Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-10-11

ions, improper legislation, and lack OF
legislation, a debatable ground, or neu-
trail zone exists between the state and
federal laws in which an offender may
always escape.
| II want to do away with that neutral
zone," he said.
| Colonel Roosevelt's address at the audi
torium was the principal event OF his Wis
IL to Atlanta. His address was for the
benefit Of the Uncle Remus Memorial as
ISOLATION, which purposes to raise Vs.
600 with which to buy the home of Joel
Chandler Harris, in West End, and make
ii a memorial to him.
About $500 people heard Colonel Roose-
welt. They listened to him with en-
thusiasm. He said:
WHAT HE SAID.
Mrs. President, Mr.. Mayor and Eel
, low-Georgians applause and cheering)
When / was asked to come here / ac-
cepted so eagerly that 1 think 1 made
it evident you would find some difficulty
. in keeping me away. And as l then
wrote, that / should feel so, l now do
| feel exactly as If l were coming home
| (applause). 1 shall never forget that at
| jamestown the Georgia state building
| was a replica of my grandfather 8
house at Roswell and the same house ap-
peared on the dinner cards tonight at
! the mayors My mother was a Geor-
| gia woman, two of her brothers and my
uncle, Georgians, wore the Confederate
uniform (applause), and my aunt, a
Georgian, repeated to me the Brer Rab-
bit stories long before ! had heard of
Uncle Remus. I suppose 1 was one of
| the few little boys of the north who
| was brought up on Brer Rabbit and
the differences between Brer, Rabbit and
the anything but astute Brer Fox, SO
| that when the stories of Uncle Remus
| appeared, / turned to them not only
| with the eager desire that one feels
to read something new, but with the
| further feeling that one has when con-
| tinually in a thing one finds traces of
what is old and familiar. Uncle Remus
was of course Joel Chandler Harris
great creation, but we must not forget
| that he was only one among the many
/ figures in Joel Chandler Harris works.
/ While Mr.. Harris has his widest reputa-
ton because of having added one more
I, to the very limited list of immortal
characters in fiction. yet there can be
no doubt but that he excelled in many
| fields. His stories. long and short, his
| infinitely pathetic and attractive sketches
of the life of his people here in the
south stand as among the highest
| achievements In American life.
HE is Georgian, but you and I q am
| speaking now as a Georgian) must not
grudge the rest of the country their
right to feel a proprietorship in him.
| hold that every man who really serves
' his state well, by that very fact neces-
/ sarily serves the nation well, just as,
| Mr.. Mayor, we will all of us in all parts
| of the country take pride in the fact
| that any one city has, as Atlanta now
J has, a thoroughly efficient and upright
municipal head (applause).
A GREAT ACHIEVEMENT
| 1T was my pleasure to know Mr..
| Harris personally. And that as you who
| do know him will concede, was quite
| a feat on my part Qaughter) He wasn't
an easy man to get intimate with. While
was president it was a matter of
great pride to me to have at the White
| House those American citizens whose
| lives 1 believed to have reflected credit
upon all Americans. And one of the
| men whom I was bound to have there
was Joel Chandler Harris, and the fact
| that 1 actually got him there l have al
| ways regarded as one of the distinctly
| meritorious achievements of my admin
| istration Qaughter). 1 remember quite
: early during my term as president when
! ] was in Atlanta, and made a special
| bid that Mr.. Harris should be included
1
| the exhausted herald who brought him
! explained to me that he had only gotten
him there by blindfolding him and back
! ing him in. so l had to settle down seri-
ously to work when 1 decided that he
| must come and visit me at the White
House; and l would never have gotten
| him there at all IL II hadn't been for
1 his son-to whom 1 am under many
| obligations because he is continuing at a
\ matter of love and of duty the publica-
ton of Uncle Remus Magazine, for
which in the name of all the country /
most earnestly wish the most prosperous
possible Career. 1 finally through the
son got Uncle Remus up to the White
House, although the son confided to me
that at the last moment when he had
| Just got within the doors he had a
fearful anxiety lest his father might
bolt after all.
II shall always remember that even
ing. 1 was selfish enough to desire to
keep Mr.. Harris, as much as possible, to
ourselves, anyhow. and then 1 knew he
particularly dislilxed for outsiders whom
he even suspected of lack of sympathy
to be present, and the only outsider who
| was with us that evening was my aide,
| Fitzhugh Lee, the great nephew of Gen.
Robert E. Lee. Joel Chandler Harris
was perfectly delightful that evening
He was not only delightful because OF
his intellect but was delightful because
you couldn't be with the man and fail
| to see his white soul. He was a man
who made you feel better to be with
him and 1 feel that the people of Georgia
| are thrice fortunate in having saved,
! fathers and mothers, the people OF the
! generation just passed, commemorated
| so that they shall live forever, the
| friendly, kindly, humorous and most APP
preciated and ennobling writings of Joel
! Chandler Harris.
! GLAD TO HELP MEMORIAL.
| II very earnestly hope that the move
ment to keep his house intact as a me-
mortal will succeed. 1 hope that not
| only Georgians but all lovers of litera-
ture all over the country will join to
make the movement a success. When
was last year in Rome-Rome, Italy, not
Rome, Ga, | stopped to see the house
I'm which Keats had lived. American and
| English admirers of Keats had Joined to
| preserve that house. 1t was a good
| thing to do. / am glad 1T was done.
/ I spoke for it and am glad to have help
| ed them, but II is an Infinitely better