The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-04
HARRISONTO THETROOPS
ONCE PRESIDENT PRESENTS INDJ-
ANA MEN WITH A FLAG
A War for Humanity, to Give to
Cuba the Rights Which the Amer
lean People Have Won for Them
= selves, His Characterization of
the Struggle With Spain-No
Idea of Conquest in Mind.

INDIANAPOLIS. Ind, May S.-This
afternoon at Camp Mount, where 5000
Indiana volunteers are assembled, Gen.
Harrison made his first public utter
ance on the war In presenting a flag
to Battery A on behalf of a company
Of ladies. Gen. Harrison said:
/ could not deny myself the qualification
OF a word OF greeting, Of concentration
and Godspeed to you, and to all OF the
brave young fellows who have 30 promptly
answered our countrys call to war.
AS lndianans we are proud of you. You
will take the field under the very best aus
pices. Your officers and men have attained
high efficiency in drill. You have already
. high esprit de corps You have beer first
IN peace: you must not-cannot-will not
be second in war. y
You have attained great efficiency In dis.
mounting your American guns, and now
you are TO- try what you can. do In dis
mounting the enemy's guns.
You have, as a trained and organized mi
litia a great advantage over the volunteers
of 1861-62 Our foes now are not, thank
God, those of our own household. That was
war for the life Of the Union. This war
is for humanity. That four ourselves; this
for the oppressed OF sslother race.
We could not escape tais conflict. The op-
pressed Cubans, their :gtarving women and
children are knockingsat our DOORS They
are close within what we have defined to be
the sphere of American Influences We
cannot shrink from the responsibilities and
ican policy. -. .>'''0'
We have, as a nation, towards Cuba the
same high commission which every brave
hearted man has to strike down the ruf1an
VINO In his presence beats q woman or
child and will not desist.
For what, II not for this. does God make
man or a nation strong?
We have stated to the nations Of Europe,
who are now dividing continents much as
hungry boys might divide melon, that we
have no purpose to seize and appropriate
Cuba. We go to set her free; to give to her
own people that which we have claimed
and established for olrselves-the right to
set up and maintain government suitable
to their own necessities controlled by their
own suffrage.
We covet from her, as from all the nations
OF America, only the office Of good neigh
bors and the fair and natural exchanges of
commerce. We do not deny dominion to
Europe In order to seize it for ourselves.
| But we may Justly. think, in the West
our gallant navy has won splendid a vic
tory, hold some little gunpeopled harbors,
where our cruising warships may coal and
hnd refuge when in distress.
| L don't doubt that speedily-though no
man can set the times which God plans-that
this great work to which the United States
has addressed itself will be completely and
permanently accomplished
congratulate you that you are to have
part IN 1T. challenge your interest and
your duty, that you acquit yourselves like
men; that you enter upon your duties with
the seriousness and sense of obligation
which will make you efficient and victorious
there is In all this a moral impulse and
that the soldier who. goes from this high
impulse Of moral courage is the best soldier
after al.