The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-03-24
CALIFORNIA HAS NO KICK
On Expansion, Considering Her Own
History. Says Whitelaw Reid

hkstOFy. says w 0ittidW 6ct0
Berkeley, Cal, March 29.-The new GYM
| nasium Of the University Of aClifornia
was filed this morning with collegians
and friends OF the university TO witness
the charter day exercises. DR.. Benjamin
De Wheeler made an Introductory speech,
saying in part: I'VE are today assembled
here in recognition of the public causes
which made the university"
DR.. Wheeler then introduced the Hon.
WIhitelaw Reid OF New York, the speaker
of the day, who spoke on National
Problems" In part he said:
IF one is TO speak at all Of the coun-
trys present aspects on this day Of your
university year he should do so only as
a patriot, not as partisan But he can
not avoid treading on grounds where the
ashes are yet warm
1.-THE new territories in the West In
dies and IN east are ours 10 have and TO
hold by the supreme law OF the land and
by a title which the whole civilized world
recognizes and respects. We shall not
speedily get rid of them, whoever may de-
sire it, The American people are in no
mood TO give them back TO Spain or TO
sell them nor to abandon them. We have
all the power we need to acquire and gov
ern them. The American people have
made up their minds; they know that
they are proceeding to do just what JET
ferson did in the vast region we bought
from France without the consent, by the
way, either of the sovereign or the in
habitants. They know that they are fol-
1OU-iOr in tho exa0& of he non
structive statesmen Of the republic, from
the days Of the men who wrote the Dec
laration of Independence and of those
who made the constitution, down to the
days Of the men who came to California
bought Alaska and denied the right OF
self-gOvernment TO Jefferson Davis. They
simply do not believe that a new light
has been given to the present apostles
of Little America, greater and purer
than was given to Washington or TO JEFF
ferson or to Lincoln.
THUS far the path has been dictated
where we are"
Mr.. Reid paid a tribute TO the pioneers
OF California, and quoted some OF their
glowing predictions as to the future OF
the state. He referred to the remoteness
Of California from the eastern states in
the early days and said: And yet there
ar Californians TO this day who profess
a shrinking alarm on account of the re-
motenees and iraccessibility OF our new
possessions? Has the arm Of the aCli-
MAN been shortened that it cannot reach
out? Has he forgotten the lesson taught
by the history Of his own race and Of
the greatest nations Of the world-that
oceans no longer separate-they unite
There are no protracted and painful
struggles to build Pacific railroad for
your next great step. The right Of way
is assured, the grading is done. the rails
are laid, you have but to buy your roll
ing stock at the Union Iron works, draw
up your time table and begin business.
The ocean unites you with the whole
boundless mysterious orient. There you
find population of over 600,00o,000 souls.
They offer you the best Of all commerce,
that with people less advanced, exchang-
ing the products of different zones.
''Our total annual trade with China now
with this people whom the friendly
ocean is ready to bring to your very doors
is twenty millions Even the Spanish
trade with the Philippines was thirty
millions. They are merely our stepping
stone, but would wise man kick the
stepping-stone away?
THE islands will not be thrown away.
Well, phen, how shall the islands be
treated? Are they to be our wards, OBJ
jects OF our duty and our care, or are
they to be our full partners? We may
as well look that question straight in
the face. Because they nre helpless and
needy and on our hands, must we take
them into partnership Because we are
going to hslp them, are We bound to
marry them?
Partly through mere inadvertanee, but
partly. also through crafty design, the
wave CT general sympathy for the suffer
ing little island of Porto Rico. which
has been sweeping over the country, has
come very near being perverted into the
means for turning away the general policy
of a great nation. To relieve the tenn
porary distress by recognizing the Porto
Ricans a [ citizens and by an extension
of the Dingley tariff to orto Rico as a
matter of constitutional right, foreclosed
the whole question. The very men who
denounce a protective tariff as a Chinese
wall are the men who demand its ap-
plication. They say give Porto Rico free
trade but what their proposal means is
Deprive Porto Rico Of free trade and
put her within the barbarous Chinese
wall Their words sound like offering
her the liberty Of free trade with all the
world but mean forbidding her trading
with anybody but the United States.
He believes we can admit THIS little
half-Spanish, half-negro, from the mid
Atlantic. a third Of the way over to Al
RIGA. and then reject nearer and more
valuable islands when they come? Behind
Porto Rico is Cuba. and behind are al
the other West Indies and the famous
political law OF gravitation which John
Quincy Adams prophetcally announced
three-quarters Of century ago will then
be acting on them with ever-increas!ng
force. And behind them. not afread OF
them, abreast with Porto Rico itself
stard the Philippines.
Surely to an audience Of scholars and
patriots like this not one word need be
added as a summons 70 the nigh resolve
that you viii neither shame the public
by shirkinig the duties which its oNn
victory entailed. nor despoil the repuo-
lie by abandoning its right Iul possessions
nor degrade the republic by admitting
an unfit eiemet into this union. but that
you viii honor It, enrich IL enable It.
by doing your utmost TO make the ad-
minisj-ation Of these possessions worthy
Of the nation that Washington founded
and 5~cefr ~rrszerye3 -