The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1899-02-18

scendants Of those who said millions for
defense. and not one cent for tribute"
thunder back today to the demand for
colonial policy. Millions for defense. but
| not one cent for conquest" (Applause.)
This question has not been settled. Cues
lions are not settled by cabinets in this
| country. They are not settled by simple
resolution of congress; in this country ques-
lions are settled by the people. If the presi-
dent made up his mind that the peop.e
wanted conquest and colonization, as 1t is
sad by some that he did when he went out
West. he had better come out West again.
Q'aughtero If he got the first Endorsement
for his colonial policy by putting his ear
to the ground once. he will get another one
by putting his ear to the ground another
time. (Applause) Because, my friends. in
the last two or three months there has been
a change In public opinion and a natural
| change. Why. who that understands hui
man nature would attempt to guage the
sentiment Of the people In an hour Of ex-
element? Who that knows human nature
does not understand that difference takes
place in man when he gets mad? You
have seen men mad. You know how It Is.
Take the best man you ever saw and let
him get into fight and then talk to him
while the blood is on his face. Q4aughter.l
What does he say? Why, ] can lick any
man that belongs to the family. Iaughter)
But wait until he gets the blood washed off
his face; walt until he Gains down and
you will see him walking along arm in
arm with the man he fought, and then
they both wonder how 1t was that they
ever could get into quarrel. My friends.
1t Is not in hours Of Excitement. it is in
the days of elaboration that You must judge
| the sentiment OF people; and you must
judge the sentiment Of this people this
great question: not when they are excited
by the fact that 7O,OOOOOO Of people have
overcome 1IG0O,CO0. You have got to set
tie it. my friends. and Judge their opinion
when they think not what they can do but
what they ought to do. (Applause.)
IA vo.ce: That's it: that's IT'D
Might says, What can do?" Right says.
What should 1 do?" Shall we substitute
might for right? Why, in the beginning.
our constitution said, We. the people, joined
together to establish justice. and to secure
tranquility, and to perfect the union, and to
secure the blessings Of liberty for the found
ers Of this nation and for our posterity:
that Is what the constitution said; and that
is what those men wanted-to secure JUS
tice. And my friends, justice has been the
one thing that has been held up by our peo-
ed. Shall we throw down our idea of JUS
tice and set up the picture of warrior? ?
Shall we say. What can we do" Instead of
What ought we to do" No. my friends.
We don't believe that 1t VIII be that I
don't know that I am under any special
obligation to the Republican party (Laugh-
ter) But. my friends. think too much of
the Republican party to say that even a
majority Of the Republicans will be In a
war of conquest, when they have a chance
to consider it: the Republicans have never
done enough harm to me to make me think
little enough Of them to believe that today,
in the hearts of the people Of the Republican
party Marcus A. Hanna is a more glorified
saint than Abraham Lincoln. (Applausel
They have simply made mistakes in their
haste: the Republicans are Bible-reading
people, but under excitement people will get
scriptural quotations mixed. Laughter)
For instance, there is commandment that
i reads, Thou shalt not steal.' All the Re-
publlcans understand it, but when they got
excited, they looked at it, and it was SO
blurred that they thought it read. '"Thou
shalt not steal except the opportunity Is
presented" (Laughter.) They have read the
ing promised to the meek, and they know
! that there is blessing promised to the
peacemaker, and then the thought came to
them. 1--WE are a peacemaker," and as they
remembered the beatitudes that particular
promise read, BLESSED are the peacemakers.
for they shall inherit the earth" Iaugh-
teri
But my friends, that is not the way that
| reads; and the Republicans will find it GU.
when they take time to verify the quota
ton. (Laughter) 1t is, blessed are the
peacemakers, for they shall be called the
children Of Cod Isn't that it? Uaugh-
ter) And, Blessed are the meek, for they
shall inherit the earth" Have You noticed
would Justify them in believing that they
should inherit the earth? Q-aughtero Why.
my friends, you can't defend the policy OF
imperialism on any ground. 1t may be that
imperialism brings benefits to those who are
strong enough to conquer. l doubt it. 1
may be an old fogy in my theology, as some
think I am In my politics. but according
to my theology no man can do wrong with
1mpunity-and nation is but an assem-
blage Of individuals. (Applause)
rbxT m
man named Ahab wanted the vineyard Of
neighbor, not a remote man, living off in
the next county, but the man right next
door to him; and because Naboth wouldn't
let him have it, Ahab was sorely aggrieved,
and then a conspiracy was formed. 1t was
arranged that they should have a meeting
| and that two men should testify that Ma
both had blasphemed, and that then lie
should be killed. And the conspiracy
worked out, because conspiracies often
the two men watched. and they Went and
bore false witness and said that Na3o.l
had E!asphemed, and so they touk rim cut
arl killed him, and then i.z. rel said tr
Ahab, Now go and get your vineyard:
everything is all right" and Ahab wiped
his eyes and started out; and he met Ell
jah, that brave old prophet of the olden
days. and he said Hast thou killed, and
will thou also take possesslon?' And then
| he proclaimed the sentence oc the All.
mighty. In the place where the dogs lick
! the blood Of Naboth shall the dogs lick thy
blood; even thine Ahab was tried before
a court where it didn't make any difference
how big the man was or how rich he
was or how strong he was, the decision
was just the same, and he could not escape
1t, and the decree was fulfilled. Thou
shalt not covet; thou shalt not bear false
witness: thou shalt not steal; thou shalt
not kill" four commandments broken to
get a little piece Of land And he didn't
get the land after all. (Laughter) NV
friends, l don't believe that this great ma
ton can afford to do wrong any more than
| the humblcst Individual can afford to do
wrong; l don't believe that this nation can
can afford to covet. And coveteousness lies
| beneath every war of conquest.
The history of the human race has been
written In blood-because rulers coveted the
! possessions of others. (Applause.) Wars Of
And L don't believe that this nation (this
nation least Of all the nations OF the worlD
can afford to set before the human race this
doctrine of coveteousness as a principle of
our government. Mr.. friends, do you think
that the good Samaritan would have ever
lived in parable this long if he had made n
slave out Of the man whom he rescued?
Do you think my friends, that we ran 20
! into a war for the sake OF humanity and
go out of 1t with conquest emblazoned
upon our banner, and escape the verdict of
history? Oh. we can escape some verdicts,
Those historians who live under monarch
les, and write for mOnarchics, will never
criticise us. But, my friends there will
be those who will. And we who would
save the nation from this dssraceful step,