The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-02-23
ADDRESS BY GOV. MILAN
DELLTERED BEFORE THE SONS OF
 THE AMERICAN REYOL UTION

terday in Commem oration of Wash
 ington's Bir thday -s'The Man nnd the
 Hatchet, Was the subject-An Able
 Address.
 The Connecticut Sons of the American Revolution yesterday observed Wash ington's birthday by gathering in Bridgeport which was addressed by Governor Mclean. Governor McLean's subject was "The Man and the Hatch et." He spoke in part as follows:
 George Washington was restorer, not a revolutionist You are the sons of the American Restoration, not Rev. olution. (Great applause.)
 Thackeray gives a graphic description to the grand pageant attending the coronation of George ", and then turns to the simple exercises attending the resignation of Washington, with these questions:
 Which was the most splendid spec tacle ever witnessed, the opening feast of Prince George in London or the res- ignation of Washington? Which is the noble character for after ages to ad- mre, yon fribble dancing in lace and spangles, or wonder hero who sheathes his sword after a life of spotless honor, a purity unreproached, a courage in- domtable and a consummate victory? Which of these is the true gentleman? What is it to be gentleman? Is 1t to have lofty aims to lead a pure life, to keep your honor virgin, to have the esteem of your fellow citizens and the love of your flreside; to bear good for tune meekly, to suffer evil with con- stancy and through evil or good to maintain truth always. Show me the man. whose life exhibits these qualities and him we will salute as gentleman whatever his rank may be-"
 If George Washington were living to- day and a member of the Connecticut house of repres sentatives he would. am sure, vote to restore to the people of Connecticut Just measure of represen- tatve government.
 Having said so much about the man and his hatchet I suppose am expect ed to hang something modern to the handle of the hatchet. I am an opti- mist, and perhaps too confident of the future. There are men, and good men, who tell us that we have already struck the pace that kills, and that safety and wisdom lie in our return to the slow and cautious, if not stumbling steps of the fathers.
 This is impossible We might as we'll expect the sun to set in the east, If there is anything in natural and political philosophy, If there is any, thing in experience and history, if there is anything in faith and prophecy, then your country, my country should be the great country. I for one want to be, and don't believe that any power on earth can stop it.
 l don't care how fast we move if we go in the right direction And if the ex- press train Is an improvement on the canal boat, if the electric light Is an i'm provement on the candle, if the teie- phone is better than the weekly post, | If dollars are better than pennies if 1 health Is better than contagion if strength is better than discomfort if | knowledge is better than ignorance, if 1 truth is better than dogma, then we are 1 moving in the right direction.
 am aware that most of the fear of I the fearful cluster around the immense !
  of corpora tions. Time has already turn | ca our country over to a generation that loves mercy better than cruelty. and this means genera tion some day that loves charity better than greed When the rich man sees that his wealth is trust fund to be used and enjoyed by him and his heirs with due and just regard to the rights of the people who protect and defend him and them in that enjoyment, the political economist can cease his fruitless efforts to bridge with law the chasm between capital and labor, for there will then be no chasm.
 MT. Carnegie's determination to de- vote, in his lifetime, four-fifths of his enormous income to the education of his fellow citizens, is both a confession that the strong and the fortunate are natures trustees for the weaker and less fortunate, and a splendid vindica- tion of the eternal justice and economy of individual and industrial liberty.
 such examples mean that the time is coming when the stingy rich and the lazy poor will foot up the same in the balance sheet of public estimation. The costly mausoleums Of the greedy will : then serve to perpetuate ridicule and ,, contempt for bones that in the Potters field might be charitably forgotten. ,, The young man of to-day must sleep with his window up. He must breathe :, fresh air and pure air, and never for an instant forget that liberty is as necessary to social respiration as is oxygen to his own Monopoly and so- :, cialism are chains from different anvils, !, but they are both made for slaves. and ! will never be worn under the stars and 2 stripes. The men who are filling the yats of e capital with water in which to duck m unsuspecting public should bear in |. mind that they are preparing excellent facilities for their own submersion whenever they deserve it. I repeat that I am not worrying as much as some about the future of my country. There are, to be sure some 'erplexing problems ahead oe us. ard . n order that I may express a thought them without being accus- d of partisanshD, I will return to the :, herry tree and, perhaps, to parable. The patriotism that is ever in bloom Y md never in fruit was very objection tble to George Washington. He never