Remarks in St. Paul, Minnesota

Ladies and gentlemen and my fellow citizens:

I shall only keep you a few minutes. I am deeply touched by your greetings, and let me say that it is fitting that the President of the United States should be so greeted. He stands as a representative of the people, not as the representative of a particular party or creed.

Your great state of Minnesota is in the heart of the country, and it typifies all that is most American. As I was passing through the hall way of the capitol building here a moment ago I noticed in a glass case the old flag relics of the civil war.

There were the flags of the famous First Minnesota and there was the flag used at Gettysburg when that regiment won that high and dreadful honor of having lost more men than the other regiments. The small remnant that was left held its ground and the flag which it had taken.

You represent a stock peculiarly and typically American. You have robust strength and the ability and the willingness to do alike in peace and in war. There are many different race strains in the Northwest, and more especially so in Minnesota.

The state represents America as but few states do. You have much of the old world stock and out of the mixture of the races has come a type to be proud of.

I greet you. I welcome you. I thank you for your welcome of me. I am glad to see the men. I am glad to see the women. I am glad to see the children and to know that all is right, both as regards quality and quantity. Good luck to you all.