The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-10-20
AMERICAN SPIRIT
EXEMPLIFIEO IN
VERMONT
ROOseVeIt's Tribute to Green
Mountain State
IN ADDRESS TO VETERANS
Members Of Old Thirteenth Regiment
at White House on Way Home
From Gettysburg

Washington, Oct 20-"I know Yer
mont we'll / do not want to exalt
one state above its fellows, but if
were asked to pick out typical Ameri-
can states, where we see the old
American spirit illustrated at its best
we would surely have to include Yer
mont"
Thus declared President Roosevelt
in addressing yesterday one hundred
members of the Thirteenth Vermont
infantry, who with their wives have
been visiting the Gettysburg battle
field, and are now on their way home.
The President received them in the
East room of the White House. In his
address he said in part:
1T is a very real pleasure to greet
you. No member Of STANDARDS brig
ade needs more than the mention of
that fact as passport for entry to the
White House. was at Gettysburg a
couple of years ago, and saw where
your historic brigade stood at the time
of the great charge of Pickett's Vir-
ginians.
Il have always maintained that the
best citizen in peace was the man who
made a good soldier in war, for the
same qualities that made him a sol
der when the country called for sol
diership, make him a good citizen in
the days Of peace.
'All that ! as President have been
striving to do is to apply practically
the principles upon which you men
here have acted. | wish to see this
government able to hold its head aloft
in the presence of the outside world
| wish TO see 1t able to withstand any
movement of aggression made against
t.; and in return scrupulously careful
to treat all other nations with the JUS
tice and good feeling which we de-
mand that one individual shall show
another hold that the international
obligations of nations should be ap-
preached in precisely the same spirit
in which we approach the ordinary
duties Of individuals as among them
selves. A man has no business to
suffer imposition. he is not man If
he submits to insult and wrong; and
neither is he man If he inhicts
wrongs or insults any one else.
hope to see the conduct of the United
States toward other powers always
modelled on that principle.
I'VE must do our DUTY abroad; but
even more important 1t is to do our
duty at home; and we can do our duty
at home only If we show ourselves
true to the principles which this gov
eminent was founded to uphold. You
men of the big war, when you went to
battle each one of you took a great
interest in the actions of the man
alongside him, your "bunky." or the
man next to you in the ranks. II was
no concern of yours whether he was
farmer, a wage-worKer or a banker;
that did not make any difference.
What you wanted to know was
whether he would stay put, whether
he was a man, and show himself such
In march, camp or battle; and you
would have despised equally the man
who looked down on another because
he possessed less means or had to
work with his hands. and the man
who hated another because he pos
sessed more means or did not have to
work with his hands.
THAT is the true Americn principle
and II must be applied I'm civil life just
as you applied Il In military life"