The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-03-05
THE NATIONAL CAPITOL


we have rightly entered. The path OF
progress is seldom smooth. New things
are often found hard to dc. Our fathers
found them so. We find. them so. They
are inconvenie,nt. They cost us some
thing. But are we not made better for
the effort and sacrifice, and are not those
we serve lifted up and blessed?
We will be consoied, too, with thc fact
that opposition has confr. nted every on
ward movement of the ltcpublic from its
opening hour until now, hut without sue
cess The Republic has marched on and
on, and its every step has exalted free
dom and humanity. We are undergoing
the same ordeal as did our predecessors
nearly a century ago. We are following
the course they blazed. They tru,nLled.
VIII their Successors flter and plead
organic impotency in the nation? Surely
after one hundred and twenty-five years
Of achievement Cor nlanki md we will not
now surrender our equality with other
Powers on matters fundamental and eS-
sential to nationality. With no such pur-
pose was the nation created. In SO such
spirit has it developed its full and indie
pendent sovereignty. We adhere to the
principle of equality among. ourselves,
and by no act of ours will VIC assign to
ourselves a subordinate rank in the fam
lily of nations.
My felloW-citizenS, the public events
of the past four years have gone into
history. They are too near to justify
recital Some of them We're unforeseen;
many of them momentous and far-reach-
!; ing in their consequences to, ourselves
and our relations with the rest of the
world. The part which the United States
bore SO honorably in the thrilling scenes
in China, While new to American life,
has been in harmony with it's true spirit
and hest traditions and in Gpa lin OIL with
the results its policy will be that of mod
Grafton and fairness.
We face at this moment most impor-
tant question-that Of the future relations
of the United States and Cuba. With our
near neighbors we must remain close
friends The declaration of the purposes
of this Government in the resolution of
April 10th, 1898, must be made good. Ever
since the evacuation of the island by the
army of Spain the Executive with all
practicable speed has been assisting its
people in the successive steps necessary
to the establishment of a free and indie.
pendent government prepared to assume
and perform the obligations of interna-
tlonal law which now rest upon the Uni
ted States under the Treaty of Paris. The
convention elected by the people to frame
constitution is approaching the COM
pletion of its labors. The transfer of
American control to the new government
is of such great Importance, involving an
obligation resulting from our interren-
ton and the treaty of peace, that am
glad to be advised by the recent act OF
Congress of the policy which the legisla-
tive branch of the Government deems es-
Sential to the best interests of Cuba and
the limited States The principles Which
led to our intervention require that the
fundamental law upon which the new
government rests should be adapted TO
secure government ca pable of perform
ing the duties and discharging the func-
tons of a separate nation, of observing
its international obligations of protesting
life and property. insuring order. safety
and liberty, and conforming to the es-'
tablished and historical policy OF the
United States In It's relation to Cuba.
PERMANENT PEACE.
The peace which we are pledged to
leave to the Cuban people must carry
with it the guarantees of permanence. We