The Mena weekly star., 1908-02-06


 Policy Would Ever Be Remembered
 as the Great snd Distinguishing
 Characteristic of Me<inisy's Admin
 tratIon--some cf the Bsrefits.
 Cleveland, O.. Jan. si.--McKinley. the martyred president, was the key. note of several addresses delivered at the Tippecanoe clubs annual McKin. ley day banquet here "Wednesday night at which Secretary of War William H. Taft was the guest of honor. The sec retary spoke on "The Republic" All of the speakers confined their remarks to the life and deeds of Mckinley. who was eulogized as an illustrious son Of Ohio. and discussion Of the problems engendered by the spanish-American war and the acquisition of the Philip. pines and the islands of ths Carribean.
 Secretary Taft said in part:
 T shall venture to speak to you on that which think will evsr be remem- bered as the great and distinguishing characteristics of McKinley's adminis- tration-the expansion of the United States Into a world power.
 "A nation like that of the United States. with so.oo0.000 of people, with resources unexampled in the history of the world, with ideals as high as those of any nation, with the earnest desire to spread the principles of lib- erty and of popular government. can not maintain position of isolation with respect to the peoples of the world when fate shall have thrust some of those peoples under our con trol. We must assume responsibility with respect to their development. We must exercise the power that the Lord has given us for the purpose of assist ing our neighbors. The policy of iso- lation. which would prevent us from exercising our influence or direct con trol in matters where we are capable of doing good and advancing in the worlds progress is narrow. selfish and altogether unjustifiable policy.
 What has been the result to the United States of this socalled colonial policy7 We'll. 1t has added to her trade something over si0o.O0o.000 do not think that is important except as a beginning. If the government con tinues it's friendly policy toward Porto Rico and the Philippines and opens her markets as well to the Philippines as to Porto Rico, this trade will treble and quadruple in marvelously short time, so that merely from the stand point of material progress. the mutual benefits for the people we are helpir and ourselves will be no mean justif cation for the policy.
 Again, our action in assuming our part of the responsibility of the world powers for the development of the world, has added to our influence the world round and has made our voice influential in all international councils. So great has been this growth that the immediate successor of William Me Kinley, Theodore Roosevelt. has been able to accomplish more in the preser- vation of the peace of the world than any president that ever administered or any monarch that ever reigned. The influence that we are exerting in South America, in Central America. in Europe. and in China, is. much of it the result of the policy of expansion adopted under William Mckinley. It is said that this policy has entailed upon us the enormous burden of a navy. believe that it has increased the necessity for greater navy. believe that a navy is the greatest in surer of peace that we could possibly have, navy commensurate with our resources, and commensurate with our coast line and commensurate with the number of dependencies we have, and commensurate with our population. and commensurate with our influence as a world power. The expression world power has been made an oc- casion for ridicule and sneers. but it has a real meaning and real signifi- canoe. It means an influence through out the world; and so long as that in- huence is yielded for the betterment of mankind, for the uplifting of our un- fortunate fellow creatures, for the maintenance of peace, for the encour agement of trade. for the promotion of morality and civilization, we may well be proud to have taken any part in the change of our national policy which made us a world power The highest claim of William Mckinley for the gratitude of his countrymen is that, in spite of the abuse and con tumely that was heaped upon his head for this policy, he placed our country in the forefront of nations as civilizer and uplifter of unfortunate peoples"