The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1902-03-06

the world combined And so we sell abroad
our Orders, beams and plates of steel, and
the many forms into which wealth and
work and genius have fashioned the useful
metals. We must sell them abroad Orb
erWlse, Idle over his accumulated products
VIII SIT the laborer; lifeless will be the
throbDing mill; deserted the producing
mine; chained to the rotting docks the
ships OF export. And this is true of the
fabrics of cotton and of wool; true of
meats, flour and all the stuffs that feed
and clothe the human race. For other ma.
lions have factories. too. Other nations
spin and weave. and plant and SOW and
reap. They will not always permit us to
supply their citizens. The words "h0me
market" which yesterday was our tails
man, tomorrow Will be theirs aud for tba
same reason that it was once ours Con
dltlons have turned the tables: and where
yesterday we asked protection from them.
today they are demanding protection from
us. They will erect tariff walls against u
as we once erected tariff walls against
our ships Of merchandise, What then
will be the destination Of our weighted
trains of freight: Not to ourselves for
we are already supplied. and il is
surplus that fills those ships and burdens
those countless Of commerce. We
cannot turn entirely to the Orient, for
tnat market Is not yet sufficiently under
stood, although it will be. II is nor vet
sufficiently exploited. although it will be
1t Is not yet our monopoly. although il
will be. And when the Oriental market
is opened in its fullness and monopolized
by US. it viii be our commercial and imam
cial salvation.
But that is a question for tomorrow. We
must consider the requirements of today
we must turn TO the instant need OF
things. We must make those common
sense arrangements with our neighbors
among the nations by which our surplus of
American products may be taken across
the seas This is the craftsmanship of
common sense. The eye of Blaine per-
ceived it in the distance, and too soon
announced its principle. The even more
prophetic mind of Grant. whose elemental
craftsmanship will be better appreciated
hundred years from now than it is today
perceived it even before Blaine saw it.
And even if both had failed to grasp its
meaning, that meaning would be unmis-
taxable at this hour for gradually foreign
statesmen closing their markets to u.s.
They will do it more swiftly in the future
than they have done it in the past. or else
they will fail in their duties to their peo-
pies The miraculous growth of our EXPORT
trade is lessening; and on the other hand
our productiveness WAKES until its magni-
tude today makes little it's proportions of
yesterday, which then were wonderful
Decreasing markets, increasing productions
this is the situation. 1t is not a situa-
ton that calls for fanaticism in favor of
any law; it is not Il situltion that calls for
fanaticism in favor Of the destruction Of
any law.
1t was a wisdom higher than our own
that drove US into the markets Of the
dom of events. You may say it was the
wisdom that springs from the wealth of
our resources and the Ingenuity of our
brains and the skill Of our fingers. | pre-
fer to believe and do believe that it was
wisdom higher still, the universal wisdom
of the Father. And it was His wisdom
too, that placed in our guardianship new
peoples and alien races. You may say that
it is a blunder that did that. / will not
quarrel with you. You may say that it
was conjunction Of circumstances. l will
not argue the point. Whatever the com
polling cause. the fact exists and the duty
is ours. Call ii circumstance. call it
events. call it blunder. or call il the decree
of destiny other peoples are our wards
and we will not desert them. Their lands
are our trust and will not betray it,
All will admit that if we could succeed in
discharging this trust so that these Deepen
dent peoples would be happier. our nation
better and the civilization of the world
thereby advanced, it would be a noble con-
clusion for which the most doubtful heart
might yearn. All this we may accomplish.
All this we will accomplish. Let no man
doubt our ultimate success, for we VIII
proceed according TO the councils of CON
servatism. Moderation will direct MS.
We daily hear dogmatic demands for the
independence Of our Malay wards, without
considering concrete conditions. Is this
moderation? Is this the method Of calm
reason? Is it not better to find the facts
and fit our acts to these? Adaptablity Is
the American characteristic We are told
acteristic We are told thai this and that
is the American characteristic. We are
asked to frame our action upon this traGi-
tion or that. regardless of changed Situa
lions of absolutely different facts. But
adaptahility is the American characteristic
Adaptability. adaptability. adaptability
The fitting Of means to ends. the adjust
ment of measures to condtions-this is the
heart of Americanism. The secret Of
American success has been that have
looked the facts squarely in the face and
then made our measures fit those facts.
We have done this regardless of maxims.
Indifferent to theories and even over the
letter of our constitution itself when it
stood in the way. President Madison
thought that the federal government hao
no power TO build national highway.
The power to make itnernal Improvements
was not conferred on congress by the con-
stitution, he said. This was the view of
the fathers. Rivers, roads and harbors
were matters of local concern, they
thought: The theory of local self-govern-
ment, the sovereignty Of the state, the in
dependence OF the community, required
that the national government should not
better local conditions. If river was nom
naylgable at point within a state through
which IL ran. it was not the mission of the
general government to dredge il. Its care
was In the keeping of the people who lived
upon its bans. Local self government,
they said, was an end and not a means.
But progress said that the prosperity of
the people is the end, and local self-gov-
eminent. general government or any other
kind of government nothing but Il means.
Progress said: THE logic of strict con-
struction is built on words; l demand logic
built on facts" And SO into the written
constitution the necessities of national in
tercourSe read the power of the general
government to make internal improve
ments. And today that power is so much
matter of course that not one man i'll
ten thousand knows that that power was
originally denied. Thus ii was that the
spirit of American adaptability triumphed
even over the letter of the constitution.
Business is the great expounder of our
fundamental law. Conditions construe our
constitution more completely than all the
lawyers who ever lived. Geography. inven-
ton, exploration, are the immortal inter
prefers of that great instrument. Noun
tains, rivers, plains and lakes, railways,
telegraphs, the planting of new communi-
ties the discovery of new resources, the
interchange OF thought and products--to
these great natural and human facts the
spirit of American adaptability has con-
formed ancient customs, hon0red tradl-
lions, written constitutions. There Is no
written power in the constitution for the
national government to charter banks, but
man would be considered mad today who
denied that power to the national govern
ment. The list Of instances where the
has adapted their constitution to their
needs is the most striking circumstance OF
our history and the profoundest proof OF
their vitality. From that saving wisdom
of adaptabiiity we will not now depart.
II Philippine conditions require Filipino
self-government, self-government we will
give the Filipinos, because 1t Is wise.
II legislative. participation In their
government Is permitted by Porto
Rican conditions, we will give the
Porto Ricans that because it Is wise. II
Cuban conditions require American suzer-
ainty, we will maintain that because 1t is
wise; IL annexation, we will accomplish
that because 1t is wise; il utter separation
that shall be done because it is wise. 1t
20 and hot xva n mi ST. n
ment in our Far-Eastern possessions with
out the participation Of an incompetent