The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1899-09-06
Westinghouse Farewell Address
VS.. McKinIey's Manila
Expansion.

we'll address OF washington mas
been regarded as an oracle. 1t has
been the subject of many and wide
ly differing commentaries. Pub.
licists, such as Schurz and Dixie,
have treated it, not so much with
a desire to be enlightened by it, as
to stamp it with their individual
views derived from other sources.
BY far the most strained and un-
fair criticism, yet offered, is from
the pen of r. e. Jodes, president
of Hobart College. 1t appears in
September number of the Forum
and is plausible piece of special
pleading. From beginning to end
it shows, in the trucking up of fine
rhetoric, in the absence of logical
argument, that "the wish is the
father of the thought"
The article in question sets out
with the statement of the several
heads, under which the teachings
of the address are presented. In
the first paragraph, he says of this
famous paper, that it "is a most
comprehensive and elastic docu-
ment." That it is comprehensive
we quite understand, from the
number of subjects it treats of.
In their treatment, Washington is
singularly broad and catholic; but
in no sense elastic, in that he is
strong and vigorous in the manly,
straightforward grasp of his sub
ject. This view of it comes out
with great clearness in that section
in which he treats of the relations
of the United States with foreign
&QR1ons. In the clear warming he
there gives the American people
against foreign entanglements, we
have our true national policy, not
simply outlined, but strongly en-
phasized, when he warns usageinst
too strongly expressed sympathy
for France on the one hand, and
too much prejudice against Eng
land on the other.
Strong common sense applied to
this paper, with we'll guarded eff
fort against any delusion in favor
of any preoonoeived opinion, will
teach one that to Westinghouse
mind there would come great dan
ger to this country from foreign
nations. Hence it was that he
counted it great blessing to us,
that the broad Atlantic rolled it's
dangerous pillows between Europe
and this country. AS though to
fully emphasize the true American
policy of non-interference with
European nations-and to insist
upon what common sense is clearly
teaching, viz: that the question of
the balance of power in European
politics is aliunde to us, we have
the pronounced teaching of the
Monroe Doctrine. This matter of
attending to our own business
this high duty of not meddling
with the affairs of other people is
not popular with people of puritan
descent.
This is most strikingly SO in this
case and in all others involving
money. By steering clear of Euro
pean politics, by simply insisting
that Europe is free to do as she
pleases about Africa and Asia, the
United States has prospered.
Washington knew of the deep an
tagonism that European powers
cherished against us. He knew
that the only way to keep Europe
in the position of "hands off" in
America was for the United
States to keep out of touch of and
competition with Europe in trans
oceanic colonization.
Mr.. Jones, in the Forum, makes
the abortive effort of arguing him
Nself into the opinion Che certainly
does not effect others) that in
order to keep Germany away from
Brazil, we must break away from
all the preoedents and launch out
on the high seas of danger to
our own autonomy-divide our
own people by laying rude, rough
hands on Manila. Senator Hoar
and ex-Speaker Reed clearly indi-
cate that this is MoKinley's war,
waged with all it's precious blood
and fearful expense, in the interest
of Hanna and other commercial
freebooters-and not a war of the
American people. Poor old infat-
uated Straddler! How little does
he know of the inwardness of the