Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-15
URGES TRUTH IN FIGHTING
Will Repudiate Any Supporter Who
Resorts to Mendacity.
SPEECH AFTER BEING SHOT
Tells Hearers in Milwaukee That He
Is Not Thinking of His Own Life
or Success, But His Cause,

er John Schrank's attempt on the life
of Col. Roosevelt last night in this city
the latter proceeded to the Auditorium,
where he spoke for an hour and a half.
He referred at once to the attempted
ASA ssination.
Friends he began, Il shall have TO
ask you to be as quiet as possible do
not know whether you fully understand
that 1 have just been shot, but it takes
more than that to kill a. bull moose But,
fortunately, / had my manuscript (hold-
ing up manuscript, showing audience
where bullet had gone through, so you
see j was going to make a long speech.
And, friends, the hole in 1t is where the
bullet went through, and it probably
saved the bullet from going into my
heart.
1.-THE bullet is in me now. SO that I
cannot make very long speech. But
will try my best.
Protests His Sincerity.
And now, friends I want to take ad-
vantage of this incident to say as solemn
a word of warning as know how to my
fellow-Americans.. First of ALL. want to
say this about myself: I have altogether
too many important things to think Of to
pay any heed or feel any concern over
my own death. Now. I would not speak
to you insincerely within five minutes of
being shot.
Il am telling you the literal truth
when l say that my concern is for many
other things. 1t is not in the least for
my own life.
II want You to understand that am
ahead Of the game anyway. No man has
ta ha I hay had-a
happy life in every way. / have been
able to do certain things that / greatly
wished to do, and I am interested in do
ing ether-things. I can tell you with
much uninterested in whether / am shot
or not. 1t was just as when / was colo
mel of my regiment. always felt that
private was to be excused for feeling at
times some pangs of anxiety about his
personal safety, but cannot understand
a man fit to be colonel who can pay any
heed to his personal safety when he Is
occupied. as he ought to be occupied
with the absC rbing desire to do his duty.
Not Thinking of His Life. i.
Il am in this cause with my whole
heart and SOUL / believe in the progress
i've movements movement for the bet
terment Of mankind, the movement for
making life a little easier for al our peo-
pie. a movement to try to take the bur-
dens off the man, and especially the
woman in this country, who is most OPP
pressed. l am absorbed in the success Of
that movement. feel uncommonly proud
in belonging to that movement. Friends,
ask you now this evening to accept what
l am saying as absolute truth when
tell you 1 am not thinking of my own
success. am not thinking Of my life, or
cnnnpPfa6
II am saying this by way of introduce
ton because I want to say something Sc
rtous to our people. and especially to the
was who shot me tonight. He was seized
by one of my stenographers, Mr.. Martin,
and / suppose is in the hands of the po-
lice now. He shot to kill me. He shot
the bullet. / am just going to show you.
Col. Roosevelt then unbuttoned his coat
and vest and showed his white shirt bad
ly stained with blood)
Now, friends, am going to be as
quiet as possible. even if I am not able
to give the challenge Of the bull moose
quite as loudly Now, 1 do not know who
he was. or what party he represented.
He was a coward. He stood in the dark
ness in the crowd around the automobile
and when they cheered me and / got UP
to bow he stepped forward and shot me
in the breast.
Weak Minds Inhamed to Violence.
cit is very natural thing that weak
and vicious minds should be infiamed to
acts of violence by the kind of foul men,
dacity and abuse that have been heaped
upon me for the last three months by
the papers in the interests, not only of
Mr.. Debs. but Of Mr.. Wilson and Mr.. Taft.
Friends, l will disown and repudiate any
man of my party who attacks with such
vile, foul SANDER and abuse any oppo-
nents of any other party.
Now I wish to say seriously to the
speakers and to the newspapers repre-
senting both the republican and demo-
cratic and socialist parties that they can
not. month in and month out, year in and
year out. make the kind of slanderous,
bitter. and naievolent assaults that they
have made and not expect that brutal and
brutality Is accompanied by a not too
strong mind-they cannot expect that
such natures will be unaffected by it.
II am not speaking for myself at ALL
about being shot. not a rap. l have had
good many experiences in my time, and
this Is only one of them. What do care
for is my country. l wish l We're able to
impress on our people the duty to feel
strongly but to speak truthfully of their
opponents.
Il say now / have never said on the
stump one word against any opponent
that ] could not substant,ate and nothing
ought not to have said: nothing that
looking back. 1 would not say again.
am all right
Appeals for Charity.
The colonel altered the set ending of his
address by adding with softened tones the
words charity. kindness and generosity"
to his regular appeal for recruits to the
progressive cause. His words usually are
work and fight" but last night he said I:
II appeal to you to join with us to work,
to fight, but with charity, with kindness
and with generosity to bring about social
and industrial Justice
WILL JOIN HER HUSBAND.