The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1899-02-18

Craftsmanship, toowhich 1t may not be amiss
TO c2l your attention. The distance be-
tween that whichIis ideally right and that
which is practically poss5l. in reform and
IN legislation Is always great. no the rae
teal reformer1 whose eyes are rivi;ed solely
On the ideal,o this distance. after 4 few
.ul ,H .,' ehortsu4s apt 10 seem to him like a
gulf that canppt be bridged. He surveys it.
he shudders,s AND abandons hope. The
practical politician. and l use the term in
Its highest and best sense. who realize the
power Of won't and Of habit of privilege
and conservadsmGand of self interest, and
who also has implicit faith in the Unborn
tendency of human nature to prefer that
which is right and just when fully UNDER
stood. abidesoatisotime and is not baffled Ivy
the task. Instead of attempting to cross
the abyss at one leap. which would mean
disaster. he adopas the tactics of the engi-
neer to solve a hike physical problem. lie
goes not attempt to put in the arch until
ne has made tho foundation for his bridge
secure. He builds his approaches and ex-
tends his scaffoidlng from lime to time,
IN place. If this work Is honestly and
skllifully carried forward. the work!nen
are safe In Its progress and the people are
Drought nearer to the ideal from day to
uay as the work goes This enables
them to see its truth and beauty in new
nsht. 1t assumes form Of which they had
never dreamed and they become rs enthu-
siast1c as the workmen and the master
nand that guides their labors This was
the way Lincoln worked. These we've
oiladstone's tactics. These two ara, in my
Judgment, the names of the greatest prac-
tical politicians of the century Neither or
these men ever turned his back to the Pc
lltlcal ideals of a flee people, nor did he
attempt to lead his followers to them over
chasms unbridged. If obstacles were eh-
countered, the march was delayed only
long enough to remove or surnount them.
And, my friends. it Is my hope and prayer
10 nyit h,,,, t1,nSr, t,,l
thority have turned the Declaration Of In
dependence to the wall. some practical pol
1tician equal to the emergency may come to
the rescue. The president has shown him.
self wanting in that broad humanity which
places Eight before might (ApplauSe) lie
lacks that moral courage which keeps sell
fishness at bay while the forces that work
for righteousness gather strength to formu-
late the verdict of the nations conscience.
(Applause) AS yet we have only had the
verdict of its passions and its greed. We
need man comprehensive enough in. his
sympathies to realize that the political ideals
set up by this nation were raised aloft for
all time; whose judgment of affairs Is
broad enough to devise plan by which the
treasure which we have spent may be re-
imbursed and the sacrifices that we have
made may be compensated by such COM
mercial advantages in the Philippines as
q progressive and honorable policy would
dictate; man whose patriotism would see
more glory for our alton in extending an
open and helpful hand to a people strug-
Cling for freedom than in the possible gain
that might result from their subjugation,
who would rather guide and protect a peo-
pie aspiring to nationality and liberty than
destroy and enslavc them and who withal
Is possessed of sufficient strength and skill
to organize and carry out through political
action his convictions and judgment. Such
a man we need. God speed his coming, 1
care not whence.
If our honored guest is the man. we want
him. We want him worse than we did in
1886. (Renewed Applause) II another man
should be put forward for this work and is
worthy of it. and able to carry it out, we
want him. God speed his coming. Gap
plauscD We have work to lie done and we
need the right man to do it. cloud APP
plause.) - u.