The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-23
Ringing Grafton OF n.
E. HightOn.
PATRIOTISM AT TABERNACLE
Y. M. I. DAY CELEBRATED WITH
ENTHUSIASM.
The Necessity Of UNFOLDING the Con-
stitution Insisted Upon-Work
of the Order at the
Front.

OAKLAND, Feb. 22-The Tabernacle
was crowded tonight, the occasion be-
Ing the celebration of Y. M. l. day by
Councils Nos. 6, and 81 of the Young
Mems Institute Chairman w. V. Har-
rington in a few preliminary remarks
paid a tribute to George Washington ana
to the progress which his patriotism made
possible. He referred to the fact that
Colonel James Smith, Father McKinnon
and others of the institute had fully up
held the motto of the order, Pro dec,
pro patria," on the battlefelds of the
Philippines.
Miss Agnes Fitton and Miss Marion Fit
ton, two young ladies, were encored for
some very clever violin and piano work.
A. c. Read, James J. Rosborough, Miss
Irene Lenoir, Miss Hattie Savage and
George P. Clark supplied a very appro-
pirate programme of recitation and song.
Hon Henry E. Highton delivered the
Grafton of the evening, taking for his
theme "Expansion-Is Washington a
Back Number" He said in brief
This question involves our institutions
and our constitution. What are the stars
and stripes of our flag If they are not
the symbols of the principles which
Washington represented? Destroy the
principles of the constitution and what
when read that some members of Con-
gress in 1899 said that washington
lived In a different age and that his pre-
cedents are not for US. the true citizen
rebels and rises in denunciation of such
sentiments. Our subject embraces the ac-
QUESTION of the Philippine Islands with
hordes, incapable of being raised to the
dignity of American citizenship. Our dec
laration declares that all men are Gre
ated equal-that includes the Filipinos-
and are endowed with certain inalienable
rights
One of these rights is that Of being
power from the will of the governed We
declined to be governed except with our
consent. We fought one of the greatest
wars In history with Washington at our
head because of our belief in this prin-
ciple. We were either right or wrong
We cannot treat the Fflipinos as we re-
fundamental principles of our existence
as a nation. This would, of course
be unconstitutional, and SO we are told
that the constitution framed in the con-
vention of which George Washington was
President is a back number
That constitution, like the Ten Com
mandments, Is eternal as eternity itself.
When Washington and those other great
men framed the constitution they had
before them the example of the Roman
Empire and what led to it's downfall, and
they were guided thereby. Washington
did not contemplate what we have seen
during the past year. He never dreamed
ride the constitution without even the
pretense of an amendment. And not
single sentiment OF George washington
was not reiterated and held inviolate by
the great Lincoln.
Uncle Sam needs no British alliance
to secure to him a fair share of the
trade and the profits of the Pacific. He
needs no 'open DOOR" which is but the
British invitation to the American fly to
enter John Bulls parlor 1 would like
to hear from some of our budding states
men of one scintilla OF justification in
the constitution for the acquisition of
such territory-the Philippines, with mil
lions of a mongrel horde. Should we an.
any or all of these Filipinos from coming
to any other part of the United States
Capitalists, hunting cheap labor, might
do 1t. We have no provision that would
enable US to establish colonial govern
ments or to annex Asiatic territory and
Asiatic hordes."