The Savannah morning news., 1901-05-01
HOME MARKET CLUB
VICE PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT THE
LEADING SPEAKER.
POLICY OF ADMINISTRATION.
HE REVIEWS THE WORK OF THE
LAST THREE YEARS.

Special Attention Paid to Cuba and
the Philippines-Both, He Declares,
Arc Infinitely Better on Because
of the Policy of the Republic.
It-Lct Us Continue the Course We
Have Marked Ont, He Urged.
Boston. April SO-An imposing array of
speakers, headed by Vice President Theo-
dore Roosevelt, he'd the attention of 1000
members of the Home Market Club, the
most widely known Republican organza-
ton of New England. at it's twelfth an
nual dinner i'll Mechanics Hall tonight.
Mr.. Roosevelt was greeted with a storm
of applause and three cheers.
AT the conclusion of Mr.. Roosevelt's ad-
dress he was given three more cheers.
The next speaker was Senator Hoar,
who was accorded a hearty reception.
Referring to President Mckinley, the
senator said:
Il see that some worthy gentlemen
just now, are denying him the right to
the title of scholar. William Mckinley
has, before he was President stated to
the American people, with a beauty and
precision not equalled in that discussion
since the time of Hamilton, the great ar
gument for the doctrine of the great
economic school for which Hamilton
founded. He conducted that debate, not
before shouting rabble, but before angry
and bitter zealots, but before the busi-
ness men of America, eager to promote
the interest of American trade and manu-
features, and before the skilled workmen
OF America, eager to increase their days
wages. And he convinced the court he
addressed
When 1t was heard before that states
manship and oratory were not the quail
ues OF scholarship in a great republic?'
Mr.. Roosevelt said in part
tlnally, we come to the Philippines
where the difficulties were greatest of all
Perhaps few better tests of our worth as
a nation have ever been offered than this
Philippine problem The temptation was
great to shirk it altogether. Such
course would have appealed not only to
many thoroughly honest and excellent
people who were imperfectly informed, or
who were misled by false analogies or by
sentimental considerations, but It would
also have been greeted with enthusiasm
by all short-sighted people and by all in
whom the legitimate dislike of needless
effort and worry tends to become an I'M
healthy fear of all risk and trouble. But
as we look back we can now see that
the. national duty was really plain
We could not give the islands
back to Spain; we could not
see them taken by some other European
power; and least of all could we turn
them over to be scrambled for by insur-
gent leaders most of whom were but
little above the level of banditti, and the
success of any of whom meant destruc-
ton to the peaceful and law-abiding por-
ton of the islanders, and a more or less
swift relapse into barbarism of the entire
population. The first thing to be done
was to restore order by putting stop
to the instruction. This has at last
been practically accomplished in sue
cesson of campaigns which have brought
out into bold relief the daring. the skill
and the indomitabie resolution of our
ofhcers and men. The campaigns have
been wearing and difficult beyond de-
scription, both because of the nature of
the nature of the country and of the
character of our opponents. After the
first few months the insurgents ceased
to oppose us in regular warfare their
methods becoming more and more such
as by any stern application of the laws
of war, would have forfeited their right
to be treated otherwise than
as assassins. For the last eight
cen months our chief Difficulty has
been not to beat the insurgents in the
field-for that was easyJbut to grappIc
with the difficulty caused by their con
duct in visiting murder and torture upon
all the peaceful and friendly natives who
were anxious to see our rule made per-
manent. Yet under even these circum-
stances the administration has seen to it
that the almost intolerable provoca ton
given by our enemies should not result
in their i'll treatment. Our army has
been most merciful in it's dealings. With
equal wisdom and clemency we have re-
Trained from exacting the penalties which |
by every principle of military and inter- |
law we had a right to exact |
from our foes The record of the struggle |
in the Philippines for the last two years |
and a half is one which should make all |
Americans proud, because of the firmness |
and the mercy, the justice and fearless
ness with which their representatives in |
the islands have acted under as trying |
condition as have ever been faced i'm a |
similar case. From Lawton to Funston |
many a name has been added to the honor |
roll of the republic. Moreover, as soon |
as we began to get the upper hand of the |
insurgents, steps were Immediately taken |
10 establish u civil government IN the ISL |
ands. Here, again, as in the choice Of |
Leonard Wood, the President showed far |
sighted wisdom IN selecting out of the |
whole country the man best qualified to |
perform the task, in the person Of Judge /
Taft, whom he made the head of the |
commission. Ii is great and solemn re-
sponsibility to frame a new system or |
government out of such a weller of con-
fusion, and to start the Filipino people |
on the first stages of career which we
earnestly hope and believe win in the end !
result in their showing capacity to stand |
alone-a capacity which there is no chance
of their showing save by the patient fol-
lowing out on our part of the policy on
which we have already embarked The |
progress made by Judge Taft and his as
sociations has been wonderful. There Is
no adequate reward which we can give to
.,,ar, lflya Tt,dga Taft and Cen Wood for