On them will lie the burden of any loss of our soldiers and sailors, of any dishonor to the flag; and upon you and the people of this country will lie the blame if you do not repudiate, in no unmistakable way, what these men have done.
Speaking on national responsibility, Roosevelt places the ultimate blame for national dishonor on the people if they fail to hold their representatives accountable.
Share
More from Teddy Roosevelt
I speak of the men of the past partly that they may be honored by our praise of them, but more that they may serve as examples for the future.
The American people by a great plurality have conferred upon you the highest honor in their gift.
Shame on the man of cultivated taste who permits refinement to develop into a fastidiousness that unfits him for doing the rough work of a workaday world.
Other voices in this conversation
