Weekly Arizona journal-miner. [volume] (Prescott, Ariz.) 1903-1908, 1905-03-01

vital service to the republic. 1t ha
not been too strong for our good
though often not strong enough to d.
all the good it should have done. Oul
possession of the Philippines, our in
terest in the trade of the Orient, oul
building the Isthmian canal, our in
sistence upon the Monroe Doctrine,
all demand that our navy shall be Of
adequate size and for Its size of un.
surpassed efficiency. If it is strong
enough | believe it will minimize the
chance of our being drawn into for.
eign war. If we let it run down it i:
as certain as the day that sooner Oh
later we shall have to choose between
probably disastrous foreign war OF
peace kept on terms that imply ma.
tional 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
observing and living up to one of the
most important of the principles
which Washington 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 Con-
gress he voted for the first warships
we ever built as part of our regular
navy; and he voted against the grant
of money to pay our humiliating tri-
butte to the pirates of the Barbary
states. Old Hickory was a patriot
through and through, and there was
not an ounce of timidity in his ma
ture, and of course he felt only in
dignant contempt for policy which
purchased an ignoble peace by coward
ice instead of exacting just peace by
showing we were as little willing to
submit to as to inflict aggression.
Had majority of Jackson's colleagues
aud successors felt as he did about
the navy, had it been built up instead
of being brought to a standstill, it
would probably never have been nee
essary to fight the war of 1872.
Again Washington said: "Give to
mankind the example of a people al
ways guided by an exalted Justice and
benevolence. 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 shown US exactly how to
practice this justice and benevolence
in dealing with other peoples-s justice
and benevolence which can be shown,
not by Sinking our duty and aban-
doning to self destruction those unfit
to govern themselves, but by doing
our duty by staying with them and
teaching them how to govern them
selves, Ey uplifting them spiritually
and materially. Here at home we are
obeying this maxim of Washington
just so far as we help in every move
ment whether undertaken by the gov
eminent, or as is, and should be, more
often the case, by voluntary action
among private citizens, for the better
ment of or own people. Observe that
speaks both of justice and
benevol ,nce, and that he puts justice
first. We must be generous, we must
help our poorer brother, but above all
we must remember to be just; and the
first step toward securing justice is to
treat every man on his worth as
man, showing him no special favor,
but so far as may be holding open for
him the door of opportunity so that
reward may wait upon honest and in
telligent endeavor.
Again Washington said: "Cherisb
public 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 re-
member that the worst, because the
most insidious form of the dishonest
debtor is that man who would per
suade him that it is anything but dis
honest for him to repudiate his debts.
Finally, it is peculiarly appropriate,
when | have come to this city as the
guest of the university of Pennsylvan-
ia, to quote another of Washington's
maXims: promote, as an object of
primary Importance, institutions for
the general diffusion of knowledge.
In proportion as the structure of a
government gives force to public
opinion, it is essential that public
opinion should be enlightened. " Ed
lcation may not make man a good
citizen, but most certainly ignorance
tends to prevent his being a good cit
zen. Washington was far too much
Of a patriot, had far too much love
for his felloW citizens tO fry IN teacb