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


with certain inallenable rights: that among
these are life. liberty and the pursuit Of
happiness; that, to secure these rights gov
ernments are instituted among men, deriv-
ing their just powers from the consent OF
the governed: that whenever any form of
government becomes destructive Of these
ends 1t Is the right Of the people to alter
or to abolish 1t, and to institute new gov
ernmnt. laying its foundation on such prin-
ctples and organizing its powers in such
form as to them shall seem most likely to
affect their safety and happiness"
rms synopsis, as formulated by Jeffer-
son. Is incomplete without the paragraphs
which We're stricken from the draft of the
declaration as proposed by him. The ofgi-
nal draft also contained the following In
one or the indictments against the king of
england: He has waged cruel war against
human nature itself. violated its most sa-
cred rights of life and liberty In the per-
sons or distant people who never offended
MN captivating and carrying them into
slavery In another hemisphere. or to incur
miserable death In their transportation
thither This pratical warfare, the opp:o-
orium of intidcl powers. is the warfare OF
me Christian king OF Great Britain. De-
terhined to keep open market where men
should De bought and sold. he has proati-
tuted his negative for supprcssing every
legislative attempt to prohibit or restrain
this eXecrable commerce"
Vested rights business interests and the
blind to Ideals and deaf to the pleas of JUS
tice The paragraphs relating to slavery
were stricken out. This was a victory for
orc form of practical politics. but the VIC
tory became costly one IN the end. as is
every victory at the EXPENSE of human
rights and Justice. Some ,hrce-u,,lrters Of
a century later the spirit of these para
graphs was restored to the peoples declara-
lioh or rights, but at a cost of millions OF
lives ana Of treasure. The portion of the
nf tf,t,
read contains the gist of the political IDEAS
VIII en- have guided our people and shaped
our institutions since the beginning. The
constitution subsequently adopted and the
legislation enacted under II, state and ma
tirnal. are merely the application Of these
principles to the complex requirements of
society and to the varying conditions of RAJ
t'onal life and growth. On the whole. thu
principles have been applied In our lsgts-
lation. There have been occasional depar-
lures from them In practice by those In
authority. but none OF very serious char
acter until more recently. I assume that
no citizen of our country has the hardi-
hood to deny these truths in so many words.
Those who are disposed to do so rather
deny their universally of application. for
getting that the distinguishing charac-cr-
tstic of truth Is its universally. While
they concede in a negative, helpless sort Of
a way that they are true. they insist that
they are not applicable to certain circum-
stances. or to n given state Of facts.
The siSners of the Declaration Of 1nde-
pendence solemnly declared with Jefferson
that all men are created equal; that hey
ar endowed by thicr Creator with certain
inalicnable rights: that governments are In
stituted among men to secure these rights,
and that governments derive their just
powers from the consent of the governed;
but when the proper application of these
self-evident truths was made by Jefferson
to the ncfarious traffic in human beings,
n frat oar q pa ~
black man, they evidently considered that
this was not case for their application. or
perhaps II was an instance where prlcti-
cal politics of a certain kind had IAN m
ming" as l have intimated even at this
early day: but whether the truth in this
regard. 1t Is now evident to us by our war
debt. by our national cemeteries and by our
heavy pension bills that the failure on the
part of the fathers of our country and or
our earlier statesmen to keep their eyes
scadfastly upon the political Ideals of JUS
tlce and of human rights that had been
placed before them by Thomas Jefferson.
and which they had sanctioned as true in
principle has cost our country more blood
and more treasure than any other political
mistake. tApplnuSc)
VIII our statesmen of today heed the
lesson. or will they quibble and hesitate in
the application of these truths? VIII they
deliberately say that the principle that gov
ernmcnts derive their just powers from the
consent of the governed, while applicable to
the people who were subjects of the King
Of Great Britain, has no application to
those who have been the subjects Of the
king of Spain? viii they persist In saying
that our right of conquest is superior to tue
Filpinos God-given right to life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness? (Applause)
1t will probably trouble them to answer
these questions categorically 1t will be
much easier for them to adopt the tactics
of the oppressor in the past and claim
oil ri N a ln11p
Qnughter> mark Hanna has intimatcd; I
believe that he is in close touch) In carry
ing out His DEGREES for the conversion and
civilization of this people. and consistently
with this profession and the spirit in which
1t is made. they will proceed with fire and
sword. U.aughterD Men who have COM
mitted the heinous offcnse of doing what
the revolutionary fathers did must be
taught a lesson The hypocrisy OF such
course will be more disastrous in its effects
up on the traits Of our national character
and upon our national name and fang.
which have hitherto stood fair before the
nations of the world. than would be the
frank avOwal that our professions of love
for liberty and justice are strictly for home
consumption July Oaughtcr) and not ap-
plicabe where an opportunity is afforded
for obtaining franchises. concessions. gov
eminent contracts and subsidies. In the
face of such opportunities. let 1t be frankly
admitted that our mlionalres. or at least
grandrcs of Spain or the lords of England;
that our national administration is IL busl-
ness administration (ipplause); that while
it has no room for sentiment. 1t realizes, as
was remarked by Senator Davis the other
day that the United States is the great
consccra;ed evangelist of tho world" and
1t is perfectly willing to permit the krag-
.Inrgensens to open the way for our mis-
sionaries
While the application of the political
ideals quoted is plain ana simple in cases
like those referred to, there is Il large do
main concerning our domestic affairs and
rational polty in which there is room for
honest and patriotic differences OF opinion
This has always been and always will be
the case under free institutions. 1t has rs
origin IN human nature. Men by Unborn
characteristics. as we'll as by sclf-intcrest
and the result of training and environments
divide into two great classes, the Conscrv-
alive and the Radical: the Conservative
with face turned backward. content with
things as they are. Il Jealous defender of
vested rights and content with the spectacle
of starvation and riotOus plenty side by
sid.-the Radical. burdcncd with eyes that
see things as they are. with feelings that
are touched by the suffering resuitin, from
ing conditions impose. cars that hearken
to the progress OF the race and sympathies
that are alive TO the wrongs that exist
with II Jealous determination to right them,
The line of demarkatlon between these two
great classes Is not always we'll defined. 1t
is. however. notwithstanding temporary sim
uosiics and blurrings, at the present
time. the line upon which parties dviu.
The party name attached to the one group
of years. The progressive. might almost
say radical element which, under tho land