Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-01

but we need most the fighting edge in the
individual soldier. So 1t is in private life.
We live in a rough, workaday world and
we are yet a long way from the milen-
MUM. We cannot as a nation and we
cannot as individuals afford to cultivate
only the gentler, softer qualities There
must be gentleness and embarrassing
strongest men are gentle and tender-but
there must also be courage and strength
/ have hearty sympathy with those who
believe in doing all that be done for
peace; but | have no sympathy at all with
those who believe that in the world as 1t
now is we can afford to see the average
American citizen lose the qualities that in
their sum make up a good fighting man.
You men must be workers who work with
all your heart and strength and mind at
your several tasks in life; and you must
also be able to fight at need. You women
have even higher and more difficult duties
for l honor no man, not even the soldier
who fights for righteousness, quite as much
as l honor the good woman who does her
full duty as wife and mother. But If she
shirks her duty as wife and mother then
she stands on a par with the man who
refuses to work for himself and his family
for those dependent upon him. and who in
time of the nations need refuses to fight.
The man or woman who shirks his or her
duty occupies contemplate position You
here are the sons and daughters of the
pioneers. l preach to you no life of ease.
/ preach to you the life of effort the life
that finds its highest satisfaction in doing
we'll some work that is well worth doing.
So much for what concerns every man
and every woman in this country. Now:
a word or two as to matters which are of
peculiar interest to this region of our
country.
Steamboat Transportation.
Since I have been President I have trav-
eled in every state of this Union, but my
travelling has been almost entirely on rail-
nv
on horseback. Now I have the chance to
try travelling by river; to go down the
greatest Of our rivers, the father of
waters. A good many years ago when /
lived in the northwest l Travelled occasion
ally on the upper Missouri and its tribu-
taries: but then we went in fiatboat and
did our own rowing and padding and pol
ing. Now / am to try a steamboat I am
great believer in our railway system;
and the fact that 1 am very firm in my
belief as to the necessity of the governme mt
exercising a proper supervision and con-
troll over the railroads does not in the
least interfere with the other fact that I
greatly admire the large majority Of men
In all positions, from the top to the bot
tom. who build and run them. Yet. while
of course l am anxious to see these men.
and therefore the corporations they repre-
sent or serve, achieve the fullest measure
of legitimate prosperity, nevertheless as
this country grows I feel that we cannot
have too many htghroads, and that in addi-
ton to the iron highroads of our railway
system we should also utilize the great
river highways which have been given US
by nature. From variety Of causes
these highways have in many parts of the
country been almost abandoned This is
not healthy. Our people and especially
the representatives Of the people in the
national Congress, should give their most
careful attention to this subject We should
be prepared to put the nation collectively
back of the movement to improve them
for the nations use. Our knowledge at
this time is not such as to permit me to go
into details, or to say definitely just what
the nation should do; but most assuredly
our great pavigahle rivers are national
assets Just as much as our great seacoast
harhors, Exactly as 1t Is for the Interest
of all the country that our great harbors
should be fitted to receive in safety the
largest vessels Of the merchant fleets of
the world. so by deepening and otherwise
our rivers should be fitted to bear their
part in the movement OF our merchandise;
and this is especially true Of the Missis-
sippi and Its tributaries. which drain the
makes in very fact the heart Of our ma
ton; the basin OF the Great Lakes being
already united with the basin of the Mis-
sissippi. and both regions being Identical
in their products and interests. Water
ways are peculiarly fitted for the trans
portation of the bulky commodities which
come from the soil or under the soil: and
no other part Of our country is as fruitful
as Is this in such commodities.
An Agricultural State.
You in Iowa have many manufa curing
centers, but you remain, and hope you