The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-04-27
TUCKER REVIEWS
C0L0NY'S HISTORY
President of Exposition Company
Outlines Causes Which Ante
coded Settlement
CREDIT TO GENERAL LEE
Splendid and Generous Tribute to
First President Of Company,
Who Died in Harness.

NORFOLK. VA, April 2e.-Presidents
Harry st. George fuckers speech at
the opening of tho Jamestown Exposi-
ton to-day was of historical and
chronological character. President
Tucker said:
He spoke in part as follows:
Standing upon an enlinence of three CEN Z
turtles of achievements, the American Re- 81
Public pauses to-day to celebrate, in fs-si
til & manner. the tercentcnnial of its birth
on the banks of the tawny James The
steadiest head grows dizzy, the strongest
nerve agitatcd. while the pulse OF the
lior- hearted assumes the motion Of the Z
t. p-hammer in the retrospect of the mar
vetous PROGRESS of three hundred years.
T his day brings with 1t n two-fold Joy.
in that it marks the tercentennial of the
birth, not only of The American Republic,
but also the birth of Virginia, the Oldest
! American colony, both co-incident and
! simultaneous. BY Divine presence the
! infant Republic was first hidden in the 1
bulrushes of our Virginia Nile, and
! rrirtured by it's mother. Virginia the
daughter of the king, whom Providence
| had placed in waiting on the banks of the
river that she might be the first to give
| to her offspring those Impressions ct In +
| fancy 50 necessary to high and noble
character in maturity.
We greet you therefore this day, Mr..
| the great powers of the earth, at the
| birthday party not only of tho American
| Republic, but of Virginia also-the first,
the Oldest of the American colonies
] When the Federal convention was once
| on the eve of dissolution, 1t was the VEN
cradle Benjamin Frukn who gave utter
arce to those remarkable words: God
| governs In the affairs of men, and II a
| sparrow cannot fall to the ground with
out His notice, is 1T probable that an ern-,
pre- can rise without His aid?" Those Of
| uE who agree with Franklin do not be-
lieve that the birth of the nation on the
soil of Virginia was accidental. For, from
| the inspired Book. are we not taught that
| he who would attain the bliss of eternal
| lifo must be born again; and in our sub
sequent history. may we not see the
| al alogy between man and a nation? For.
| K the first birth of our Republic was at
| Jamestown on the 18th of May. 1901 Will
| 1t be denied that the second birth, neces-,
sary to It's Immortality. took place at
Yorktown, on the soil of old Virginia, on
! the 18th of October, ISL? .fisizss1
At the table that is this day spread for
you. the thirteen original colonies occupy
the seats Of honor, while their daughters
! ar6 grand-daughters, in the constellation
| of States, vie with each other in the bril-
\ liancy of their garments and the patrlot-f
| ism of their sentiments; and the nations
! of the world, honorlng America by the
presence of their distinguished sons. lend
| an interest to the occasion as they con-
| template with eager eye this happy re-
union of all the peoples of America on
| the hearthstone of the mother Of them
| al. ii
Under Lees Leadership: Il
| AS we rejoice in the work before us
and congratulate each other that the long,
| looked-for day has come and our hopes
are at last realized, we canet forget that,
| there is one vacant chair in our midstsi
| pes pite his years of leadership, Noses,
who led his people successfully through
| the wilderness, was never permitted to
see the Promised Land: so, Fitzhugh Lee.
| under whose stimulating leadership the
| foundations Of this work We're laid. and
| who for two arduous years of his life, led
| his people through the wilderness of doubt
and distrust into the smiling valleys oe
hope and confidence. is denied by Provi-
| dcnec the privilege of seeing with us the
work of his hand finally and SUCCESSFULLY
| com pleted.
| And this day. which to many of as Is tho
realization of the hopes of years, is thus
| saddened by the fact that our first, our
great president, is not allowed to share
oUr joy with us In this presence we lay
| the tribute of our obligation to him on his
tomb this day, for his Invaluable work.
| for this cause, and with it the tribute OF 1
| the sincere affection of all who shared ]
his companonship or claimed his frlend- I
ship.
Honor beat with his blood, and all
/ things high came easy to him: he fetched
his life from men of royal siege! The very
| government under which he lived was
fashioned into shape and usefulness by
| his maternal ancestor, George Mason,
whose brazen image in yonder city keeps &
watch over Virginia's great son."
/ And, among the nnumerable. the cons
J ste mt, the never-endlng acts OF kindness.
| always so cheerfully bestowed upon this E
! enterprise by President Roosevelt, and
by his great and noble secretary of wax,
who honor us with their presence this
day: we cherish none more cordially than
those delicate acts of sympathy extended
TO us, and the honor so sracousy accord
ed the remains OF great chieftan IN
the hour of our bereavement. Such acts
| VIII live forever in the hearts OF all Vir-
| sirians.
The significance of this gathering would
Continued on Tenth Page)