Daily Kennebec journal., 1898-07-04
The Day We Celebrate.

| when Old Glory assumes an added
luster in the eye of every patriot. 1t IS
122 years since the American colonies,
| scattered along the Atlantic coast,
| threw off the yoke of England, and
assumed position among the nations
of the earth. The growth and progress
of our country has been without a
parallel in history, the wonder of the
great we stand at the head, today, ana
| the future is bright before us.
| Well may the country celebrate as d
| holiday of joy the anniversary of its
natal day. Every minute of the day is
pregnant with grand significance. All
that is dear to lovers of liberty and
progress is celebrated on this occasion.
| However the observance of the day at
| the present time may differ from the
times of our fathers and grandfathers,
there is ever present with young and
| old the true American spirit which is
the firm foundation of our cherished
| institutions.
| The present Fourth stands unique
among all that have been celebrated in
the memory of man. We are at war
| with foreign foe. and the whole land
| is in a fever of patriotic ardor and eX-
citement. Never Fourth was cele-
II; ,,,:11 H.
only in every section of a loyal and
| united country is the day observed,
hut in the islands of the sea and on the
opposite side of the globe. the flag we
love is waving over our armies and
fleets and American cheers are Justify
ringing. In the far Philippines where
our sailors have Won the greatest naval
victory of the century, and in Cuba
where our flag has been carried for
ward with valor never outdone, the
day is celebrated for the first, but not
for the last, time. And in that para
disc of the Pacific, beautiful, bountiful
Hawaii, where destiny set the seal of
Americanism over half century ago.
the day has a significance never known
before, for events are rapidly hasten
ing on to the glorious culmination of
annexation. Moreover not only where
our own flag waves in this country and
beyond its borders, but elsewhere this
day is observed as we have never
dreamed it would be. The heart of the
mother country beats in unison with
that of America as never before in the
past century and a quarter, and as far
as sympathy and moral support goes
an AngloIAmercan alliance is an ac-
complished fact. So today in Canadian
cths aud even in those of England the
Srea Aifierican holiday has a new and
higher significance than ever before.
This Fourth of July finds the nation
confronting new problems; problems
observed. \ war which was entered
|jupon i'm the cause of humanity and
freedom, as a last resort when all the
arts of peace had failed, has brought
us to a point whore colonial possess
sions are actually thrust upon us, and
the welfare of millions beyond our
borders depends upon the wisdom and
justice of our course. Grave questions
of foreign policy are now to be settled
nv b. Irpita1 tnfa
forward along the pathway that fate
has blazoned out, growing greater and
stronger, keeping the proud flag of the
free afoat over distant lands where
destiny has placed it, or shall the
policy of paralysis prevail which would
keep us isolated from the world, living
only on the grandeur of the past,
When the last. vestige of Spanish bar
barism is wiped from American soil
the purpose of this war will be ac.
complished and then another great
| issue must he fought out at the polls
and in the councils Of the nation. as
great and greater than that of the
tariff or finance. the question of colo
| NAL expansion with its accompanying
| expansion of commerce, civilization,
freedom and robust Americanism. Tho
| country will settle it right America
must go forward not backward and it
is now standing on the threshold of a
| broader and more glorious era No
spook of imperialism will frighten it
| from its course.
The American citizen never had more
reason to be proud of his country than
/ today The cause of humanity, civil
| iZation and freedom is in it's hands. and
| its heroes on land and sea are up-
holding its flag and guarding its honor
with valor never surpassed in any
time or cline. Whatever the final re-
suits may be as regards territorial ex-
pansion the war it is wagng is holy
| warfare and not a war of conquest
| The brave men whose deaths We
mourn. today, in the midst of our celc-
bration. have given their lives as IS
fitting for the sons of those who died a