The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1910-10-11
DEFENDS POLICIES
Roosevelt Denies lie Fights
Only the Rich.
GIRLS GIVE HIM BOUQUET
Tells Big Crowd at Bristol, Tenn,
All He Asks is Equality
of Opportunity For
Everybody.

Bristol. Tenn. Oct. Sin a speecn
before a great crowd here former
President Roosevelt warmly defended
his doctrine Of new nationalism. He
attacked crooks both large and small
and made a plea for higher citizen
ship.
The reception was entirely non par
tissn. There was big crowd al the
park despite the threatening weather,
and the former president spoke from
an improvised platform The crowd
was so great that Colonel Roosevelt
had to fight his way from his automo-
bile to the grand stand
Hundreds of girls from Bristols
large female colleges in their caps and
gowns gave a college yell and pre-
sented him with beautiful bouquet
of roses
Much obliged" Colonel Roosevelt
shouted waving his hat at them Il
am back long my own people. said
Colonel Roosevelt
"l've come back from Africa and
Europe feeling that in spite OF all Of
cur shortcomings. there Is not another
land where the average man has such
a chance as he does here.
All that | am trying to do Is to
keep this land as one In which the
average man has a square deal What
mean by the new nstionalism is sim
ply the efficient application OF the old
moralities to new and changed condl-
tions
This country was founded for the
purpose Of trying to obtain equality
of opportunity for all men and who
must try measurably to realize that
ideal We must try to see that in po-
litical and industrial life there is no
special privilege. / do not ask that
the lazy or the vicious be given the
chance that the hard working man
has. All ask is that we try to bring
about equality Of opportunity"
Some one shouted: "Hurrah for the
man who is for the laboring man."
The crowd cheered. but Colonel Roose-
welt held up his hand and said: Wait
a minute. am for the laboring man.
That's true. But only if he is
straight man
Is Against All Crooks.
"My critics say that 1 attack only
the rich man That is not true. I'm
against the little crook, but there is
this distinction: The neighbors OF a
little crook can take care of him, but
when it comes to a man with hun
dred million-he's the neighbor OF all
Of us-he's too big for his immediate
neighbors and that's why want Uncle
Sam to tackle him"
II is for this reason, Colonel Roose-
welt said, that his doctrine Of new ma
tionalism included a provision for the
careful control OF big business inter-
ests by the federal government. That
is not revolutionary. but counter reyo-
lutionary."
He added that such federal control
NpANiNAOho NAi@A hIAEhN
bring about a revolutionary movement.
Here are two cardinal principles Of
the new natlonallsm. he said In the
first place, efficient honesty; in the
second place, the right Of the people
to rule.
The men who are honest in Wall
street have nothing to fear in new
nationalism. But the Wall street man
who wants to make a fortune by sell
ing paper which is not worth anything
is perfectly right in dreading new ma
tionalism. The man who has a hun
dred million dollars and uses his pow
er improperly is right In dreadlng new
nationalism, for we intend to shear
him Of that power"
From the huge audiences came many
shouts of "Hurrah for Roosevelt. our
next president" At this he only smiled.