The Irish standard., 1899-07-15
AROUSED CONSIDERABLE ENTHUSIASM
Sternly Opposed to an Alliance
With Great Britain.
CONDEMNS THE PHILIPPINE POLICY
Truly Patriotic Address on the
Birthday Of the Nation.

In his Fourth of July address before
the Clan-na-Gaels of Boston and vicin-
ity, Senator w. E. Mason, of Illinois,
said in part:
"Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentle
men, Fellow Citizens"
At this point man in the audience
cried out: "Mr. Mason, do you believe
in taking the American flag down from
where it has once been raised?"
In an instant, as if anticipating this
very question from having answered it
before, Senator Mason replied:
"1f the gentleman will listen and be
kind enough to hear what I believe in,
or if he would be industrious enough to
read the history of the country, he
would find that never advocated TAX
ing the American flag down from where
it belonged. tremendous applause. }
I want the American flag to be with
those who love it and who honor it, and
never want to see the flag love above
race of slaves" cloud applause.)
The senator then proceeded with his
speech as follows:
"Now, Mr.. President, and ladies and
gentlemen, Lam very much obliged to
you for your kind reception. 1 have
travelled good many miles to accept
your invitation to he here tonight Zap
plause and cries of Thank you') be-
cause believe you, as American citi-
zens, belong to class who believe in
America, have hope in America and the
deep, underlying principles of this gov
ernment laid down in the declaration OF
independence, sealed and made perfect
at Bunker Hill and Concord. (Ap-
plause.)
II am glad to speak to a class of men
who are opposed to Imperialism.
('That's what we are.) I am glad to
speak to class of men who are opposed
to the British alliance or any other.
(Tremendous applause.) England has
been working from the day and hour
that we achieved our independence to
get by diplomacy what she failed to get
over on yonder hill-Qoud APPLAUSE
and there is no nation in the world so
much interested as England in having
us get embroiled in an Asiatic war, that
we may appeal to her great navy and be-
come tail to the English kite. (Ap-
plause and cries of Good boy.O
"And if there is anything above an
other that an American ought to de-
spise, it is that constant fadism of de-
string to initiate England. (Applause.)
You see them along the streets with their
trousers rolled up when it rains in Lon
don-Qaughter)-and you see them
among the statesmen of the country say
ing let us do this, let us have colonies
because England has them or has had
colonies.
"They want US to trade histories with
England. She has had one policy for
100 years and we have had another, and
we have whipped her at every point
loud applause.) For the last 12
months we sold more American goods
from the shop and the farm than Eng
land ever sold on a year in her life away
from her own home. (Applause.)
II say, who wants to initiate her?
I don't, because the declaration of inde-
pendence, which talks about the con-
sent of the governed, is absolutely not
in keeping with the colonial policy of
Great Britain.
"This is the Fourth of July (Laugh-
ter and applause.) This is the birthday
of the nation. For a hundred years we
have been saying hurrah for self-gov-
ernment, hurrah for liberty of con-
science, hurrah for liberty in religion
and politics. For hundred years we
have written it all over our history and
to-day we are killing men, women and
children because they want what our
fathers fought for. (Applause.)
''I am opposed to imperialism largely
because it means an English alliance.
(Applause and cries of Good, good!)
What can we expect? A lot of our fell
lows got the big head after the last war
with Spain. We grew heroic on the
field and in the senate.
"We have got about 80 battleships, as
I remember it. England can stack up
one against one and have 500 to play
with on the side. What does she want
Us in this fight for? Why is it that her