Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1897-12-30
AMERICAS CONQUEST.

DR.. Chauncey M. Depew, when he arises
to make an address, never fails to say
something of interest to the American
people, and the following, taken from a
talk made before the Congressional club
on Forefathers' day in Washington, is no
exception:
"The legislation of 100 years has been
purely internal. We have built our
steamb boats, dug our canals, constructed
our railroads, strung the wires upon our
telegraph poles, for American commerce
between the states, and for the American
factory and the American farm to sup
plement and support each other. Our
llmltless resources, our exhaustless wealth
of coal and iron and wood, our vast Ca
paoity in gold and silver, and our in
ventive genius brought about the era OF
overproduction and exceeding cheapness.
Our population became restive and our
politicians warlike. 1t has been the de.
vice of kings from time immemorial to
allay popular discomfort and give EN-.
ployment to the idle by provoking wars.
That is not the way in which republics
should work out their destiny or pro-
mote the happiness of the people. We
all saw, in the unrest of the country and
10 the despair of the unemployed and Of
the people of small means and small
business, the rapidly closing conditions
for the eager seeking or acceptance OF
war. A change has come almost in q
night. That change will make the Unit
ed States of the twentieth century stand
for peace. The widest dreamer of even
decade ago would not have predicted
that the products of our factories and
mills could compete in their own mar.
kets with the manufactures of the Old
World; but the carpets of Yonkers are
being sold at Kidderminster, the rails OF
Pittsburg can be laid down in Liverpool
the great bridge which Holland is to
build over one of its inland seas was cap
tured by an American iron firm against
all European mpetition as to price,
though denied the Americans from patri-
otto motives.
"For the twentieth century the miesion
of the United States is peace; peace that
it may capture the markets of the world
peace, that it may find the places where
it's surplus products, not only of food,
but of labor, can meet with profitable
return. President Mckinley has struck
the keynote of this expanding policy Of
our country and recognized that oui
mission has changed from internal devel-
opment purely to external commerce
in the note which he has sounded so loud
ly and 80 clearly for peace.
"Thus the twentieth century will reverse
the nineteenth, the eighteenth, the seven.
teenth and the sixteenth, and the United
States will enter hopefully upon its
largest mission. God grant that we may
see America reach out on the lines se'
down by our forefathers in the conquest
of the world"
The past hundred years have witnessed
the converting of wilderness on tht
western continent into vast empire
teemiDg with population and industry
under civilization Of the highest order
The inventive genius of the American haf
perfected labor saving machinery and
devices which render it possible for the
manufactured products of the United
States to compete with the output Of
foreign makers, and yet permit the
workingmen to receive the highest wages
paid in the world. Not only that, but
the farms of our western prairies are the
source of food supplies for the nations Of
the earth, and with the proper protection
America has become the commercial ruler
of the globe.
President Mckinley has indeed struck
the keynote. By a system of tariff for
protection, the home markets can and
will be preserved for home products
through the agency ofa wisely arranged
reciprocity policy sale can be found
for our surplus products and manu-
factured articles in the markets Of the
world. America is destined to reach out
on the lines set down by our forefathers
in the conquest Of the world, and that
con quest will be accomplished without
bloodshed or the oppression of weaker
nations.