The Savannah morning news., 1901-06-29
OUR GOVERNMENT
ABLE ADDRESS BY Ex-sECRETARY
HERBERT.
TO ALABAMA CONVENTION.
HONEST ELECTIONS THE ONLY
SALVATION, HE SAYS.

He Declares for Greater Independ-
ence in Politics and Says the DEM
ocrats and the AbOIitionists Have
Svapped Positions on the Cues
tions of Freedom and Equality.
Democrats in Congress Always
Take Care to Quote From Lincoln.
He Endorses Porto Rican De-
cision and Regrets 1t Was Not
Unanimous.
Montgomery, Ala, June 2S.-Ex -Secre-
tary H. A. Herbert to-day addressed the
Alabama Bar Association on the duties
and responsibilities of the American law
yer in the twentieth century.
The Constitutional Convention adjourn
ed in honor of the event, and the address
was delivered to both bodies in the state
capitol. Mr.. Herbert declared that the
country had entered upon the most criti-
cal period of It's existence. "In the time
of national exultation and exatation we
must not be over-confident," he
said. 'It is easy for few
people of the same. general char
acter to agree. The country is no longer
small or homogeneous. For self f-govern-
ment to be successful, citizens must be
alive to the increasing arduousness of
self-control. Great cities are multiply
ing; vast masses of manufactures are
aggregated. The telegraph and press
bring the whole country under the same
exciting conditions that compel mobs of
civilized men to do the work of bar
barians.
New complexities are arising. Cuba,
Porto Rico, Hawaii and Alaska and the
Philippines demand solution. Shall we
return them or abandon them? Shall
we govern them or let them govern us?
Only An Imaginary Line.
Fraud stalks through the land like
pestilenee in tine night. The line is i'm
aginary between counting out the negro
because his vote is cast for the wrong
candidate, and counting out the white
man because his vote is OBJ
noxious. Honest elections are the only
salvation cf the country. Let all educated
men proclaim aloud that except upon the
basis of honest elections the natural out
come of Republican government is discon-
tent, unrest, instability and finally revo-
luton"
The speaker turned TO the remedy ana
declared it to be greater independence Of
thought and action and less slavish ad-
herence to parties. The yellow dog the
ory Of politics will not do. Worthy men
must not surrender their power in party
and state to tricksters.
The power of the Independent press of
the North and South was dwelt upon at
length and its influence for good to the
South in the past % years was described.
Have snapped Positions.
"One of the greatest questions for So
luton now is whether the constitution
follows the flag in the insular posses
sions," said Mr.. Herbert. 1.-THE turning
over Of the Philippines is an accomplish
ed fact. Shall we govern them or they
us? The parties have swapped positions
on the underlying question. The aboli-
tionist Republicans, Gerritt Smith and
Charles Sumner declared that the Dec
laration of Independence taught that all
are free and equal. Now the expansion
Republicans have the opposite view, which
was held by the old Democratic leaders.
Our Democratic friends in Congress,
taking care always to quote from Lin
coin, make the wellxin ring with the views
of the old time abolitonists."
The speaker discussed the Supreme
Court decisions in the Porto Rico cases,
and said the main declaration was cor
rect He regretted il was not unanimous.