The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-30
ANTI-EXPANSI0N HIT HARD
PROF r. A. sROSVESoR's PATRI-
ORC SPEECH At COOPER UNION.

| Anti-Impe rinIists Fail to Garry the Audi.
enco by Calling for Cheers for Afui-
| naldo-speaker says They Arc the Dimin-
| ishing Opponents of DecayinR Cause.
Prof. Edwin A. Grosvenor OF Amherst College
| talked expansion TO an audience which crowded
Cooper Union to the doors last night. Tho
| audience was practically the same as that
| which listened to the anti-imperaist speech OF
| the Hon. Gamaliel Bradford at the same place
week ago. but II gave violent expressions OF
its approval last night. and 80 subdued the
ants, who tried to carry the house by cheering
| for ARuinaldo. that before the evening was
half over they had to settle down to listen.
| Prof. Grosvenor. like Mr.. Bradford, comes
| from Boston, and he took particular care to
| state that while the loudest walls Of the anti
| imperasts camo from that city. that cult was
In decided minority there. This announce
mcnt was greeted with laughter and cheers.
Proi. GrOsysnor's speech was. In part, as
| follows:
Il stand here tonight as an average Ameri-
| can citizen. DESTROYS in every emergency OF
knowing what Is the best thing his country
| can do and then DESTROYS OF seeing 1t dono.
| i am ready to admit that mistakes in matters
| OF minor detail have probably been made by
| the statesmen who control our public affairs.
Because n man is in the Presidents chair
IL no reason to say that he cannot err.
| The warmest friend OF that plain, simple man.
nercd ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS in our Civil War.
leader In the halls Of Congress. once Governor OF
| q magnificent state. always Of spotless personal
| integrity. now occupant OF the White House
| would make no such claim for him. The only
persons in this broad land who claim a practi-
| cal intability. who act and talk as II they
| alone OF mankind never make mistakes. and
know 1t all. are the anti-lmperiaists.
Dignity OF office. purity OF life. heroism OF
service. seem to Invite rather than discourage
| their assaults 1.-THE half or the 1.-THE is true
| of the charges which they bring against our
citizen army in the Philippines. against our
| in Congress. against the Presldent aud his
| advisers. against the voters az the polls and
The great 81 our psopS what II s' but
ernmcnt is u failure. that Integrity and honesty
ami decency are dead among us. and that inn
periaiIsm iseii can be no worse than tho
The word anti-imperialsm is a msnomer
and is used to give n false idea OF what 1t repre-.
sents. II the anti-imperalists, as l shall call
them since they have chosen the name. would
Gull them selves anti EEK pan sionists, they would
be more honest. but less astute This question
OF the Philippines 10 no new question. II IL
| only new phase OF very old question. The
principle Of expansion from which IL branches
back H 10 the Pilgrims and the Puritans. aud i
and the first log cabin reared. To discuss this
thing properly Il is necessary to leave the paths
OF our fhtnerA
Prof. Grosvenor went into details OF tho
acquisitions OF louisiana, Florida. Texas,
Alaska and other territories by the United
States. md went on to say that In no case did
we consult the wishes OF the people OF these
lands on the matter OF annexation. II there
the Constitution for these acquisitions, there
was nothing to show that their annexation was
"A siguIlcant fact" said Prot Grosvcnor,"
lis that every one OF these successive acqui-
sitions was bitterly onposod at the time by
private station. but senators and Rep-
resentatives in Congress and Governors
unmeasured terms. They could hardly find
words hot enough to express the Intensity OF
whetted equally by the imbecllity OF the deed
and the sin Of the doer. Traitor 'usurper; ~.
Iant %ers spthGts hurled h a, against ne Presi:
STYLED folly 'maIness,' crime.
The anti-impcriaiists Of to-day bring forward
no new argument and hrundish no new weap-
on. From the old battlenelds OF controversy.
grass-grown with TING, they, have dug up tho
rusty sworiis and TN discarded liutoeks and
reiurnshed them In the hope that they may
serve once more. The message. sent on last
by H. 70 Of ,s s
idcnt in the White House. had not even the
hing had i been cen done to other PresIents
before.
your attention TO- IL that the opponents OF
expansion have been almost ways beaten. In
spite OF dlretul prediction and lament. the
that would move must always be stronger than
tho power that holds back. The anti.imPeriai-
Of al his arSumeSts. Dts,rScti S'" and
lack Of confidence is the rock on which
@hCn tie M2H asd h the has sws'
contention. IL Is the hopeless who must go
down The anti-expansIoniSts OF the past have
SPEAK Their iSthe RS dialects "'' :" H." p"D's'
sres nn for9n am
OF the broadening OF Its boundaries our country
s ii
,rTsr demGcr1cy In these states hays men;
placed there by the acquisition necessarily
ire than the original thirteen II any OF you
h 4n resrsss which one star would you strike
Prot. Grosvenor said that there was little
difference between the ,acquisti9n OF the Phil
ippines and the acquisitions OF the past. They
than was Louisiana when annexed, They
must be REACHED by sea. he said. but SO must
the Islands de basing our labor. he said, every
sensible man knows that Congress Ia able and |
venor dwelt at some length on The personnel
hs pspcrt ao4 1ss
these men, he said. what authority. o anti.
imperiallst. human or divine. will you accept" |
The attempt TO applaud Aguinaldo. was
speedily subdued by a ew references to his old |
habit OF selling himself to Spain and betraying |
his people. Prof. Grosvenor read the now
famous letter from the late Gen. Lawton TO the |
Hon. John Barrett. which was first made puD-
lie at the New England dinner. He said that
Boston people. AZ whole. were expansonlsts.
and that although that city was tho home OF the
most influential OF the anti-lmpera lists they
were decidedly In n minority there. In conclu- |
sion the speaker said
with all due respect must say that tho
anti i'm pcrialists OF this country nrs to-day |
the diminishing exponents OF n dying md de- |
caylng cause"
Some Of the anti-Imperaists woke up when |
Prof. GrOsvenOr was through and begun ask-
ing questions. The speaker answered them
all promptly but at 10 o'clock when the meet |
ing was declared over there were stI acme
twenty people on their feet trying to got recog-
milton.
CENTENiRIINS IN CHLHrIuauI