The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1907-06-21
SECRETARY TAFT
SPOKE IN NORFOLK
FAMOUS SECRETARY OF WAR
MAKES BRIEF ADDRESS.
WAS GREETED BY GOOD CROWD
NORTH NEBRASKA FINEST couN.
TRY HE EVER SAW.
WAS GREETED BY GOOD CROWD
LIKES NORFOLK WOMEN, TOO

The Famous Statesman Said Regions
Prosperity is Indicated by Attractive
Appearance Of the Lades-spoke OF
Growing Public Morals.
William II. Taft, secretary Of war
and presidential possibility exchang.
ed greetings with Norfolk Tuesday af.
ternoon. The big secretary alighted
from the Deadwood passenger at the
Junction depot at 1905 p. m. From
an open carriage speaking for several
minutes, he addressed representative
gathering of Norfolk people.
Secretary Taft's brief speech in Nor.
folk was along informal lines. The
secretary spoke of the evident prosper
ity of the country, he smilngly said
nice things about the Norfolk ladies'
and misses in his audience and speak
Ing in more serious vein declared
that there had been an uplift in the
morals and politics of the nation.
| The secretary was greeted by fair
sized and very representative crowd.
Citizens from Battle Creek, Meadow
Grove and Tilden were among those
who gathered at the Junction depot.
The train which brought Secretary
Taft to Norfolk was nearly three hours
late and this fact, with the muddy
roads leading to the Junction station.
served to thin down the crowd that
would otherwise have greeted the IA
nous man from President Roosevelt's
cabinet.
When the big secretary, bearing
close resemblance to his pictures, soon
to be published in every paper in the
land with the approach of the presi-
Dental campaign, stepped into the
open carriage awaiting him, he was
greeted with hearty handicap. Driv-
EN- a little distance from the depot to
escape the confusion of passing traf-
fic, Secretary Taft spoke from the car
riage.
The secretary was introduced by
Congressman Boyd of the Third Ne.
braska congressional district.
Secretary Taft said in part:
IL is an outrage upon you people to
invite you to come down here to listen
to man who is so uncertain in his
appointments as to be three hours be-
hind Schedule time. Floods in the
Black Hills interfered with our trip
and the delay is the result of accidents
for which Providence and not the
Northwestern railroad is responsible
1t is pleasure for me to speak in |
a town like Norfolk, for | know some |
thlng OF the country around about in |
your ne1ghborhood. AS | came down |
here Sunday night from Sioux City |
remarked upon the beauty of the coun. |
tryside, and | am frank to say that |
nave never anywhere seen a more |
beautiful country than that in north i
ern Nebraska.
The prosperity of a region is con-
tirmed by the healthy, happy, hand
some faces of its residents and the
ladies appearing in their most attrac.
tive mood is the best evidence of any
lands prosperity. Such prosperity
signs are visible here this afternoon.
1t is the hardest kind of work to
make short speech and say anything.
We have had ten years of abundant
material prosperity. Material prosper
lty Will lead to degeneration unless it
teaches us to more fully appreciate our
of citizenship. The
pesSlmlsts are pointing out that this
great increase of wealth which has
marked the past few years of our ma
tional life, will mean corruption and
the downward trend of the nation.
But in spite of the great amassing
OF fortunes, this country today has
something to show that we are sound
morally. In spite of our growing
wealth, there has been quickening of
the public conscience, a quickening of
the public morality that has called a
halt and has caused men in public of.
fice and men in charge of great com.
mercial enterprises, private and public.
to guage their actions and deeds in
obedience to the law of the statutes
and the moral law as well. CAD
plause.)
This country is rising to higher and
higher levels of morality and our in
creasing prosperity will be used for
spreading a greater intelligence and
greater morality.
Money is nothing unless a man can
base his claim to reputation upon good
character, and sooner or later they find
that out.
All the failures of a lifetime, but
with good character as a foundation.
makes successful career.
And all the successes in the world,
without character, mean failure. CAD
plause) .,,.,, -..
Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you.
Immediately after concluding his
speech Secretary Taft returned to the
train which was to carry him on to
omaha With the secretary of war
was Major General j. Franklin BELL
chief of staff of the United e States
army army Mrs, Bell, Captain w. N. Wright
I'D to General Bell. and Wendell w y
MNiischler, confidential stenographer to