The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-01-19
UNUSUAL COMMUNICATION.
RET. MR. IRVINE TALKS ON
 LETTER
Sent to Congress by New Haven c,,i- zens-Reprsssnts Neither City nor Universlsy-Rash to ssy That Alder men Represent the People.

Untversity-Rash to Say That Alder men Represent the People.
 Rev. Alexander F. Irvine preached the following sermon at Bushnell Hall Sunday night:
 The petition signed by several New Haven men and forwarded to the Uni ted States senate has caused consider able comment It is very unusual.
 First, it represents neither the city nor the university. Second. it mani fests a change of heart in some of the petitioners.
 Third, it breaks all precedent in its presentation.
 A petition passed upon at the old democratic town meeting could be called "a New Haven petition" There every man counted one and only one, and every citizen had right to express his opinion and have it recorded.
 The town meeting is no more and nothing has taken its place.
 It would be rash to say the board of aldermen represent us or that peti- tion sent by them would be the senti- ment of the people.
 It would be still wider of the mark to say that few men in a gilt-edge club represent us. very man acts with in his rights in such petition. Indeed, 1t is an exceedingly healthy sign when the social sloth is aroused by just such petitions as the one under considera- ton. I merely draw attention to the fact that there is no way left for the community to express it's opinion as a democracy Indeed it's aquestion as to whether there is such thing as de- mocracy in this country. A pure polit- ical democracy where the right of mak- ing laws resides in the people, or ac- cording to Lincoln's definition, where government is of the people, by the people and for the people," there cer- tainly is not the abolition of the town meeting was one of the hardest blows ever struck at democracy. What have we left? This petition may indicate.
 It looks as if it was gotten up over a comfortable cigar at the club, or over the cups at four o'clock tea. It is none the less a petition for that. but what I note is the absence of the dem- ocratic spirit. Every reference to the petition in the press has been accompa- nied by a galaxy of luminous adjec- tives, such as "best citizens. ''promi- nent citizens" leaders of thought, etc, etc. find no fault with this sith- CT. I merely note the departurey from republican simplicity.
 There are only about haE a dozen men among the petitionery unconnect-. ed with the university. Half of these are pastors of .leadips Congregation al churches. Why5pot few pastors of the Heading churches of other denom- nations? Why hot a priest, a rabbi and a rector Q, two? One solitary bus mess man. Why not coupler. Presi- dent Hadley refused to sign it. He was in syuapSthy with it, but he did not wafif to embarrass the senate by ask ing it to make careful and deliberate investigation! He thinks the thing was done too hastily-but then-let it go at that.
 In short, right or wrong. he stands by the executive.
 One of the things in the petition for which we ought to be thankful is the evident change of heart of the majority of the petitioners.
 Durng the exploitation of the Philip pine Islands by the United States gov ernment these men in the language of Hanna "stood pat with the exploiters at the point of the bayonet and by the process of torch and water cure" the government forced upon the islanders a military dictatorship as odious to them as the government of George III. was to the first settlers in New England.
 of T q { protest, but the majority of them were as still as clans.
 When Funston violated the interna- tional rules adopted at the Hauge con- ference in using forged letters and the enemy's uniforITl-in the capture of Aguinaldo-it was one of these petition ers-an expert in international law who defended Funston by saying that the said Aguinaldo was not represented at the Hague conference! This fiinsy pretext was buttressed by the profound assertion that military necessity" jus tified his capture. He cites as proof of this alleged justification two things first "Aguinaldos readiness to swear allegiance to the United States and secondly, "the great stride made to- ward pacification!'' All of which is supposed to be the science of interna- tional law!
 Here were patriots fighting for home and invaders fighting for glory, and the invaders being beaten at their own game, resort to shrewd, cowardly trick, and the "Outlook' ok''-exponent of the ethics of Jesus-comes to New Ha- ven to get an international lawyer to say that military necessity, -whatev- CT that may be, justified it.
 All of us ought to be grateful that such a profond authority is now asking the United States senate not to act the bully, but to make haste slowly
 Most of the petitioners are republi- cans, and our alleged representatives in the senate are of the same political party. How strange that these repub- 1icans did not send their petitiodn through the republican senator. In stead they sent 1t to the old Roman, who fought the government night and day over the invasion of the Philippine ISlandsi
 Freeman of the state or Connecticut forced to go to Massachusetts to get a man to present petition to the senate.
 The question now arises-"How much are we represented? What kind of pe- titions shall we senrd to the Connecti-