The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-12-23
Hon. Willis Moore.

Hon. Willis Moore.
IN introducing Hon. Willis Moore,
PRESIDENT Greene paid him a
line compliment by referring to
the fact that he was a man with brains
and energy sufficient to be chief of the
weather bureau and acting secretary
or agriculture at one and the same
ttme. Mr.. Moore was given a hearty
ovation when he arose to speak on
THE Blood Of the Pilgrims Ensures
the Future" He proved, before he sat
down. that with all his other occupa-
tions he could get together a most cred
| liable after-dinner speech Mr.. Moore
said:
WHAT MIR. MOORE SAID
A Democracy is no better than the
| average of its citizens, and usually not
! quite so good, Under monarchical sys-
| TENS of government, accident of birth
often brings into ruling power either
| the weak and inefficient or the strong
and cruel; under our more perfect sys-
I tenn of republican government the
| evils resulting from the spoils of office
too often bring into the councils of
| city, state and national administrations
| not those least fitted to control but
surely not those who by aptitude, edu-
| cation and high standard of personal
and civic virtue are the best fitted to
| administer the functions of the govern
ment. Still We are great nation, and
| our system of government and the
character of our rulers are growing
| apace with the moral and the intel
| lectual uplifting of our people.
| For moment let us take our position
| midway between the two great oceans,
with the vast mineral wealth of tower
ing mountains on our west, two thous-
and miles of fertile plains on our east,
ten thousand miles of great naViga BILE
rivers, draining the most extensive ag-
ricultural region IN the world hundreds
of thousands of miles of steam rail
roads; five magnificent inland seas; a
| climate unriVallCd for healthfulness and
| for its productive potentiaIity,-anC
the human mind is dazed by the stu
pendousness, bewildered by the mag
niticence of the panorama; and one is
inclined to make the mistake of ac'
Crediting to geological, meteorological
and geographical conditions the great,
ness of this nation. and give entire
| credit to natural environment for the
ease with which we have taken a com
manding position among the great
peoples of the world. To be sure. VIZ
should not ignore the fact that sus
tenance comes from the fertile soil
homogeneity of our people through tn
trade, commerce and personal inter
change incident to numerous arteries
2 Of cheap inland water and rail trans
portation. and physical and intellectual
+ energy from the activity of the coo
, north wind.
, NOT THF~PRIAIE SOURCE.
p But these benefcient natural condi
2 tions are not the prime sources OF ou
p power: they are not the seed OF ou
greatness; they are only the faVorabl
. | environment under which the seed ha
terminated, grown blossomed an
[ come to fruition. That the seed
+ equally as important as the condition
( | of growth is proven by the faCt ina
1 the American Indian, a kind and hard
7 man, existed for we know not hoy
many thousand years in this country
but still the Pilgrim of New Englan
and the cavalier of Virginia, foun
him advanced only from saNagery I
( barbarism. Latin races also have eN
- listed under favorable natural condl
;. tlons in both North and South Amerlc
? during the past 300 years, but toda
they are more turbulent in character
more unstable and unjust in their sell
9 developed governments than were IN
t aborigines whom they displaced,
h And Columbus in his discovery OF IN
s West Indies Verrazzano i'm his e.
O ploratiOn of much of the east coast {
, our mainland: Ponce de Leon in nj
:, childish search for the fountain {
} youth; De Soto with his 300 haautltull
caparisOned hoTsemen roaming IL
d three years over our Gulf states, thrt
e quarters of a century before the LAM
e ing Of the Pilgrims; COrtez i'm his cru
e conquest Of Mexico; Balboa i'm crossin
r the Isthmus of Panama 10 discover II
Pacific ocean; Coronado in his explor'
tion of more than one-half of the regio
- now contained in our Rocky Mounta
states, each and all were only in que
, OF treasure that they might quickly b.
" come rich were looking for peop
T. whom they might plunder and then el
20 slave
And the galleons of these Spanish a,
venturers poured rivers Of gold into Il
treasury Of Spain, only to debauch h
mobiles with the sin-tainted plunde
rs and after 800 years leave the form