The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-08-17
lLikens Present Diplomatic Situation to That Which
 Existed in 1798.
In c. A. R. Speech He Pays Glowing Tribute to Pat
 riotisn of Washington.

England in s1798s with sS7 dfplomaI4c relations between the United States and these countries at the present day, Dr. George Porter delivered the following address to the members of Elias Howe, Jr., post, Ne. g. G. A. R., at the second afternoon which has been held since the post was organ ized:
 Our policy is founded upon the claim that the individual voter is the unit, originating all political power This novel sociological idea, diametri- caIly opposed to the divine right of kings and to hezexperience or the great nations of the world was first presented to General George Washing< ton by a Connecticut man, Noah Web ster, the 1exicographer; it was favor ably entertained. Washington con. vinced Madison and the other mem7 bers of the delegation to the constitu-s tional convention of it's wisdom; it was presented. to the aconventioT1,s by Ed n1dnd Jennings Randolph as the s'Vir-s ginia Plan" and became the Keynote of our fundamental law. the Constitution Of thel United States-a political in strument foreifulIy described by the foremost statesman of England as @the greatest work ever struck off, at any one time by the sword and hand of man. During the most famous debate ever held in the United States Senate, Daniel Webster panegyrized It's ideality, long before Lincoln at CetfysDnrg gave it on immortalized setting as government of the people. stfor the people, by the people 2 Only a student of the proceedings of the constitutional convention can intelli- gently comprehend the reasons under K lying it's provisions. A reading of Madison,s comprehensive report should be required of every one who desires to be made a voter, yet who | S1y.1 1x f1f 71 that has ever done so 2 To the Amer ican politariat it is but a glittering generality as to them Washington seems an Improbable character, yet. he was very human after alls although in any conmu nifty, and at any time. would have been a leader. The civil lization of the eighteenth century made him a dominant actor in the new world of America and personal qualities assured a reputation. more permanent and for the welfare of Christendom more bene1cent,l than tsat acquirsd by any ot9sr 3E} }sss. man of his His personal efforts, and influence, developed a, feeble rebellion into a suc- cessful revoll .ion--his courage, abil- fty and deve-io achieved victory from campaigns conducted amid dis couraging circumstances, when almost every battle was a for1orn hope. After the revolution the civic condition of the country was more unsettled than befefe9 tz9 fS1 pr nfz-pe recognized leadgT IF eF1e G6ntifneritaI Congress dis credited; the Union was a Confedera- ton of States, voluntarily jointed on- Iy as long as selfish interests dictated, with no power to collect taxes to enr force laws, to punish crime, unable to levy troops, 4or pay interest on the public debt, in short government without either money or credit, with
 
 so little standing, as d nau on, that at ssThe Treaty of Paris in 17s3. Eng land did not ratify with the United States as a Union butwith each state | specifically named.
 The relations Of the states to each other became into1erab1e; trade paid duties at every state line; provincial ism discrirninated in favor of the na- five borns each state issued a, fiat cur~ rency, and, with the exception of Con- nectieut, made nozprovision for it's re- emption-Rhode Island nge some modern fheorist based it upon the val ue of cattle and hogs but when 8 holder wanted to realize op his paper,l he did not know whose hog to take. The states were constantly pickering, foften with much anger-Connecticu sent an armed force. crossing the neu- tra1 state of New York, seized a part of PennSylxanias in the Wyoming valley, resulting in a mild variety of civil war; The internal affairs of the states were rapidly degenerating into Anarchy, the shay Rebellion in the Berkshires defied the authority of Massachusetts. The people in con- sternation again turned to Washing ton.
 After several futile attempts, the Constitutional convention was assem- bIed mainly by slfs influence; it's ses- sions, with many inl1arn1onious incl dents, completed; ts purpose accom- pIished, and the constitution finally recommended to all the people of all the states. Only on account of the confidence reposed in Washington did it become the Supreme Law of the land and then only by the action of eleven states-as North Carolina re- fused to adopt it and Rhode Island Ignored it.
 Washington, under it's provisions, became the first president. By a rare combination of broadmindedness, ob- servation, experiences, se1f-restraint, discriminating investigation, mature deliberation. he initiated the methods, such manner as to establish prece- dents for the twenty-six Presidents who have followed him,
 It is an axiom that history repeats itse1f," and. as human nature remains the same, this is reasonable. A strik- HIS 44luStfdLOn or the lruIl OF the aphoFisn is being enacted by our own getaeFhanent at the present time yet few even among our better educated citizens, recognize it.
 In 178o England terrorized "the high seas" and provoked the other European nations to form an alliance under the title of Armed Neutrality setting forth the international law
 free ships, free goods. ito the arr ticIes of ftl{s agreement, the United istration of Washington, an event oc- cured that cruciabIy testsd the sta- bflity of our republican institutions and whose counterpart we are now ex- periencing, to wit, the attempt of aIisns to arouse q public opiniorl an