The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-08-27

Cheyenne. Wyo- Aug 27.-when at
the close Of my hunting trip in Africa
Z reached the borders Of civilization
the nrst invitation accepted was this
to visit the capital Of Wyoming on the
day when the people Of the frontier
came together to commemorate their
achievements. l was glad 1t was so
because ! have a peculiar feeling for
the men and women Of what used to
be called the 'far west" and especial
~ for those Of the cattle country.
For q number Of years / lived on a
ranch on the Little Missouri. sharing
work and play. good fortune and bad
fortune. with my neighbors. working
on the roundup. serving as delegate
from the Little Missouri roundup dis
trict to the Montana Stock Growers
association and even at times acting as
. deputy sheriff at my end of the
county.
! count those years as among the
most valuable of my life. because moth
ing breeds such community Of feeling
as to work with ones fellow men at
their life tasks and to learn to know
their feelings by actually sharing
them. The man of the west through
out the successive stages of western
growth has always been one of the
two or three most typical figures
indeed. am tempted to say the most
typical figure-in American life. and
no man can really understand our
country and appreciate what it really
is and what it promises unless he has
the fullest and closest sympathy with
the ideals and aspirations Of the west.
The prime reason for this Is to be
found In the fact that the westerner
Is so good an American. He Is an
American irst and foremost For this
is the great lesson. friends. that all of
US need to learn and to keep. the les
son that 1t Is unimportant whether a
man lives north or south. east or west.
provided he is genuinely and In good
faith an American. that he feels every
part of the United States as his own
and that he Is honestly DESTROYS to up
hold the interests Of all other Ameri-
cans in whatever section Of the coun-
try they may dwell.
The Expanding Of the West.
A hundred years ago. when men
spoke of the west. they meant the
country between the Alleghenies and
the Mississippi Fifty years ago the
white mans west took In Minnesota.
Iowa and Kansas and then skipped
across to California and Oregon. The
country OF the great plains and the
Rockies. the country in which you
whom am now addressing lead your
lives and do your work. has grown mp
within my own lifetime.
myself saw aud took part In the
closing years of the pioneer period. and
1t was my great privilege to work side
by side with the pioneers-the ranch
men. the miners. the cowpunchers.
the mule skinners. the huilwhackers
who actually opened mp the country
have seen the herds and f1ocks OF
the cattlemen and sheepmen supplant
the game. l have seen the fortunate
movement by which the small farm
has tended gradually to take the place
Of the great unfenced ranch.
now travel In every comfort on
railways across lands which when
first rode across them were still the
home ut the Indian and the buffalo.
and I find cities where one can obtain
not merely comfort. but luxury. in the
places where thirty years ago there
was not II building beyond log hut
or a 'dobe house.
The men who did this work were en-
gagged in the final stages OF conquer
ing the continent. and it was their
privilege TO do one OF the great works
OF all time. to do their part In the per.
Torrance Of an epic feat in the his
tory Of the progress Of mankind.
have used the word progress. The
west stands for growth. for progress.
So must the whole American people
stand. 4 great democracy must be
progressive or 1t will soon cease to be
either great or democratic. No ma
ton. no state. no party. can stand STILL
1t must either go forward or 20 back
ward. and 1t becomes useless II 1t goes
backward. Therefore ! greet you. men
Of the west. and ! stand for progress
as all men must stand who are pro-
gressive.
The pioneers and their immediate
successors won victory only by prov
ing that they possessed the great. mas
terful qualities which lie ut the foun-
dalton Of national greatness. There
are certain well meaning men Of intel
lectual cultivation. but lacking mental
and moral robustness. who complain
continually that they find American
life. and especially the life of those
American communities emerging from
the pioneer stase. crude and without
genius or beauty.
Genius Is a fine thing for a nation.
but character is a still finer thing. and.
though beauty is good. strength is an
even greater good. The men who have
made this great republic Of the west
what It Is. and especially the men who
have turned It into a continental COM
monwealth. have possessed in the high
est degree the great virile virtues Of
strength. courage. energy and I'M
dauuted and unwavering resolution.
Their typical leaders. Of whom Abra-
ham Lincoln, though the most excep-
tional was the most typical. have pos
sessed keen intelligence and q charac-
ter not merely strong. but lofty:
character exalted BY the fact that
great power was accompanied BY q
hiph and 6na DETERMINATIONS r., svsA fhfc