Polk County news-gazette. (Benton, Tenn.) 190?-191?, 1910-08-25
L-PTesidelt Says the South Is
Coming Into It's Own.
RAPID GROWTH NOW ASSURED
Colonel Theodore Roosevelt Urges ths Young
Men Of Dixie to Remember Her
Glorious Past.

New York.-In response to an IN
vitatlon to address the Southern Com
mercial Congress at Atlanta in tne
spring of 1911, Theodore RooseYelt
has just sent letter to Charles han
Davis chairman of the congress, at
Petersburg, va In part, it follows:
Aug. l6. 191O.-My Dear Sir: It Is
not possible as yet for me to answer
definitely, but / believe that on my
trim to California next March | shall
pass through the Southern stats anu
| hope that it can be arranged that the
Southern Commercial Congress tnen
hold it's meeting in one OF tne cltles
through which | am able to poss, II
so. it will be a real pleasure TO Inc
SO. it will be a real pleasure to me
can in behalf Of this admirable move
ment.
More and more the former misun-
Outstanding about the South is tend
ing to disappear, and you and your as
sociates have set in motion force
that will have much to do with the
complete dissipation of this misunder-
standing. You are working for
stronger South, and you snow your
wisdom and foresightedness IN the
way you release that this movement
for a stronger South, to be efectlVe,
must really mean a stronger national
cohesion. for the old South OF yester'
day is being changed into the young
America of today.
Every good American must nope
| to see a real solid South, in the sense
of solid business prosperity IN the
| South. for all good Americans now re-
alize that the prosperity OF any part
| of the country helps the prosperity OF
1.-the whole, and the prosperity OF the
whole will grow faster and stand on
the most durable foundations only
when we effectively realize that the
worlds South North East and
West have only a geographical sig
nifcance
Il earnestly hope that the young
men of the South will never forget
-. past glories of the South, because
nestIy hope that the young men
Ar America will keep ever in
ASe glQEi6us memories of every
A6mon country, and
North and of the
yes,s ~ Tune ufcsyhg~ glory, won by
the men who SO yaliantly and with
] such sincerity fought for their convic-
lions, whether they wore the blue or
the gray, is now a common heritage
of all of us, wherever we dwell.
This nation is thrilling with ideals
at this very moment, and these ideals
relate to constructive work in the fu-
ture The South must do it's full share
in realizing it, and from now on it
must participate in full in the solution
of all the national problems. All of us
alike must turn to the special prob
lem of this age with the courage that
our fathers showed in those heroic
days to which we look back with a
mournful pride.
"The statue of General Lee, in Con-
federate uniform, stands in the halls
of Congress today, and his memory is
honored no more by the South than it
is by the North; and in the North, as
in the South, I think we are now
learning to apply absolutely in good
faith the great words of Grant: Let
| us have peace
The part played by the South in
the constructive craftsmanship of our
nation during all our earlier years
was of incalculable weight and value.
| firmly believe that the time has now
come when the South's influence again
will be felt, not only in constructive
craftsmanship, but in the enormous
field of constructive business, No part
of the country has seen such progress
along material lines, and / believe the
next twenty years will see a greater
progresses For Ions the eyes of this
nation have been set steadily west
ward to watch its great and typical
| growth.
From now on. ! think the South