The evening times., 1898-12-22
R0OSEVELT'S TRUE
AMERICAN IDEA
AN ADVOCATE ,seoF EXPANSION
At the New England Dinner He De-
nOunces Principles In the Path
of National rRrogress.


of National RrOgress.
New York, Dec. '52.:4Gov.-e, Roose-
welt spoke strongly in favor of retention
of the Philippine Islands and a govern
ment for them, which should not smack
of the evils of politics, at dinner of the
New England Society of Brooklyn, in the
Pouch mansion, in Clinton Avenue last
night. Gen. Stewart l.. Woodford for
mer minister to Spain; Capt. T. Mahan,
United States navy, and Capt. Bertram
II. Clayton, of Troop c, were to have
made speeches, but the president, William
B. Davenport, announced that all three
were suffering from grip and could not
be present.
Mr. Davenport in introducing Col.
Roosevelt, said: Some of US may have
differed in the question of expansion but
that question is now closed
Col. Roosevelt said:
"As the years roll by this nation must
realize more and more that in the pres
ent year the republic has taken a great
stride forward. i have scant sympathy
with the mock humanitarianism which
would prevent the great free races of the
earth from doing their duty in the
worlds waste places. because there must
of need be some rough surgery at the
outset
Small is my sympathy with people
who bemoan the fact that the champi-
ons of civilization have conquered the
champions of a worn out tyranny-the
Russian civilization in Turkestan, the
English in the Soudan and the free
Americans who upheld the Stars and
Stripes that they might free the people
of the tropical islands of the sea.
Look at what has been done by Eng
,s,,l
of the Incredible betterment of the con-
dition of a people who had been cowed
by the shadow of Mahdism in the Soudan
ask you to read the accounts of the mis-
sionary priests who suffered from Nah
dism. They will show what ii means to
go back TO the stone in the nineteenth CEN
tury, and show that, the Sirdar and his
soldiers have been fighting for human
right and civilization.
Il thank heaven that we in this gener-
alton have been given a chance to see our
country taking part in the world move
ment forward. 1t is a good thing TO re-
member that while it pays TO take heed
of material progress, the material should
always be secondary 10 the moral
I'VE have driven out the Spaniards.
That was not a serious task. We now ap-
proach one that is really serious We
must do infinitely better the work we pun
lSneO spain IOT uOlTS DdOIS. w bt ~ us L
we fail. But l am not afraid. If this ma
ton covers back because IL fears a task
| too heavy we may well believe the deca-
dence of our race has begun.
Let Us deal with the problems, not
sentimentally. but sensihIy. If one of the
islands we have taken Is not fit 10 gov
ern itself we must govern il until il Is
ready for self-government. New Eng
lander, my former commander, Maj. Gen
Wood, is showing how to proceed in San
tiago. We must send such men as he to
govern outside lands.
Send our best men. exact good results.
but give them a large liberty in order that
they may obtain those results. II we treat
these islands as the spoil Of politicians We
shall be treadng the path Spain trod. and
we shall be infinitely more blameworthy
| than Spain. for we shall sin against the
| light seeing the light.
Il am an expansionist I am not afraid
of responsibilities, but neither am ! blind
TO how heavy are those responsibilities.
Let each man here strive to make his
weight felt on the side of morality in sup
porting the true American policy-the pol
icy that DEGREES that We shall be great
that We shall be just to the peoples who
have come under our protection, so that
under our flag their condition shall not
be worse, but far better, than 1t would
have ever been otherwise