Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-06

habit of temperate and kindly discus
sion of matters of common interest. the
ascertainment of common sympathies
and aims, the dissipation of misunder-
standings, the exhibition to all the
American peoples of this peaceful and
considerate method of comforting upon
international questions this alone,
quite irrespective of the resolutions
you may adopt and the conventions
you may sign, will mark a substantial
advanced in the direction of international
good understanding.
These beneficent results the govern
ment and the people of the United
States of America greatly desire. We
wish for no victories but those of
peace, for no territory except our own,
for no sovereignty except the sover-
eighty over ourselves We deem the
independence and equal rights of the
smallest and weakest member of the
family of nations entitled to as much
respect as those of the greatest empire,
and we deem the observance of that
respect the chief guaranty of the weak
against the oppression of the strong.
We neither claim nor desire any rights
or privileges or powers that we do not
freely concede to every American re-
public. We wish to increase our pros
perity, to expand our trade, to grow
| in wealth. in wisdom and in spirit, but
our conception of the true way to ac-
complsh this is not to pull down 9TH
ers and profit by their ruin, but to help
all friends to a common prosperity and
a common growth that we may all be-
come greater and stronger together.
Within few months, for the first
time, the recognized possessors Of every
foot Of soil upon the American CONT
nents can be and hope will be repre-
scented with the acknowledged rights
of equal sovereign states in the great
world congress at The Hague. This
will be the worlds formal and final
acceptance of the declaration that no
part of the American continents is to
be deemed subject to colonization. Let
us pledge ourselves to aid each other
| in the full performance of the duty to
humanity which that accepted declara-
| ton implies, so that in time the weak
est and most unfortunate Of our re-
publics may come to march with equal
step by the side of the strongest and
more fortunate. Let us help each 9TH
er to show that for all the races Of
men the liberty for which we have
1 fought and labored is the twin sister
of justice and peace. Let us unite in
creating and maintaining and making
effective an all American public opin-
ion whose power shall influence inter-
national conduct and prevent interna-
tional wrong and narrow the causes Of
war and forever preserve our free
lands from the burden of such arma-
tments as are massed behind the from
tiers of Europe and bring us ever near
err to the perfection of ordered liberty.
So shall come security and prosperity,
production and trade, wealth, learn
ing, the arts and happiness for us ALL
Not in a single conference or by, a
single effort can very much be done.
You labor more for the future than for
the present, but If the right impulse
be given, if the right tendency be es-
tablished, the work you do here will
go on among all the millions of people
in the American continents long after
your final adjournment, long after
your lives, with incalculable benefit to
all our beloved countries, which may it
please God to continue free and .inde-
pendent and happy for ages to come.