The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-23
Never an Unjust War.

international righteousness is clear and emphatic.
 Never an Unjust War.
 Never since the beginning of our coun- try's history has the navy been used in an unjust var. Never has it failed to render great and sometimes vital service to the republic. It has not been too strong for our good. though often not strong enough to do all the good 1t should have done. Our possession of the Philippines, our interest in the trade of the Orient, our building the lsthmlan canal, our insistence upon the h.c1roe doctrine, all demand that our navy shall be of adequate size and for It's size of unsurpassed efficiency If it is strong enough I believe it will minimize the chance of our being drawn into foreign war. If we let 1t run down it is as cer- tain as the day that sooner or later we shall have to choose between a probably disastrous foreign war or peace kept on terms that imply national humiliation. Our navy Is the surest guaranty of peace and the cheapest insurance against war, and those who, in whatever capacity, have helped to build it up during the past twenty years have been in good faith ob- serving and living up to one of the most important of the principles which Wash ington laid down for the guidance of his countrymen. Nor was Washington the only one of our great Presidents who showed far-sighted patriotism by support of the navy. When Andrew Jackson was in Congress he voted for the first war ship we ever built as part of our regu- lar navy; and he voted against the grant of money to pay our humiliating tribute to the pirates of the Barbary states. Old Hickory was a patriot through and l nd nO ou of timidity in his nature, and of course he felt only indignant contempt for policy which purchased an ignohle peace by cowardice instead of eXacting just peace by showing we were as little will ing to submit to as to inhict aggression. Had a majority of Jackson's colleagues and successors felt as he did about the navy had it been built up instead of be- ing brought to standstill. it would prob ably never have been necessary to fight the war of 1872.
 Another Washington Maxim.
 Again Washington said: Give to man. kind the example of q people always guided by an exalted justice and ben evoence This feeling can be shown alike by our dealings within and without our own borders. Taft and Wright in the Philippines and Wood in Cuba have
 
 justice and benevolence in dealing with other peoples-a justice and benevolence which can be shown, not by shirking our duty, and abandoning to self-de- struction those unfit to govern them selves, but by doing our duty by stay ing with them and teaching them how to govern themselves, by uplifting them spiritually and materially. Here at home we are obeying this maxim of Washing tons just so far as we help in every movements. whether undertaken by the government, or as Is. and should be, more often the case, by voluntary action l among private citizens, for the better ment of our own people. Observe that | Washington speaks both of justice and | beneyolence, and that he puts justice | first. We must be generous, we must | help our poorer brother but above all. we must remember to b. just, and the
 first step toward securing justice Is to treat every man on his worth as a man.
 showing him no specal favor, but so
 far as may be holding open for him | the door of opportunity so that reward
 may wait upon honest and intelligent l endeavor.
 l Again Washington said Cherish pub | lie credit Just at the moment there
 is no attack on public credit but if ever the temptation' arises again let our people at the outset remember that the worst because the most insidious form | of the appeal that would make man dishonest debtor Is that which would persuade him that it is anything but dis honest for him to repudiate his debts. Institutions of Learning.
 "Finally. it is peculiarly appropriate,
 when I have come to this city as the guest of the University of Pennsylvania .l, ,s.,s~t ~t..,,f. l inns: Promote, as an object of primary