The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1899-01-12
FLAG AND THE CROSS.
FATHER ]. M. CLEARY DELIVERS AN
ELOQUENT LECTURE.
rs OPPOSED TO EXPANSION
Authority, Liberty and Religion tire Three
Essentials of Good Government,
Find Their Highest Ideals
Under Stars and Stripes.

Thursday evening under the auspices
of the A. O. Fl. The former Kenoshan
chose for his subject The Flag and
the Cross" and his lecture was one of
the most eloquent and thoughtful
addresses ever delivered from Keno
sha platform.
The distinguished speaker prefaced
his remarks by short talk in which he
expressed his pleasure in being able to
again appear before SO many of his old
and we'll tried friends, and on his sub
iect he said in part, The flag and the
cross are symbols of those things which
men hold most sacred. The flag stands
for civil rights, national rights and
social position. The cross for mans
religion. His hopes of Immortality and
the betterment of his life.
The flag of our nation stands for all
that is best in home and government.
1t stands for all that is best in the de-
velOpment of man. The United States
is nation founded on manhood, build
ed by manhood and all the sacred
right are her citizens by virtue OF his
manhood.
The true conception of government
was never interpreted as in the United
States. Formerly nations were estab-
lished for class or family but the Dec
laratiOn of Independence declared that
every man should be free and equal.
It guaranteed for him inalienable rights
and gave the principles CT Republican
ism to the world. That declaration
established a government by man, for
the sake of man and to perpetuate his
manhood.
Father Cleary then paid tribute to
the loyalty of our foreign born citizens
and said that to be an American it was
not essential to be born under Ameri-
can skies, for many of her greatest and
most sacrificing citizens had first seen
light in foreign lands. The foreigners
had done valiant service for the flag
and country and the accident of his
birth under alien skies never lessened
the soldiers ardor or weakened his
arm in fighting for his adopted flag and
country. The glory and pride of our
great American nation is that every
man is measured by the standard of
his merit.
There are, said Father Cleary, three
essentials for good government-Au
thority, Liberty and Religion. These
three should be so harmOniOrsly re-
lated that each works for lts own
peculiar end without interfering with
the advancement of the other. Beneath
the sheltering folds of the Stars and
Stripes people do not exist for the
government but the government exists
to protect and preserve the rights and
liberties of the people, but the people
must understand their liberty and re-
sponsibilities in order to make such
government stable.
Here the speaker spoke of the Irish
and his loyalty to principle and his
consistency to his devoted and unselfish
loyalty to human liberty. He also
gave some very charming reminis-
ences of his visit to the Emerald Isle
and showed how truly the Irish were
held to the cause OF liberty.
Government like our own, he declar-
ed does not need to be supported by
arrays of steel, but draws it's support
from the fact that it is founded in and
upon the hearts and affections of the
people. For this reason the speaker
declared against expansion, as he said
that any government established in
our newly acquired territory would not
be founded on the affection of the
people, but on the victories won by
American soldiers and American arms.
In regard to our liberty the speaker
said in part. Under the symbol of our
flag liberty means that every man
shall be protected in the enjoyment of
his God given inalienable rights.
Majorities must always respect the
basic principles and the will of the
people. Liberty like the links in a
golden chain is only as strong as it's
weakest link. The nation and it's
citizens must hang together or in the
immortal words of Patrick Henry, they
will hang separately. Every man must
have his rights because of his individual
merits. This is the highest interpreta-
ton of liberty. This Interpretation is
conducive Of social happiness and
material advancement. These rights
are not granted but guaranteed and
every man who seeks the protection of
our starry emblem receives the protec-
ton of his God-given rights against
the nation and his fellowman.
This is nation of religious freedom.
Every man may worship his God in
whatever manner or at whatever altar
he may desire. Religion is the great
conservative force in nature. It re-
strains the individual and sustains the
government.
No people have ever long retained
civil nr individual libnrtv without tho