The Attempted Assassination of ex-President Theodore Roosevelt | Page 7

years after
they had come to this country from Germany (applause). Two of them
left their lives, spent their lives on the field of battle--I am all right--I
am a little sore. Anybody has a right to be sore with a bullet in him.
You would find that if I was in battle now I would be leading my men
just the same. Just the same way I am going to make this speech.
"At one time I promoted five men for gallantry on the field of battle.
Afterward it happened to be found in making some inquiries about that
I found that it happened that two of them were Protestants, two
Catholics and one a Jew. One Protestant came from Germany and one
was born in Ireland. I did not promote them because of their religion. It
just happened that way. If all five of them had been Jews, I would have
promoted them, or if all five had been Protestants I would have
promoted them; or if they had been Catholics. In that regiment I had a
man born in Italy who distinguished himself by gallantry, there was a
young fellow, a son of Polish parents, and another who came here when
he was a child from Bohemia, who likewise distinguished themselves,
and friends, I assure you, that I was incapable of considering any
question whatever, but the worth of each individual as a fighting man.
If he was a good fighting man, then I saw that Uncle Sam got the
benefit from it. That is all. (Applause.)
"I make the same appeal in our citizenship. I ask in our civic life we in
the same way pay heed only to the man's quality of citizenship to
repudiate as the worst enemy that we can have whoever tries to get us
to discriminate for or against any man because of his creed or his
birthplace.
"Now, friends, in the same way I want our people to stand by one
another without regard to differences or class or occupation. I have
always stood by the labor unions. I am going to make one omission
tonight. I have prepared my speech because Mr. Wilson had seen fit to
attack me by showing up his record in comparison with mine. But I am
not going to do that tonight. I am going to simply speak of what I
myself have done and of what I think ought to be done in this country

of ours. (Applause.)
"It is essential that there should be organizations of labor. This is an era
of organization. Capital organizes and therefore labor must organize.
(Applause.)
"My appeal for organized labor is twofold, to the outsider and the
capitalist I make my appeal to treat the laborers fairly, to recognize the
fact that he must organize, that there must be such organization, that it
is unfair and unjust--that the laboring man must organize for his own
protection and that it is the duty of the rest of us to help him and not
hinder him in organizing. That is one-half of the appeal that I make.
"Now the other half is to the labor man himself. My appeal to him is to
remember that as he wants justice, so he must do justice. I want every
labor man, every labor leader, every organized union man to take the
lead in denouncing crime or violence. (Applause.) I want them to take
the lead (applause) in denouncing disorder and inciting riot, that in this
country we shall proceed under the protection of our laws and with all
respect to the laws and I want the labor men to feel in their turn that
exactly as justice must be done them so they must do justice. That they
must bear their duty as citizens, their duty to this great country of ours
and that they must not rest content without unless they do that duty to
the fullest degree. (Interruption.)
"I know these doctors when they get hold of me they will never let me
go back and there are just a few things more that I want to say to you.
"And here I have got to make one comparison between Mr. Wilson and
myself simply because he has invited it and I can not shrink from it.
"Mr. Wilson has seen fit to attack me, to say that I did not do much
against the trusts when I was president. I have got two answers to make
to that. In the first place what I did and then I want to compare what I
did while I was president with what Mr. Wilson did not do while he
was governor. (Applause and laughter.)
"When I took office as president"--(turning to stage) "How long have I

talked?"
Answer: "Three-quarters of an