Omaha daily bee., 1906-07-05
Executive Makes Fourth Of July Address to
Citizens Of Oyster Fay.
TEXT FROM SPEECH BY LINCOLN
Public Issues should Be Considered With
out Rancor or Hatred,
WRONGS RlouREREMEDY, NOT VENGEANCE
Necesaity for Personal and Civic
virtue Never So Great Rs at the
peaent-speech Delivered
in the Rain.


Roosevelt today delivered Fourth OF
July oration to his townspeople in a nat
ural amphitheater I'm a grove at Oystef
Bay Addressing his auditors as my old
friends and neighbors, you among whom
I was brought up and among whom l
80 lived for so many years the presi-
dent said 81 was a great pleasure TO be
here and say a few words Of greeting ana
in a sense to give an account OF ms
stewardship. Mr. Roosevelt said that,
while there were two or three things which
he wanted to talk about, he would tade
for his text the words of Abraham Lin
coin just after his election:
I'm any great national trial hereafter
the men of that day compared with
those of this will be as weak and as
strong, as base and as good. Let us there
fore study fer the future" And later:
80 long as I have been here have not
planted a thorn In any mans bosom
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 wrong calling Tor
vengeance but for demand, and 1t Is IN
lust that spirit, the president said, that
the American people must approach their
problems Of today. I'VE have not as
great problems as Lincoln had, he said'
"but we have problems and the way we
face them will leave our children
cause for pride or for shame. II
citizens Of Lincolns time had not done
their duty we could not have held up our
heads today" (Hear, hear came from
,.sse assembled crowd).
Asks for silence.
viii you stop talking over there?
circulated the president. pointing to a
distant carriage In which some persons
were talking.
rs he deaf?" he added, as the conver-
sation continued. "weIl, make nim dumb
Hiso.p u1aaghter).a q.
"Thank you" added the president as tho
annoyance ceased
Continuing, ne said that our duty calls
for the exercise OF more than one quality
ON our part First, honesty, which meant
disinterested devotion 10 what is right.
without this all others would count for
nauRht In 1850 the sentiment the union
must be preserved was the saving quail
fly II was patriotism first and then the
courage to make that patriotism avail.
The old soldier he saw before him knew
this.
II don't care how devoted the old soldier
was 70 the union" said the president, IF
when the crisis came he ran away daugh-
teri We needed then, first and foremost,
moral courage and back Of it the physical
courage,
"Thu, was what we needed, wasn't It,
comradc?" addressing veteran before
him.
"Exactly." was the reply.
You needed sanity and common-sense in
addition to tho qualities OF patriotism 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 the sanity and common
sense We must not bnndly refuse to
recognize wrongs that exist.
shower Interrupts Lecture.
Nov, gentlemen" he continued, ''wo
have heard during the past year Of fright
ful iniquities IN business life and moral
deliuquencies IN moral life"
Al this point a severe shower came over
and after the president had donned a rub
bsr cape, saying he was sorry for tho
women hut ashamed OF the men present
the president continued his speech.
let us try to remove the causes Of the
wrongdoing instead OF oultivating a spirit
OF rancorous hatred which will most surely
come back on ourselves.
There is enough wrong TO hght Cut II
out.
Then again, there lie enough wrong done
by men OF large means and much wrong
done by men OF small means. II a man
has twisted morality it will show that
twisted morality wherever he may be"
Al this point the rain ceased aud the
president congratulated those who had
stayed. He then referred TO the work OF
N{his congress I'm the direction OF federal
cpntro over business
TIVE have accomplished fair amount
eause we nave not tried too much" said
he "and because we approached It without
rancor.'
Hardly had the president resumed his re-
marks when the rain began to fan again
The president was enErossed In his speech
and dlsregarded his rubber cape entirely
thereafter. When he had concluded his
speech he was drenched through and
through.
Locust Grove. where the exercises were
held Is three-quarters OF mile from
the village and no shelter was In sight
As the rain came suddenly there was moth
ing to do but 20 stay and get wet ana
the audience. gOod-naturedly, remained.
TRAVELLERS WANT PRESIDENT