The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-05-07
ADDRESS AT EL PAso.
President Reassures Those Who OPP
pose q Large Army

FL Paso. Tex. May I'm his address
at the reception in the plaza here Presi-
dent Mckinley said:
Mr. Mayor, General Hernandez.
4 Governor Apumada, and my Fellow
! Citizens-For the hospitality of the peo-
| pie of Ell Paso. which has been as del
J icate and eonsiderate as it has been
sumptuous, beg to return my most
/ sincere thanks. 1 am glad to be in this
| cosmopolitan city ] am glad to know
that assembled here within your gates
are the men Of all races. all nationali-
! ties and all creedS, but under one flag.
the glorious stars and stripes (enthu-
/ siastic applause), acknowledging ale
glance to no other gOVernn ent but the
United States of America and give will
Ing Sacr1nce at any time the country
may call for. the honor of our nation
and the glory of our republic. ZAP
plause) I am glad to know that this
city believed in expansion. Great ap-
plause-) That it has been doing great
deal of it Itself in the last four years
daughter and applause); that it has
more than doubled it's population in the
last half decade and given promise of
still greater advancement and pros
perity in the decade now at hand Cap
plause). You have here, my fellow citi-
zens, the true national spirit, the spirit
of enterprise, of development of prog
ress. of building the structure of lib
erty and free government on the broad
and deep foundations of intelligence,
virtue, morality and religion.
This is the gateway to the Mexican
republic. and I want in this connection
to express my great satisfaction with
the cordial salutatiOns rendered to me
by the people ard the distinguished
president of our sister republic, Presi-
dent Diaz- applause and cries Of
'Rravo') I thank his representative
for the cordial word with which he has
presented the feeling of respect and re-
gard of his illustrious president to the
government of the United States zap
plause), and beg that he Will convey
to his president the warm regards and
the personal esteem which have for
himself as magistrate which is shared
here by the whole American people Cap
plauSe), and N wish for still further
prosperity and advancement among his
people applause and cries of "Bravo"D-
can not fail also to recognize the cor
dial welcome that has been given to me
by the governor of the state of the Mex
lean republic. I can not go over there.
but they can come here daughter and
great applause), and we bid them well
come with open hearts. / can look over
their country 0auEhter). but there is
something in the traditions of this re-
public. something in its precedents,
that does not permit the president to go
outside the United States during his
term of Office (applause).
But as we do not hold Office all the
time here Qaughter), we will have an
opportunity of going there in the fu-
ture.
MY fellow citizens. if there was ever
any doubt about ours being a united
people, if you could have Travelled with
me twenty-eight hundred Riles from
the capitol al Washington to the city of
FL PasO, that doubt would have been
completely dispelled (appIause). There
never was such unity in the United
States as there is at this hour Gap
plause). There never was so much for
a nation of 75,0000O0 of people to be
proud of as at this hour (applause).
I'VE have sent our army and our
navy to distant seas and they have only
added glory to our fame Great ap-
plause). They have brought no shame
upon the American name. Applause)-
We sent them to China to rescue our
beleaguered representative and they did
the work and did it magnif1cently with
the approval Of the civilized world
Continued applauSe). But 1t IS not III
the art Of war that we take our great
est pride. We are not a warlil1e people |
We are not military people. We never
go to war unless we have to make peace.
Great applauSe). Our pride is in the
arts of peace in material and intellect
ual development. in the growth Of our
country, in the advancement of our peO-
pie. in civilization. In the arts, in the
sciences and in manufactures
This IS the great project of the
American people. applause. Here We>l
are on the border line between the Uni /
ted States and another great republic /
and on this side of the line we have 35
American soldiers and on that side of
the line there are less than a $50 Mexi |
can soldiers So that we are dwelling |
in peace and amity, and causing peace |
on earth and good will to men, Great |
applause). We want to settle our diff /
ferences, If we have any. with any of /
the powers of the world by arbitration /
(Applause). We want to exhaust every |
peaceable means for settlement before /
we go to war (applause) and while we /
have authority to raise a hundred thou |
sand troops, the necessity does not exist
for that number. and we do not propose |
to raise over seventy-five thousand |
Great applause). So don't be alarmed /
plauseC or imperialism enthusiastic ap- +
plause)
1--WE know no imperialism in the Uni
ted States except the imperialism of a L
sovereign people. CONTINUED applause). 4
Having said this much. only want /
to again express the pleasure which all |
of US feel at having been received so /
cordially and Hospitality by this people
and to thank you for having giving US +
on Sunday as quiet and reposeful time I
as though we had spent it at our homes
Iong continued applause).
Members of the cabinet also spoke. At
the conclusion of the address the party, /
including the Mexican officials went for
a drive. The president expressed a de-
sire to take a look over into Mexico and I
was driven down to the International
bridge. There, at the Office of the
American customs officer he alighted
and chatted for some time with those
around him. The old church of Guada-
lupe over 800 years old, the Spanish
prison and other interesting buildings in
Juarez were pointed out to him. Presi-
dent Harrison in 1891 went half way
across the bridge, but President Nc
Kinley did not so much as set foot upon
the structure On the way back to the
city the party stopped and cheered the