The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1900-07-14
CAPT. o,FARRELL's HOT SPEECH
At the Recent Meeting in Cooper
Union, New York.

Ella speech of Captain Patrick 0'Farrell,
Of Washington, at the Cooper Union anti-im-
perialist meeting in New York has found its
way into the Congressional Record. 1t is of
a very impassioned sort, and the Captain says
of his present position: II am still u stauncl
Republican, and for that reason am for
Bryan and liberty" He was introduced as
a long-life Republican and brave soldier,
who served in the Sixty ,ninll, New York un-
der Corcoran, and spoke without notes, as
follows:
While we have not an ideal government of
cur own, yet contend that we have the best
system so far devised by man to regulate our
own affairs, while we have the worst system
to regulate the affairs of others. You cannot
govern foreign colonies or run imperialism
with Republican machinery. IL requires u
king or an emperor-like the Empress of In-
dia-whose rule will be continuous, TO do
that We elect our Executive every four
years, and we change policies and officials
with every change of party.
We appoint postal agent or tax collector
at Mindanao or Manila He can't bring his
wife or children there on account OF the eli
mate. He has four years job. He will try
and feather his nest before the other party
comes in; and when it does, he will be sue
ceeded by another, who will also go into the
nest-feathering business lGreat applause
and cries of "That's so You're rightj''1
now boldly state that this acquiring
and keeping of foreign colonies will bring
disgrace on our flag and discrdit on our Re-
publican institutions. When it comes to loot
ing, swindling, and crookedness, the Span
iards were not sin it'' with our fellows. |
said this to United States Senator General
Hawley) a few months ago, and he exclaimed,
"Oh, Pat don't say that about your own
countrymen." | say it advisedly, on good
proof. Didn't we rob and plunder our own
countrymen in the South during the s'carpet-
bagn regime, and after we had robbed and
beggared the whites we then plundered our
wards, the negroes, and looted the Freedman S
bank? This is no reflection on the honesty
of the American people in general. Ii sonly
illustrates the fact that we can not govern
honestly, even at home, by military rule; and
how can we expect to, do it abroad in our
foreign colonies, and over people whom we
despise as a subject race? II we continue in
the colonial imperial business / suggest that
we amend our Constitution so that the title of
President shall read as follows: William
Mckinley, President of the United States
and Emperor of the Philippines" [Cheers
and laughter. Abraham Lincoln said, "We
cannot last long half-slave and half free, :"
and now, at the beginning of new century,
we are going to be halfsubject, half citizen.
| remember when first saw the sacred soil
of Virginia during the great civil war-yes,
the war for lberty-l read a sign on n large
brick building in Alexandria, Price, Birch &
Co., dealers in slaves" | remained South
long enough to shoot that slavery business to
death. Oh, am awfully proud that was an
abolitionist and Republican in those days.
Tremendous applause. Those were the
doyc Of I,uooln a,,d Ehartu Nau vban
walk up Pennsylvania avenue, l look up at
the White House and l am carried back to
the days Of ''Price, Birch & Co." dealers in
slaves,'' and read on that White House, in
imaginary lines, "Hanna, Mckinley Il Co.,
wholesale dealer in Filipino slayesn [Greai
applause,
There is another feature of this colonial
business that the country has not noticed so
far. That is the matter of church and state.
Mckinley is trying to work the church,
mean the Catholic church-but he "wobbles''
on that as well as on other matters. What he
said last week he contradicis this week. A
weak man is a dangerous man when placed
in high position. Nero was one of the weak
est of Roman emperors. hut at the same time
just IoOK ar rresIuenI mcnInIey uIanrrr..
tracks on both sides of the stream. We
find him last summer at the Catholic sum
mer school at Plattsburg, N. Y, holding
forth and telling the people there about the
flag, ard you would actually think he was born
next door to the blarney stone. Next week
we find him at Asbury Park, N. j., preaching
to the Methodist about piety and patriotism.
And the next week we find him executing n
treaty, offensive and defensive, with the Sui
tan Of Sulu, whereby he recognizes slavery,
polygamy and the religion Of Mahomet.
To crown all, we next find the President of
the United States going on his knees 10 the
Pope of Rome, and asking him to help him
out of the difficulties which neither his gen.
erals nor his peace commission could do.
He holds several secret sessions at the White
House with Archbishop Chapelle, the papal
delegate and commissions Father McKinnon,
ostensibly as a chaplain in the United States
army, but actually as the secretary of the
papal delegate, and sends both in princely
style to Manila 10 negotiate with the Spanish
archbishop there as 10 the confirming of The
Spanish friars and monks in their possession
of some 20, 600, 600 or 3e, 900, 600 acres of the
best land in Luzon and the other islands.
This is the first time in the history of the
United States when the President dared to
interfere in matter of church and state.
What right has our governmental to summon OF
invite the papal delegate to aid or assist us in
settling our political affairs
feel keenly on the subject, knowing that
there are many gentlemen on this platform
who, if they should speak as do, would run
the risk of being called A. P. AS. But /,
as Catholic, lest there should be any mistake e,
a Roman Catholic, who lived in Ireland unit
/ was man big, and understand all about
landlords, the glebe lands, and the established
church, don't want to see my church going
into the landlord business in the Philippine,
or anywhere else under the protection Of the
American flag. Tremendous applause, which
broke out again and again.
The student of history knows well that i
was this ownership of land by the church tha
was one of the causes of the bloody revolution
in France, and it enabled King Henry VIII
| to succeed in his so-called reformation il
countryman, used to say "We take our re
| ligion from Rome, but not our politics. KeeF
| the priests poor and they will be always the
friends of the people" Landed property hai
always been the curse ofthe church.
In conclusion, appeal to my old-ti Re
| publican friends-yes, and TO men of my Owl
blood and race; yes, and to the Germans, ant
| to all others who came here to seek that lib
erty which was denied US in own native lands
yes, and appeal 10 my old comrade soldiers
| who marched with me to Appomattox; yes
and the general whom / served under, l an
proud to see you on this platform tonight
1.-THE speaker here seized General McIvor b,
the hand. The great audience seemed L
catch the inspiration of the speaker and fairl,
| jumped to their feet, cheering and hurrahinl
| for several minutes.
Yes, appeal to my old comrades who die
the fighting, not the carpet baggers'' wht
did the robbing. [Cheers.1 Again appea
| to my old-time Republican friends 70 no
bother about dollars or tariffs In this cam
paign the battle cry is Republic versus emi
pirer That should be the thought upper
most in the mind of every citizen from now
until next November.
The trusts and few millionaires have the
grand old party by the throat. These corrupt
INSCRIPTIONS politicians have shunted it from
the constitutional track. Let the plain peo
pie, the common people, the sovereign people
i-Republicans and Democrats-rally to The
standard of William ]. Bryan, who is brave
and courageous man of the Lincoln type-ar
American who believes in American princi
pies. Who is the same today as be was foul