The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-05-27
MUST CONTROL THE PACIFIC
Presidents Most important Speech
Since He Left St. Louis.
WE INDEFINITELY DESIRE PEACE
But to N aintain Its Supremacy America
Must Be Constantly Prepared For War
His Theme Was Trade Development
and the Protection of Our Newly
Acquired Possessions.


and the Protection of Our Newly
Acquired Possessions.
San Francisco, Cal-President Roose-
welt made the most important speech
be has delivered since he left st. Louis
at the Mechanics Pavilion here. Ills
subject, Expansion and Trade Devel-
opment and Protection of the Country's
Newly Acquired Possessions in the Pa.
cific," together with the advocacy of a
greater Navy, made his speech Of par.
ticular interest to Califorhians, and he
aroused his auditors to a high pitch
of enthusiasm. The President said:
Before I saw the Pacific slope l
was an expansionist. and after having
seen it fail to understand how any
man confident Of his country'S great
ness and glad that his country should
challenge with proud confidence our
mighty future can be anything but an
expansionist. In the century that is
opening the commerce and the progress
of the Pacific will be factors of In.
calculable moment in the history Of the
world. Now. in our day, the greatest
OF all the oceans, Of all the seas and
the last to be used on large scale by
civilized man bids fair to become in Its
turn the first in point Of Importance.
Our mighty Republic has stretched
across the Pacific, and now in Califor-
mia. Oregon and Washington, in Alaska
and Hawaii and the Philippines, holds
an extent of coast line which makes it
Of necessity q power Of the first class
on the Pacific. The extension in the
area Of our domain has been immense;
the extension in the area Of our infu-
ence even greater.
Americas geographical position on
the Pacific Is such as to insure our
peaceful domination Of its waters IN
the future, If only we grasp with suf-
ficient resolution the advantages of this
position.
1--WE have taken the first steps to-
ward digging an isthmian canal, to E'a
under our own control, canal which
will make our Atlantic and Pacific
coast lines. to all intent and purposes.
continuous, and will add Immensely
alike to our commercial and our mill
tary and naval strength. The inevita-
BILE march Of events gave US the control
of the Philippines at time so oppor-
tune that 1t may without irreverence
be held providential. Unless We show
ourselves weak, unless We show our
selves degenerate sors Of the sires
from whose lolns We sprang, we must
20 on with the work that we have be-
gun.
II earnestly hope that this work will
always be peaceful in character. We
infinitely desire peace. and the surest
way to obtain it is to show that we
are not afraid Of war. We should deal
in q spirit of fairness and justice with
all weaker nations: we should show to
the strongest that we are able to maln-
tain our rights. Such showing cannot
be made by buster. for blustar merely
invites contempt. Let us speak court
eously, deal fairly and keep ourselves
armed and ready. IF We do these
things We can count on the peace that
comes only to the just man armed, to
the just man who neither fears nor in
flicts wrong.
1--WE must keep on building and
maintaining a thoroughly efficient
navy, with plenty Of the best and most
formidable ships, with an ample sup
ply of officers and Of men. and with
these officers and men trained in the
most thorough way to the best possible
performance Of their duty. Only thus
can we assure OUR position in the world
at large and in particular our position
here on the Pacific.
Gall our people should take this po-
sltion. brt especially you of California.
for much Of our expansion must go
through the Golden Gate, and the
States of the Pacific slope must newt
ably be those which would be most
benefited by and take the lead in the
growth of American influence along
the coasts and islands of that mighty
ocean where East and West finally be-
come one"
In the afternoon the President broke
ground at the Baker street entrance TO
Golden Gate Park for monument to
be erected to the memory Of President
Mckinley by the citizens Of San Fran
cisco.