The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-02-21
"GREHTER REPUBLIC"
From a Recent opinion by Senator-clect
Beveridge, of Indiana.


not the like true of Holland-even Of
Germany? And what of England? Eng
lands immortal glory is not Angincourt
or Waterloo. 1t is not her merchandise or
commerce 1t is Australia, New Zealand
and Africa reclaimed. 1t is India re-
deemed. 1t is Egypt, mummy of the ma
| tions, touched into modern life. Eng
| lands imperishable renown is in English
science throttling the plague in Calcutta
| English law administering order in Bonn
| bay, English Ell efgy planting and indus
| trial civilization from Cairo to the Cape
and English discipline creating soldiers
| men and finally citizens, perhaps, even
out of the fellaheen of the dead land Of
| the Pharaohs. And yet the liberties of
| Englishmen were never so secure as
now. And that which is England's undy.
ing fame has also been her infinite
profit, so sure is duty golden in the end.
o
"And what of America? With the
| twentieth century the real task and true
| life of the republic begins. And we are
| prepared. We have learned restraint
| from a hundred years of self-control. We
are instructed by the experience of
| others. We are advised and inspired by
| present eXample. And our work awaits
u.s. The dominant notes in American his
tory have thus far been self-government
| and internal improvement. But these
were not ends only, they were means
| also. They were modes of preparation.
| The dominant notes in American life
henceforth will be not only self-govern-
| ment and internal development, but also
| administration and world Improvement.
| 1t is the arducus but splendid mission
| of our race. 1t is ours to govern in the
| name of civilized liberty. 1t Is ours to
administer order and law in the name of
| human progress. 1t Is ours to chasten
| that we may be kind, It is ours to cleanse
n tNyn "a &c nttr to hull hat
| free institutions may finally enter and
abide. 1t Is ours to bear the torch of
| Christianity where midnight has relgned
| a thousand years. 1t is ours to reinforce
| that thin red line which constitutes the
| outposts of civilization all around the
world.
! "If it be said that this is vague talk
| OF an indefinite future, we answer that 1t
! is the specific programme of the present
| hour. Civil government is to be perfect
| ed in Porto Rico. The future of Cuba
is to be worked out by the wisdom of
| events. Ultimately, annexation is as GER
| tain as the islands existence. Even II
| Cuhans are capable of self-govcrnment
every interest points to union. We and
| they may blundCr forward and tmidly
| try the devices Of doubt. But in the end
JetfersOn's desire will be fulfilled and
Cuba wild be a part of the great Republic
mediate works awaits US. Harbors are
| 10 be dredged, sanitation established
| highways built, railroads constructed,
| postal service organized, common schools
| opened, all by or under the government
| of the American republic. The Philip
pines are ours forever. Let the faint
| hearts anoint their fears with the thought
| that some day American administration
| and American duty there may end But
| they never will end. Englands occupa-
| ton of Egypt was to be temporary; but
events, which are the commands of God,
| are making it permanent. And now God
has given us this Pacific empire for civil
| lied administration. The first office of
| administration is order Order must be
| established throughout the archipelago.
| The spoiled child, Aguinaldo, may not
| stay the march of civilization. Rebellion
| against the authority of the flag must be
| crushed without delay, for hesitation en-
| courages revolt and without anger, for
! the turbulent children know not what
| they do. And then civilization must be
| organized, administered and maintained.
| Law and justice must rule where saw
agery, tyranny and caprice have rioted.
| The people must be taught the art of or
| derly and continuous industry. A nun
| dred wildernesses are to be subdued. I'm
penetrated valleys must be explored. I'm
! 'iolated valleys must be titled. Unmas-
| tered forests must be felled. Unriven
| mountains must be torn asunder and
| their riches of iron and gold and ores of
| price must be delivered to the world. We
| are to do in the Philippines what Holland
| does in Java or England in New Zealand
| or the Cape or else work out new methods
and new results of our own nobler than
any the world has seen. All this is not in
! definite; 1t is the very specification of
| duty.
"The frail of faith declare that these
| peoples are not fitted for citizenship. It
| is not proposed to make them citizens.
| Those who see disaster in every forward
| step Of the republic prophesy that Phil
| ippine labor will overrun our country
and starYe our working men. But the
| Javanese have not so overrun Holland.
| New Zealand's Malays, Australia's bush
men, Africa's Kaff1rs, Zulus and Hotten-
| tots and India's millions of surplus labor
have not so overrun England. Those who
| measure duty by dollars cry out at the ex-
| pense When did America ever count the
cost of righteousness? And besides, this
| republic must have mighty navy in any
event. And new markets secured. new
| Enterprises opened new resources in
| timber mines and products of the tropics
acquired and the Vitalization Of all our
| industries which will follow will pay back
a thousand fold all the government
spends in discharging the highest duty to
which the republic can be called. Those
| who mutter words and call it wisdom,
deny the constitutional power of the re-
| public to govern Porto Rico, Cuba, the
| Philippines, for if we have the power in
Porto Rico we have the power in the Phil
| ippines. The constitution is not inter
| preted by degrees of latitude or longitude.
| All protests against the greater republic
are tolerable except this constitutional
| objection. The most magnificent fact in
Ia let 4,
| sion or our race, and the most splendid
| phase of that worldTedeeming move
ment is the entrance of the American
| people as the greatest force in all the
| earth to do their part in administering
| civilization among mankind, and they are
| not to be halted by a rock of words
| called constitutional arguments. Pretend
ers TO legal learning have always de-
| nounced all Virile interpretations of the
| constitution. The so-called constitutional
lawyers in Marshall's day said that he
did not understand the constitution, be-
cause he looked, not at its syllables, but
| surveyed the whole instrument and be-
| held in its profound meaning and in
finite scope the sublime human processes
of which it is an expression. The con-
| stitutiCn is not a prohibition of our prog
ress. 1t is not an interdict to our des,
| tiny. 1t is not treatise on geography.
Let the flag advance; the word retreat
is not in the constitution. Let the re-
| public govern as conditions demand; the
| constitution does not benumb its brain
| nor palsy it's hand.
| o
"The Declaration Of Independence ap-
| plies only TO peoples capable of self-gov-
ernment. Otherwise, how dared we ad-
minister the affairs of the Indians? How
dare we continue to govern them to-
| day? Precedent does not impair natural
and inalienable right. And how is the
world to be prepared for self-govern-
ment? Savagery cannot prepare itself,