The Portland daily press., 1900-02-23


opened with an address BY George @.
Meresr, president Of the Pniladelphia
branch Of the American anti .Imperialiss
League. Addresses were also made BY
Rev. Samuel r. Fuller and Rey. Francis
K. ABBOTT Of Massachusetts,. Taloott II !.
Russell Of Connecticut, DR.. Montague
Lawson oflBors Hamilton, N. Y. and
an interesting pamphlet BY ex-senator
]. d. Henderson Of Missouri WAS read BY
DR.. W. A. Croffut Of Washington, d.
O.
The meeting tonight WAS held In Musi.
cal Fund hall and was attended By over
thousand persons. Philip q. Garrstt OF
this city, presided. Herbert Welsh made
the opening address and was followed by
Mr.. Sohurz. who spoke as follows:
SCHURZ's SPEECH.
After reviewing the history Of the
Philippine war Mr.. Sohurs said:
sntrsat you soberly to contemplatc
the alternative now before Us. II We Ter
NIT the great wrong attempted by the I'D
ministfstion to be oeUsummatsd, our
moral credit with the wsrld viii be gone
forever. Hsvins started IN opr spanish
war with the solemn proclamation that
this would be war Of hbssation and not
Of conquest, and then hatjng turned that
war into one Of land grabbing end ssii.
will ever again believe In any profession
Of virtue or generosity We may put forth.
II will be hootsd down the world over ~
sheer hypocrisy disgusting greedy schemes
We shall be guilty Of the meAnest - well
%. In Its consequences, the NEST danger
Gus iniquity . nation oan comnit-the
betrayal Of an ally. There IL nothins
be thought capable Of, and other nations
will prudsntly take care not - make
common cause with ~ for any thing upon
. mere assurance Of good faith on our
part. This IL the "glory" We shall have
won. Our sister republics In THE hemis :
as their natural protector, and they were
our natural friends. Since We have dis
hopored our professions Of disinte rested
motive, they will always suspect rs OF .
design to stretch out our rApaoious hands
also against them. Already they speak
of this republic no longer - their strong
and trusty friend. but as ths "psligro del
Norts," the danger In the North" >
And they will do this 30 long ss We hold
any OF our oonqussn. In constant fear
Of our greed and perfdy, they will, In
case of critical cop plications, DO inclined
to coAlesce even with old-world Powers
against Us, and We shall have secret or
open enemies instead OF trustfui friends
At our very donrS. We shall have the
Philippines with q population bitterly
hating u, and, in case Of trouble with
some foreign Power, eager to kindle a
fire In our rear. We shall, instead OF en-
joying the inestimsble blessing OF ex-
emption from the burdens OF militaiism,
be obliged to keep up large AID costly ar
a. kNlA faVV tod
subjects and to provide for our own Sc
ourity. And more. We shall have bad
conscience. We shall have betrayed the
fundamental principles OF our smocracy,
robbed the American people Of their high
ideals and beliefs, and thus destroyed the
servative slsmens wishout which a
democracy based on universal suffrage
And all this to gain some commercial
advanta gs and naval facilities which We
mignt have had just as fully, and much
more securely, had We kept good faith
with ourselves. with our allies, and with
the world.
altsrnative. II this American people
even after the r,onstrous sberrations of
their government, repudiate the policy
OF crim iral aksrsssioh and renouncs their
conQussts II thsy dselars that thstt pro-
fsssjop Of upsslash motive Aha Generous
Dasposs T. Il. sRsSiss r.. "" 4, 's ss:
MAJ s.::s' They yin f0 r. %, 70
dsmScrsey. ThsS win saow that. al
tkeusk the powers 81 their government
may somstime b put 70 base uses By
msn Of missuided ami ltion, the Amsfi.
can people ars honest. kRb cap be oopbteq
upoh 20 resist even ths strmgest u
hr.t& AvaA "a eka ranvNyfvt0a Xp.
dssl OF confession Of wrong dcns In
their nsms, In order that right, jqiti6s,
and liberty may prevail, Such an attitude
will sechrt to the American people the
confidence Of mankind as 10 has never
bsef enjoyed by any natioq II the woftd's
history, and with u tns fruits Of that
will Issue from the trial with q lpstrs
they never had before. By 90 Splendid Q
proof of good faith this repuDlic will
achieve posltior of unexampled moral
GRANDEUR and In nusnos. 1t will naturally
become the trusted uni ire hetween oon-
tending states. = psaceable arsiesr Of the
worid's quArrels. 1t will not only By Q
great world power By Its strength, but
TIE GREATEST Of all existing world powers
BY It's moial prestige.
1t may DO AJAX ID whether this 10 not an
ideal picture. Well. this IL the idealism
ohsrishsd By George Washington, the
sobsrest and most practical Of y1en. This
Is what he wished and boptd the republic
OF the United States, which he loved so
much, to become.
But IL there any chance OF Its accom-
plishmsn:f Are not prs sent oircum-
stncss rather diseourAgiugs So they Ap-
pear. hut W. old snti-siavery men have
In our Days sssn darker situations than
this. I remember tbs period after the
oom promise Of 1850 which was accepted
By both pslitioal par ties as finslity
never to Be disturbed. Theypopular oon-
seisncs concerning slavery scanned Also