The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1911-04-20
A STRENUOUS TALK
Col. Theodore Roosevelt Address
SeS Minnesota Legislature
NE GIVES GOOD ADVICE
Strikes Popular Chord by Declaring
for Things Which the Plain
People Want

Through the courtesy of Hon. Frank
f. Minette. representative from the
Sank Centre district, the publisher
of The Herald enjoyed the privilege,
last Friday evening. of listening to
Colonel Theodore Roosevelt address
the Minnesota legislature in the hall
of the House of Representatives
Colonel Roosevelt is not an orator
in tie commonly accepted sense Of
tie term. He has poor voice for
public speaking, he possesses none OF
the graces of the orator, he uses no
fowery language, he violates most OF
the rules laid down for the orator:
vet he never fails to strike a popular
chord and he is listened to with rapt
attention and probably makes great
er and more lasting impression upon
his hearers than does any other man
i'm public life today.
Theodore Roosevelt is in class by
himself. He impresses one as abso-
lutely honest and sincere, man who
is not self-seeker but who stands
for the rights of the people, for a
square deal for all and for honesty
and efficiency in public servents, and
for honesty and decency in the COM
mon people.
He is volcano of pent up energy,
a high power dynamo, an engine of
tremendous tractive force. The en-
ergy must escape, the dynamo must
work. the engine must propel.
In his dress Colonel Roosevelt is
careless. His black suit hung rather
loosely about his somewhat stout
form: he wore neglige roll collar
and plain black tie: his cuffs were the
old style that button one over the
other and are held in place by gold
cuff buttons as large as a silver
quarter dollar: detachable cuffs they
were too, which, when their wearer
gestured vigorously, protruded in an
unsightly manner beyond the end OF
his coat sleeves.
Colonel Roosevelt is very deliberate
in his public speeches, almost hest
tating at times and chopping his sem
fences off in little bits, while he en-
phasizes with his right hand and his
celebrated teeth. Those teeth are
much i'm evidence. When lie makes
point. he smiles and shows two rows
of dental equipment that speak vol
umes in themselves. His gestures
are frequent. emphatic and lacking in
grace. But they count. Occasional
" he rams his left hand deep down
i'm his trousers pocket. while at the
same time enforcing point with his
right land and his famous teeth.
He's u study as q speaker. Any other
man would often prove wearisome,
but not SO with Teddy He can
apparently do and say anything and
it goes" Colonel Roosevelt is the
only man on earth who could hand to
the vatican and that Methodist par
son i'm Rome What VAS coming to
them, who could tell unpleasant
truths to the Egyptians and to the
Britons, and Mi.o could keep the Ger
man Kaiser waiting twenty minutes
for an audience. and not be criticised
for it.
Colonel Roosevelt received q magni-
ticent ovation in ST. Paul. Thousands
welcomed him at the railroad station
and followed his equippage to his no.
tel, thence later to the state capitol.
Inside the marble pile an audience of
something like thousand people,
legislators, state officers and their
friends, packed the chamber of the
House, which had been profusely dec
grated with American flags and cost
ly cut flowers in his honor When he
entered the hall the crowd rose and