The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-20
FATHERS OF THE REVOLUTION.
Former Minister Hannis TayIor's
Patriots Day Speech.


Boston. April 1s.-The Sons of the Revo-
luton observed Patriots day to-day by the
unwilling of tablet placed upon the tomb
in Kings Chapel burying grounds, which
marks the resting place of William Dawes.
whose daring midnight ride Of April 1918,
1775, was of the same character, and ac-
complished the same purpose as the ride
of Paul Revere.
The ceremony was followed by a BAN
quet at the Hotel Vendome, at which SEN
ator Hoar and former United States
Minister to Spain Hannis Taylor were the
principal speakers.
Mr.. Taylor spoke on THE Fathers of
the Revolution as Standards for Imita-
ton"
He said:
Only after a careful review and accu-
rate understanding of what has been and
may be the legitimate bounds of our ex-
pansion in this hemisphere, within the cir
Gle of influence which the fathers contem-
plated, is 1t possible to measure the stu
pendous folly and danger involved in a.
wiz scheme of military conquest which
Is now threatening not only to draw us
into new methods of government, into
the maintenance of a large standing army
with its consequent expense, but to newt
ably bring us very near 20 the crater Of
eruption i'm the Far East whose activity
Is imminent. When the successful mer-
chant has possessed himself of all the
channels of trade kindred to his own, his
hour of peril comes when his vaulting am
oluon is over-tempted by a seductive
voice TO embark in some perious, though
promising venture far from home. I will
yield to no man when il, comes to trust
ing faith in the future of. the American
people in earnest belief in its conquering.
colonlzing and ciVilizing power.
But also believe that there should be
limits even TO our ambition; that Provi-
dence has set bounds even to our des-
tiny. Every nation has, come to grief that
mas attempted to rule the world WHY
can we not be content 20 dominate the
Dest haf OF it? Why should we wish to
return 70 the old Roman days, when every
over-amoihous consul or Emperor strove
TO strengthen his hold upon the reople bv
presenting them with freshly conquered
province? We have no right either legal
OF moral, to reduce the 5000 600 of far-dis-
tant Ffipinos to servitude through blood
shed and slaughter; We have no CONNER
cial interests in such an enterprise tosius
tlty the sacrifice in tropical jungles of our
heroic sons every ready TO die for their
country. Let us gather hope from the
1act that the growing opposition to this
unWlse and unholy undertaking is CON
hned to no party. In the capital at Wash
lhgton the voice of your great senior SEN
ator' who commands to-day the conf
aehce and reverence of the entire nation.
mas Numbered against it strong as an
army with banners while the great fri
bune of the people who now speaks for
the Democratic party is equally inAexible
in his opposition.
American Democracy.
"At this critical moment in o,,, nationoI
history, at this turning point in orr won
oerfuI career, let us not be diverted nv
dlstempered dreams of foreign CONQUEST
from the consideration of the question of
questions, of the problem of problems thai
now confronts us at home One of the
wlsest of modern philosophers has told us
that the life of people, its institutions.
its beliefs and its arts are but the visible
expression of an individual soul.' No one
can comprehend what American democ-
racy really means until he touches, in the
penetralia of its past, its invisible soul
as embodied in the unconquerable liberty
loving, God-fearing, individual man. If
you desire to commune face to face with
the shade of such man you may find
it in the graveyard of any one of the an
cient New England townships which your
forefathers were born. In the invisible soul
of every such local community the idea
was rooted that the source of all power
and authority in church and state was the
sovereign Christian man. elect of God and
destined to eternal life, whose most sacred
duty devolved the assertion even unto
death of his private judgment in all mat
ters of conscience against every form of
religious or political belief that princes
him.
Back to Old Ways.
LET us arise and return to the house
of our fathers, over whose ancient portal
still remains the now strange inscription
Plain living and high thinking. Let us
! drink deep at their pure fountains, re-
solved. to ride to higher things through
the Establishment of their true and sim
pie Ideals upon affairs that have been
usurped by new and strange gods. In that
gentle spirit let each one of us, young and
old, strive to draw fresh inspiration from
the deathless words of Bostons gentle
poet. who has enshrined himself in the
| noblest of all invocations:
'"'Build thee more stately mansions, o
my soul
AS the swift seasons roll,
Leave thy low-vaulted past,
| Let each new temple. nobler than the last,
Shut thee from heaven with dome more
vast.
| Till thou at length art free,
Leaving thy outgrown she'll by mes I'M