The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-02
HIS BIGGEST DAY.
Roosevelt Enthusiasm Reaches
the Climax in Kansas City.
The Colonel Addresses $4,000
People in Convention Hall.
TELLS LION STORIES
To the Pupils of the WestpOrt
High School.
Wants to Be Called progress
sive" and Not "Insurgent."
TELLS LION STORIES

of Missouri kept up with a vim the roar
of enthusiastic welcome which is fol-
lowing Theodore Roosevelt everywhere
in his wanderings through the west.
Crowds which blocked the streets of
Kansas City cheered him whenever he
made an appearance and the three
speeches which he made here were re-
ceived with shouts of approval.
The colonel was told that he was an
insurgent through and through in a
song which was sung in his honor at
luncheon, but he said it would be bet
ter to call him a progressive. The mem
bers of the Commercial club who were
entertaining him, cheered his definition
Of his political status.
1t was raining hard when Colonel
Roosevelt, after stopping at Kansas
City Kan, to make a speech. reached
this city. In spite of the rain, thou
sands of people were on hand at the
station to see him. After a parade
through the business section of the city
and the luncheon, the colonel went to
the Westport high school in the south
ern end of the city and talked to the
pupils He wound up the day by maxi
ing a speech to throng which filled
Convention hall.
His speech was about honesty in pub
lie and private life.
The crowds which came out to see
the colonel damned the sidewalks and,
at points, blocked traffic. The colonel
was cheered continually, and was kept
on his feet bowling and waving his
hands.
on the way to and from the school
house the colonel was escorted by a
squadron of police mounted on motor
cycles. Being exempt from the opera
ton OF the speed laws for the time, the
colonePS chauffeur opened the throttle
wide and whizzed over the boulevards
at rate which made the colonel jam
his hat down hard and gasp for breath.
Tells African Stories.
The auditorium of the high school
was crowded with students when the
colonel arrived, and they stood on their
feet and gave him the Chautauqua sa-
lutte. while at the same time they shout
ed at the tops of their voices.
AS soon as they would let him speak,
the colonel said he had a confession to
make; that he was little afraid of
composed of girls whom he never knew
how to handle.
Il have four boys of my own said
he. land only two girls. The girls were
both in charge of their mother until
they grew up and then they took charge
of me. They have treated me kindly,
but firmly" ~
He said he was going to tell them
some stories of Africa. THE natives
are perfectly wild savages." he said,
casionally and playfully lasping into
cannibalism. That is a delicate sub
Ject and never inquired into it,
One day while 1 was riding I'D the
railroad to Niarobi telegraph communi-
cations were interrupted" he went on
THAT was because a herd of CRATES
had cantered across the track and PULL
ed down the wires with their necks. -
Then Col. Roosevelt told some more
stories OF his experiences in Africa. He
talked about the lions.
when they were building the rail-
road" he continued, CONSTRUCTION was
stopped for two weeks because two
lions established themselves on the
tracks and ate up all the men who
came to work. 1 think they ate about
100 Finally they were killed"
He said the survivor of another en-
counter with the lions told him a story
which he would repeat.
AT one railroad station" he began.
the lions ate up the agent and when
the next train came along it ate up a
brakeman. The division superintenc
emit. an Englishman, took a German
and an italian with him and went out
to kill the lion.
They sat up in the night waiting
for the lion and finally the italian went
to sleep in one end of the car and the
German got into one of the berths. The
Englishman sat at the window, with
MS rifle, on guard He evidently went
TO sleep there.
The lion, with it's queer, sinister IN
telligence, saw that the men were
asleep. It came up on the platform
and pulled the sliding door open with
its paw and went in. The German was
awakened by the weight of the lions
hind legs on him. The forelegs of the
lion were on the Englishman and the
lion had the mans head in his mouth.
The German shouted and awakened
the italian, who leaped up and iumped
on the lions back. He jumped of
again and ran to the other end of the
car. The lion had its man and only
wanted to get away with him. 1t
smashed its way through the window,
dragging the Englishman with it, and
all through the night the German and
the italian could hear the dreadful
purring OF the lion as it ate the Eng
lishman."
Advice to Girls.
The school children liked the COL
onePs stories so we'll that they did not
want him to stop, but he was late and
had to leave. Before he departed, how
ever, he gave them some advice. To
the girls he said:
ST don't like to have girl dance all
night, so she will be tired next day,
when her mother wants something
from the second story" His advice to
the boys was given in terms of foot
ball. 1t was, Don't shirk, don't foul
and hit the line hard"
Colonel Roosevelt's speech in Con-
vention hall was his principal address
OF the day. He said that honesty
should not be made a party matter
and that the first man to attack g
scoundrel should be the man in the
scoundreps own party. He spoke OF
corruption in New York. Missouri
Illinois and California. and said thai
the duty of the people fas to war witt
equal sternness against the corrupt mar
of great wealth and the small mar
who makes a trade of corruption.
I'VE need laws which shall put the
CORPORATION out of business so far a;
concerns corrupting the servants o.
the public and betraying the rights o.
the people," he said
At another point in his speech M
serted:
"The people of this country will ge
justice from the corporations only I
they will do justice to them and rigid
Iv enact IL frOnn them.'