The Forrest City times., 1901-03-08

| an inspiring theme for future Dolittc a 1 | contests. Dark pictures. and gloomy fore | only becloud, they do not help to point
 the way of safety and honor. Hope | evil were not the builders of the republic | nor in its crises since have they saved of | served it. The faith of the fathers was | mighty force in its creation. and the faith | of their descendants has wrought it's prog ress and furnished it's defenders. They
 are obstluctionists who despair, and who would destroy confidence in the ability of our people to solve wisely. and for civilization, the mighty problems resting upon them. The American people in- 1 trenched in freedom at home, take their | love for it with them wherever they go and they reject as mistaken and un- worthy the doctrine that we lose our ,wn 1 liberties by securing the enduring founda- | tiohs of liberty to others. Our institiI- 1 tons will not deteriorate by extension, l and our sense of justice will not abate an- der tropic suns in distant seas. As here tofore, so hereafter. will! the nation dem onstrate it's fitness to administer any new estate which events deVolve upon it, and 1 in the fear of God will take occasion by
 the hand and make the bounds of free dom wider yet"
 make our way more difficult We must not be disheartcned, but the more earnestly dedl- | cate ourselves to the task which we have | rightly entered. The path of progress is seldom smooth. New things are often | found hard to do. Our fathers found
 them so. We find them so. They are in convenient. They cost us something. But are we not made better for the effort and 1 sacrifice, and are not those we serve lift | ed up and blessed2
 We will be consoled too, with the fact | that opposition has confronted every on- ward movement of the republic from it's | opening hour until now. but without sue cess The republic has marched on and on and it's every step has exalted free dom and humanity. We are undergoing the same ordeal as did our predecessors nearly century ago. We are following the course they blazed. They triumphed. Win their successors falter and plead CT ganic inpotency in the nation? Surely after l25 years of achievement for man kind we will not low surrender our equal ity with other powers on matters funda- mental and essential 10 nationality. With no such purpose was the nation created. In no such spirit has 1t developed its full and independent sovereignty. We adhere to the principles of equality among our selves, and by no act of ours will we sign to ourselves d subordinate rank in the family of nations.
 My fellow citizens the public events of the past four years have gone into his tory. They are too near to JuSufy re- cital. Some of them were unforeseen, many ot them momer tous and farreach- ing in their consequences to ourselves and
 our relations with the rest of the world. The part which the United States bore so
 holorably in the thrilling scenes in China, while CIV to American life, has been in harmony wita its true spirit and pest
 traditions and in dealing with the results
 it's policy will be that of moderation and
 fairness.
 We face at this moment a most lln-
 portant question-that of the future rela- lions of the United States and Cuba. With our near neiehbors we must remain eiose frienGs The declaration of the purposes of this government in the resolution of April 20 1898. must be made good. l.ver slnce the evacuation of the island
 by the army of Spain the executive. with all practicable speed, has been assisting it's people in the successive steps neces- sary to the establishment or free and independent government prepared to as- sume and perform the obligations of int ter- national law, which now rest upon the United States under the treaty of Paris. The convention elected by the people 10 frame a constitution is approaching the comoletion of its labor. The transfer of American control to the new government is of such great importance, involving an obligation resulting I; om our intery sE- tion. and the treaty of peace that am