The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-01-15

81 have had as you know, the great
honor of having been sent by the pres
ident of the United States as one of
the commissioners to negotiate and
conclude treaty Of peace with Spain,
and we lately brought home with us
such a treaty, which, if ratified, will
restore peace between the two countries
and make more secure the peace Of the
world.
1--WE are now in a crisis of our nation
al history, and your hearts and mine,
as patriotic citizens of this great coun-
try, are full of anxiety as to the prop
er settlement of the momentous issues
which have resulted with the war with
Spain. When our country was at war
with Spain, we were ready to make, l
hope, every sacrifice to insure the sue
cess of American arms, and bringing
victory and honor to the American nag.
And when the war was over, l believe
the patriotic instinct of American c1tl-
zenship demanded, as your president
enioined upon us, that we would eX-
hibit magnanimity to PROSTATE foe
and moderation in the hour Of victory,
as we had faced the war with stead
fastness and courage.
I'm the first place, | want to say 10
you that it was my pleasure as well as
what | conceived my duty, to endeavor
to Garry out this instruction, so credit
able to us as a nation and so worthy
of the high civilization of which we
profess to be leaders.
1.-The acquisition of territory by the
United States was not one Of the OBJ
jects of the war, and we soiemnly de-
clared in the resolutions OF congress,
that our object in demanding the re.
linquishment of the sovereignty OF
Cuba by Spain was not to hold it our
selves, but to pacify it and fit 1t for
self government by its own people.
But in this, as in all else, man pro-
poses and God disposes, and 1t is one
of the things that make thoughtful
men desire to avoid war, where it can
be avoided, for no one can tell what its
consequences may be. hardly desired
that we might escape the necessity Of
taking the Philippine islands and as
Stunning the burden that their taking
will impose upon us, and / know that
the president of the United States was
equally anxious to the same end. But
it became apparent that, without our
seeking, unexpected changes had been
created. and out of these conditions
unquestionable duties had sprung
which COulQ NOT De dNOlueQ OT eNduSu
by the United States.
1T was argued that the performance
of duty is not only sometimes unpleas-
ant, but has dangers attendant upon it;
nevertheless, brave man and a brave
nation will not shirk from 1t on that
account On the other hand, If Amer-
can sentiment did not justify the return
of these islands to Spain, no more could
1t justify leaving them derelict in the
Eastern ocean, the prey of European
rapacity. The powers of Europe would
would not stand by and see them in the
helpless condition Of anarchy and dis
order, without selling the opportunity
to aggrandize themselves; and so it was
thought best by the president and mis-
advisers to take the cession of their
sovereignty from Spain and hold II in
trust, to be administered in conformity
with those high ideals and liberty-lov-
ing traditions which animate and
glorify the history of our country.
That ] sought in Paris by all honor
able means to escape this responsibility
does not matter now. 1t came to a point
at last that we must either leave the
islands to Spain. take them as we did,
or break off negotiations and come
home without treaty of peace. In the
last event the truce would be broken
and a state of active war would have
been resumed. We would not have
ceased sovereignty Of the Philippines
and none of Porto Rico and no relin-
quishment of the sovereignty,
1T is here that in the protocol of Aug.
IL. Spain had definitely promised that
she would cede Porto Rico and relin-
quish Cuba. but without a treaty Of
peace, that promise would not be per-
formed. What would then have been
the exigency OF the situation? I'm
doubtedly we would have been com
PEELED to seize with the strong hand and
by military power both the Philippine
archipelago and the Greater and Les
ser Antilles.
But now that we have them, It does
not follow that we are committed to a
colonial policy or to violation Of