Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1900-09-08
The First Gun Fired.

The FIRST gun Of the Republican cam.
pagn in Berkeley countyfvas hred Tuesday
night. when Cours House fuli OF listen
ers were hignly entertained and treated to
flow Of oratory for two hours BY Hon,
| @. f. Williams, OF Rochester, N ". late
| United States Consul al Manila. r. I
Probably no man IN ire United States
is better acquainted WIKI taa Fipinos
and their casloms than Mr.. Willams and
his address was. therefore d0ab,y inter
esting. The speaker was Introduced bv
Chairman {. II. No!fes He started cur
By giving a brief history OF tue Philippines
and telling some Interesting facts con-
nected win the histtr RI Of the slands,
Cleaned By him by personal experience
during his residence there.
MIR. Williams then took up the subject
Of imperialism he referred briefly 10
the purchase and rem rkable growth Of
| the territories of Louisiana, Florida. Cali.
said thai II the United States had go1en
ten times her moneys worth in acquIr-
| ing these lands she would find that she
had gotten twenty times her moneys
worth 10 acquiring the Philippine Islands,
Referring 10 the Chinese 81 u4lion nc
said that The United SSa.es Government
had commanded the situation and stood
in its enviable position there because il
commanded the Philippine Islands.
Mr.. Niliams said be was personally
acquainted with Agunaido. knew him
well, had held hundreds OF conferences
with him. He said he was very diplo-
matte and fairly bright, If MIR. Bryan
had the power to extend an American
protectofate over Aguinodoit would mean
war OF vastly greater consequences than
the one just ended because the chiefs in
the southern provinces, over whom Agul-
naldo has TO power, would start an up
rising. Turning over the pages OF history
do you find anyone so imperial, so despot
| ic so much of a party boss as VIM. f.
| Bryan, -Four years ago he was showed
under by a majority OF 6oI 900 votes and
| if | am either prophet or the son of a
prophet, after TINS election over million
ma jority will be found upon his PROSTATE
form" He SAID the dollar OF the United
States under the present gold system, was
good ali over The world. If | meet an
American soldier on the streets OF Manila
and he asks me for change for an Ameri
can dollar, pull out two Mexican dol lars,
| hand them TO him. take the American dol
lar and pass on. A fair exchange is no
robbery.
Mr.. Williams atspoke length of the tariff
question and endeavored to show the adj
vantage OF the American protective tariff,
| as advocated by the Republican party.
He spoke lengthly of the policy OF Gro
yer Cleveland-the first Democratic Presi-
| dent in forty-four years-and said he hsd
done more for Republicanism than any
other man outside of the ranks.
In conclusion the speaker went back to
the Philippine question. He said that
actual war was over two months before
he left He said more American soldiers
have been killed in the Philippines on ac-
count Of the encouragement gwen Agui-
naldo and his followers by VIM. ]. Bryan
and his followers than by anything else.
There is more between the lines OF the
treaty of Paris than in its sentences. As
opponents of government by the people,
for the people and of the people, we can
transplant its blessings in the Orient, and
we will fill the offices by the natives as far
as thew are capable of occupying them.
Instead of establishing Imperialism we
have taken millions of Filipinos from un-
der the Imperial rule of Spain and given
them freedom
In conclusion he SAID "Msny men are
leaving the Democratic party today and
coming over to Republican ranks. They
say it is dead. its issues are dead"
The speaker concluded his address at
10 O'Clock. He spoke rapidly and with
clearness, and his audience seemed TO be
very favorably impressed with what he
said