The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1898-09-01
DAVIS TALKS
The United States Is Now One of
the Great Powers OF the
Earth.
Great Responsibilities Have Been
Thrust Upon Us by the
Late War,
And to Meet Them We Must Have
the Best Navy in the
World.
The Senator Also Quoted as Fa.
voring the Retention of the
Philippines.

calmness is necessary in considering
our future course" said United States
Senator Cushman K. Davis, before
leaving this city for his home to pre-.
pare for his journey to Paris, as one OF
the five commissioners to arrange the
final terms of peace between the victo.
fious United States and defeated Spain.
'.Events have made US one of the great
powers of the earth," he continued.
s'Whatever we may have desired our.
selves, destiny has forced upon as re-
sponsibilities that we must recognize
and accept. We have become potent
factor in the worlds affairs.
Must Build Ships With Energy.
A great naval and military power we
are already. We are not strong enough
ye., but no time must be lost in equip.
ping ourselves to cope with any emer.
gency that may confront us. Our vol.
nnteer is as good if not better than any
force of the kind in the world. But
we cannot rest secu re in that thought.
We must have large regular army
ready at call in the future. We must
have as good navy as any on earth.
We have an excellent beginning. Ship
for ship we need fear nobody. But we
must build ships with true American
energy. Nothing must deter us. We
know that we have the men to put be.
hind the guns. Love Of gunnery is an
American characterize ic. When we
were boys all of US knew how to handle
firearms. A gun is the earliest thong ht
of the American youth. Men are only
grown up boys. That explains our sue
cess at Manila and Santiago"
The Menace of the Future.
''How are we likely to be menaced in
the future" was asked.
Actually we are not whit more
exposed to attack as colonial power
than we have been since the actual
advent Of steam power. The glorious
victories of our navies have brought us
new responsibilities, but the Philip.
pines or the Sandwich Islands are not
more isolated than are parts of our
Pacific coast. Hereafter our power
must be felt on the Pacific ocean. The
mere addition of few hundred square
miles of territory by capture or treaty
does not increase our danger.
''China is the coveted part of the
earth's surface today, but who could
have predicted six months ago that
Russia, Germany or Japan would not
covet foothold on the North Ameri-
can continent? Now we see the trend
OF events in the East. Providence has
stepped in to point the future course
for US.
''We must police the Pacific ocean.
Its coast has been our vulnerable point.
This Il q Personal Opinion.
''You understand, am on record as
1avoring the retention of territory that
has been acquired by the splendid vic.
tories Of our arms. I am an American
citizen, speaking as such, and my re.
marks have nothing to do with official
dnties that shall undertake on Oct. /
as commissioner to the congress of
Paris. What that body will or will
not do, would not predict if could.
I am talking of the situation as it ex.
lStS tOuoy oA0 40 ONOAy 6a"C4ICoA CA1ls
zen can see it. The interests of the
United States must be jealousy
guarded from this hour onward. We
have been remiss and Indifferent in the
past.
Chastisement Too Long Delayed.
Think of the Virginius massacre.
That was the hour in which we should
have taught Spain her lesson. Long
years of suffering and bloodshed would
have been avoided. II is idle to say
that the Virginius was not an Amer
lean ship. Many OF the men aboard
her were American citizens, and the
ship was caught on the high seas. The
men were shot in cold blood, and we
stood it. We endured such an outrage
with General Grant, a brave and true
man, at the head of affairs. It was
NOT cowardice on the part of the Amer.
ican people, but it was lethargy and
indifference that was quite as debasing
in the sight of the world. That was
what justified all subsequent Spanish
bluff and bravado.
"But we have risen to new plane
10 the level that we really were en-
titled to hold all along. Nothing but
fhe indifference of our statesmen has
prevented the United States from oc.
cupying the place to which it belonged.
The American people have had the
courage of their destiny all the time.
They have never faltered. 80.
WILL Not Hereafter Permit Indifference.
thereafter, I tell you, the maritime,
commercial and political genius Of our
people will not permit their governing
power to be Indifferent to their honor
or their progress. An outrage like that
~ Santiago de Cuba--where nearly
half hundred Americans were stood