New-York tribune., 1899-02-12

not years" never had more striking illustration
than the history Of this country during the ihst
few months ! remember that when the President
was asked by some one what he would colSlII,'r 10
be the probablv DISTINGUISHING feature Of his Presi
dcncy. his reply was In substance. 'GNlhs 'he
How little the President knew the great deeds
which were soon to transp're How lltt1 tnt 'gS tb
most skful diplomat could have prophesed me
marvellous history which has been achieved uu'hs
the last ten months
FACE OF THE WORLD CHANGED
The whole face Of the world has been changed
We may discuss the question Of expansion as an
academic question we may be I'm favor OF 1t or
may be opposed it, but the fact simply remains
that we have expanded The only question now Is
how much more We will expand. We cannot take
back the past II We would | doubt II We would
even II We could. Who would wipe out the brilliant
history have made during the last ten months :
The whole history Of our country has already
changed our relations to all nations Of the earth
have changed our thoughts OF ourselves have
changed. We have come TO a consciousness oi our
greatness as we never have before understood
Imagine thar the Queens Jubilee gave Great
Britain the consciousness Of the greatness OF uat
empire few Britons understood IT, NO one VINO
eleven colonies. could help but recall the line OF
Rudyard Kipling Daughter am in my mother @
house but mistress in my own. and must nav nave
realized the greatness Of Rritans power; That
unity and British mperiaism than any other event
during the present reign ,,a
the s"f-consciousness Of the American people ana
OF giving other nations some reasonable c0ncep-
tOn OF our position, our power and purpose IN the
great future. We have turned this continent about
face during the last ten months. ,t.
There time when the anti-expahslohlsts
thought that should have no more territory than
the thirteen original States Then they conceived
W. nay 81 GOT F9E % Ear as as f the Rockies % and the Pacific
Coast but for a long time the Pacific Coast was the
rear yard Now n H. the front garden or the
orient There was time when the civilization
of the world gathered about the Mediterranean
orally then upon its shores. and the men, VINO
have written the history of the shores or the
Mediterranean have done much toward writing the
and explored and a vast civilization the wonder of
the world. has gone up on the shores OF the At
and the Nation that holds the Pacific will TO a
great degree control the commerce and the CIVIL
ization Of the future.
WISH OF RUSSIA.
Russia would Ike to make tho Pacific Russian
lake but the United States and Japan VIII have
something to say before Russia changes the name
OF the Pacific the maps. One-half OF the entire
population of this globe looks out on two oceans
the Indian ocean and the Pacific Ocean-and the
nation which will come into touch commercially
and in all forms Of civilization with that enormous
population will be the nation which to a great
degree viii be the mistress Of the world.
I have been impressed with the fact that great
changes are coming soon among the nations or the
earth. We are going to have fewer. bigger and. !
think. better nations all along the line Unless IN
tcrhatondI aIoltTatl0n sh0ud come ABOUT tlf pa
tie royal Of the world will be fought 10 decide the
when that battle Is fought it will shake the world
from its centre to its circumference. Mighty as Is
the empire Of the Slay. have little doubt as 10
the result one hundred and twenty-five million
people speak the English tongue and ninety million
the Russian: and with the English tongue goes
liberty and law and civilization and all that is
noblest in the history Of the human race
GREAT RESPONSIBILITIES.
know perfectly well that Mr.. Reid is right when
he speaks Of the great responsibilities we assume
in enlarged life which under the leadership. az
| believe Of Divine Providence. We have entered
upon OF course. assume great responsibil- %
ties We should have had fewer respons-
bilities II We had not acquired Alaska:
hurled against Alaska. ! remember that " u
lam H. Seward was covered with einthtts
because Of his influence in the acquisition OF that
State. II We had never acquired FLORIDA, thH-
Louisiana purchasc we would have had fewer re-
sponsbilities II had never acquired me
thirteen original States would have avoided 4
great deal OF responsibility. II we had never hah
the Declaration OF Independence We might nave
been saved responsibilities. In fact push your oslc
further back and say that II We had never been
horn we would have escaped great respons-
bilities Artemus Ward has said. / think;
that II would be money in many a mans pocket II
ne had never been born. Are We IN TINS WOIld ds
Americans 10 save ourselves responsibility? Is
that the history OF our life and CROWN Men say
we have not the statesmen to cope with the posi-
flon which we have taken upon ourselves pc
lieve better Of my adopted country As under-
Sand me history of this country. the great hour
brings the great man. The great hour brought
George Washington. the great hour gave us ihht
great man Abraham Lincoln the great nOnr gave
us that great general, |. ; Grant ana J pelcNe
man who is tonight the foremost man in all this
uror1 william