The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1901-03-07

/ '@'"I' ~ @DYA ii'SC Olt ulutiChNta
less and less disturb the judgment. Ex-
listing problems demand the thought
and quicken the conscience of the coun-
try, and the responsibility for their
| presence as well as for their righteous
settlement rests upon us all, no more
| promising unreseryeG devotion on my
part to their faithful discharge, and
reverently invoking for my guidance
the direction of Almighty God
should shrink from the duties this day
| upon me than you. There are some ma
| tional questions in the solution of which
! patriotism should exclude partisanship.
Magnifyng their difficulties will not
take them off our hands nor facilitate
their adjustment. Distrust of the
capacity, integrity and high purpose of
the American people will not be an in
spring theme for future political con
tests. Dark pictures and gloomy fore
bodings are worse than useless These
only becloud; they do not help to point
the way of safety and honor.
| Hope maketh not ashamed The
prophets of evil were not the builders
of the republic, nor in its crisis have
they saved it. The faith Of the ia
theirs was mighty force in its creation,
and the faith of their descendants has
wrought its progress and furnished its
| defenders.
Must Adhere to Our Principles
The American people, entrenched in
| freedom at home, take their love for ii
with them wherever they go, and they
| reject as mistaken and unworthy the
| doctrine that we lose our own liberties
! by seeing the enduring foundations of
| liberty TO others. Our institutions will
| not deteriorate by extension, and our
sense OF justice will not abate under
tropical suns in distant seas. AS here
tofore, SO hereafter will the nation dem
onstrate its fitness TO administer any
new estate which events devolve upon
it, and in the fear of God will take oc-
casion by the hand and make the bounds
of freedom wider yet
If there are those among us who
would make our way more difficult we
must not be disheartened, but the more
earnestly dedicate ourselves to the task
| upon which we have rightly entered
| We will be consoled with the fact that
opposition has confronted every onward
movement of the republic from its
opening hour until now, but without
| success. Surely after 125 years of
achievement for mankind we will not
now surrender our equality with other
powers on matters Fundamental and es-
sential to nationality. With no such
purpose was the nation created. In no
such spirit has it developed its full and
| independent sovereignty. We adhere
| to the principal of equality among our
J selves, and by no act of ours will we
assign to ourselves u subordinate rank
| in the family of nations.
My fellow citizens, the public events
of the past four years have gone into
history, They the too near to Justify
recital. Some of them were unfore-
seen; many of them momentuous and
| far-reaching 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 its true spirit and best traditions,
and in dealing with the results its policy
will be that of moderation and fairness
''Free Cuba'' Will BE Reality
We face at this moment most i'm
portant question--that of the future
relations of the United States and Cuba.
With our near neighborS we must re-
main close friends. The declaration
of the purpose of this government, IN
the resolution of April 20 1898, must
be made good. Ever since the evacua.
ton 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 es-
adjustment OF a free and Independent
government prepared to assume and
perform the obliga tons of international
law which now rests upon the United
States under the treaty of Paris. The
convention elected by the people to
frame a constitution is approaching the
completion of its lahors.
The transfer of American control to
the new government is of such great i'm
pOrtance, involving an obligation re-
sulting from our Intervention and the
treaty of peace, that am glad to be
advised by the recent act of congress Of
of the government deems essential TO
the best interests of Cuba and the
United States. The principles which
led to our intervention require that the
fundamental law upon which the new
government should rest should be
adapted to secure government capable
of pcrmorlning the duties and discharg-
ing the functions of a separate nation,
of observing its international obliga
tons, of protecting life and property.
insuring order safety aud liberty, aud
conforming to the established and his
torical poliry of The United States in its
relations with Cuba.
The peace which we are pledged 10
leave to the Cuban people must carry
with it the guarantee of permanence.
We became SPONSORS for the pacitication
Of the island. and we remain account
able to the Cubans. no less than 10 our
oun country aud people for the re
construction of Cuba as free common
wealth on abiding foundations OF right
justice, liberty and assured order. Our
enfranchiscment Of the people viii moi
be completed until free Cuba shah "be
reality not name, a perfect entity
not haSty experiment. bearing with
In itself the elements of failure
While the treaty OF peace with Spain
was ratihed Oh Feb g. 1880 and rail-