The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-05-31

Arriving in Kansas City at s:45
O'Clock this morning. the Colonel par
ticipated in a street parade, delivered
four addresses. entertained Billy Sun
day, the evangelist. for half an hour.
and was away at II O'Clock tonight
the German-born citizens OF that city
on hyphenated Americanism.
Billy Sunday For Him.
While he remained here his every
public appearance was cheered by
crowds never numbering less than
ten thousand people. When he was
not on view the crowds stood outside
the hotel and awaited his appearance.
Billy Sunday, the evangelist, in his
interview with Colonel Roosevelt to-
day said:
Colonel Roosevelt. | don't know
what the delegates at Chicago are
going to do. but I am in touch with
the plain people of this country. as
you know; I go about among them
and | know how they feel. | say 10
you that II you are nominated for
the presidency you will be elected by
the greatest majority ever given Il
man in the United States. | know
the plain people, and that is what they
will do If you are nominated"
Roosevelt's Speech.
Speaking especially to the veterans
of the blue and gray. Theodore Roose-
welt painted at the Memorial Day cele-
bration here this afternoon an inspir
ing vision a great peoples army. ready
to fight for the weak and for the
right, in which the son of the rail-
way president the corporation
magnate should march shoulder to
shoulder with the boy from the farm.
the mill and the hookkeeper's desk.
ONLY thus. he said. is adequate ma
tional preparedness to be secured
The seas no longer protect us, he
declared for 'if any army half the
size, of that which attacked the OAR,
| danelles was landed near New York
or San Francisco in time no longer
than that occupied hy the British and
Australaps In reaching the Darda-
nelles. We should in the present con-
dition Of our forces be utterly at its
mercy"
He referred to the great danger to
the United States at the immediate
close OF the present war, saying:
When this war Ia over it Is posi-
bic that some of the combatants. be-
ing fully armed, will assaiI us because
We offer ourselves as rich and help
less prize.
'On the other hand. 1t Is also pos
sible that there will be temporary
exhaustion among the combatants and
willingness. even on the part OF the
most brutal and ruthless. to go through
he form of saving that they are
peaceful and harmless
I'm such event there will be real
danger lest our people be influenced
by the foolish apostles of unprepared-
ness to accept this condition as per-
manent and once more to shirk our
duty OF getting ready"
MT Roosevelt said he in fpvnr
of the second strongest navy In the
world and regular army OF 100000
men. He continued;
But the navy and the regular
army are not enough. Exactly as
back Of the navy should stand the
regular army, so back OF the regular
army should stand the nation.
OF freemen. Freemen At to be free
men do not have to hire other men
to DO their fighting.
speak here on the invitation Of
the men who wore the blue and the
men who wore the gray of nifty years
ago; or the men who fought In the
two great citizen armies. the North and
South; the bravest and best in the
land went forth to battle for their
deep convictions.
Universal training and universal
training democracy should accept.
TT Is the plain people--it is the
farmers, the working men. the small
business men. the professional men,
who. above all others, should back up
thin plan.
1T is the present lack OF system,
the present method OF allowing only
those bows to train whose fathers have
money, which is unfair and undemo-
cratic. II breeds class distinction.
among other unhealthy things.
II do not believe as a permanent
thing in system that merely puts
the Harvard boy alongside the Yale
boy. or the Princeton boy, the big
merchants son or railroad presidents
r6n~ beside the lawyers son, or per-
haps beside the employe of the rich
man who is patriotic enough to pay
his expenses
'All this is the best that we can
get at present, and until the people
as a whole wake up. But il is not
enough. ! believe in the system that
will put all the bows I have mentioned
alongside the boy whose father is
brakeman re in Missouri. or a hard
working farmer in Kansas. or fac
tory operator in Massachusetts, or New
Jersey. or a bookkeeper or stenog-
rapher in New York or Chicago; that
will put all Of them beside the boy
from the mountains of North Caro-
lima who. has never seem railway
train and has always gone barefoot
Let all these bows be given tha