The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1898-07-16
NO FOREIGN ENTANGLHmENTs,
4 Fourth of July SpcecI, by Senator
Albert Schullcr.

j "A.
Fitzgerald, pastor of tho Church OF the
Guardian Angels, read the Declaration OF
Independence, and Hon. Albert Schallcr,
state senator. delivered the Grafton. Mr..
Schaller is a representative German
Catholic, and an attorney OF recognized
ability. In the course Of his address he
referred to the proposed Anglo-Amcri-
can alliance as follows:
One of the maXims of our government
has been to avoid all foreign alliances,
and while remaining on terms Of friend
ship with all peoples to reserve for our
selves tho liberty to decide our own poll
cy. in our own land and according &C.,
the views of our own people, without
consulting any other government, Ma
ton or peoples whatsoever. This was
the counsel of Washington, and of the
men who established this government
This policy has always been followed,
and has been satisfactory to all Amcri~
cans down to tho present time. We have
fought through several wars. and have
lived through years of peace without en-
tangling foreign alliances, and without
feeling need for them. We nave grown
from three millions Of people to a ma
ton Of sevcnty-tlve millions, and we
never needed foreign assistance in deter
mining our own course, OF in defeating
the enemies of the country, either at
homo or abroad.
In the days Of our infancy we repudia
ted the idea of Il foreign alliance, but
now, i'll the days of our maturity, when
we, of all countries on the earth, are
the most able to stand alone; when we
have at our beck and cali millions of
true hearted free men; when at the re-
quest OF the government billions ot
treasure are put at its disposal; when our
country is the most prosperous, the
greatest and the strongest on the face or
the earth; now. | say, at this time. We
are told that we need a foreign alliance.
and that such alliance should be with
the country which we twice fought and
twice defeated, single handed and unaid-
ed, which, in our last great war, was
our most persistent, undetermined and
determined enemy; which even now har-
Dors the enemies spies along our north
ern frontier; whose merchants have
been sneaking from port to port i'm the
caribbean sea. seeking to deliver coal 10
Cerveras Spanish fleet, which that fleet
no longer needs.
Does any one imagine that this now
and overlooking friendship which our
ancient enemy has so recently shown
comes from heartfelt love for us, or for
our institutions? Is it not friendship
INSPIRED by fear or necessity, rather
than one based upon kinship or language
or OF race? Is it not because we have
become in the opinion of English states
men necessary to Them that We hear so
much talk about that, which few wears
ago seemed impossible-an Anglo-Amer-
lean alliance
Two years ago this country, acting
through its representatives, refused TO
even enter into an arbitration treaty
with England. Now we are told we must
not only enter into an arbitration treaty.
but that we must take to our hearts our
ancient foe, allow her to dictate to us.
and to counsel with us. what course we
snail pursue in our dealings with other
nations.
foreign alliance means the giving up
OF our right to act independently in for
clgn matters. 1t means that we cam
not treat with other friendly nations
unless we have the consent Of our ally
whose Interests may be directly opposed
10 the interests of the nations win
whom we arc dealing; and if orr aIlv,s
claims, for some purpose OF selfish greed
should clash with the interests of some
other friendly nation, IL becomes orr
duty TO support the claims of O,,r allv
without much question of right or
wrong, simply because she is our ally.
when the people of this nation are
ready TO allow themselves to be direct
ed by outsiders; when we become salts.
'" '''" We arc ilO lOHbef competent to
mould our policy toward foreign ma
tlona; when we are convinced that we
no longer have the strength or the mower
to stand behind our own government
and to sustain ii with our arms, our own
wealth and our lives; when tho man
mood OF the country is so weak and so
fallen that it no longer dnrcs to perform
the duties OF American citizenship. lhcn
IT, VIII be necessary for ,namerican
America to enter into foreign alliance.
But until that times arrives, and please
God II never will we will remain as we
are, with friendship towards all, en-.
! tangling alliances with none.
We need no foreign alliance. We rec
| ognlZe no lies Of race or knshp Will,
| any nation. No country IS the mother
country Of America. We comprise thc
hest OF all the peoples of Europc. All
Europe is our mother country. We owe
to central Europe as much as we do 10
tho British Isles. The Green Isle has
sent twice as many Of its children TO
our shores as England has of hers. The
Tcutonic race numbers it's representa-
lives here by millions The Mortimer
and fhatr ,loco,p<1o,t, l,...,.