Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-23

Schurz said that in this movement the
| United States was natural leader, stronger
than any nation of Europe in the number,
| intelligence, vigor and patriotism of Its peo-
| Hle, and standing aloof from the feuds of
| the old world. In the minds of some men
| rival powers were watching every chance
| to humiliate us, yet there was really no
| power or combination of powers that could
| wish or afford serious quarrel with the
| United States, for in resources and endur-
| ance the United States was strongest of all.
Foreign Respect for the Union.
| He continued: 1.-The alarmists about the
hostility to of foreign powers usually
! have Great Britain in their minds. 1 am
very sure President Cleveland. when he
wrote his Venezuela message did not mean
| to provoke a war with Great Britain. But
| the language of that message might have
| been construed as such a provocation by
| anybody inclined to do SO. Had Great Bri-
| tain wished quarrel with us, here was a
tempting opportunity. Everybody knew
| that we had but small navy, an insignifi-
cant standing army, and no coast defenses;
that, in fact, we were entirely unprepared
for conflict. The public opinion OF
| Europe, too, was against us. What did the
| British government do? 1t did not avail it.
| self of that opportunity. On the contrary,
| the queens speech from the throne grace
| fully turned that message into an EXPIRES
sion of willingness on the part of the United
| States to cooperate with Great Britain in
the adjustment of the Venezuela boundary
| dispute.
| All Questions Could BE Settled.
| "It has been said that the conciliatory
| mildness of this turn was owing to the inn
preston produced in England by the Ger
| man emperor's congratulatory dispatch to
| the president Of the South African repub-
lic If the two things were so connected it
| would prove what L have said, that even
| the strongest European government will be
| deferred fiji ON quarrel with the United
| States by the opportunities which such
| quarrel would open to its rivals"
Arguing against a large navy, Mr.. Schurz
quoted statistics to show that when the
| commerce of the United States was great
est its navy comparatively small. He
denied that there were disputes which IN
| their nature could not be submitted to arb
tration, and said that it would be found,
| when the habit of submission was estab-
| 1Eshed, most questions could be settled by
| arbitration.
| MIR. Atkinson on the Jingoes.
Mr.. Edward Atkinson followed Mr..
| Schurz.
| Mr.. Atkinson's speech was largely plea
| for the abolition of privateering. Cities
! should be declared free from bornbardment
| and spoliaticn, making such reservations
1 for the defense of the harbors as would
| forbid the ships Of any petty state from
| entering by force. Why, he asked, should
it be the duty of officers of the navy to do
what would disgrace OflcerS OF the army
| Then he sad: How absurd has the posi-
| ton of the jingoes in orr Congress become,
and now superfiuous any threat of war on
the Venezuelan boundary question since
the commission of most eminent men was
| appointed. only on cur part, to whom ac-
cess has been readily given by the gov
eminent Of the United Kingdom to all the
| evidence which they lest their case"
| He believed the decree had been uttered
| by the people of Great Britain that all dis
| putes about the title of land and questions
between states, which between individuals
| would be submitted to arbitration, should
| be submitted to an international court.
Turning &c the economic phase of the ques-
| ton Mr.. Atkinson argoed that the nations
| of Europe are impoverished by maintaining
standing armies by what he called pas
sive war" attacked the policy of building
Commerce destroyers,' showed that the
United States, on the basis of European
ornaments, would maintain an army of
100000 men, and held that only by interna-
tional agreements to maintain peace could
prosperity be restored to the world.
President Angclrs Address.
President Angel was the last speaker.
He created enthusiasm by his declaration
that the United States should stand ready
to fight for her honor and her territory.
The practical difficulties, he said, in es-
tabIishing a general court of arbitration
were very serious. and there is no evil
dence that the great nations are ready for
it, but 1T was not eXtraVaSant to hope
that Great Britain and the United States
might set up such a tribunal Continuing
President Angel said
Possibly we more in danger of drift
ing into war on slight occasion than we
were forty years ago. We have brought
out of our civil war new consciousness Of
military strength, which has its tenlpta-
tons and its dangers. A singing word
hurled at us by the British premier in the
heat of discussion, like ringing challenge,
flushed our cheeks and loosed our tongues
he "a I'd fin ind eet mo
at the head of the two governments to
have involved us in a war in the first week
after the message on Venezuela? One of
the great advantages of compulsory re-
sort to arbitration is thai time must be
gained for reflection.
Some oppose a stipulation to resort to
arbitration because there are certain sub
jects on which a nation cannot arbitrate.
Such, by common consent. is its indie
pendence. Such is, under the g7lise of a
boundary question, any serious inroad on
the integrity of its territory. Such are
deliberate national insults
In conclusion, he said:
Army and Navy Small Enough.
"Our army is now hardly large enough
for the police power which it rs liable to be
called upon to exercise, and our navy is
none too large to protect our interests in
the lands where our countrymen are
found. They should not be reduced in
strength. Let us stand before the world
prepared " ueIeUU ourselves. IL need De,
with our good right arms, as becomes
those who believe that there calamIties
more dreadful to nation than war. But
let US make no claims on other nations
which are not just claims. Let us show
our confidence in the justice of them by
our willingness to submit 20 a properly
constituted tribunal all questions between
US and other powers which do not involve
our honor our independence"
Conference Officers and Committees.
The vice presidents of the conference are:
Oscar r. Hundley of Alabama, u. NJ. Rose
Of Arkansas, Charles Dudley Warner of
Connecticut n. P. Hill of Colorado, John T.
Valentine of California, w. j. Boardman
of the District of Columbia, Ignatius c.
Giubb Of Delaware, V. b. Lamar of Florida,
N. ]. Hammond of Georgia, Cyrus H. Nc
Cormick of Illinois, Gov. Claude Matthews
of Indiana, Right Rev. William Stevens
Perry of Iowa, Gov. E. w. Morrill, of Kan
ses, James P. Helm of Kentucky, Charles
E. Fenner of Louisiana, Ferdinand c. La
trobe of Maryland, Charles l.. Eliot of Mas
sachusetts, Gov. John ]. Rich of Michigan,
Charles A. Pillsbury of Minnesota, Josiah
Crosby of Maine, r. B. Fulton of Missis-