The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-05
UNITED STATES NOT NEUTRAL.
BOURKE COCHRAN ASSERTS THEY
FAVOR ENGLAND.


Asks Why Alaskan boundary Claims
Have Not Been PrOsecuteji-Inti-
mates That II Is because canaSin's
Ala Was Needed I'm South Africa.
Irish Opinion of the War Is the
Same, He Says, as That Held by
Other Nations.
New York, March Ain speech last
ing nearly two hours at the one hundred
and twenty-second anniversary Of the
birth of Robert Emmett, the Irish patriot,
which was celebrated tonight at the
Academy of Music by the combined Clan
na-Gael organizations of this city, ex-
Congressman W. Bourke Cochran bitter
ly denounced the attitude of the admins
tratiou at Washington toward England in
her affairs in South Africa and almost
advocated retaliation on the part of tn2
United States
Mr.. Cochran said, in part:
I'VE celebrate tonight the anniversary
of the birth of one of the greatest h;s-
ures in the martyrology of a nation. His
life was q struggle for justice; his insur-
recton was blow for justice and with
justice the Irish race is always in sym
pathy Never in the history of the Irish
race has its love of justice been so sig,
nally shown as of late.
'The moment the act of injustice was
perperated even against an alien race
the sense of justice in the Irish race rose.
II has been said that the attitude of Ire
land toward England in the matter of the
South African republics was due to jeal-
ousy That is not true, and the present
anniversary in America cannot be better
passed than by explaining why it is un-
true. The whole of the civilized world
condemns this war The Irish opinion is
not unique; ii is the same as the rest
of the civilized world. But England says
il is jealousy Now if ireland opposes this
war because of jealousy and other ma
tions because they are hostile, then Eng
land must be in a most difficult position.
Has Not Been Neutral.
England seeks TO some extent to jus
tify this war by our own example, the ex-
ample set by this government not by this
people Now ii is said again that the people
of this country must remain neutral. That
is as it should be. But l deny that this
country has been neutral. There was, long
before this war in South Africa began, a
question between England ana this couu-
try regarding the Alaskan boundary.
There was a claim pending. | do not say
that the moment this war began in South
| Africa we should have made a cain
against England, but / do soy that the
advancement of a pending claim should
not have been delayed enc moment. We
ceased at that time to be neutral. If the
administration had gone on enforcing the
claim this war would never have been be-
gun. The Canadian troops would have
abundant business at home
L Il,
| Kinley said there was no alliance with
England | believe that. 1t is not ali-
ance. 1t is a surrender; a surrender OF
the control of our foreign policy into the
hands of the foreign office. We do not
get anything. We give up and the gov
ernment discharges a consul at Pretoria
because he complained that his mail had
been opened. A boy p years of age is
put in his place, the. son of our former
ambassador, and, more than that, he gets
his last instructions, not from the gov
ernment at Washington, but from the for
eign office in London"
EngIand's Methods.
Mr.. Cochran closed with an arraign-
! ment of Engiend's methods of so-called
civilizing influence and spoke of the pos
sible outgrowth of the war
with what joy and satisfaction we
witnessed the strong arm of our country
stretched to save and rescue a neighbor-
ing people from the grinding tyranny of
2O0 years. How deeply we regret that in
ternational law and obligations prevent
us from extending the same practical sym
| pathy 10 the Beers as we did 10 the Gu
| bans. We are told that it is no concern
of ours Our answer is that an assault
upon liberty and independence in any part
of the world is the conCern of every man
| and every country who have had to fight
for them and who are ready to fight 70
| defend them"