Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-05-04
NOT AFTER ANY
MORE TERRITORY
President Taft at Peace Confer
ence Alludes to Charges Of
Selling Mexico.

Baltimore, Md. May 3.-President
Taft, in his speech at the opening Of the
third rational peace conference here to-
day, declared that the United states
would not seek to extend It's domain or
To acquire foreign territory. lie made
no mention especially of Mexico, but to
his auditors II was evident that the SIT
uation there and the suspicion in tho
South American republics as to the in
tention Of this nation In regard to its
southern neighbors has inspired him.
The President had been speaking OF tho
recurrence of International disturbances
In countries not so well able as the Uni
ted states to maintain order and peace.
ana had said that 1t was incumbent upon
tho great nations of this hemisphere to
exercise their kindly and peaceful influ-
encc as much as possible
"One Of the difficulties that the Uni
ed states finds rs the natural sus-
picion hat the countries engaged have
OF the motives which the United States
has in rendering its good Offices" con-
tinued the President. observation
Of good faith helps but little when the
suspicion Is real and vet like to
avail myself of an opportunity in such
presence as this to assert that there
IS not in the whole length and breadth
of the United States among its people
any desire for territorial ag-
grandizement and that its people
a a whole will not permit Its gov
eminent II it would, to take any steps
IN respect to foreign peoples. looking
TO forcible extension of our political
power.
we have had wars and we know
what they are. We know what re-
sponsibilities they entail, the burdens
and losses and horrors. and we would
have none of them. We have a mag
nifccnt domain of our own in which
we are attempting to work out and
show to the world success in popular
government. and we need no more ter
IrtorY in which to show this. But We
have attained great prosperity and
great power. We have become power
full member of the community Of ma
lions in which we live, and there is,
therefore. thrust upon us necessarily
a care and responsibility for the peace
Of the world in our neiElborhood, and
a burden of helping those nations thai
that peacefully and effectively"
TREATY A GREAT STEP.
The President spoke to several thousand
people in the Lyric theatre Cardinal
Gibbons Secretary Of War Dickinson,
Senator Gore Of Oklahoma. Andrew Car.
ncgie and more than dozen men promi-
nent for world peace sat on the platform
with the President. Cardinal Gibbons and
Hamilton Holt president OF the confer
cnce who spoke before the President
voiced the opinion that the negotiation OF
the proposed arbitration treaty between
the United States and Great Britain would
mark the greatest step toward universal
rcace that the world had ever seen.
AN arbitration treaty between two
great ntalons Of the world" said tho
President, would be a very import
ant step in securing the peace Of the
world. I don't claim any patent for
new discovery in that suggestion,
because l have no doubt that IT has
often been made before. II such an
arbitration treaty can be concluded T
have No doubt that an important step
viii have been taken but it will not
bring an end of war. It Is a step only
ana We must not defeat our purposes
by enlarPing the expectation of the
world as to what is to happen and by
then disappointing II. We must re-
alze that we are dealing with a worli
that is fallible and full of wickedness,
with somewhat Of wickedness in 1t
and that reforms that are worth hav-
ing are brought about little by little
and not by one blow. I think that we
arc likely to make more progress II
va express our hope with moderation
and realize the difficulties that are to
be overcome. than il we proclaim that
we have opened the gate to eternal!
peace with one key and within one
ycar"
The President was particularly inter
ested in speech BY DR.. J. A. Macdonald,
editor of the Toronto (Canada) Globe, =
warm advocate Of reciprocity. IF that
arbitration treaty between your country
and England is ratified said Dr. Mae
| Donald the name of William Howard
Taft will he remembered in world history
50 long as man loves peace.
Above all other nations Canada he $
! the greatest stake In the proposed treaty;
| she has the most to gain by peace; the
most to loose by war.
Canada desires the pact not for her
self alone but for the sake Of the Who'll.
| world. The time to do II Is at hand The
hour is trembling. ready to strike; h-
tide is swelling to the food and II | ever
had the right to speak for my country or
| for tho Empire to which | belong II is
| now and ! ask that the Parliament OF
Great Britain and the Congress OF the
United States join to insure the peace OF
| the whole world"
President Taft returned TO Washington
| Immediately after the meeting