The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-02-13
Vermont Honored the Mem
DRY of the Former
President
STATE HOUSE CROWD
HEARS ADDRESSES
Gov, Clement, Lieut. Gov.
Stone and Rev. Fraser
Metzger Speakers

lAe'lI''"oN' mason ,. Stone presided and
spoke briefly Of Roosevelt, the diplomat.
list, historian, writer and president. The
dead chief Of the nation, he said, had
caused the United States to be respect.
ed and recognized among the imperial
nations Of the earth. Lieut.. Gov. Stone
then introduced Gov. Percival W. Glenn.
ent, who spoke in part as follows:
However death comes to us, ii comes
as surprise. Colonel Roosevelt was a
, man OF action. We might have supposed.
therefore, that he would have met the death
OF a man Of action, the death of a soldier,
or hunter, or of an explorer; but, no, he
went to his rest as usual and passed into
the great unknown as quietly as when he
had, only few hours before, closed his
eyes In peaceful slumber. His career was
filed with SURPRISE and none greater
than when the wires flashed to the civil
lied world the news of his death. The
shock was all the more severe, because
there had been no suggestion that his
illness might be fatal. He was the kind
OF man who made friends; indeed il
was almost impossible to be associated
with him at all without becoming close.
ly attached to him
"Of the mighty host Of friends which
he had, there were thousands who would
fight for him at the drop Of the hat,
and there are few, even among those who
were at times his political enemies or
were politically opposed to him, who
did not admire his courage and his can
dor, and who did not carry a warm feel
ing for him in their hearts
When Washington died, he was hated
by some and loved by others and it took
later generation, far removed from the
scenes Of strife in which he lived, to
give US a just estimate Of his character.
Lincoln, even after his great speech,
with malice towards none, with chart.
ty for all words might have fallen from
as though they might have fallen from
the lips of Christ, was dcspised by thou.
sands in this country, who revere his
name to-day.
Roosevelt was neither hated nor de-
spised, Ind yet l think that we are too
much overcome TO form a true estimate
of his character at this time. | know
not which niche in the hall of fame the
writer of history will assign to Presis
dent Theodore Roosevelt; bat / feel at
this time people who speak OF him will
be too much influenced by emotion. They
will speak Of the qualities Of his heart.
Of his friendship, Of their love for him,
and neglect to consider those qualities
Of the mind by which he must be Judged.
| believe that time must soften our
grief before We can pay a just tribute
to President ROosevelt's greatness and
give to him his true place in the his.
tory Of the world, which he is sure ul.
timately to occupy.
In the administration Of public at,
fairs he was impetuous and bold, going
straight for the object in view. The ne
gOtiation of the Alaska boundary was
typical OF this method. The claim of
the Canadians for access to deep water
along any part Of the Alaskan coast he
wrote, 'is just exactly as indefensible as
If they should suddenly claim the island
of Nantucket Great Britain was no
doubt considerably startled by that kind
Of diplomacy, but the boundary ques-
tiOn was decided Roosevelt's way. This
same audacity settled the problem of the
Panama canal zone, and permitted the
beginning of the great enterprise which
joined the Atlantic and the Pacific, years
before 1t could have been accomplished
by the slow method of diplomacy.
"A brief reference to his prompt and
efficient dealing with the German men
ace on this side Of the Atlantic is of
particular interest just now. Germany
respected the Munroe doctrine, not be
cause she wanted to, but because Presi.
dent Roosevelt gave Germany a lesson
in Yankee diplomacy that she never for
got.
Great Britain, Italy and Germany had
attempted to enforce certain claims for
debt against Venezuela by a blockade,
and after the usual diplomatic means
had failed, the president took it up to
himself. He induced Great Britain and
Italy to agree to an arbitration, but
Germany held out Roosevelt then sent
for the German ambassador and gave
him ten days to arrange with his impe.
rial matter for the withdrawal of the
German feet. Now that winter. President
Roosevelt had ordered the American feet
to the Caribbean sea for winter manou-
vers. Nothing happened for a week, the
ambassador holding that the kaiser, hav-
ing passed once upon this matter, could
not change his mind. Then the presi-
dent told the ambassador that, unless Ger.
many agreed to Mbitrate within As
hours, Admiral Dewey would sail for
Venezuela with the Atlantic fleet. The
ambassador was astounded. History
does not tell u.s. but it is more than
probable that the ambassador knew the
whereabouts of Admiral Dewey and the
American feet, Anyhow, his chief at
Berlin saw II new light and within SO
hours agreed to arbitrate.
81 have often wondered what the re-
suit would have been, if, in 1915 and
1915, that sort of fearless policy had
been directed towards the secret and I'm.
scrupulous warfare which Germany was
then waging against the United States.
previous to his first speaking cam
paign in Vermont, ! had met Colonel
Roosevelt only few times. At the time
of his speaking in that campaign, he
was my guest for day or two over the
Rutland railroad. At the time Of the as.
sassination of President Mckinley at
Buffalo, Vice President Roosevelt was a
guest of the Vermont Fish and Game
league at Isle La Motto. On the after.
noon of that day, the dispatcher's wires
of the Rutland railroad were suddenly
interrupted by the brief announcement
that President Mckinley had been shot
at Buffalo.
THAT message was Immediately re-
peated to Isle La Motto station and tel
ephoned to Roosevelt. knowing that he
would wish to go directly to the bedside
of the president, special train was inn