENTS MODEL
Nation Warned Against Vindic.
tiveness in Speech at 0ys-
ter Bay.
WANTS ABUSES RIGHTED
BUT WITHOUT RANCOR
Cites Recent Session of Congress
to illustrate His
Point.

Point.
Oyster Bay, L. l., July 4.-President
Roosevelt today delivered Fourth Of
July grafton to his townspeople in
natural amphitheater in a grove at Oy
ster Bay: Addressing his auditors as
"my old friends and neighbors, you
among whom l was brought up and
among whom I have lived for SO many
years. the president said it was q
great pleasure to say few words Of
greeting and in sense to give an az
count Of his stewardship. Mr.. Roose-
welt said that, while there were two or
three things about which he wanted to
talk, he would take for his text the
words Of Abraham Lincoln Just after
his election:
"In any great national trial hereaf-
ter, the men of that day, as compared
with those Of this, will be as weak and
rs strong, as base and as good. Let
US, therefore, study for the future -
And later: $50 long as I have been
here I have not planted thorn in any
man s BOSOM
Lincoln as Nations Model.
Speaking on the conditions at the
time when Lincoln spoke those words,
the president said it was possible for
LINCOLN to say with entire truth that
he bore no rancor and did his work
without hatred to the doer Of evil.
Lincoln did not treat anything that
was done against him as a wrong call
ing. for vengeance, but for a remedy.
said, that the American people must
approach their problems Of today.
we have not as great problems as
Lincoln had he said, "but we have
problems, and the way we face them
will give our children cause for pride
or for shame. If citizens Of Lincoln q
time, had not done. their duty we could
not have held up our heads today.''
Hear, hear,' came from the assem-
bled crowd.
."Will you stop talking over there
calculated the president, pointing to a
distant carriage in which some persons
were talking.
lis he qsaf1" one askea q, as the
him dumb also. (Laughter.>
Honesty Greatest Need.
"Thank you" added the president as
the annoyance ceased. -. - ---,-.4 ... E
Continuing, he said that our duty
calls for the exercise of more than one
quality on our part. First, honesty,
which meant DISTINGUISHED devotion to
what is right, Without this all others
would count for naught. In 1860 the
sentiment, "The union must be pre-
served,' was the saving quality. It
was patriotism first and then the cour-
age to make that patriotism avail. The
old soldier he saw before him, knew
this.
IT don't care how devoted the old
soldier was to the union,'.' said the
president, "if when the crisis came he
ran away. We needed then first and
foremost moral courage, and back Of it
the physical courage.
"That was. what we needed, WASH It
it, contradict" addressing veteran be-
Fore him.
"Exactly,' was the reply.
sense in addition to the qualities of pa
triotism and courage, and that is just
what you need today. You must be
honest, clean living, right thinking.
You will not be worth much without
these, and back Of these we must have
sanity and common sense. We must
not blindly refuse to recognize wrongs
that exist.
"Now, gentlemen" he continued
''we have heard during the past year Of
frightful iniquities in business life and
moral delinquencies in moral life.'
Do Not Be Vindicttve.
"Do not eyer get into the frame OF
mind to which under great provocatior
Abraham Lincoln refused to yield. Dc
not hesitate to visit punishment where
it must be inflicted for good of others
but do not inhict punishment vindict
lively. There is enough wrong to fight
Cut it out.
"rhen, again, there is enough wrong
done by men Of large means and enough
hxr,, 3d.
man has a twisted morality he will
show that twisted morality wherever he
may be. -
At this point the rain ceased and the
president congratulated those who haC
stayed. He then referred to the work
of this congress in the direction Of fed
eral control over business:
eve have accomplished fail
amount because we have not tried too
much,' said he, and because we ap
preached it without raneor.'
Will Curb Bad Corporations.
''In this task,'' the president said
"we have come in contact with some
people we didn't like, and in protect
ing property we have been forced tt
protect some of the property of the fel
low we did not want to. When j
comes to the control of corporations, tn
ones that need control I will curb with
out regard to Others" (Applause.)
The rain began to fall again at Thu
point. but the president went on with
out his rubber cape. REWRITING agar
to good citizenship, the president sait
the way to be good citizen of the re
public was to be good citizen o:
Oyster Bay.
Home the Criterion.
"If a man goes to Fourth of Jul,
celebration said he, "and then goe
home and conducts himself in such
way that his wife and children wishe,
he had never come home, he is not
good citizen. The supreme test is
man IS own family
The president then told story O
the man in his regiment who wante,
to fight for his country and not di
kitchen sinks. He told the man to e
on digging and dig well,
EWe must do the duties Of humdrur
citizenship he concluded. either
is need for us to take this attitude
Then in time of need we shall rise a
our fathers rose to every emergency.
SHORT" HE KILLS SELF.
To- 49, g.