Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-09-29

the indemnity exactcd of Spain, the war
has brought other compensations of in
calculablc value to our country. 1t has
unified the North and South, blotting out
the last traces of sectional jealousy that
have fingered in the lap of memory. The
soldier of Massachusetts and the soldier
of Alabama, side by side in the trenches
At Santiago, have done more to bring
about that more perfect union antici-
patcd by the trainers of our organic law
than all the craftsmanship of u century
has been able to do. The war of 6l made
us in form one nation. The war of '9S
has made us in fact one people, homo
genous In our aims, in our aspirations and
In our destiny. This alone is worth all
the cost and sacrifice of the struggle. The
building of the great interoCeanic canal
at Nicaragua, hoped for. talked about,
but always delayed, will now in the
chortest possible time be an accomplished
fact, because our people have seen its alb
aolute necessity, In time of war for pur-
poses of defence and its supreme import
anCe in timc of peace for purposes of
trade. Let this great waterway he built
as an American work, owned by the gov
crnmcnt and free to American shipping,
and we have saved many millions Of mon
cy that otherwise must be expended in
coast GcfenCcs on the shores of both the
great seas that invite the approach Of
hostile fleets. In the twinkling of an eye
our men of war can dart from one ter
minus Of II to the other, when the danger
signal has been hoistcd. But better than
all this will be the service 1t will render
to the whole world in time of peace. All
values in the commercial world to-day are
measured by the clock. Time must over
come distance. The man who inquired at
the telegraph office in Portland how long
II would take to send Il message to San
Francisco and get a reply being answered
that 1t would take ten minutes. replied
that mis- business in San Francisco was
so urgent that he could not wait. cXcm-
plincd the needs of modern commercial
Intercourse The great empire of Japan.
that scared to thc level of "A first class
mower III a night, tho boundlessncss OF
the Chinese empire, with unnumhcrcd and
inumcrablc people. with its great inland
seas and rivers, its mountains, tablclands
and valleys. its temperate climate and fer
tile soil. all tho innumcrablc islands of
the eastern seas. all these invite us to a
greater commercial intercourse, a wider
expansion Of reciprocal trade.
with the construction of this great
waterway. New York and Hong Kong are
the tcrmini OF the great highway of the
earth. What we need is not an cXpan-
sion of territory, but an expansion of
commercial energy; an energy that will
load American ships with the products OF
Anci lean farms and American factories
and send them by free transit and swift
despatch to the rapidly opening markets
of the Orient.
The war has disclosed the urgency of
another long felt want. We must have a
larger and better navy. We have had in
this behalf II revelation. Only last March
a panic seized the body polite whenever
1t was hintcd that the Spanish torpedo
fleet was headed for our shores. Conf
dence in our battlcships and cruisers
melted away in our fears Of the terrible
destruction threatened by that fleet. Our
people and the Spanish people dcrldcd the
strength OF our navy. But when the test
came we were surprised. and the world
was surprised. to learn that our gunncrs
were the best marksmen In the world. I'm
time of peace, prepare for war" Such
preparation Is the sure guaranty of peace.
j we had had a FIRST class navy last Janu-
airy. there would have been no war with
Spain. Give MS ship for ship gun for gun,
navy fully the equal of any in the
world, and we will have no war. Give our
naval cunncrs, our Dcwcys and Schleys
more ships. and they will keep the peace
OF the world. 4 dozen battleships like the
Oregon VIII make our navy the awe and
the admiration of all other nations. This
preparation will he our sure defence in
time of peace. Our trading vessels Will
/ then go unveXcd to the uttermost parts
of the world, and with such protection our
| ship-building industry will assume mann
moth proportions.
Let us then as II people narrow our dis
torted vision of empire and give our best
Thought and best energy to the develop
/ ment of that we have. In our CllmcI
mood we never dreamed of Asiatic pos
sessions. Let us not in the gush of mo-
mentary eXultation inauSurate IA policy
that leads to national disaster Tho his
tory of Spain, the history of all nations
teach the same lcssona-adding colonla
possessions weakons the parent state
England never became mistress of tn,
seas until she lost the American colonies
BY so much as you withdraw the money
the enterprise ana attention of our peopl,
from their own territory to foreign acqui-
sitlons. In the same ratio YOU weaken the
growth and lessen thc development and
rStard the progress of the country we no :
have.
Let US rather build more school house {,
Hore colleges, more churches, more rail.
Dads, more interstate cana.s. NOR,
forces, more factories. more warehouses
, lot us diversity our Industries, give ouI
Workncmcn and workingwomcn batt,i
wages aua shorter hours. give capital q
moro tempting Held for employment Let
our government In its International rela,
tions do those things only that mako foi
honor. make for peace and make fol
righteousness, and in its domestic policy
10 those things that foster and encourag 20
every respectable industry and every hon
otahlc calling, that uplift our people II
their moral, social and educational growt9
ana In their material prosperity. givins
them the widest civil, and the broades
religious liberty and ours shall be tha
happy people whose God is the Lord.
I After the address Congressman Power:
answered many queries in regard to tn,
possession of the Philippines.
| RcN. Henry Crocker of the Baptis
state convention now boing held her,
extended greeting from that body. Col
u, q. Benedct was elected delegate Il
respond TO these lNeetings in tho Baptis
convention.
Then followed Il discussion upon thi,
topic; The DUTY of the Congregations
churches in the Present National Sltua
tion.
Rcv. 7, NJ. Snyder of Burlington, Rev
j. X. panforth of St. Albars, NJ j. Hap
good OF Peru, Gen. O. O Howard and Rev
Ut llawes OF burlington and others en-
tered into a general discussion.
VETERANS OF THE CIVIL WAR
| Want to Mako Soldiers In the spanish
|