The record-union., 1899-02-23

the Republican party must check the
influences which are controlling it. IL
it shows a disposition to do this, 1 have
no fear but that it will retain the al
legiance of the, people,
Hon. James Wilson, Secretary OF
Agriculture. was warmly greeted wnen
he rose to respond to the toast our
Agricultural Interests"
Secretary Wilson said: 'The terri
tory of the original thirteen States Is
but a small part of the United States
to-day. We have been a growing peo-
pie, spreading people, an expanding
people. The Louisiana purchase III
1903 gave US the great grain belt OF the
United States. The annexation OF
Texas and New Mexico and other ter
ritory lying north of those regions in
1915 gave US the greatest cotton nelo
of to-day. The Northwest Territory,
discovered in 1892, explored in 7SOS,
and secured by treaty in 1919, with the
addition of Florida, at the same time
gave US what is now our greatest TIM
Der reserve Our treaty with Mexico
in 1S4S gave us what is now our great
fruit belt in California, and the valleys
of the Rocky Mountains, as we'll as our
great mineral section, from which come
our gold and silver The Gadsden pur-
chase, now part of Arizona and New
Mexico, was added in 1858. The terri
tory of Alaska, coded by Russia in 1867,
is a land Of immense possibilities. we
are just beginning to learn something
of its wonderful resources. So 1t Will
be seen that from the revolutionary
war up to 1861 the United States has
been expanding And while it has been
expanding it has been educating.
Our schools and colleges are pre-
pairing the brightest and most enter
prising young men upon the earth. We
have become the foremost manufactur-
ing people, we are feeding a consider
able part of the Old World; we are
manufacturing machinery for the Old
World; we are sending iron and steel
to the Old World, and with this remark
able growth in territory, education,
manufacturing and material progress,
the growth of religion and morality has
kept pace.
Upon purely humanitarian sent1-
ments, the people of the United States
interviewed between Spain and her colo
MES to put an end to conditions that
outraged our sense of justice, interfer-
ing with our commerce and made more
difficult the execution of international
law Nothing has occurred since the
war was declared to justify any man
in stating that the United States has
departed in any respect from the line
of policy laid down when Congress de-
clared war While the President did
not seek the arbitrament of war, he
has met all its requirements. A quar-
ter of a million men were mustered,
equipped and put in the field. The
islands of the Caribbean and China
Seas We're conquered and brought I'M
der the American flag in less than four
months. A treaty was ratified in less
than year from the beginning of
hostiIities. No disaster on sea or land
occurred. A minimum Of casualties, an
object lesson given to the world in hui
name warfare, merciful treatment of
the peoples coming under our authority,
an insurrection among the Malays
stamped out, the national credit higher
than ever before in our history and all
complaints of the conduct Of the war
met and answered-this is the situa-
ton to-day
THE events of the year have been OF
such magnitude, and have followed
each other with such rapidity, that the
engrossing interest of to-day and the
immediate future have left no time for
reflection and retrospect. Not only has
the seat of political power moved tc
the Mississippi Valley, together with
the center of producing area. but the
National spirit is most pronounced
here and cosmopolitan sentiment is de-
veloped. The Western man is the typi-
cal American, loving all America, re-
joicing in all the progress made by
other localities. We have got to the
place in our efforts to help the people
of those islands in the Caribbean an6
Chinese Seas, when it is necessary tt
study them and see what they are pre-.
pared ITO do for themselves.
Those only are fit for complete loca
self government who are possessed o.
intelligence and morality. The history
of the world shows US that few people:
successfully govern themselves as thu
people of the United States do. There
is no question of the ability of the PEG
pie of the United States to govern them
selves and TO govern others of less in
telligence Millions of people have beer
absorbed into our system and made
good citizens through our common
schools and by the education they re
ceived in contact with Americans. Tht
President is now ascertaining how com
petent the peoples of those islands art
TO stand alone. He is placing every
Cuban or Porto Rican of more or les.
ability in government positions o.
higher or lower grade, for the purpose
of demonstrating their capacity and in.
tegrity. The islands are being cleaned
taxation is being reduced, education il
being encouraged. and every incentive
held out toward improvement and pro
gress. The Filipino did not wait unit
an object lesson could be given in his
case. He turned upon his savior, en-
couraged. no doubt, by those among u.
who insist that he should have his in
dependence.
THE world knows that these people:
are not fit for independence as Amer
leans are fit for it. Out of self protec
ton. the nations of the world would
divide these islands among themselves
should we abandon them and the Fill
Pine would be helpless TO prevent it
Some say governmental independence
with a protectorate. That means tina
the protector would be responsible tt
the world for their behavior, and tt
that end he must control their be-
haviGur to the nations of the world. Ar
agent of the Department of Agriculture
visiting the China Sea to establish
agencies for American products and tt
bring back seeds and plants desirable
in the United States, writes me thai
the Filipino is the lowest in the scale
of hl1u1au ity of all the natives of tht