The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-07-07
WINSTON CHURCHILL AS AN ORATOR
Pride in His Achievement Buaont
Thronged to Hear Him.

The pride that Missourians feel in Win
ston Churchill and his work was shown at
Buffalo during his address at the dedica-
ton of the Louisiana Purchase building at
the Pan-Americyan Exposition. Winston
Churchill is young, and. following speak
ers of wide experience like Charles +.
Cochran and Cyrus p. Walbridge. he was
handicapped; yet men like Corwfn spencer.
Seth Cobb and Charles II. Huttig hung on
his words with a pleased smile that showed
the pride they felt in his achievements
Winston Churchilrs speech showed thought
and merit, and 1t was he. rather than the
more practiced speakers. that the Buna-
lonians thronged to hear. Churchifs ad-
dress has not been printed In fun before.
1t follows:
AMERICANS A MIXTURE
LIKE NITROGLYCERIN.
There is a story familiar to you all, no
doubt. about the man who was mixing
chemicals and who suddenly discovered TO
his horror that he had made nitroglycer1n.
I have often thought that It was In some
such way as this that the American was
made Experiments in the chemicals OF
the races have been going on ever since
the world began. But never have they
been mixed with 10 free and 80 Titanic .
hand as upon this Western Continent.
Looking back over our short but noment-
Gus history, 1t must be plain to all OF US
that the hand Of fate was in this, the hand
Of destiny-the hand Of God. No man,
though he had the wisdom of q Washing
ton, and an Adams. and q Jefferson. and .
Marshall combined, could possibly have
foreseen to what we were coming. IL -
true that, in his Inauguration speech.
Thomas Jefferson said something about
"a rising nation spreading over wioe ano
fruitful land, advancing rapidly to 2 des.
~AnN IAd0GO
"bevond mortal eyer They were wise men
who founded this nation Of ours. but even
they could not predict the problems which,
in our marvellous growth. We have had 70
face.
Had the Republic remained in that simple
state in which 1t was founded. OF
had our growth been slower. these PROD
lens would have been comparatively easy.
It IL safe to say that there were few on TINS
side OF the Atlantic who did not under
stand. when our Revolution was fought and
done. that taxation without representation
meant tyranny. And 1t may be added tnat
there were few in England who did not I'M
derstand this, too. 1t Is. In fact. our Amefi-
can Revolution that England has to thank
for the downfall Of her rotten borousns.
House cleaning with her. though struggle
~ mora than nifty years, was . compare
tively simple matter. England has homo
geneous population compasesd In smsu
territory. We have the nations OF the
earth spread over an Empire.
JEFFERsON's PURCHASE
A PIECE OF PURE LUCK.
The first step toward the making OF this
E.rnnire. and / think the momentous step.
wa. the purchase of the Territory OF Louis
lana. In spite Of Jefferson's sasacious
Craftsmanship. It Was sheer piece OF .s .acx
of San Ildefonso, had coded 1t to France
and almost Immediately had repented OF the
bargain. But Napoleon had vast schemes
for this vast territory. Here was to be Q
new France. and with his characteristic
energy he organized an exped1uon Wnacn
was to begin the colonization at once.
But Napoleon's scheme OF nav ft.ncs
fell through, not because he was outwttteo
nv Jefferson: not because OF our Minister.
rJvingston's, pertinacity, although Talley-
rand ironically offered to give him GER
tif1cate of importantly: but because war
broke nut again between France and Eng
land. Napoleon thought. and very Wisely.
that 1t would be simpler to sell US this terri
tory than to run the RISK OF Enslsno '.H-
ing It away from him. And this was the
reason, outside Of ourselves but connected
in some mysterious way with our destiny.
that we went at one leap from the Missfs-
sippi to the Pacific. With foreign race
controlling the mouth Of the greatest river
upon this Continent. with q new france
blocking our way to the Western Ocean,
where would our nation have been now!
THE TERM FREEDOM :
OFTEN misunderstood.
This domain had to be peopled Emigra-
t,on began, and 50 the nitroglycerin was
In the process Of mixing. These emisrants
came fred by three words.-LAnd, and
plenty. and Freedom. But for the most
part they had q very vague conception OF
that word Freedom. The principle upon
which this Republic Is founded II not 80
much that 1t Is a government for the peo-
ME by. the people, but that each ana every
irdfvidual citizen shall be able first Of all.
to govern himself and respect the rights of
others striking trait OF the men who
fo,,nfied the United States Of America was
commemorative self control. Many of
those who came had to be taught this. And
the gulf between the Magma Charta and
the Declaration OF Independence was not
to be bridged in q few years. 1t was not q
matter OF one generation, but Of two, and
three, and four.
But It would be the sheerest hypocrisy II
we Laid all the blame, or too great part
of 1t, upon those who sought the blessings
Of this land What happened was not will-
fully our fault, and that Is our greatest
hone to-day. The truth OF the matter =
that q people which sets out to conquer IN
a scant hundred years wilderness 40e
miles In width by 1900 miles In breadth ha1
little time for ethics.
PLAYED THE ELEvENTH NOTE
WITH HIS NOSE.
. our history during this period rsminds
me OF story Of two French mustc3A14
one uf these musicians made q bet that ~
| nj natda &C two oetnv4e apart IA ot16G
.ama,aa6eiSn yaey ninu nnelxs too8 - u ~