Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-09-02
ROOSEVELT SAYS
Draws Line Between This and Insur-
genoy in Speech to Kansas City
Commercial Club,
DON'T GET THE BRIDLE OFF,
Makes This Remark to Company
Singing His Praises.
TELLS OF WAR UPON REBATES
Comments Upon Change Since Fight
on Conventional Crime"
IMpRoMPTU TALK TO woRKMEN
Says Burdens of Those Injured
in Any Line OF work should BE
Borne by the whole
Industry.

KANSAS CITY, MO, sept. LAS the
guest of honor Of the Kansas City CONNER
cial club, Theodore Roosevelt today drank
a toast to the president; was himself toasted
as the first citizen OF the United states
and listened to rollicl1ng song to the tuns
of ''Theren BE a Hot Time in the Old
Town Tonight" which was as follows:
At next election time
At next election time
Roaming round the woody west
Getting things In line.
For we like him. and he likes us,
And that's a very good sign
That he will be our president at next
election time.
| The colonel responded heartily TO the toast
! to the president, butq looked on statu-
esque as the references TO himself were
made. Later, when he was called upon to
speak he referred 10 the song saying that
"one of them was anxiously seeking the
knowledge of my whereabouts"
Progressive Not InsurRent.
Another song ended with the refrain For
he is insurgent through and through he
said could have been improved in technical
accuracy IL the word progressive had
been substituted for the word 'insurgent."
| Don't get the bride Off" said the col
onel, amid cheers.
Three hundred men attended the luncheon
and gave Colonel Roosevelpt noisy well
come
Before the guests were seated former
Representative william S. Ccwherd, who
was toastmaster. said:
"It is always the custom of the CONNER
cial club to drink the first toast to the
president Of the United States
Everyone Joined in drinking the toast
Among the guests were Governor HadIey
of Missouri Governor Stubs of Kansas,
clifford Pinchot. James r. Garfield. Colonel
| ID Nala 80 fha
Star; Senator Bristow and Representative
Madison of Kansas.
Colonel Roosevelt complimented the people
of Kansas City upon the extensive improve
ments that have been made TO their water
works system. He expressed his interest in
the improvement OF the waterways, espe-
lcially of the Missouri river.
No Rebates Now.
When began as president, the move
lment against rebates that were universally
demanded and given, the practice was SO
general that the fact of giving them and
asking for them had become a purely con-
ventional crime,' said Colonel Roosevelt.
mo one spoke OF the giving of rebates
as crime and as that practice was freely
INDUCED in by the great mass of people
others were driven to commit the crime.
having the alternative Of being ruined by
their competitors If they did not get them.
The shippers demanded rebates of the rail-
roads and the railroads granted rebates to
certain shippers until they got in a net
work of preferences from which they were
unable to extricate themselves by any in
dividual action on their part. After some
difficulty, accompanied by the usual state
ment that l was running the business in
terts of the country we got the rebate
practice definitely stopped.
"Of course no great change Of that kind
has ever been made without incidental
hardship being suffered by many good peo.
pie You cannot make a change and MOI
suffer from the dislocatlon. Some good
people and some communities did suffer
| and think that Kansas City was the COM
munity that for the time being suffered
considerably. Kansas City had rebates that
l think at times we're as high as IS per
cent and was quite prepared for an out
burst of dissatisfaction from Kansas City
| But 1t is immensely to your credit that I
receive unanimous approval Your people
said that this change was right that the
thing ought to be done and that they were
| for il.
II think 1t was as fine an exemplfication
as one could desire of the willingness of
your people to squarey face a moral ISSUE
At the conclusion of Colonel Roosevelt's
speech he was driven to the Westport High
school to make another address
Character of Officials.
Theodore Roosevelt delivered the follow
ing address here tonight;
There are certain matters which should
never be treated as party matters; and fore
most among these is the great vital virtue
of honesty: Honesty should be treated as a
prime necessity to our success as a nation
The minute that question of honesty as
against dishonesty is involved, then we
must all act together as Americans without
the slightest regard to party affiliations
/ Honesty is not a party matter; and the
/ first man to attack a seoundrel of any
party should be the honest man OF that
| party. When in office, l always proceeded
upon the theory that there would be no
need of my opponents raising the cry of
I Turn the rascals out" because | would
turn them out myself just as soon as, by
vigllant and intelligent industry, l could
discover them. AS we dealt with
crooked public officials whether In
Kansas or Oklahoma, so we dealt
with the crooked private citizen; with the
/ rich swindler In New York or Chicago as
| with the horsethief or homicide In indian
Territory. We never attacked a man be-
cause he was a man Of one political faith
or another, because he did or did not pos
] sess wealth. ana we never shielded MN
because he was poor or rich, because he
belonged TO any particular church or to any
particular party But / also wish you es-
pecially to remember that we never hes-
tated TO shield him and stand up for him
once we were convinced that he was Inn
| properly attacked There Is no greater foe
OF honesty than the man who, for any
reason. in any capacity, attacks. or seeks
TO attack, an honest man for crime which
ne has not committed Falsely accusing
an honest man OF dishonesty is an act
which stands on the same level OF infamy