Semi-weekly herald., 1907-10-03

! We can not as a nation and we ca
J not as individuals afford to cultlyat
only the gentler. softer qualitie,
There must be gentleness and tende
ness-the strongest men are gentl
and tender-but there must also b
courage and strength. have heart
sympathy with those who believe 1
doing all that can be done for peace
but | have no sympathy at all wit
those who believe that In the world a
1t is now we can afford to see the ay
erage American citizen lose the oual
tiles that in their sum make nm
good fighting man. You men mus
be workers who work with all Won
heart and strength and mind at you,
several tasks in life; and you mus
also be able to fight at need. Yor
women have even higher and NOR,
difficult duties; for | honor no man
not even the soldier who fights fol
righteousness, quite as much as
honor the good woman who does her
tuil duty as wife and mother. But
II she shirks her duty as wife and
mother then she stands on par with
the man who refuses to work for him
self and his family. for those depend,
| ent upon him. and who In time of the
nations need refuses to fight. The man
| O. woman who shriks his or her duty
occupies a contemplate position. You
here are the sons and daughters of
the pioneers. preach to you no life
of ease. preach to you the life of
effort, the life that finds its highest
satisfaction in doing well some work
that is well worth doing.
So much for what concerns every
man and every woman in this conn.
Try. Now, word or two as to mat
tors which are of peculiar interest to
this region of our country.
Since | have been president | have
travelled in every state of this Union.
but my travelling has been almost en-.
tirely on railroads. save now and then
by wagon or on horseback. Now |
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 travelled occasionally
Oh the upper Missouri and its tribu.
taries; but then we went in fiat
boat and did our own rowing and pad.
ding and polling. Now | am to try
steamboat. ! am a great believer
III our railway system: and the fact
that | am very firm in my belief as
to the necessity of the government
exercising proper supervision and
control over the railroads does not in
the least interfere with the other facts
that / greatly admire the large ma
jcrity of the men in all positions. from
the top to the bottom. who build and
run them. Yet. while of course | am
anxious to see these men, and there.
fore the corporations they represent
or serve. achieve the fullest measure
OF legitimate prosperity, nevertheless
as this country grows | feel that we
can not have too many highroads and
that in addition to the iron highroads
OF our railway system we should also
utilize the great river highways which
haA .,t,r -
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
most assuredly our great navigable
rivers are national assets Just as much
as our great soacoast harbors. Exact
ly as II is for the interest of all the
country that our great harbors should
be fitted to receive in safety the larg
est vessels of the merchant fleets Of
the world, so by deepening and other
wise our rivers should be fitted to
bear their part in the movement Of
our merchandise: and this is espe
cially true OF the Mississippi and its
tributaries. which drain the immense
and prosperous region which makes in
very fact the heart of our nation, the
basin of the Great Lakes being al
ready united with the basin OF the
Mississippi, and both regions being
Identical in their products and inter
ests. Waterways are peculiarly fitted
for the transportation 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.
You in Iowa have many manufac-
turing centers, but you remain, and |
hone YOU will always remain a great