The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1901-03-06
The President.

The President.
This was the toast to which Senator
Thurston was selected to respond at
the recent banquet OF the American
Protective Tariff League. Mr.. Thurs
ton is always an interesting speaker
and there is inspiration in what he
says. Much that he said about Presi-
dent Mckinley in one form or another
has been said before, but Senator
Thurston says some things again in his
own way, which is always a forcible
way, and in view of the constant. ma
| lignant, seditious utterances of the
anti-imperialist press and speakers, al
ways wilfully perverting, misrepresent-
ing, maiciously laboring to deceive and
mislead the people, it is we'll to have
old truths and facts occasionally re-
stated, by competent authority, even il
the restatement contains nothing essen
TALLY new. In the course of his re-
marks Senator Thurston said:
There are those who have passed
criticism upon the management of this
administration in our late war with
Spain, and yet history will record that
in ninety days from the declaration of
war mighty army sprang from the
ranks of the citizens of the country,
and victory was won that has amaz ed
and astonished the wholeI civilized
world. In all the results that have
grown out of the war, how magnifi-
Gently this man has stood before the
world Say what you please, this thing
is true: When William Mckinley be-
came President of the United States
this country was hardly considered in
foreign port, but today such luster has
come to the American arms, such re-
spect to the American courage and
American craftsmanship, that the hum
blest craft that sails the seas under the
American flag is welcomed the world
over.
William Mckinley has also been crit
icised for his administration because
he took over TO the United States the
Philippine Islands, and yet, what else
could the United States of America
have done? At the close of that war,
when we went into negotiation with
Spain and our commissioners were in
Paris, it is known throughout all the
length and breadth of the land that our
President did not assume to annex to
the United States the Philippine Is-
lands. But there came time in these
negotiations when we either had to take
these islands or turn these people back
to the oppression and tyranny of Spain.
Could we, in declaring war upon for
eign power to liberate million and
half of Spain's oppressed subjects from
their thraldom in Cuba, could we have
justified ourselves to the consciences of
mankind if we had placed twelve mil
lions of people back to the same tyr
amy of the same despoLic power9
William Mckinley has been criti-
cised because he has upheld the flag of
the United States in the Philippine
Islands. Now stop and think. When
we annexed the Philippine islands by
sreaty ratified by the American Senate,
which could never have been ratified
except by Republican votes, and the
Democratic votes, and Populist votes,
the Philippine Islands became part of
the United States. And it is the con-
stitutional duty of the President of the
United States, imposed upon him by the
solemn oath of Office, to preserve law
and order and safety on every foot of
American soil.
He has been criticised because he
has kept the armies of the United
States in the Philippine Islands; he
has been charged with an attempt, as
President of this country, to Cypress a
weak people. 1t is not true. History
will acquit us of the charge. There has
never been moment when the Presi-
dent or the people of the United States
have sought to give to the people of the
Philippine Islands anything else than
the greatest measure of liberty and
civil rights consistent with the main
tenance of law and order and the prog
ress OF civilization. And, as l said the
other night, and l repeat tonight,
civilization that has the support of the
most enlightened nation of the earth,
this nation of ours, that civilization has
the right of way over bartarism, and
has had it since the beginning of time.
No people ought to be left to the for
mutation of government among them
oSA'Oo uheiA ehOJ ohOW IuOlub6ltte CHpH-
BILE of administering government that
means law and order to every interest
and to every man, woman and child in
the country. And today let US face the
world and say one thing: No Ameri-
can ever yet made terms with an en-
envy while the enemy was firing on the
American flag, and no American ever
will.
We stand reedy to do justice of the
highest and most enlightened kind to
the people of the Philippine Islands,
but before they ask us to tell them
what we are to do in the future, we
ask them to stop shooting at the blue
coated boys Of the army of the United
States and recognize the flag that has
been the only flag that ever meant free
dem and liberty to them. And that
flag means now what it has never
meant before. How it has grown in
meaning with the growth of the ma
ton and expanded in power with the