Omaha daily bee., 1902-09-21
FUTURE OF THE REPUBLIC
ohancsllsr Andrews Sees II Bright and
Glorious IHdsed.
MORE APPARENT THAN REAL
imperialism" aud TRUSTS" Are Busa-
49,. .--~ O.nUtd.is ...e VOC A.It
Serious Tbsn Others Through
which Nation Has Passed.

At the University Of Nebraska yesterday
morning Chancellor e. BENJAMIN Andrews
delivered his opening of-the-year address
to the faculty and student body. His sub
ject was The State OF the Republic" His
ADDRESS, except a few Introductory para
graphs, follows in full:
UnwhOIesOme Conditions Do Exist.
With very many allegations touching ills
present in the political life Of the United
States, so far as they are mere criticisms,
statements, Of unwholesome conditions
needing remedy. l fully sympathlze. Such
evils do exist and they are grave. More
than this: the croaker is quite right de-
claring that unless these diseases are
healed or checked the death OF us as a ma
tion must speedily ensue. His error lies
In limiting that the needed relief will fail.
turning his hypothesis, which as such is
sound enough, into a categorical prophesy
OF woe. Unless the sun rises tomorrow
we shall all he dead men; but 1t will rise.
II summer doesn't succeed winter we shall
starve; but then 1t will succeed. II the
smallpox Is not checked we shall all die OF
1t; but 1t will be checked. II the Mississippi
continues to overflow we shall all be
drowned; but Il will not continue. II
Mammon goes on gaining worshippers, II
legislation wakes more and moro corrupt,
II disregard for constitution guarantees In
creases, II these and similar wrongs grow
In number and in rankness, then, In that
case. no doubt the republic as we have
known and loved 1t will cease to exist.
But here ! rap the croaker hard. I call
Cassandra down. I expostulate with the
pessimists, one and all. I say: The con.
ditions may be quite as forbiddlng as the
most despairing of you allege, and yet moi
preclude joyous hope. II the republics
burdens are not lightened the republic will
go down; but they will be lightened. y
patriotism, courage and common sense
have left the American people. our gov.
eminent cannot remain free; but thos,
qualities have not left us. The crimes
and immoralities proceeding from inordi,
nate wealth and from massed wealth ar,
patent and terrible. They are probabl,
at present on the increase. NY own ar
raignment Of some of these conditions
were l to attempt such, would be as tren
chant and incorporating as Mr.. Wat
terson-s. They need to be calmly pointe,
out and analysed. When you know thor
oughly one OF these abuses, its nature an,
bearing, separating evil from good. thel
denounce 1t as vehemently as YOU will
1ruest patriots will echo your TRADE un
less you put a tone OF despair into Il; bu
II you do this you and your small coterI,
Will have to howl alone. Proclaim, II yov
care to, that the body polite is i'll with
complication Of dangerous diseases. VI
agree. But IL you call the body poiiti
a corpse we shall make of you another.
Late Events BewiIderinK.
Let us have patience with ourselves. Gu
national experience Of late has been s
bewildering that II is no wonder IL GU
minds are a bit unsteady. Our thoughts G
national duty, our creeds, even, have, sine
just before the Spanish war, been shiftin
like a kaleidoscope. A foreigner obseryin
this might be reminded Of the footnote O
the weekly church notice slip in a certai
very advanced church, reading like a rail
way time table. Doctrines subject I
change without notice."
The people who think the future of thI
country wholly dark seem to view "imperi
alism' and the trusts as the two blackes
thunder clouds in the sky. In this the
are probably right. II it can be shown this
even these phenomena, troublous, threat
enlng and obstinate as they are, may quit
possibly evolve In a manner to leave II
republic intact. free. the home Of a happ
people, and the best government on cart
We may lOT tue present DISMISS the mine
infelicities that have been mentioned Ell
tirely from our view. Let us then examir
calmly those two arch dragons; let us wal
boldly up to them. look into their structul
and ascertain II we can what their ~evolutic
is likely to be. Let us hrst deal in TIL
way with imperialism"
Within the last few years. as the who
world knows, the United States has becon
possessed Of a number Of island territorie
each bearing a numerous population unlil
that existing in any part OF the old Unite
States, these territories all lying at a col
siderable remove from the former Unite
States borders. Some Of these Dependence
are so situated that their possession
the United States draws the United Stat
into unprecedentedly close neighborho,
and relations with foreign powers. tt
new populations themselves are the inca
nation OF knotty problems galore. The
can be no question that this enlargemei
Of our domain creates a precarious situ
tion for the government we love, a stu
tion full Of danger, even IL also full