Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1888-03-31
FROM A SPEECH BY HON. JOHN r.
FINERTY.

QergaSt In thurman 1ef SWORD mas
been drawn not SO much to crafty
her lust for conquering weaker peo-
Piles as in order that her system of
commerce might plumber them.
Look at the vast empire of Hindo-
stan look at that empire which a
century and half ago was perhaps
the brightest upon the earth. Eng
land by her enterprise and by the
greedy valor of her soldiers grasped
it like a devil fish. What is that
empire to-day An empire compos-
ed of dependent princes who are
satellites of the British throne, an
empire millions of whose people have
starved for lack of rice and salt un-
der the British dominion within the
last dozen years. An empire that
today, if it had the power, would
rise as one man and sweep the for
eign domination from its soil. OF
all the wretched populations on the
earth the tribes of Hindostan are
perhaps the most miserable. They
wear no longer the glitteriDg robes
of India, they wear no longer the
silks of Cashmere. These find their
way to London to dress the proud
females of the dominant aristocracy.
But the native of the mountain re-
gions of India shivers in his calico
rags and these rags are manufacrur-
ed in Birmingham or in Manchester.
Applause.
Look at the fate of Gilman en-
pire nominally independent but an
empire cursed by the greatest vice
that perhaps mankind has ever been
subject to, the vice of opium smok.
ing. And who is responsible for
this? The British empire, whom we
are requested to constitute ourselves
into relief society for to night. Ap-
plause and laughter. When the
Chinese government saw the degra.
dation the opium habit was bringing
upon its people it sought to prohibit
the opium trade. What then did
Great Britain do? She sent out
feet. and at the lannon's mouth
compelled the ports of China to open
to the opium trade of India. She
controls that trade and she compels
the Chinese to-day By virtue of her
power to maintain that odious CON-
merce.
/ have spoken of England some
what severely and | need not tell
you that am not in love with her,
but / will give her one piece OF cred
1t that is her due. Rapacious, cruel
as she is, she never yet deserted a
British subject who found himself in
the grasp OF foreign power. She
made war in Abyssinia to release
her missionaries; she made war in
Coomossie for much the same object,
She has spent her blood and her
treasure to maintain the dignity of
her flag, pirate flag though 1t is. But
we have a department Of State that
always considers the foreigner right
and the American wrong. Under
no circumstances, according to the
government that exists to-day. can
an American do right in a foreign
country. If he is run into jail in
Mexico, il he is arrested by the Sui
tan of Morocco, if he is pressed into
the German ranks by Bismarck. if he
is crowded into the French army by
Carnot or Boulanger, if he is arrest
ed in England for looking like an Ir
American [cheers and laughter
it is all the same thing. | have a
great respect for the Society OF
Friends, but | don't think that the
presidential chair. or the Office of the
secretaryshIp of state is the proper
place for professional Quakers.
While | am not in favor of wild
policy that would involve this coun-
try unnecessarily in war, yet we
want a policy that will. on proper
occasions, show the developed biceps
of G0,000,000 of people. Loud
cheers.
The accumulation of surplus in
the treasury is, according to Mr..
Cleveland, the great crime the Re.
publican party has committed. We
have, it is alleged, two hundred mil
lions in the treasury or somewhere
near that figure. But we haven't a
fertilization on any coast of ours
that would stop any kind of a decent
cannon ball. We haven't a single
ship of war that can stand up for ten
minutes before single Englishman,
or Frenchman, or Chilian. We have
cruisers out on the ocean but they
are build, gentlemen, not to fight but
to run away [laughterl, most pecu-
liar method Of naval construction ;
excellent indeed, when backed by
other vessels, but, together with the
greyhounds, | would like to see a
few first-class bull dogs placed at
our front doors. The ocean com.
merce of all great countries depends
greatly on the measures taken for
its propagation and defense.
What have the Democrats done to
improve commerce Shoveled more
red clay into the Mississippi to be
swept down to the gulf; dug into
more impossible to-be cleaned out
bars at the mouth of Southern har.
bors, appropriations for humbug,
reaching millions, and nothing done
by the present government IN the
shape of appropriations for defense.
The old saying, I" In time of peace
prepare for war;" is just as good to-
day as it ever was; and although we
are told that our ocean frontier pro-
tects US, it is most unpleasant re-
Election that no matter how or With
whom we may get into trouble, the
feeblest nation of South America, or
of Europe can come down on our
chiefest cities and lie off and BON.
bard them at their ease and pleas.
ure. / don't say our people are not