New-York tribune., 1900-03-04

afternoon TbeV incl ded Ex-Governor Roger WaIs Wis
fStt Elmer CaPe joseph 81 buf4s G9sgs
and j. j. Meyers. A w Beard the clubs presi-
G. Schurman were resent as guests Mr.. schuro.
nan delivered an his nersonal obsarvf1n IN the
experiences while in {hg G sISnds Pb MT Red spoke
urged all to stand rri for the maintena1ce Of good
government in the isa1ds Mr.. Reid said:
A third of a century ago more had thu
honor to be a guest ut this club. which met
then. as now in Youiss Hotel 1t has ever
since been pleasure Il recall the men OF Bos-
ton who gathered abou the board interested.
as now in tho affairs o. the Republic 10 which
thew were at once o,nament and defence
Frank Bird sat at the had. Near him was Hen
~ Wilson. John NJ. Fo bes was here. and John
A. Andrew and George l. Stearns. and many
another. eager in those tunes OF trlal 10 seek
and Lpo,v tho hest 4biig to be done to serve
this country of prize ana ioVe- Ihey Were
nractica1 business mon true Yankees in the
hest sense. and tbev spent time then In
nuarre1Iinp ovar how Ie got into our trouble
Their one concern was how to get out. TO the
greatest advantage of ne country
Honored now by anOtler opportunity 10 meet
rttb the c1,,b can do 10 better than profit by
this example of your ed iieI uays- lou nave
asked to speak sone phase OF the Phii-
ippine question. I woUr HNe 1" concentrate
,,ou- a+tan+io, ,,,o- +ba present and practical
nbasa. and ~ withdraw for the time from
things that are past and caino' oe changed
Stare decisis. There are sine things settled.
Have we not a better and mTe urgent use for
our time ,ow than in show
THINGS THAT inr1 1rbv sme Of US would
CANNOT BE have liked Aem settled DIFF
UNDONE. ferently? In ny State there
is a dictuu y an eminent
Judge Of the Court of Appeals. so ainlhar now
as TO be a commonplace, to the effeC 'nat When
that Court has rendered it's decision there ara
only two things left the disappointe, adyocs
One is to accept the result attained. and go 10
work on 1t as best he can; the other. to go down
TO the tavern and "cuss' the Court. I want TO
suggest to those who dislike the past of the
Philippine question that there is important
work pressing upon you at this moment than
10 cuss the Court. You cannot change the past
but you may prevent some threatened sequences,
which even in your eyes would be far greater
calamites.
There is use bewailing the war with Spain
Nothing undo il. and its results upon Us.
There is no use arguing that Dewey should have
abandoned his conquest He didn't. There Is
no use regretting the Peace Of Paris. For good or
for Ill. it is part Of the supreme law Of the land
There is use begrudging the twenty millions.
They paid. There is use depreciating
the islands. East or West They are the prop
erty of the United States by an immutabls
title. which. whatever some. OF our own peopls
say. the whole civilized world recognizes and
respects There is talking about getting
rid OF them:-giving them back to Spain. or
turning them over to Aguinaldo. or simply run
ming away from them. Whoever thinks that any
one of these things could be done. or is still
open 10 profitable debate. takes his observations
will you pardon the liberty OF saying ste-
takes his observations TOO closely within ths
horizon OF Boston bay 10 know the American
people.
They have not been persuaded and they can
not be persuaded that this Is inferior Gov
ernment. incapable OF any duty Providencs
Through the acts Of wicked Administration Il
you choose) may send it's way.-duties which
other nations could discharge. but We cannot
They do not and will not believe that 1t
any such manned. imperfect. misshapen
cripple from birth for which our forefathers
made a place in the family OF Nations Nor
are they misled by the sudden cry that. in
populous region. thronged by the ships and
traders Of all countries. where their own prose-
cution of just war broke down whatever guar
antees for order had previously existed. they
violating the natural rights OF man. by en-
forcing order. Just as little are they rnIsed by
the other cry that they violating the right
of self-government. and the Declaration OF Inde-
States by preparing for the distracted. warrins
tribes OF that region. such local government as
they may be found capable of conducting. IN
their various stages of development from pure
barbarism toward civilization. The American
people know they are thus proceeding 10 do ex-
actly what Jefferson did IN the vast region he
bought from France-without the consent, by
the way. either Of its sovereign its inhab-
itants. They know they are following in the ex-
act path OF all the constructive statesmen Of
the Republic, from the days of the man who
wrote the Declaration. and OF those who made
the Constitution. down to the days of the men
who conquered California. bought Alaska. and
denied the right OF self-government 10 Jefferson
Davis. They simply do not believe that a new
light has been given to Mr.. Bryan. or 10 the
better men who aiding him. greater and
purer than was given to Washington. or TO JET
ferson or to Lincoln.
And so 1 venture to repeat. without quaIfca-
ton reserve. that what is past cannot be
changed. Candid and dispassionate minds.
knowing the American people of all polit-
ica shades and in all sections of the country. can
see no possibility that any party in power.
whether the present one or its opponents, would
or could now or soon. II ever. abandon or give
back one foot of the territory gained in the late
war. and ours by the supreme law OF ths
land and with the assent of the civilized world
AS we'll may you look To see California which
your Daniel Webster quite in a certain
modern Massachusetts style, once declared in
the Senate TO be not worth a dollar, now aban-
dOned TO Mexico.
1t seems TO me then idle TO thresh over old
straw when the grain is not only winnOwed but
gone 10 the mill. And so
NO ABSTRAC- am not here TO discuss abb