The Colorado statesman., 1920-02-21

pendence, the Constitution Washingtons Farewell
Address and the Monroe Doctrine.
The Farewell Address was used every
where by everybody. Both sides used it. Those
who opposed the treaty mude of it solemn
werning against "entanglng foreign alliances
the present-day equivalent of Washingtons phrase.
"peruunent alliances with any portion of the for
egn world" Those fnvoring the treaty argued
that Washington's political wisdom was of his day
only. and that his teachings of date;
that while Washington was good and noble he was
unleurned in the science of government and
trained In the arts of statecraft.
Those who adhered to the policy of the Farewell
Address also upheld the Monroe Doctrine, holding
the latter to be the development ard outgrowth of
the former.
The events leading up to the Farewell Address
briefly follows: The constitutional
vention met in May in Philadelphia. After four
months of secret deliberations the Constitution
completed and offered to the individual states
for adoption. Nine states were necessary; New
Hampshire made the ninth. The Constitution
went into effect June 81, 11SS. George Washing
ton was elected the first president of the United
States and served two terms 17S91796. He de-
cned third term and established the precedent
for but one reelection.
If Washington accepted the presidency with re-
luctance 1t with pronounced distaste that he
yielded to what he thought his duty and took
the office for second term And it proved to be
Il stormy term In 1893 France declared war on
England and Louis XVI beheaded in France
by the revolutionsts Citizen" Genet, represent
ing the French revolutionsts arrived here and
stirred the American people to n frenzy of
sympathy with France. Washington issued neu-
traty proclamation which aroused a storm of
popular protest Genet's activities resulted in his
recall. In the meantime Great Britain was post
ponng the surrender of British posts in the North
west. taking American sailors from American
ships under the pretext that they were Brltons
and so acting generally that large part of the
American people clamored for against the
British Washington finally succeeded In
gotiuting n treaty with Great Britain, which in
part corrected these evils. Thus he succeeded
both In maintaining neutrality and averting war;
In spite of discord in his cabinet and division of
sentiment in the nation. And it was with full
heart that he wrote that part of his Farewell Ad
dress the American people September II, 1885,
as his retirement from the presidency approached
That his heart full is shown by these words
from the address
"In Offering you, my countrymen, these coun-
sells of an old and affectonate friend, l dare not
hope they will make the strong and lasting i'm
preston that / could wish-that they will control
the usual current of the passions or prevent our
nation from running the course which has hitherto
marked the destiny of nations But If l may even
hatter myself that they may be productive of
some partial benefit some occasional good-that
they may and then recur to moderate the
fury of party spirit to warn against the mtschiefs
of foreign intrigue. to guard against the i'm
postures of pretended patrotsm-this hope will
be Il full recompense for the solictude for your
welfare by which they have been dictated"
The mart of the Farewell Address most used, of
course was those paragraphs toward its close,
which bear ON foreign relations of the United
States These paragraphs We're read into the
Congressional Record as follows on several oc-
casions:
against the insidious wiles of foreign influence
III conjure you believe me, fellow ctizens) the
jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly
awake since history and experience prove that
rorepn influence Is one of the most baneful foes
of republican government.