The news=record. [volume] (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon) 1907-1910, 1907-10-31
Text Of Speech by the President
at ViCkSburg.
FARMERS ARE HELPED PRIMARILY
Next Session of Congress Will Be
Asked to Start Improvement
of This Great River.

Vicksburg, Miss, Oct. 22.-After
fortnight spent in the canebrakes, and
looking bronzed and vigorous, President
Roosevelt paid flying visit to Vicks-
burg this afternoon.
The president was introduced by Con-
gressman John Sharp Williams. When
Mr.. Williams said that]Theodore Roose-
velt was president Of the whole country
Dixie land and Yankee land alike
the demonstration was notable. When
the president arose to reply the big
tion that lasted several minutes.
In his speech here the president said:
"It seem to me that no American
president could spend his time better
than by seeing for himself just what
rich and wonderful region the lower
Mississippi valley is, so that he may go
back, as shall 60 back, to Washington,
with the set purpose to do everything
that lies in me to see that the United
States does its full share in making the
Mississippi river practically part OF
the sea coast, in making tia deep chan
mel to the Great Lakes from the Gulf.
l wish to see the levees SO strongly built
as to remove completely from the minds
of dwellers of those lower regions all
apprehensions Of possible overflow.
l advocate no impossible task. No
difficult task. The people of Holland,
little nation, took two-thirds of their
country out from under the sea, and
they live behind the dykes now and
have lived behind them for centuries in
safety.
"With one-tenth the effort we,
much greater nation, can take the in
comparably rich bottom lands of the
Lower Mississippi out Of the fear Of be-
ing flooded or even being overfowed
by the Mississippi, and while l do not
like to say in advance what intend to
do, shall break my rule in this case
and say that in my next message to
congress shall advocate as heartily as
l know how, that the congress now
elected shall take the first steps to bring
about that deep channel way and at
tendant high and broad levee system,
which will make of these alluvial bot
toms the richest and most populous and
most prosperous agricultural land, not
only in this nation, but on the face of
the globe, and, gentlemen, here is the
reason l am particularly glad to be able
to advance such policy. | think any
policy which tends to the uplifting Of
any portion of our people in the end
distributes its benefits over the whole
people. But it is far easier, originally,
to put into effect policy which shall
at the moment help the people concen-
trated in the centers of the population
and wealth than it is to put into effect
a policy which shall help the dwellers
in the country and the tillers Of the
soil.
"Now here we have policy whose
first and direct benefit will come to the
man on the plantation, the tiller of the
soil, the man who makes his fortune
from what he grows on the soil.
"Mr. Williams has said that in our
day we can sink all mere party differ
ences. Since l have been president 1
have found, aye, most of the time L
have needed to sink them, because the
differences Of party are of small i'm.
portance compared to the great funda-
mentals Of good citizenship upon which
: all American citizens should be united !"
The president said he agreed heartily
: that the constitution Of the United
States represents fixed series of prin-
: ciples. Yet he said that, in the inter-
est of the people, it must be interpret
: ed, not as a straitjacket, not as laying
the hand Of death upon all develop
ments, but as an investment designed
for the life and health and growth OF
the nation.