Presidential addresses and state papers, Volume 3 (of 7)Roosevelt, Theodore
History
Presidential addresses and state papers, Volume 3 (of 7)
Roosevelt, Theodore
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919; United States -- Politics and government -- 1901-1909
the indignant pity of the civilized world.
* * * * *
Even where it is not possible to secure in other nations the observance
of the principles which we accept as axiomatic, it is necessary for us
firmly to insist upon the rights of our own citizens without regard
to their creed or race; without regard to whether they were born here
or born abroad. It has proved very difficult to secure from Russia
the right for our Jewish fellow-citizens to receive passports and
travel through Russian territory. Such conduct is not only unjust
and irritating toward us, but it is difficult to see its wisdom from
Russia’s standpoint. No conceivable good is accomplished by it. If
an American Jew or an American Christian misbehaves himself in Russia
he can at once be driven out; but the ordinary American Jew, like the
ordinary American Christian, would behave just about as he behaves
here, that is, behave as any good citizen ought to behave; and where
this is the case it is a wrong against which we are entitled to protest
to refuse him his passport without regard to his conduct and character,
merely on racial and religious grounds. In Turkey our difficulties
arise less from the way in which our citizens are sometimes treated
than from the indignation inevitably excited in seeing such fearful
misrule as has been witnessed both in Armenia and Macedonia.
* * * * *
The strong arm of the Government in enforcing respect for its just
rights in international matters is the Navy of the United States.
I most earnestly recommend that there be no halt in the work of
upbuilding the American Navy. There is no more patriotic duty before
us as a people than to keep the Navy adequate to the needs of this
country’s position. We have undertaken to build the Isthmian Canal. We
have undertaken to secure for ourselves our just share in the trade of
the Orient. We have undertaken to protect our citizens from improper
treatment in foreign lands. We continue steadily to insist on the
application of the Monroe Doctrine to the Western Hemisphere. Unless
our attitude in these and all similar matters is to be a mere boastful
sham we can not afford to abandon our naval programme. Our voice is now
potent for peace, and is so potent because we are not afraid of war.
But our protestations upon behalf of peace would neither receive nor
deserve the slightest attention if we were impotent to make them good.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account