Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-30


world can be dated the worlds familiarity
with some marvellous invention, SO quickly
adopted in our life. that the change that
It effected has almost passed from memory.
take for instance the telephone at the
exposition of 1875, at Philadelphia. Those
of us whose memories go back far beyond
that date can hardly realize that there, for
the first time, were shown the experiments
which resulted I'm the transmission of the
human voice hundreds of miles. and which
has revolutionized thereby the methods OF
life and business in every community. Not
alone in the mechanical sciences, but In the
fine arts, in education, in philosophy. In re-
ligion, by comparison of the leaders OF
thought had in personal conference are all
these steps of modern progress marked.
'And while the buildings and the ma
chimes and the congresses and the beauty
and the glamour and the pomp of such
celebration and exposition as this shall pass
into memory, and every material evloence
disappear the measurement that they make
of progress, noted as it Is in the history OF
the world, become q benefit to mankind,
the value of which cannot be exaggerated.
Size of the World Reduced.
|. ut reduces the size of our world, in that
1t brings all nations into one small locality
for time; but 1t increases enormously the
efficiency of those engaged in carrying ON
the worlds progress by enabling each to
gather the benefit of the others work, and
it produces in mans conquest of the inert
material which Is his to deal with Of may
use the word coined from college sports),
that worlds team work in the struggle
with adverse conditions which has mucn
to do with the wonderful strides that are
being made in the battle of mind over
matter.
Speaking today on behalf of the Presi-
dent of the United States, cannot but re-
call the admirable and discr. ninating adj
dress which he delivered here year ago
upon the historical and political significance
of that great purchase of territory which
this exposition commentaries; how fore
IDLY he pointed out the tremendous capacity
for expansion and absorption of peoples,
cur peculiar federal system with its proyi-
sion for the birth of new states, afforded;
how new 1t was when this government be-
gan, and yet how quietly successful had
been its operation until now 1t seems so
natural as to involve no surprise or ad-
miration at all.
Il am sure 1 may be pardoned If invoke
attention to the fact that we have at this,
the centenary of the purchase Of l. )uisiana.
entered upon another and a different kind
of expansion, which involves the solution
of other and different problems from those
presented in the Louisiana purchase.
They have been forced upon us without
our seeking, and they must be solved with
the same high sense of duty, the same
fearessness and courage with which Cur
ancestors met the very startling problems
that were presented by the addition of this
wide expanse of territory of louisiana.
That they may not and probably will not
be solved by comforting statehood upon the
new territory is probable
Augurs of i'll and ruin to follow from
the experience and the solution of the prom
lem are not wanting, but they never have
been wanting in the history of this coun-
try, and they have never been allowed to
control the fearless graphing of new prob
lens by Americans. We have probably
reached a period In the great wealth and
power which we have achieved as a ma
n W. we hI1r
with the necessity of aiding another peo-
pie to stand upon its feet and take short
cut to the freedom. and the civil liberty
which we and our ancestors have ham,
mered out by the hardest.
The Philippine Situation.
For the reason that this centennial of
the Louisiana purchase marks the be-
ginning of the great Philippine problem
the government Of the Philippine Islands
has felt justified in expanding a very large
of money to make the people who
come here to commemorate the vindication
of one great effort of American enterprise
and expansion understand the conditions
which surround the beginning of another
Those who look forward with dark
foreboding to the result of this new ad-
venture base their prophecies Of disaster
on what they think is the weakness of the
American people. Those who look forward
their optimism on what has already been
accomplished in the islands, and on what
they know the American nation can do
when an emergency and an inevitable ne
ceSsity present themselves.
Without being blind to the difficulties or
the dangers, 1t gives me the greatest hap
piness to know and to say that the Presi-
dent of the United States, whom l I'M
worthily represent today is glad to take
his stand among those who believe in the
capacity of the American people, when
aroused by the call of duty. to solve any
problem of government. however new,
which depends solely on the clearheaded-
ness, the honesty and the courage, the GER
erosity and the selt-restraint of the Amer
lean people.
"And now, gentlemen, in closing the few
remarks 1 have to make, l should be I'M
just did 1 not testify to the skill and tact
and limitless energy of the men of the
city of st. Louis. with President Francis ar
their head, to whom we owe this blazing
picture of the worlds progress down 10
1904. No one who is not more or less ia
iniliar with the details of a search through
the world for those things which shall
show its present conditions; no one who
does not know the difficulties which are
inherent in the organization and compile
ton of such an enterprise as this can pay
a proper tribute of praise to those who
have erected this grand monument to the
progress of man..
The conclusion of the speech of Secretary
Taft was the signal for the opening of the
President Roosevelt was waiting for the
signal which was to tell him that the
proper moment had arrived to touch the
COLDER key that would open the fair IN
earnest and set it's manifold machinery in
full operation
Flash From the White House.
Secretary Taft had not turned 10 resume
his seat after concluding his speech be-
fore the signal had been flashed to Wash
ington over the wires of the Postal Tel
egraph Company. Instantly there was
returning flash which started the machin-
cry in Machinery Hall In operation.
Strictly speaking this was all that was
accomplished by the presidential touch on
the button at Washington. Operators here
were waiting for the response from the
White House and as quickly as 1t came
they touched the keys which released the
fastenings of the thousands of banners
that were secured to the stats on the roofs
Of all the large exhibit palaces. This por-
ton Of the work, far as could be seen
from any one section of the grounds, was
perfect. Every banner apparently caught
the same breath of air and they unfurled
and foated out as one. At the far end of
tim la Uoou from, fbe Louisiana y,oopnpnapf