Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-17
December II, 1890.

The following is the address delivered
Monday last by Hon. E. j. Cornish at the
meeting called in sympathy with the Beers
AS l have never expressed myself on the
British Boer controversy, l appreciate the
compliment involved in being invited to ad-
dress this meetng-the committee assuming
that | would be found on the side they con-
ceive to be the cause CT freedom. l do my
self and you an injustice. however, in ap
pearing before you, because l must confess
that am not sufficiently informed as to the
facts to discuss the subject properly.
The existence in the Transvaal of gold
and diamond mines of inestimable value
casts suspicion on all reported causes of
the war. Nothing is more universally taught
in history than that greed is ever accom-
panied by can't hypocrisy and fraud. The
real motives are disguised, facts dscolored
and force justified by a specious, fictitious
plea To give an instance from our own his
tory; Our minister to Texas in 1S43 when
advocating the annexation Cf that territory
as necessary to the existence and extension
Of slavery, closed his letter with the words
Say nothing about slavery. Do not offend
our fanatical brethren of the north Talk
about civil and political and religious liberty.
This will be found the safest issue to go
before the world with
Similar deceit was practiced by the Eng
l!sh in the revolutionary war. There has
never been war of conquest that was not
justified by the pretext that it was to spread
the gospel or in some other way to benefit
the people to be conquered. The tendency to
hide selfish motives behind neighboring
virtues induced DR.. Johnson to define
patriotism as the last refuge of scoundrel'
and Roscoe Conkling to say that DR.. John
son was not familiar with the then unde-
veloped resources of the word reform
English Sentiment Divided.
"Those who. like >yself, have been wont to
look upon England S the most liberal and
progressive of EG pean powers, whose
policy of the open door and unrestricted
trade is opening the ports of the world to
commerce, steam, electricity, education and
Christianity-the true civililing agencies OF
the world-should pause in their approval of
her course when they find the present war
opposed by such men as Herbert Spencer.
James Bryce, William Harcourt, Sir Edward
Clarke and our own Carnegie.
Every land has it's jingoes Love seems
most sincere when it blinds one to deformi-
ties. Patriotism seems most worthy when
it excuses error. Our country, right or
wrong is saying seldom used except to
exalted patriotism to say, Our country
when right, to be kept right; when wrong,
to be put right But the men have named,
though intensely English, are Of such exalt ed
character and ability and influence that they
belong to no nation, but to the world, and
their disapproval is Of weight and challenges
consideration of the merits of the war.
This country has ever stood for the idea
that the standard by which the conduct OF
nations is to be measured is to be found in
the conscience Of civilized man and not in
the ability to enforce submission by the
sword. With us the God of Battles is not
always the God of Justice. This presupposes
certain abstract ideas of right and wrong
We have established these in our Declaration
of independence. Lincoln called them the
definitions and axioms of free society.
They are: All men are equal in respect oi
their rights; every man born into this earth
has right to live upon this earth in the
land Of his fathers; a people cut off from
other people by racial characteristics and