Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-03-07

thought and quicken the conscience OF
the country, and the responsibility for
their presence as well as for their
righteous settlement rests upon us all.
no more upon me than upon you. +
There are some national questions IL
the solution of which patriotism
should exclude partisanship. Magni-
flying their difficulties will not take
them off our hands nor facilitate their |
Distrust of the capacity, integrity, |
and high purposes Of the American |
people will not be an inspiring theme
for future political contests. Dark
pictures and gloomy forebOdings 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 republics, nor
in it's crisis since have they saved Or
served it. The faith of the fathers
was a mighty force in it's creation,
and the faith of their descendants has
wrought it's progress and furnished its
defenders. They are obstructionists
who despair and who would destroy
confidence in the ability of our people
to solve wisely and for civilization he
mighty problems resting upon them.
The American people. intrenched in
freedom at home, take their love for
it with them wherever they go, and
they reject as mistaken and unworthy
the doctrine that we lost our own lib
critics by securing the enduring fOun-
dations of liberty to others. Our i'll
situations will not deteriorate by eX-
tension, and our sense of justice will
not abate under tropic suns in distant
seas. AS heretofore so hereafter will
the nation demonstrate it's fitness to
administer any new estate which
events devolve upon it, and in the fear
of God will take occasion by the hand
and make the bounds Of freedom wild
er yet" If there are those among
us who would make our way more diff
ficult we must not be disheartened,
but the more earnestly dedicate our
selves 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 inconvenient They cost us
something. But are we not made bet
ter for the effort and sacrifice, and are
not those we serve lifted up and
blessed?
We will be consoled. too, with the
fact that opposition has confronted
every onward movement of the repub-
lie from it's opening hour until now,
but without success. The republic
has marched on and on, and its every
step has exalted freedom and human
| ity. We are undergoing the same or
deal as did our predecessors nearly d
century ago. We are following the
| course they blaZed They triumphed
| Will their successors falter and plead
organic impotency in the nation?
! Surely after 125 years Of achievement
for mankind we will not now surrend-
er our equality with other powers on
matters fundamental and essential to
nationality. With no such purpose
spirit has it developed it's full and in
| dependent sovereignty. We adhere
| to the principle of equality among our
selves and by no act of ours will we
assign to ourselves a subordinate rank
in the family of nations.
My fellow citizens the public events
of the past four years have gone into
! history. They are too near to Justify
recital. Some of them were unfor-
! seen; many Of them mOmentOus 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 har-
mony with its true spirit and best ira
ditions, and in dealing with the re-
! suits it's policy will be that of a mod
| GRAFTON and fairness.
! We face at this moment a most i'm
portant question-that of the future
| relations of the United States and
Cuba. With our near neighbors we
must remain close friends. The dec
| laratiOn of the purposes of this gov
| eminent in the resolution of April 20.
1898, must be made good Ever since
! the evacuation of the island by the
army Of Spain the executive, with all
practicable speed, has been assisting
! IS people in the successive steps nee
| essary to the establishment of a free
| and independent government prepared
to assume and perform the obligations
! Of international law which now rest
upon the United States under the
treaty of Paris. The convention
! elected by the people to frame a con
stitution IS approaching the compile
| ton OF its labors,
The transfer of American control to
! the new government is of such great
| Importance, 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 the policy which the legislative
| branch of the government deems es-
sential 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 rests should be
adaptedto secure a government cap
able of performing the duties and dis
charging the functions of a separate
nation, Of observing its international
Obligations, of protecting life and
property, insuring order. safety and
1lihlrtN and nnfn1,rnniracr To "a !,