The Portland daily press., 1899-07-06
THE WAR IN LUzoN.
Senator Mason Of Illinois De-
nounces the Conflict.
The Cry of"Traisor'' and THOSE who
Raise 1t.

One of the most notable Fourth OF July
orasions was that Of U. s. Senator
William K. Mason, of Illinois, at Boston.
Mr.. Mason said:
"This is the Fourth Of July. daughter
and applause.) This Is the birthday Of
the nation. For hundred years we
have been saying hurrah for self-govern-
ment, hurrah for liberty Of conscience,
hrrrah for liberty In religion and politics.
For a hundred years we have written
1t all over our history and today we are
killing men, women and children because
they want what our fathers fought for.
(Applause.) -
ssThey would like to make political
question of 1t, some of our friends.
There are those In all parties who carry
the conscience of their party, or at least
admit they do. There are gentlemen in
all parties who claim that they are going
to write the platforms of their respective
parties in 1900.
"Let me tell you Something. gentle
men. 1t is IL months before the plat
forms will be written. No imam knows
what they will write, but If you win al.
low me to guess. and have got just as
good right to guess rs you have, say
they will all tumble over themselves,
Democrats. free silver. men, Populists and
what nots, to write a declaration in their
platform for liberty as we have given 1t
in Cuba, and intend to give 1t In the
Philippines (Applause.)
"Twelve months will teach them to feel
the pulse of a liberty loving people. In
10 months from today all platforms will
contain declaration for liberty. God
help the party that does not put 1t in their
platform.
81 am opposed to imperialism largely
because 1t means an English alliance.
Applause and cries of "6ood, good ~
What can we expects IA lot of..our fellows
got the big head after the last war with
spain. We grew heroic on the Held and
in the Senate.
"Weshave got about So battlsships, as 1
remember IL. England can stack up one
against. one and have 500 to play with ON
the side. What docs she want us In the
fight fora Why is 1t that her statesmen
have urged itf Why 10 1t that the Eng
lish home office has insisted that we
their chestnuts out Of the fireP
To get as deep in the mud as they are
and then fall on their necks and they ask
for assistance to control the trade and
commerce that they have been unable to
control In the past
at Is not the first time ENGLAND has
interiered with our national affairs. Do
you remember
THE SPEECH THAT LINCOLN MADE
to workmen, when he said 1t WAS the
workmen, after all, that got on the right
side Of question first. When we were in
war against slavery in this countrJs when
the operating weavers In England were
starting for cotton the English govern
ment sent agents among the workmea to
talk against us for the dissolution of the
union and the perpetuation of slavery.
"She Esent her agents preaching the
doctrine that to give bellieerency to the
south meant continuance of slavery and
supply of cotton, but they said to the
government or England, we VIII starve,
| but We will never cast a straw on tho side
of slavery. loud applaase.)
"But they tell us that we don't honor
our soldiers. 1t Is one Of their favorite
cries. We do. God bless and honor
every one of them. The American soldier
has proven of what stuff..he Is smade. He
obeys orders like q man. We honor the
man who carries the gun and obeys or
ders, but we are against the order that
sendsssoldisrs to Kill people who never
harmed us. (Applanse.)
"The men we are shooting today fought
for us 81 days ago before we began shoot
ing them. They took our guns and went
back of the Spaniards and organized to
destroy the Spanish fanny, and for the
first time in the history of the world we
saw that strange sight. Nero himself
never turned gun on an ally, and 1t fire.
manned for our country to use man to
whip the enemy and then turn our guns
on the men who helped us to do 1t. Zap
plause.
"And whose boys are doing the work
Do you know Of any sons of U: s. sena--
tors blossoming in the jungles OF Luzonf
daughter and cries of .No, no.") There
may be some left drawing salaries in the
oommissary department, but II every con-
gresham, and president and senator and
| cabinet officer had his boys there instead
of the plain boys Of the country, ID would
| not take long to arbitrate this question.
Applause and crieslof "You ARE about
right there, Senator Mason
~ want to say one word on this Fourth
of July. There is no danger to this gov
eminent from without II We attend to
our own business. The only danger to
the gov eminent Is within. and comes
| from two classes First. class OF hogs,
who want to legislate in this country for
their own personal gain.
"Then there Is class of citizens toe
lazy and too indolent and unpatriotic to
ever vote at a caucus or the polls, feeling
that sthe interests of their government and
country are beneath them. These are the
| two CLASSES that endanger the liberties OF
| the people. The first class has no party
| they are In all parties. They have organ
ized trust SO that they fix price on
about 80 per cent OF what goes into your
stomach and what goes on your back.
| why, little liver complaint. If II
should break out on one gentleman,
would raise the.price on one article to 20.
900, 900 of people. A slight disorder of the
stomach to few gentlemen would lraiss
the price of every commodity on your
table.
81 saw an animal at the seaside that
reminds me of these gentlemen. 1t Ii
| called the sea anomone. 1t is all mouth.
(Great laughter.) 1t has neither heart
Il mos. h0xvafa If 0opann,aa auaryfh4px n ai