The Paducah evening sun., 1910-08-27
rh. Expandina Of I've Ws.t.


A hundred years ago, when men
smoke OF the west. they meant the
country between the Alleghenies and
the Mississippi Fifty years ago the
,yhite mans west took In Minnesota,
Iowa and Kansas and then skipped
ocrnss 70 California aud Oregon. The
country Of the great plains and the
Rockies the country In which you
whom 1 am now addressing lead your
lives and do your work. has grown up
within my own lifetime.
myself saw and took part in the
closing years OF the pioneer period. and
Il was my great privilege TO work side
by side with the ploneers-the ranch
men. the miners. the cowpunchers,
the mule sklnners. the bullwhackers
who actually opened up the country.
| have seen the herds and nocks OF
the cattlemen and sheepmen supplant
the game 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 !
drst rode across them wete still the
home OF the Indian and the buffalo.
and End cities where one can obtain
not merely comfort. but luxury. In the
places where thirty years ago there
was not a building beyond log hut
or a 'dobe house.
The men who did this work were en-
gagged In the nnal stages OF conquer
ing the continent. and Il was their
privilege 20 do one of the great works
Of all time. TO do their part In the per
formance 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 A great democracy must be
progressive or Il win soon cease 10 be
either great or democratic. No ma
tion. no state. no party. can stand still.
II must either go forward or go back
ward. and Il becomes useless II II gocs
backward. Therefore greet you, men
Of the west. and l stand for progress.
as all men must stand who are pro
gresslve.
The pioneers and their immediate
successors won victory only by prov
ing that they possessed the great. mas
terful qualities which lie at the foun-
dalton Of national greatness. There
are certain well meaning men OF intel
lectual cultivation. but lacking mental
aud moral robustness. who complain
continually that they dnd American
life. aud especially the life Of those
American communities emerging FROM
the pioneer stage. crude and without
genius OF beauty.
Genius II a dne thing for a nation
but character is a sull inner thing. and
though beauty Is good. strength Is M
even greater good. The men who have
mnde this great republic OF the wesl
what Il Is. aud especially the men wh'
have turned II into a continental COIN
monwcalth. have possessed Ia the high
est degree the great virile virtues Of
strength. courage. energy and un-
daunted aud 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 a cAluc-
ter not merely strong. but lofty; a
character exalted by the fact that
great power was accompanied by a
high and fine determination to use this
great power for the common good. for
the advancement Of mankind.
Pioneer Days Over.
The pioneer days are over. save In
few places. and the more complex
life OF today calls for n greater va
riety Of good qualities than was need.
ed on the frontier. There Is need az
present 20 encourage the development
OF new abilities which can be brought
to high perfection only by a kind Of
trimming useless in pioneer times. but
these new qualities can only supple
ment and never supplant the old.
hOmely virtues; the need for the spe-
cial and distinctive pioneer virtues is
as great as ever.
In other words. as our civilization
grows older and more complex. while
Il Is true that we need new forms OF
trained ability and need 10 develop
men whose lives are devoted wholly 20
the pursuit Of special objects. Il Is yet
also true that we need a greater and
not less development OF the funda-
mental frontier virtues.
These virtues include the power OF
self help. together with the power Of
Joining with others for mutual help
and what Is especially important. the
feeling Of comradeship. Of social good
fellowship. Amy man who had the
good fortune TO live among the old
frontier conditions must In looking
back realize how vital was this feeling
OF general comradeshlp and social fel-
lowshlp.
There were good men and bad men
IN the new communities Just as In the
old communities. and the conditions
on the frontier were such that the
qualities OF the good and bad alike
were rather more strikingly manifest
ed than In older communities, but
among the men who tried to lead hard
working, decent lives there was feel
ing OF genuine democracy, which rep
resented an approach 10 the American
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