Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1896-01-29
SENATOR WOLCOTT ON THE MON
ROE DOCTRINE.

The speech of Senator WOlcOtt, of
Colorado, delivered on the 22d, on
the Monroe doctrine, savors more of
craftsmanship, patriotism and elo-
quence than any on this subject yet
delivered IN the Senate. 1t lifted the
speaker above the politician and
placed him on that plane where SO few
of those who held the destinies of our
nation in their ..hands have lately
essayed to tread. We had longed for
such a burst of eloquence and such
display Of patriotism from one or the
other of our senators. It came not.
Then we hoped, as they had let the
opportunity pass, that senator from
some Southern State might seize the
opportunity, and wreathe himself in
the glory which has now become SO
securely wrapped about the senator
from Colorado; or, if neither Vir-
ginian nor Southerner, then that
some Democrat might be found who
would snatch the prize which has
been hanging within reach SO long
and temptingly. In this we were
doomed to disappointment. All seem
ed to think that patriotism consisted
in brandishing weapons and eloquence
in crying for war.
The following extracts from Senator
Wolcott's speech show him to be no
ordinary man and boldly voice the
feeling which ought to pervade the
bosom of every true American who
holds dear his lineage and the inter-
ests of his country.
After defining what he believed to
be the doctrine, the senator concluded
by saying:-
When read that France, Germany,
and Russia-had allied themselves to-
gether against Great Britain, and that
the people of those little islands,
compassed by the inviolate sea-" in
defense of what they deemed their
rights. were marshaling their armies
and assembling their navies. ready.
undaunted, to face a world in arms.
unyielding and dnafraid, l thanked
God was of the race! There is no
drop of blood in me, Mr.. President.
that is not of English origin, and 1
nave no ancestor on either side since
i6oO who was not born on the soil of |
New England; but my heart beats
faster when recall the glorious deeds |
OF Give. and Lawrence, and Napier. |
and Wellington
England's greatest son.
he Gnat galn'd a hundred fights
And never lost an English gun;
OF Drake and Hawkins, who fought
the Spaniard and swept the Spanish
Main, and OF the Incompatible Nelson;
and my pulse quickens when / realize
that the splendor of their achieve
ments is part of our glorious heritage.
and that the language of Burke and OF |
chatham is our mother tongue
Mr.. President, we will protect our
country and our country's interests
with our lives, but we wage no wars of |
conquest or OF hate. This Republic
stands facing the dawn, secure in its
liberties, conscious of its high DESTINY
Wherever in all the world the hand Of
the oppressed or the downtrodden is
reached out to us, we meet IL in
friendly clasp. In the Old World.
where unspeakable crimes even now
darken the skies; in the Orient. where
old dynasties have been crumblipg for
thousand years and still hang to-
gether strong in the accumulation OIL
lnfamies; in South America, where
as yet the forms of free institutions
hold only the spirit mission to
Fineiiorate, to civilize, TO Christianize.
TO loosen the bonds of captivity. and
to point the souls of msn to nobler
heights.
*
Blood is thicker than water. and
until some just quarrel divides us,
which heaven forbid, luay these two
great nations of the same speech and
lineage and traditions stand as
brothers, shoulder to shonlder, in the
interest Of humanity, by their union
peace and awaiting the
coming OF the day wh-n Nation shall
not lift up sword against nation. neith-
er shall they learn war any more"
ALL KINDS OF JOB WORK DOME an