The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-08-27
From Lips Of One Who Once
Lived Among Them in Youth
ROOSEVELT, COW PUNCHER
At Cheyenne, Wyoming, To-day He
Said That the Western Man Is an
American First and Foremost.
Why He Thinks So.

Cheyenne, Wyoming, Aug. 27.-Colo-
mel Roosevelt, who arrived here to-day
On his western trip, took occasion in
his formal speech to praise western peo-
pie for their good Amerioanism. He
saidi @The man of the West through
out tho successive period Of western
growth has always been one Of the two
or three most typical fgures-indeed,
am tempted to say the most typical
igure-in American life, and no man
can really understand our country and
appreciate what it really is and what
it promises, unless be has the fullest
and closest sympathy with the ideals
and aspirations Of the West.
@The prime reason for this" he said,
sis to be found in the fact that the
westerner is so good an American. He
Is an American first and foremost; for
this is the great lesson, friends, that all
of us need to learn and to keep, tae
lesson that il is unimportant whether
n man lives North or South, East or
West, provided he is genuinely and in
good faith an American, that he feels
every part Of the United States as his
own, and that he is honestly desirous
to uphold the interests Of all other
Americans in whatever section of the
country they may dwell.
"The West stands for growth, for
progress. So must the whole American
people stand A great democracy must
be progressive, or il will soon cease to
be either great or democratic No ma
tion, no state, no party can stand still.
It must either go forward or 90 back
ward; and il becomes useless If Il goes
backward Therefore I greet you, men
Of the WeJt, and stand for progress,
as all men must who are progressive
Before ending wish to say word
on something which believe should IS
pecially interest all men who live in
the open country, and especially all men
who during the past thirty years have
lived and worked on ranches, or have
done their life work in the wilder parts
of our land, on the great plains or
among the mountains
"The artists VINO saw the picturesque
ness Of the backwoodsman lacked the
genius adequately to commemorate it,
while the artists Of real ability .unfor-
tunately had their eyes turned towards
Europe and lacked the robust original
ity-which the novelist Cooper showed
to see where their chance lay to do a
great work. But in our generation, for
our good fortunate great artist arose
who was capable Of seeing and record
ing the infinite picturesqueness Of the
life of the plains and the Rockies. OF
course I speak OF Frederic Remington.
I'm Remipgton's pictures, all the most
vivid and characteristic features of the
western pioneer life, which is Just clos
ing, were set forth, and he has commem
GRATED forever tine men Of the plains and
the mountains as they actually were
''Now / wish very much that these
men themselves would in their turn pro-
vide monument for the great artist,
the sum of whose activities represents (
such feature Of American achievement, I
and, above all, represents the commem-
Grafton of some OF the most interesting
figures that have ever appeared on the |
stage OF American life. A statue should /
be raised to Remington BY some really
first-class artist. Here at Cheyenne in
this gathering many hundreds Of the I
men have come together who were them
selves typical leaders in and representa-
tives OF the very life which Remington
so portrayed that it viii always live.
/ hope that these men viii Join togeth-
er, arrange the appointment Of COM
mjttee and start to raise funds for the
creation Of such statue"
Col. Roosevelt for several hours was
il the hands Of thousand hideous cow
boys, cowpunchers, garbed in silk hand
leather caps and wristlets and
other picturesque aceoutremeuts. On
his arrival he was received BY recep-
tion committee which comprised state.
federal and city officials, and he was
taken to the stand near the capitol build
ing, where he made his speech.