The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-23
None of His Predecessors Has Gone
through More Trying Situations and
Came out with More Success.
AN ADDRESS At CHICAGO
ON THE WAR AND THE WORK OF
THE PEACE COMMISSION.
seth Low to Students of the University
of PennsyIvania-"Fighting Bob"
Evans at Cincinnati.

CHICAGO, Feb. 22.-One thousand mem
bers of the Union League Club gathered in
the great banquet hall Of the club tonight
on the occasion of the annual banquet given
by the club on the anniversary of the birth
Of washington. The hall was most taste
fully decorated with flowers, smilax and
drapings Of the national colors. President
John H. Miller. of the club, presided, and
after the menu had become recollection
called the gathering to order, and in a few
well-chosen words introduced Mr.. Bourke
Cochran, who had made the speech of the
day at the Auditorium in the afternoon Mr..
Cochran said, upon rising, that he had
spoken so much during the day that in his
opinion the members of the club would pre-
fer to have him curtail his remarks in
favor of the gentlemen who were to follow
him and whom the club had not heard. He
therefore spoke very briefly, but what little
he said was received with the greatest APP
plause. After Mr.. Cochran had resumed
his seat President Miller introduced Rev.
Hamilton Spence, who had been assigned the
toast Solidarity" Mr.. Spence made a most
happy impression, and his remarks were re-
ceived with every sign of approval.
The next speaker was Senator Cushman
K. Davis, of Minnesota, who spoke on THE
AE1 "a - 80 CAAAlO Laws SGAA IA
part:
'SThe American people and humanity with
in the last twelve months have advanced an
immeasurable. distance, never to recede.
Nations, like individuals, do not shape their
own destinies. AS l said, we have passed an
eventful twelve months, and you will par
don me II L say here-not in the spirit Of
craftsmanship, but in just tribute to a con-
splcuous public character who has largely
guided these momentous e~vents-that l re-
gard President Mckinley, from the complete
equilibrium of his character from biG ar
tentive observation Of the dictates Of that
majestic public opinion By which the results
mined, by his frmness when a course of ac-
ton has been resolved upon, by his observ-
ance of the restrictions of the Constitution
ana the laws, as a character altogether
unique among American Presidents. / do
not believe that in all the long and illus
trious rule of the men who have filled that
exalted chair there has been any man who
has gone through processes and situations
or more difficulty, testing alike the Judgment
greater acceptability to the people Of the
United States than President Mckinley.
THE SECTION LINE OBLITERATED.
ut is enough for me and it is worth all
this war and cost, that by the Intervention
of the processes which I have mentioned
that hateful line between the North and the
South has been entirely and forever obliter-
ated; that a condition of sentiment and feel
ing has been brought about by the fusion
of an all-embracing patriotism, where
those who fought for the stars and bars
now fight and have fought under the stars
and stripes; where the grandson of Gen.
Grant serves upon the staff Of the nephew
of Lee; where Joseph Wheeler leads the
forces of the United States to victory
against the walls of Santiago.
Mr.. President, the Spanish war was a
just and necessary war. It was sedulously
avoided by the United States. Against all
manner of provocation, of outrage to Amer
lean property and American citizenship;
against the taking Of the lives Of American
citizens, the destruction of scores of millions
OF property, the American people, with
great reluctance, abstained from war until
it became Indispensable. necessary not ONLY
Tor the cause OF humanity, but for national
honor. We bore with i~ndigntties until those
who inflicted them thought that they were
being inflicted upon national pusillanimity,
and it was not until that appalling and stu
pendous crime, the destruction of the Maine.
aggravated by the attempt Of Spain to inn
pute the destruction of that war vessel to
the incapacity and want of discipline of the
American navy-it was not until that time
that all of the stupendous wrongs and out
RACES which not only we, but humanity, had
Suffered, made 1t necessary for us to de-
clare, in the name of humanity. and national
honor, war against Spain. 1t was a humane
war. 1t was a war in the interest of Chris
tianity and civilization. 1t decreed the ex-
termination of Spain from all her insular
possessions in both ~hemispheres, and all
mankind knew, the nations knew, upon
which side of that contest humanity was.
The results of that war were sudden and
spectacular, and finally the time came when
Spain was obliged to sue for peace, and the
result was that the President of the United
States empowered and appointed five citi-
zens to proceed to Paris to endeavor to ne
gotate a final treaty with that monarchy"
Mr.. Davis here recited at length the story
of the discussions between the two commits
sions and continued:
Whatever the American negotiators had
demanded had been secured, and against
the text, or the phraseology, or the COM
pieteness OF that treaty no pettifogger cabal
has ever been successfully raised, and l will
say for one that l was greatly surprised to
find, after we returned here, that there was
a class of people in this country-phenome-
ma in the museum of humanity-who were
emaciated with surplus, who grew lean
upon enough and grew fat upOn a deficit.
Practically the entire question as to the
Philippines was left by the President of the
United States to the judgment and discre-
ton of the American commissioners. 1T was
at first thought that IT would be sufficient
to take the Island of Luzon, but the best
military and naval authority, Admiral Dew
ey. General Merritt and Commander Brad
ford, laid the situation before us from a
military, naval and strategic point of view,
which made it perfectly obvious that we
must either take the entire archipelago or
MUST KEEP THE ISLANDS.
"who in this audience would have ex~
pected that we would have left the Philip
pines, or any portion of those islands, to the
ineffable and indescribable atrocities Of
Spain? When Dewey set the stars of that
flag amidst the antipodal glories of the East.
he imposed upon the American people a re-
sponsibility which we cannot avoid, and so,
considering other conditions, it was decided
that we should demand and we did demand
and receive the cession Of the entire archi-
pelago of the Philippines. We have taken
that cession and Congress Will ratify the
treaty In the course Of a day or two. 1t s
not a question of what we shall do in the
future. We are already committed to the
situation. Will any American citizen under
present conditions advocate that Dewey
shall sail away from the harbor of Manila ?
That our troops shall vaeate that island?
That we, with an armed force of insurrec-
ton arrayed against the boys in blue and the
friends. shall, in the face of the civilized
world, like towards in the night eVacuate
those waters and remit the Philippines TO
internal anarchy or foreign dismember-
condition to govern themselves and estab-
lish that independent republic of which
fond theorists dream. | think no man in
this audience who has read the current
journals Will for a moments question that
. they are not. We cannot endure, In view
of our past and coming interests in the
Orient. that the Philippines shall be dis
nembered by foreign powers as they will
be the minute the United States removes it
self from that situation, and. above all
things, my fellow-citizens, although they
appear perhaps dimly before US now, yet l
believe there is q profound conviction In the
minds OF the American people that part of
all this force which has pushed us there
and established US there is an impetus
which tells for civilization. for a better
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