The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-05
He Travels All Day Speaking
Nearly Every Station.
HE SLEEPS AT FARGO.
Committee Of Reception Greets
Him at His Hotel.
1t Consists of 100 Little Girls
With Teddy Bears.

Fargo. S. D., Sept 5.-When Col.
Roosevelt reached the hotel where he
was to sleep last night, he found one
hundred little girls waiting for him
| They were sitting on the floor in the
hotel parlor and every little girl had a
Teddy bear in her arms. Some of the
| children were so little that they were
almost hidden by the Teddy BEARS as
soon as the colonel appeared they
| chorused:
Welcome. Teddy Roosevelt" at the
same time lifting the Teddy bears in
\ salute.
why, hello,' said the colonel, "this
is fine. Never in all the courts of
Europe did see anything like this.''
He stopped for a few minutes and
talked with the girls.
| I'D like to stay longer and tell you
some stories about lions in Africa" he
said, but some of you are so little
| that I'm afraid my stories would keep
| you awake tonight"
| When the colonel reached his room,
he found Sylvane and Joe Ferris of
| Aledora, N. D., waiting for him. The
| Ferris boys made his acquaintance
when he first went west in his younger
| days but he remembered them per-
| fectly.
After an all-day ride through parts
1 of South Dakota Minneapolis and
| North Dakota, ex-President Roosevelt
| reached Fargo early Sunday evening.
| The people of Fargo we're waiting at
| the station for him and gave him a
welcome in spite of the fact that ii
| was Sunday.
He Is Growing Weary.
Like Weller's Thanksgiving turkey.
/ am old and tough" said he just be-
fore he went to bed, but there are
| limits"
Friends of Colonel Roosevelt, who
have been travelling with him on his
western trip have been astonished at
his endurance He has attended break
| fasts before O'Clock and dinners that
lasted until late at night and he has
made so many speeches since he left
New York that he cannot estimate the
number.
But last night he admitted that he
was tired. He instructed his secretary
/ to send kilograms to the towns through
which he was to pass, saying as it was
Sunday he would make no speeches
whatever from the train
The special train scooted across the
eastern edge of South Dakota and into
Minnesota, and for the first part of the
morning Colonel Roosevelt enjoyed
himself sitting in an easy chair and
reading a book. Then the engineer
footed one long blast with the whistle
and slowed down for Marshall. Col
oneI Roosevelt continued to read his
book There was shout outside. The
colonel looked through the window al
most before the train stopped A crowd
closed around the rear platform. The
coloners telegram had arrived the
night before. but the people had paid
no attention to it.
TEDDY, Teddy. s y GO come ne out, out. the
colonel hesitated moment. The
shouts grew louder. He laid down his
book. Some of the people saw him
through the window and cheered. He
arose and there was another cheer He
walked to the door and thrust his head
through The cheer developed into a
|, yell of greeting and the colonel could
not resist He walked out to the plat
form and instantly men and boys were
| scrambling up the railing trying to
shake his hands. After he had shaken
hands with every one in reach the
colonel stepped back and hesitated
again. The crowd grew quiet and
, listened expectantly, but the colonel
did not open his mouth.
Compelled to Give Up.
Speech, speech" the crowd shout
) ed Colonel Roosevelt kept firmly in
his mind his resolve to make no
speeches on Sunday and took another
= step as though he was about to go
: back into the car. The cries of
speech, speech" grew louder and the
, colonel capitulated.
The same thing happened at every
place at which the train stopped. At
no town did the people pay any atten-
: ton to the colonePs telegrams After
his first few vain struggles with the
crowds at the stations Colonel Roose-
velt surrendered Internationally and
spent the rest of the day in making
> speeches at every station at which the
{ train stopped, for the people never
failed to be on hand. They came out
: with bands and flags. dressed in their
| Sunday clothes and swarmed on the
tracks behind the train. They stayed
there until the train started and fol-
lowed the colonel down the track until
the cars got under headway. The col
} one1 made more speeches than in al
most any other day since he began his
: trip.
s At Hanley Falls, Mimi, almost every
: one in the crowd was carrying a flag.
l At Morris, Minn., the boys band came
/. out and tried to play the "Star Span
gled Banner" The cowgirls rode down
: to the station at Campbell and sat on
their COW ponies on the edge of the
3 crowd listening to Colonel Roosevelt's S
E and they answered his salute. The
/ crowd at Willmar, Mimi. was one OF
r the largest of the day. AS 1t was Sun
9 dav Colonel Roosevelt said he thought
T a sermon from him would be fitting.
q He told them that the American people
: must have three qualities in order to
succeed as a nation. First he mem
toned honesty and then courage.
! "But honesty and courage are not
= enough" he said. I'm addition you
i need the saving grace of common
sense. If a man is natural. born fool
l. 1t can't do much with him."
> Is Given a Bouquet.
: A little girl in the crowd was lifted
: on her fathers shoulder SO that she
! could hand huge bouquet to the
n "That's fine. fne." he said pattins
y the child's head you people listen 10
: the sermon and get the f1owers.''
a At Breckenridge, Mimi. Senators