The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, December 19, 1898, Page 4

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL ONDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1893 & e w . THE BAN FRANOCISCO OALL, MONDAW, DEEMBEE B BN - e e MONDAY.. JOHN D. Communications to W. S. T SPRECKEL. S, Proprieto Address LEAKE, Manager. PUBLICATION OFFICE .Market and Third Sts., S. F. Telephone Main 1568 [ DITORIAL ROOMS .27 to 221 Stevenson Street Telephone Main 1874. THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL (DAILY AND SUNDAY) Is served by carrlers In this city and surrounding towns for I5 cents a week. By mall $6 per year: per month €5 cents. THE WEEKLY CALL OAKLAND OFFICE.. One yecr, by mall, $1.50 ....908 Broadway ..... ..Room 188, World Building NEW YORK OFFICE DAVID ALLEN, Advertising Representative. WASHIN ON (D. C.) OFFICE Riggs House C. C. CARLTON, Correspondent. CHICAGO OFFICE s C.GECRGE KROGNESS, ...Marquette Bullding , Advertising Representative. ERANCH OFFICES—52T7 Montgomery street, corner Clay, open until 9:30 o'cleek. 387 Hayes street, open until 9:30 o'clock. 621 McAliister street, open until 9:30 o'clock. 615 Larkin street, opan untll 9:30 o'clock. 1941 Misslon street, open until 10 o'clock. 2291 Market street, corner Sixteenth, cpen until 9 o'clock. 2518 Mission street, en until 9 o'clock. 106 Eleventh street, open until 9 o'clock. 1605 Polk street, open until 9:30 o'clock. NW. corner Twenty-second ana Kentucky streets, open untll 9 o'clock. , Vaudeville and t SAdy streets, Speciafties. = H 19, at 12 Sixth street, A COMMERCIAL FANFARE. T is rather out here in California, where I trade is not | cularly brisk, to realize that the year 1808 is 1g out with fly; lors and a record which wili beat al but such The commercial statisticians of ic over it. It is largely a case of ent lines of trade individu- tivity is apparent, exceptiniron. But t statement of exports and imports for I lendar y the Governmer shows first eleven the mor of the that the exports of the United States amounted to $1.117,681,109, exceeding the imports by $537.837,046, over the sa period in 1897 of $143,026,- 1's weekly review calls December a month of ises, and Bradstreet’s says that “Likening the to that of a water ¢ be authoritatively stated that nearly of seasonable trade are at the pres- ning full and in some lines of business the ess of the coun cour: the 1 is virtually overflowing.” In point of activity the iron and steel trade leads all others. In fact, at the present rate of progress it will not be long ere the United States will be to the iron trade what Great Britain has been for dec- ades. dy foreign countries are seeking our markets for plies, and the demand is now so great that the mills are turning down orders right along. The most recent instance of this is the refusal of e Chicago mills to execute an order from the Rus- E for 73,000 tons of steel rails to be delivered at Vladivostock, because they are too busy to fill it. Nothing like the present activity in iron has been seen for years, if indeed, ever. In other branches of business the signs are favor- able. During the past week there have been ad- vances in cotton, coffee, lumber, copper, lead and all the cereals. Increased buying of cotton at the advance is reported. The improved movement in wool already noted still continues and large purchases by the long idle have started up. The exports of wheat and corn from Atlantic ports are running very large, those of corn being surprisingly so, and if it con- enormous benefit to the West- In fact, it is our phenomenal export trade in all classes of products which is exciting the East, and well it may, for we are now sending away two dollars’ worth of goods for every dollar’'s worth we buy. No. other country in Christendom is mak- ing such a record. Business failures also continue to make a fine showing. those last week amounting to 261, against 329 for the same week in 1897. The bank clearings showed an increase of 23.4 per cent over the corre- sponding week last year. he distributive trade of the country is fair, but is completely dwarfed by the magnificent exhibit of the export trade. Wall streets reflects the general prosperity by an ate of transactions in bath bonds almost tinues it will result in ern farmers. enormous and stocks, which has carried prices for many to the highest level of the year. The leading feature of the week was the heavy buying for London account, showing that the foreigners realize our prosperity and are taking advantage of it. In California the situation has measurably im- proved during the past week, owing to the rain, which, though not copious, was sufficient to give the a good sta s beginning to stagnate trade. Moist, foggy weath- er has followed the rain and given it a chance to ! soak in get it, for the dry cor up. We need more rainfall, but will probably ions seem pretty well broken s scored a small advance owing nage- to the Argentine crop, and all istern mills are reported, while many mills | and break the long dry spell, which | The cereal markets have improved during the past | THE ACME OF GALL RECENT report of the transportation com- mittee of the Boston Associated Board of Trade shows that the Expressman’s League has applied to the Board of Trade to take action | toward inducing Congress to repeal that portion of | the internal revenue tax law which imposes upon ex- | press companies a tax upon the shipments of mer- | chandise. | It is not likely that the Boston Board of Trade is the only association which the Expressman's League has endeavored to set to work in its scheme of fur- | ther tax-shirking. It has probably applied to similar | bodies all over the country, and doubtless has a lobby at Washington ready to swear that the people at large ‘ia\-or the repeal of the tax. ! Recent experiences of the impudence with which | the express companies have shifted their taxes upon | the public show it is difficult to fix limits to the ex- | tent of their gall and tax-shirking rascality, but this petition seems like capping the climax. It is the very acme of gall. Possibly the league has in it a | capacity for even further impudence in its rapacity | than this, but until something new is revealed this must stand as the supreme effort of disloyal greed tc rob the public and avoid its share of the cost of the war. The express companies have never paid a dollar of the They shiited the cost of the | revenue stamps upon the public at the start, and are even now fighting from court to court every attempt made to compel them to obey the law. Their dis- They would see our soldiers starve in the field, our navy lie idle and helpless for f supplies, and the nation itself perish, before they would pay one cent out of their swollen revenues tc the Government. By shirking, by lying, by cheat- ing and by bullying the public they will shift the tax a: long as they can; and then ask Congress to repeal the tax upon their business and increase it upon that of some one else The transporta revenue tax. loyalty knows no limits. lack on committee of the Boston Board { of Trade has refused to single out “this one class of business which is taxed by the new internal revenue law” for relief; but it suggests that the law might be improved by levying the tax upon the gross re- ceipts of the companies instead of upon shipments The plan might be a good one, if cf merchandise, { any corporation less shifty and prevaricating than the express companies were to be dealt with. A tax upon their gross receipts, however, would simply impose ficials the easy lie of swearing they have no gross receipts. They could make that lie on Sat- urday and go to church on Sunday looking as sanc- timonious as they do now. The present form of the tax is good enough. The only thing needed is to provide a heavier penalty upon the expressmen for their violation of it. If a few of the psalm-singing thieves in high office in the companies were sent to the penitentiary for rob- bing the public and defrauding the Government, their virtue might not be improved, but their gall would be lessened and the public to that extent benefited. e ——r—— NO MORE ROSSER FARCES. F the courts of California adjust themselves to the feeling indicated by expressions of indignation and disgust at the Rosser travesty, the present will be the date of a new judicial epoch. There will be from now on, a tendency to administer justice for the | laudable purpose of punishing and restraining crimi- nals, rather than for the purpose of bedecking them with bouquets and sending them on their ways re- joicing. There were, aside from the display of maudlin wit- lessness in the jury-box, features of the trial resulting in the absurdity of acquittal calling almost as mark- edly as the jury for rebuke. The prosecution was hali-hearted. The deputy of the District Attorney displayed only a moderate interest. The infection of a misplaced sympathy had apparently touched and | fuddled him. The instructions of the Judge, read by | another Judge, were given no more inflection nor ei- | fect than a bill being droned into the unlistening ears | of a tired Legislature. | The instructions themselves, we think, laid greater stress upon the possibility of the prisoner’s having been drugged than the evidence warranted. Other soldiers who had drank an equal amount had re- tained their senses. They had killed no men nor at- tempted to kill any boys. If Rosser had been given drugged liquor why was not the seller of it haled into court? Why is he not now in jail? The probability must be recognized that Rosser merely drank such whisky as the dives afford. Altogether, the trial, hollow, howling, tearful pre- tense that it was, may be productive of good results. | The roar of protest against it is a healthy sign, and a hint that this community will endure no more such frauds. We do not accuse the jury of worse than foolishness, nor say Rosser was hurried out of the service that the military authorities might have no | bold upon him. We have never said that the fact | of the attorney for the defense, being father of the | District Attorney, a gentleman now too busy to at- | tend to the duties of his office, had any bearing on the laxness of the prosecution. We only say that such wanton turning awry of law and equity must not occur again, for the people will have none of it. In | a sincere though possibly crude theory which is dear to them, they refuse to recognize the courts as sus- tained for the benefit of the criminal. upon their | | THE BRITISH IN EGYPT. “fl CORRESPONDENT of the New York Sun claims to have official authority for the state- | ment that the recent activity in British naval and military circles is due to an understanding be- tween Great Britain and the triple alliance that if the jritich Government formally annexes Egypt to the i empire, Germany, Austria and Italy will support her against any objection that may be made by Russia and France. Upon this agreement, it is said, the British are preparing to get rid of the in- the minor cereals except rye have shown a tendency | ternational council in Egypt and are making their to rice. The grape growers and winemakers have | navy ready for possible consequences. been encouraged by the sale of 3,000,000 gallons of | Tt is hardly likely there will be any war over the red wine at 1274@15c per gallon, and what is still bet- ‘ issue, notwithstanding the irritation caused in France ter, a disposition on the part of the warring factions in the trade to come together for the common good. This means much to the State, as the vineyard inter- ¢st is one of the most important.. The other local staples are about the same as they have been for weeks. There is more activity in wonl, and about 1,000,000 pounds have been worked off for shipment during the past fortnight. market has declined somewhat, but prices are still good. Farmers have been hampered of late for want | of advances for seed, as the money powers did not The meat | | by the recent speech of Sir Edmund Monson. How- | ever earnest the French jingoes may be in their de- sire to establish a colonial empire in Africa to rival that of the British, they cannot accomplish it. The lion that bars the way for them is more potent than the British lion, even though that beast be backed by | the cagles of Germany and Austria. It is the lion of { natural Jaw. | Official reports of the French population for the vear 1807, which have just been issued, show that the total number of births\for the year was in round num- feel like making any advances until rain made a bet- 1‘ bers 850,000, as against 865,000 for the previous year. ter outlook for crops; but now that the rain has ccme this condition ought to be changed. Country collections have been rather slower on this account, but the city collections have kept up all right. Other wise there is nothing new in the local situation e —— The more gold strikes there are in Colorado the \_ deader will be the silver craz-, A7/ : This diminution in the birth rate has been going on for years, and it is stated that the French population contains a smaller number of men and women of ‘hat are called able-bodied ages, namely, from 15 to 25 years in the case of men and to 45 in the case of women, than it did thirty years ago. ‘With a population so diminishing at home it would be the wildest folly on the part of the French to sacrifice their bravest men in an attempt to build up the things France does not need and could not profit by, even if the valor of her troops could attain it for As the case stands the British seem to have a free way in Egypt. They have possession of the country, Egyptian bonds, they have a swarming population capable of furnishing adventurous pioneers to go into have a navy strong enough to stand off most of the world, and, if it be true they have also the support sion. It will hardly be necessary for the Salisbury Government to make any change in the situation. everything else that is African THE MONTEREY PETITION. B ting forth the distress occasioned in some sec- tions of Monterey County by the prolonged the generous people of the prosperous portions of the State will promptly respond. The extent of the be investigated without delay in order that help may be given adequately and at once. general Government in cases of this kirx(!. but_these have come from the people of the half arid plains of dwellers along the often submerged banks of the Mississippi. From such regions a call for help was prise if any section of California should come as a petitioner to the Government. need to ask assistance from any source outside the State. A good deal of railroad building is going on that will provide work for the people and put money into circulation. With the coming of rain, for which afford plentiful pastures for stock. Finally the county as a whole is fairly rich and prosperous, and there the hard times that have come upon them. While all of these reasons tend to justify the belief require any further help than can be given by private generosity, the subject should not be ignored or put people of famine-stricken Russia and to the starv- ing, plague-stricken people of India. She should be of her own citizens. o e fl which occurs in 1900, by the establishment of some kind of permanent memorial to mark so his- a colonial empire. Territorial expansion is one of her. they have the support of all the capitalists who own the land and subdue it from Cairo to the Cape, they of the triple alliance, the end is a foregone conclu- Egypt is theirs, and along with Egypt goes almost Y the memorial addressed to the Governor set- drought, a call for assistance has been made to which suftering and the amount of relief required should There have been frequent calls made upon the Western Nebraska, Kansas and Texas, and from the not surprising, but there will be something of sur- Fortunately it is not at all likely there will be any in the vicinity of the drought-stricken section, and the prospects are now good, the grass will revive and will be a bountiful local aid to help the needy over that the distress is not very extensive and will not aside. California has shown a great bounty to the even more bountiful in ministering unto the needs THE WASHINGTON CEHTENN[AL. ton to celebrate the centennial of the city, torical an occasion. The President has warmly com- mended the plan and has recommended Congress to | He has | appoint a committee to assist in the work. also urged an appropriation for it. The plan of celebrating the event by the erection of a great memorial structure instead of by holding an exposition, is a gcod one, for Washington has comparatively little commercial and industrial ac- tivity to be benefited by an exposition, while its posi- tion as the capital of the nation and its general mag- nificence makes it well fitted as a site for monumen- tal architecture. What form the memorial is to take has not yet been decided. There are certain to be plenty of sug- gestions. The supporters of the National University scheme will of course suggest some notable struc- ture for that institution, and with good reason, for as Washington urgently recommended the foundation of such a university, it would be fitting to celebrate the centennial of the city by dedicating a noble build- ing for its uses. There is also a long standing demand for a state- lier home for the President. A more recent demand is for a spacious building for the Department of Jus- tice and the Supreme Court. There is another for a massive memorial bridge across the Potomac. Washington, in fact, has an abundant supply of schemes for architectural improvements. It is possi- ble, however, the citizens would not be willing to sacrifice any of these for the centennial memorial. They may hope to get all of them and the memorial besides. As a rule the whole nation is gratified with the upbuilding of the national capital. If any well con- sidered plan is adopted for the proposed memorial, Congress need not be parsimonious in appropriating money for it, as the people will be sure to approve it. But in the competition for the design the architects and artists of all sections and States should have a chance. It would be a subject of some historical note, as an illustration of our development as a nation, if the designer of the centennial memorial should be a resident of the Pacific Coast. “HEARST THE FIRST.” HE Examiner is now engaged in calling W. J. T Bryan down on his attempt to connect the dead issue of free silver with the living issue of im- perialism. Having bullied the country generally, it now proposes to bully its own chosen leader. The work is doubtless congenial and a fine corollary to the alliance between the epileptic press and the bogus Democracy. The Examiner has great projects. It looks upon the world as “a small ball of dirt,” which could be easily controlled by an American Napoleon. Sup- pose we try the experiment on a limited scale. The man who offered $50,000 reward for the destroyer of the Maine, whe sent a Congressional commission to Cuba to supervise the commission appointed by the Government, and who wants to nail our flag to the rotten tree of Spanish despotism, deserves some recognition. Let us give him the Philippines and allow him to start a little imperial hell of his own under the gorgeous title of “Hearst the First.” Then he will have a fair chance for a “national policy,” unhampered by the American constitution, and, if he will only take with him the Examiner and the en- tire crew it directly represents, they can heal their clection sores and live on free silver, while the United States plods along within its ancient limits as a con- tinental republic, sustained by white labor, paid in gold. P Wine dealers are expressing their regret that an adulterated articlé should have been sent to Mexico, but by expressing no more such wine they can best demonstrate that the regret is the outpouring of con- trite hearts, In connection with some recent shipments from this State a question has arisen as to the quality of Mexican justice. Why not refer this to Dan Burns? Our battleships seem to have their greatest dangers to contend with in times of peace. MOVEMENT has been started in \\'ashing-' AROUND THE CORRIDORS B. L. Barney of Hanford is at the Lick. State Senator Robert N. Bulla is at the Grand. A. G. Gassen of San Diego is at the Palace. Dr. A. E. Osborne of Eldridge is at the Grand. G. G. Linen of New York is at the Oc- cidental. . E. Richardson of Olympia, Or., is at the Russ. J. E. Beard of Napa is a guest at the California. A. L. Nichols of Chico is registered at the Grand. Captain Willlam Whiting of Fresno is at the Grand. 3 B. H. Land of New York is a guest at the Palace. C. O. Swanberg of Sweden is staying at the Palace. C. Jacob of Visalla {s staying at the Occldental. F. H. Kennedy of Stockton is at the California. S. F. Smith of San Diego is a guest at the California. Banker C. H. Schriveley of Oroville is a guest at the Grand. P. Kirnin, a miner of Nevada, guest at the Palace. Frederick H. Avery and wife of Peoria, II1., are at the Lick. G. Cheever Hudson of New York is reg- istered at the Palace. S. B. Hayden of New York and I B. Reed of Los Angeles are at the Palace. Thomas Fox, Postmaster of Sacra- mento, {s a guest at the Lick. W. H. Forward, U. 8. A., and Surgeon J. D. Hall, U. S. A, are at the Occi- dental. F. Temple, Lynch, a prominent coffee planter of Guatemala, is at the Occi- dental. T. W. Woodford of New York, a well known horseman, with his wife, is at the Palace. John Borenson of Arizona, who is con- nected with the Geographical Survey, is at the Occidental, is a CALIFORNIANS IN NEW YORK. NEW YORK.iDec. IS:DI\\'Id Sachs of San Francisco is at the Savoy. J. P. Arch- fbald of San Francisco is at the Holland. NEWS OF FOREIGN NAVIES. Vickers & Sons and Maxim at the Naval Construction Works, Barrow, have work to the amount of $17,500,000 in hand, chiefly naval contracts. The armament of the Gladiator class, British cruisers, is to consist of ten 6-inch quick-firing rifles, instead of four 6-inch and six 4.7-inch quick-firers as originally designed. The discontent of the crew on the Brit- ish battle ship Majestic has spread to the Prince George, also in the Channel fleet. Several of the tompions belonging to the 6-inch quick firing guns have been lost, presumably thrown overboard by the crew. The corrected time made by the Jap- anese cruiser Kasagi on her recent trial | over a course of 20 miles, run twice over, was 23 knots up and 224 knots down, giv- ing an average of 22% knots. The revolu- tions ranged from 158 to 164. The Kasagi was built by the Cramps and completed within contract time. At Schneider’'s yard at Chalons sur Soane (a part of the Creuso‘ establish- ment) the following number of vessels are under construction: Nine torpedo boats of 24 knots and six of 21 knots, all for the French navy; two screw boats for use on rivers in Russia; two tugs of 1000 horsepower, and three floating dock-gates. There are ten different caliber guns in the British navy and it is ap-~ehended by naval officers that one more will be added by the Admiralty. The calibers now on board ships are 16%%-inch, 13%, 12, 10, 9.2, 6, 5, 4.7, 4 and 3 inch. The new gun talked of is one of 7 inches and officers are op- posed to its introduction. The above list does not include the smooth-bore guns, of which there are still a number on the older vessels. Some very successful experiments have ‘been made at Fiume, on the Adriatic, with an invention of an Austrian naval en- gineer for stopping vessels under way. The inventor claims that by the use of his apparatus the way of a steamer going at full speed can be instantly checked. The experiments, which were made with the Government steamer Clotilde, were witnessed by representatives of the navy, the Austrian Lloyd and other shipping companies. Experiments with mixed fuel, composed of coal and petroleum refuse, have been carried -on in the French navy with the Dunois torpedo gunboat of 896 tons, in- tended to make a speed of 23 knots. The trials have not proved satisfactory, for the consumption of the mixed fuel was 1.66 pounds against 1.61 pounds per horse- power per hour of coal alone. Another se- rious objection was the dense volume of smoke made by the mixed fuel. The horsepower reached as high as 11,000. At the time of the Fashoda incident the supply of ammunition at Toulon naval arsenal was so small that there was not a sufficient quantity in the magazine for the squadron in the Mediterranean. It is also stated by Le Yacht of November 12 that on the Northern squadron the big guns on the Redoubtable were without fittings, making it impossible to fire these guns, and that the Baudin and Formidable lack gome of their armor. A naval war with Great Britain would most likely reveal a condition of naval affairs in France as bad as its army was found when war was de- clared against Germany in 1870. The Fleurus, a third-class cruiser in the French navy, is causing the authorities much trouble. She was built at Cher- bourg in 1883, at a cost of $642,650, and is of 1310 tons, 4000 horsepower and was to steam 19 knots, but only reached 17.1 under the most favorable conditions. Her ma- chinery was taken out in and new engines and boilers put in. A trial took lace last month, when under natural Sraught and 132 revolutions the vessel reached 17.5 knots. As the Fleurus was designed about eight vears ago_ she is, in addition to her failure in speed, a vessel practically antiquated and of no use as a war vessel. Closed Sundays, Townsend's, Palace. * ————————— Thousands of packages in %, 1, 2, 3, § and 10 pounds of Townsend's California lace fruits, 50 cents a pound; all ready or shipping. Send your orders and we can ship for you at reduced rates. 627 Market street, Palace Hotel. L —_— e————— Special information supplied dally to business houses and public men by the Press Clipping Bureau (Allen’s), 510 Mont- gomery street. Telephone Main 1043. ¢ —_————————— Pasteur’s ‘widow has taken up her residence at the institution bearing her husband’s name, and is in receipt of a pension of £1000 a year. “Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup” Has been used over fifty -ears by millions ot mothers for thelr children while Teething with perfect success. It soothes the child, softens the gums, allays Pain, cures Wind Colic, reg- ulates the Bowels and is the best remedy for Diarrhoeas, whether arlsing from teething or other causss. For sale by Druggists in every part of the world. Be sure and ask for Mrs. ‘Winslow’s Soothing Syrup. 25c a bottle. —_———————— HOTEL DEL CORONADO—Take advantage of the round-trip tickets. Now only $60 by steamship, including fifteen days' board at hotel; longer stay 3250 per day. Apply at 4 New Montgomery street, San Francisco. —_— ee——— EXPERIENCE IS THE BEST TEA( Use Acker's English in any case of l ‘m colds or nr::p. Should lg‘{ul‘t‘o m Drug Co- y SHALL WE ANNEX THE PHILIPPINES ¢ By FRANK H. SHORT. I am not in sympathy with any man or organization of men who think that the Government or the people of the United States have departed from their allegiance to the principles for which it, the Gu\'erymeffl, was creat- ed, or that think any party is organized or actuated with intent to cen- tralize, imperialize, socialize or anarchize our republican government or in- stitutions. It is not so much purpose or intent a free people rr!ust vigilant- ly guard against as it is mistakes, misconceptions and misguided enthusi- asm and effervescent patriotism. To assume that the certain acquisition of Porto Rico or the probable annexation of Cuba, or the accomplished annexation of Hawail, are logical forerunners of the annexation of the Philippines, or preconceived ad\:anced steps connected successively with each other, is in my judgment a mistake, To illustrate, the annexation of Hawaii was planned and well nigh accom- plished before the American Government or people substantially realized that the Philippines were on the mar, or ever would in the remotest degree come within our sphere of direct influence. The assumption that to approve in their successive order the acquisition of the Louisiana purchase, Florida, Texas, California and the adjacent States and Territories, Alaska and Ha- waii, is also logically to approve of the proposed annexation of the Philip- pines, is equally or more false and absurd. The acquisition of all the territory acquired prior to Alaska was consist- ent with the natural growth and political organization of the young repub- lic. It meant only that a similar race under similar purpose should occupy and conjointly govern contiguous and homogeneoys territory. Alaska main- land and islands were not contiguous, but it brought with it no new prob- lems of government, no new policy of administration, no race questions, no labor problems, no ‘colonial” system. Hawaii was brought in under dif- ferent but not radically inconsistent ideas. The islands were pointed to as more American than otherwise, more a part of this country than any other, and essential to its own commerce and defense—a population infinitesimal in comparison with even one ordinary State, not to mention the whole popula- tion of the country. This Government could not with complacency see those islands possessed, fortified or occupied by any other power either in tifmes of peace or war, so that Hawaii was annexed, not as a colony, but as oc- cupying a sufficiently and relatively contisuous position on th> map of the world so that the islands could and did come in more properly as a part of the republic than of any other nation. I, therefore, approve of the annexa- tion of Hawall. If mistaken, then the mistake is not great or momentous; if it be poison, then the quantity is too small to kill or seriously affect the whole system. It is argued because some loyal and able men thought that the Louisiana territory should not have been acquired and they were wrong, because Web- ster and kindred statesmen opposed the acquisition of the territory from Mexico and they were mistaken—that those who oppose the annexation of the Philippines are necessarily wrong. In other words, one step proves right, another proves right, and another and then you may close your eyes and walk any way and anywhere and no step can be mistaken nor lead over the abyss beyond which the true purpose or scope of the republic can- not go ‘We are a peculiar people, a nation born beneath the clouds of war and by the sword, a nation founded in a new world, with new aims, new prin- ciples and new hopes. The essential and fundamental principle of this republic is that man is the unit; that each one is a coequal part of the whole; that if you add together all of the people and divide by the sum of the whole the result is always the exact measure of the exact rights under the law of every citizen, no one one fraction more, no one one fraction less. “All of the just powers of government come from the consent of the governed.” “A gov- ernment of the people, by the people and for the people.” So it came about in the formation of this republic that though for many thousand years mankind had journeyed to reach the dawn, as by one stroke, by inspira- tion from God or man it matters not, it was at once high noon, the per- fection of civil liberty, from dawn to midday in the passing of one little moment in the great sum of human history. No one is now under the jurisdiction of the United States that is not, or may not become a citizen, and the question is, Shall millions come under our jurisdiction that are not to be brought in as, and never can become, citizens? I know there are many who are wiser than when our declaration of independence and con- stitution was adopted. The world has progressed. We are more learned, we have grown, expanded; we are wiser, so much wiser, than Washington and the rest of them. The answer to it all is this: We are building upon their foundation, not our own. It might be we could lay it better and more securely. I think not, nor half so well; but whether I am mistaken or not there is the foundation and upon it we must build, or not at all. It might be ‘that one architect should commence the construction of a building that took years to complete, he should pass away and another take his place, a better one you may assume, but upon the other’s foundation he must build, or not at all. Notwithstanding this, he radically changes the char- acter, proportions, weight and appearance of the structure. If he makes changes enough and go on long enough the only result possible is that in the end he will be buried beneath the ruins of the better structure than that begun by his predecessor. Some things progress; others cannot. Per- fection is the end sought. It may be attained in principles at the begin- ning as in the inception of our Government; if so, the beginning and the end are one and the same. Truth is eternal; it was at the beginning; it will be despite all human effort the same truth at the end. We have statesmen to-day before whose radiant wisdom (estimated by themselves) the combined wisdom and learn- ing of Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton, Jiy and Madison pales into a little, belated star before the rising sun. We are not burdened alone with statesmen of this class; ministers even with university degrees, silk hats, creased pants and patent leather shoes can tell us the wisdom, wishes and ways of Almighty God so much better than He who, bareheaded and sandal shod, stood upon the Mount of Galilee and spoke words that have journeyed down the ages and amellorated the condition of untold millions of the human race, words that have made this government a possibility among mankind. All this is passing to the subjec.t. “Shall we annex the Philippines?” I am an American, proud of the success and ambitious for the pros- perity of my country. I am a Republican, loyal to my party, proud of her history and devoted to ‘her principles. My country has not acted, my party has not spoken, so I oppose no law whatever way I decide for my- self, but if both had occurred in action I could to be true to myself say only, No. This Government was founded upon a new principle. To-day she is the supreme and undisputed controlling spirit of half the earth; when we con- sider this its possibilities, the work to be done, the wisdom, valor and hon- esty necessary to accomplish this work, the man who sighs for more, if he knew what he was sighing for, would be a fit subject for the envy of an Alexander, a Caesar, a Napoleon. Washington in his farewell address warned against the departure from and pleaded for th2 preservation of two things. “National unity,” that, his first hope and dream, a great democratic government, is realized, fixed and cemented largely by the Republican party, for which divine mission it was created and came into existence. The second wish, that his country should pursue its higher and better mission free from foreign entanglements, alliances or contaminations, is now for the first time to be put to actual trial and determined for all time, it may be. We have achieved a great victory over a very inferior power. We now have the opportunity and ability to violate his injunction and radically depart from the principles that thus far have in the main controlled us and served us well. Having the opportunity are we great enough to re- fuse it? The fundamental question is at stake. Is man still the unit? Is human liberty and the rights of man first? Shall we abandon the position of the dominant democracy of the Western hemisphere, the great self-re- specting republic of the world, for a “colonial system,” for ‘“commercial supremacy Shall we, the descendants of Washington, Hamilton and Jefferson, become one of the governmental, monarchial hogs, fattening at the trough of Oriental degencracy and decay? Can any one delude himself into believing that we can by conquest plant our flag over and assume to rule eight or nine millions of people in violation of every principle that has thus far actuated us without suffering a great loss in national conscience and national character? Can we bring in and ~overn a non-participating and non-consenting people perpetually under our constitution, without vio- lating it? Admittedly not. Can we bring them in Oriental by birth, slothful in habits, living beneath a tropical sun and barred by nature’s laws from ever becoming homogeneous with the Anglo-Saxon race? Can we ad- mit them .nd not suffer a frightful loss in the average character of our peo- ple? Here lies the most immediate objection and danger. This country, its laws, its prosperity and existence hinges on the stability, the industry, the integrity and loyalty of the average American man, the man who works, who has a wife, who has children, who has a home; upon him depends his country’s greatness and prosperity—not the very poor, there should be as few as possible; not the very rich, the tewer the better of either class. Can we bring in the opposite of this, our ideal, and not injure our country? In the - nilippines we have labor in its simplicity, in its servility; wealth in its arrogance and supremacy. Thus it has been in the Orient since the beginning; thus it will remain to the end. Shall we bring in what we have too much of already? Shall we aggravate the one national disease that now commands the anxious attention of every American, who hopes to hand down to his children, unimpaired, the institutions he received from his fathers? ‘Whether thg Philippines would add to our trade or commerce or wealth I do not know. I think the same energy, the same effort and industry ex- pended in our own hemisphere and among our own kind would accomplish much more in a material direction. Build the Nicaragua canal, improve our intern-l and external resources, advance our borders, if (he;’r need be advanced, along lines contiguous to our ~resent boundaries. Somewhere i the Western hemisphere would seem to allow latitude enough. W I cannot comprehend the man who argues that though we might con- trol all of this half of the world, we are isolated and non-progressive unless we divide with flve or six other powers the control of the other half. It is the enthusiasm and intoxication of oratory, it is not thought, it is not nec- essary to commerce or finance. But suppose it enhanced both at the expense of national principles and the character of the average American man? Is man still the unit, or is money? Is man the beginning and the end‘ and money the means, or is money the beginning and the end? If free govern- ment perpetually maintained, where all men shall be equal, is an iridescent and passing dream, then it matters not much whether we depart now or later from our fundamental principles. But if we still have faith in our- selves and our country, then our first and imperative duty is to stand by the institutions of our fathers, true to our faith and inspired by the same hope they cherished. The stock argument is, that it is popular, that the people want it, that it is manifest destiny, that it means more commerce, more money, more population, more territory, more power, more, more, more. In heaven's name, is mere acquisition, mere wealth, the sole aim and object? Cannot a man stand honestly against what he believes a mistaken popular clamor without being rated disloyzl to his party in advance? Are the cuckoos the only true partisans of our age? If annexation must be supported on such grounds, then right or wrong it will tritumph and American thought, man- hood and conscience will have been unheard and at a time when, since the Declaration of Independence, or the civil war, real American institutions have not been called so much in question. D, 38 The world reads yet, and for generations will continue to read, the story of Caesar as he paused on the banks of the Rubicon. That event, momentous as it was, is infinitesimal in comparison with the attitude of these 70,000,000 of free people and this great republic as it stands unde- cided whether it shall remain content with and true to constitutional princi- ples and democratic government, or, at the behest of ambition and greed, shall turn to the flesh pots of the Orient. One who opposes a great public clamor may forfeit popularity, place and fortune, but a worthier end it seems to me awaits the American citizen, though he should be but the drift wood along the short line that marks the boundary of his country’s departure from her great and godlike position as the representative of the true principle of government for the people and 4 1! by the people, than to hald the highest of all the high places between the line