The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1920-02-20

]pendencc, the Constitution, Washington's Farewell
Address and the Monroe Doctrine.
The Farewell Address was used at q test every
where by everybody. Both sides used it. Those
who opposed The treaty made use Of it as IL solemn
warning against "entangling foreign alliances
the pcesent-day equivalent Of Washington's phrase,
permanent alliances with any portion Of the for
eign world Those favoring the treaty argued
that NaShin@ton's political wisdom was of his day
only, and that his teachings are out Of date:
that while Washington was good and noble he was
unlearncd in the science of government and un-
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 and outgrowth of
the former.
The events leading up TO the Farewell Address
are briefly rs follows: The constitutional con-
venton met in May in Philadelphia. After four
months OF secret deliberations the Constitution
was 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, 17SS. George Washing
ton was elected Inc first president Of the United
States and served two terms. 17S9-179G. He de-
clined a third term and established the precedent
for but one reelection.
If Washington accepted the presidency with re-
luctance it was with pronounced distaste that he
yielded TO what he thought was his duty and took
tHC ollCc - al StNOIt lSlHl. Auu IL proved TO he
a stormy term. In 1893 France declared war ON
England and Louis XVI was beheaded in France
by the revolutionists. Citizen" Genet. represent.
ing the French revolutionists, arrived here and
stirred the American people to a frenzy of
sympathy with France. Washington issued q neu.
trality proclamation which aroused q storm of
popular protest. Genet's activities resulted in his
recall. In the meantime Great Britain was most.
pOning the surrender of British posts in the North
west, taking American sailors from American
ships under the preteXt that they were Britons
and so acting generally that a large part of the
American people clamored for war against the
British. Washington finally succeeded in ne
gotiating Il 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 a full
heart that he wrote that part Of his Farewell Adj
dress to the American people, September II, 1896.
ms his retirement from the presidency approached.
That his heart was full is shown by these words
from the address,:
I'm offering to you, my countrymen, these coun-
sells of an old and affectionate friend, / dare not
hope they will make the strong and lasting i'm
preston that l 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
fatter myself that they may be productive of
some partial benefit, some occasional good-that
they may now and then recur to moderate the
fury of party spirit, to warn against the mischiefs
of foreign intrigue, to guard against the i'm
postures of pretended patriotism-this hope will
be a full recompense for the solicitude for your
welfaresb by which they have been dictated"
The part of the Farewell Address most used, of
course, was those paragraphs toward it's close,
which bear on foreign relations Of the United
States. These paragraphs were read into the
Congressional Record as follows on several &C.
casiOns:
against the insidiOus wiles of foreign influence
Il conjure you to believe me, fellow citizens) tho
jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly
awake, since history and experience prove that
foreign influence is one Of the most baneful foes
Of republican government.