,multimedia ,center1 ,michigan ,state   
,university ,libraries                  
,imperialism  ,,and  ,the ,tracks of    
,our ,forefathers    ,a ,,paper ,,read  
,,by  ,,charles ,,francis ,,adams       
,before the ,lexington1 ,massachusetts1 
,historical ,society  ,,tuesday1        
,,december #bj1 #ahih    ,in a word1    
many wise men thought it a time wherein 
those two miserable adjuncts1 which     
,nerva was deified for uniting1 imperium
 et libertas1 were as well reconciled as
 is possible4--,clarendon's ,history of 
the ,rebellion1 ,b4 #a4  #afc4  ,i put  
my foot in the tracks of our            
forefathers1 where ,i can neither wander
 nor stumble4--,burke's ,speech on      
,conciliation with ,america4    ,,boston
 ,,dana ,,estes  ,,company #baj ,,summer
 ,,street #ahii     ,,imperialism  ,,and
  ,,the ,,tracks ,,of ,,our             
,,forefathers4   ,what the feast of the 
,passover was to the children of        
,israel1 that the days between the      
nineteenth of ,december and the fourth  

of ,january--the ,yuletide--are and will
 remain to the people of ,new ,england4 
,the ,passover began in the first month 
on the fourteenth day of the month at   
even1 and it lasted one week1 until the 
one and twentieth day of the month at   
even4 ,it was the period of the         
sacrifice of the ,paschal lamb1 and the 
feast of unleavened bread2 and of it as 
a commemoration it is written1 ,when    
your children shall say unto you1 ,what 
mean ye by this service8 that ye shall  
say1 ,it is the sacrifice of the ,lord's
 passover1 who passed over the houses of
 the children of ,israel in ,egypt1 when
 he smote the ,egyptians4 ,now the      
sojourning of the children of ,israel1  
who dwelt in ,egypt1 was four hundred   
and thirty years4 ,and thus1 by their   
yearly ,passover1 were the ,jewish      
congregations of old put in mind what   
farewell they took of the land of       
,egypt4  ,so our own earliest records   
tell us that it was on the morning of   
,saturday1 of what is now the nineteenth

 of ,december1 that the little exploring
 party from the ,mayflower1 then lying  
at her anchor in ,provincetown ,harbor1 
after a day and night of much trouble   
and danger1 sorely buffeted by wind and 
wave in rough ,new ,england's ,december 
seas1 found themselves on an island in  
,plymouth ,bay4 ,it was a mild1 faire   
sunshining day4 ,and this being the last
 day of the weeke1 they prepared ther to
 keepe the ,sabath4 ,on ,munday they    
sounded the harbor1 and marched into the
 land1 and found a place fitt for       
situation4 ,so they returned to their   
shipp againe at ,provincetown with this 
news4 ,on the twenty-fifth of ,december 
they weyed anchor to goe to the place   
they had discovered1 and came within two
 leagues of it1 but were faine to bear  
up againe2 but the twenty-sixth day1 the
 winde came faire1 and they arrived safe
 in this harbor4 ,and after wards tooke 
better view of the place1 and resolved  
wher to pitch their dwelling2 and the   
fourth day of ,january begane to erecte 

the first house for commone use to      
receive them and their goods4 ,such1 in 
the quaint language of ,bradford1 is the
 calendar of ,new ,england's ,passover2 
and1 beginning on the nineteenth of     
,december1 it ends on the fourth of     
,january1 covering as nearly as may be  
the ,christmas holyday period4  ,is     
there any better use to which the       
,passover anniversary can be put than to
 retrospection8 ,and when your children 
shall say unto you1 ,what mean you by   
this service8 ye shall say1 ,it is the  
sacrifice of the ,lord's passover1 when 
he smote the ,egyptians1 and delivered  
our houses4 ,so the old story is told   
again1 being thus kept ever green in    
memory2 and1 in telling it1 the         
experiences of the past are brought     
insensibly to bear on the conditions of 
the present4 ,thus1 once a year1 like   
the ,israelites of old1 we1 as a people1
 may take our bearings and verify our   
course1 as we plunge on out of the      
infinite past into the unknowable       

future4 ,it is a useful practice2 and we
 are here this first evening of our     
,passover period to observe it4  ,this1 
too1 is an ,historical ,society1--that  
of ,lexington1 a name1 as1 when         
arraigned before the tribunal of the    
,french ,terror1 ,danton said of his    
own1 tolerably known in the ,revolution2
 and ,i am invited to address you       
because ,i am ,president of the         
,massachusetts ,historical ,society1 the
 most venerable organization of the sort
 in ,america1 perhaps in the world4     
,thus1 to-night1 though we shall        
necessarily have to touch on topics of  
the day1 and topics exciting the        
liveliest interest and most active      
discussion1 we will in so doing look at 
them1--not as politicians or as         
partisans1 nor from the commercial or   
religious side1 but solely from the     
historical point of view4 ,we shall     
judge of the present in its relations to
 the past4 ,and1 unquestionably1 there  
is great satisfaction to be derived from

 so doing2 the mere effort seems at once
 to take us into another atmosphere1--an
 atmosphere as foreign to unctuous cant 
as it is to what is vulgarly known as   
electioneering taffy4 ,this evening we  
pass away from the noisy and heated     
turmoil of partisan politics1 with its  
appeals to prejudice1 passion1 and      
material interest1 into the cool of a   
quiet academic discussion4 ,it is like  
going out of some turbulent caucus1 or  
exciting ward-room debate1 and finding  
oneself suddenly confronted by the cold1
 clear light of the ,december moon1     
shining amid the silence of innumerable 
stars4  ,addressing ourselves1          
therefore1 to the subject in hand1 the  
question at once suggests itself1--,what
 year in recent times has been in a     
large way more noteworthy and           
impressive1 when looked at from the     
purely historical point of view1 than   
this year of which we are now observing 
the close8 ,the first ,passover of the  
,israelites ended a drama of more than  

four centuries' duration1 for the       
sojourning of the children of ,israel1  
who dwelt in ,egypt1 was four hundred   
and thirty years2 and at the end of the 
four hundred and thirty years all the   
hosts of the ,lord went out from the    
land of ,egypt4 ,so the ,passover we now
 celebrate commemorates the closing of  
another world drama of almost precisely 
the same length1 and one of deepest     
significance1 as well as unsurpassed    
historic interest4 ,these world dramas  
are lengthy affairs2 for1 while we men  
are always in a hurry1 the ,almighty    
never is3 on the contrary1 as the       
,psalmist observed1 so now1 a thousand  
years in his sight are but as yesterday 
when it is past1 and as a watch in the  
night4 ,the drama ,i have referred to as
 this week brought to its close1 is that
 known in history as ,spanish           
,domination in ,america4 ,it began1 as  
we all know1 on the twenty-first of     
,october1 #adib2 it has been continuous 
through six years over four centuries4  

,it now passes into history2 the verdict
 may be made up4  ,so far as ,i         
personally am concerned1--a matter      
needless to say of very trifling        
consequence1--this verdict was rendered 
a year ago4 ,it was somewhat            
,rhadamanthine2 but a twelve-month of   
further reflection has shown no cause in
 any respect to revise it4 ,in referring
 to what was then plainly impending1 in 
,december1 #ahig1 before the blowing up 
of the battleship ,maine1 before a      
conflict had become inevitable1 ,i used 
this language in a paper read to the    
,massachusetts ,historical ,society3    
,when looking at the vicissitudes of    
human development1 we are apt to assume 
a certain air of optimism1 and take     
advancement as the law of being1 as a   
thing of course1 indisputable4 ,we are  
charitable1 too2 and to deny to any     
given race or people some degree of use 
in the economy of ,nature1 or the plan  
of ,creation1 is usually regarded as    
indicative of narrowness of view4 ,the  

fatal1 final word pessimist is apt to be
 whispered in connection with the name  
of one who ventures to suggest a doubt  
of this phase of the doctrine known as  
,universalism4 ,and yet1 at this time   
when1 before our eyes1 it is breathing  
its last1 ,i want some one to point out 
a single good thing in law1 or science1 
or art1 or literature1--material1 moral 
or intellectual1--which has resulted to 
the race of man upon earth from ,spanish
 domination in ,america4 ,i have tried  
to think of one in vain4 ,it certainly  
has not yielded an immortality1 an idea1
 or a discovery2 it has1 in fact1 been  
one long record of reaction and         
retrogression1 than which few pages in  
the record of mankind have been more    
discouraging or less fruitful of good4  
,what is now taking place in ,cuba is   
historical4 ,it is the dying out of a   
dominion1 the influence of which will be
 seen and felt for centuries in the life
 of two continents2 just as what is     
taking place in ,turkey is the last     

fierce flickering up of ,asiatic rule in
 ,europe1 on the very spot where        
twenty-four centuries ago ,asiatic rule 
in ,europe was thought to have been     
averted forever4 ,the two1 ,ottoman rule
 in ,europe1 and ,spanish rule in       
,america1 now stand at the bar of       
history2 and1 scanning the long         
four-century record of each1 ,i have    
been unable to see what either has      
contributed to the accumulated          
possessions of the human race1 or why   
both should not be classed among the    
many instances of the arrested          
civilization of a race1 developing by   
degrees an irresistible tendency to     
retrogression4  ,this1 one year ago2 and
 while the embers of the last           
,greco-,turkish struggle1 still white1  
were scarcely cold on the plain of      
,marathon4 ,the time since passed has   
yielded fresh proof in support of this  
harsh judgment2 for1 if there is one    
historical law better and more          
irreversibly established than another1  

it is that1 in the case of nations even 
more than in the case of individuals1   
their sins will find them out1--the day 
of reckoning may not be escaped4        
,noticeably1 has this proved so in the  
case of ,spain4 ,the year #aejj may be  
said to have found that country at the  
apex of her greatness4 ,america had then
 been newly discovered2 the ,moor was   
just subdued4 ,nearly half a century    
before 7#adec7 the ,roman ,empire had   
fallen1 and1 with the storming of       
,constantinople by the ,saracens1       
disappeared from the earth4 ,that event1
 it may be mentioned in passing1 closed 
another world drama continuous through  
twenty-two centuries1--upon the whole   
the most wonderful of the series4 ,and  
so1 when ,roman empire vanished1 that of
 ,spain began4 ,it was ushered in by the
 landfall of ,columbus2 and when1 just  
three hundred years later1 in #agib1 the
 subject was discussed in connection    
with its third centennial1 the general  
verdict of ,european thinkers was that  

the discovery of ,america had1 upon the 
whole1 been to mankind the reverse of   
beneficent4 ,this conclusion has since  
been commented upon with derision2 yet1 
when made1 it was right4 ,the ,united   
,states had in #agib just struggled into
 existence1 and its influence on the    
course of human events had not begun to 
make itself felt4 ,those who considered 
the subject had before them1 therefore1 
only ,spanish domination in ,america1   
and upon that their verdict cannot be   
gainsaid2 for1 from the year #adib down1
 the history of ,spain and ,spanish     
domination has undeniably been one long 
series of crimes and violations of      
natural law1 the penalty for which has  
not apparently even yet been exacted in 
full4  ,of those national crimes four   
stand out in special prominence1        
constituting counts in a national       
indictment than which history shows few 
more formidable4 ,these four were3 7#a7 
,the expulsion1 first1 of the ,jews1 and
 then of the ,moors1 or ,moriscoes1 from

 ,spain1 late in the fifteenth and early
 in the sixteenth centuries2 7#b7 the   
annals of the ,council of ,blood in the 
,netherlands1 and the eighty years of   
internecine warfare through which       
,holland fought its way out from under  
,spanish rule2 7#c7 the ,inquisition1   
the most ingenious human machinery ever 
invented to root out and destroy        
whatever a people had that was          
intellectually most alert1 inquisitive1 
and progressive2 and1 finally 7#d71 the 
policy of extermination1 and1 where not 
of extermination1 of cruel oppression1  
systematically pursued towards the      
aborigines of ,america4 ,into the       
grounds on which the different counts of
 this indictment rest it would be       
impossible now to enter4 ,were it       
desirable so to do1 time would not      
permit4 ,suffice it to say1 the penalty 
had to be paid to the uttermost         
farthing2 and one large instalment fell 
due1 and was mercilessly exacted1 during
 the year now drawing to its close4     

,spanish domination in ,america         
ceased1--the drama ended as it was      
entering on its fifth century1--and it  
can best be dismissed with the solemn   
words of ,abraham ,lincoln1 uttered more
 than thirty years ago1 when            
contemplating a similar expiation we    
were ourselves paying in blood and grief
 for a not dissimilar violation of an   
everlasting law1--,yet1 if ,god wills   
that this mighty scourge continue until 
all the wealth piled by the bondsmen's  
two hundred and fifty years of          
unrequited toil shall be sunk1 and until
 every drop of blood drawn by the lash  
shall be paid by another drawn by the   
sword1 as was said three thousand years 
ago1 so still it must be said1 ',the    
judgments of the ,lord are true and     
righteous altogether6'  ,but not only is
 this year memorable as witnessing the  
downfall and complete extirpation of    
that ,spanish rule in ,america which    
began with ,columbus1 but the result1   
when it at last came about1 was marked  

by incidents more curiously fitting and 
dramatic than it would have been        
possible for a ,shakspeare to have      
conceived4 ,columbus1 as we all know1   
stumbled1 as it were1 on ,america as he 
sailed west in search of                
,asia1--,cipango he was looking for1 and
 he found ,cuba4 ,it is equally well    
known that he never discovered his      
mistake4 ,when fourteen years later he  
died1 it was in the faith that1 through 
him1 ,europe had by a westward movement 
established itself in the archipelagoes 
of ,asia4 ,and now1 at last1 four       
centuries afterward1 the blow which did 
most to end the ,american domination he 
established was struck in ,asiatic      
waters2 and1 through it and the         
descendants of another race1 ,america   
seems on the threshold of realizing the 
mistaken belief of ,columbus1 and by a  
westward movement establishing the      
,european in that very archipelago      
,columbus failed to reach4 ,the ways of 
,providence are certainly not less      

singular than slow in movement4  ,but   
the year just ending was veritably one  
of surprises1--for the historical       
student it would1 indeed1 seem as if    
#ahih was destined to pass into the long
 record as almost the ,year of          
,surprises4 ,we now come to the         
consideration of some of these wholly   
unanticipated results from the ,american
 point of view4 ,and in entering on this
 aspect of the question1 it is necessary
 once more to remind you that we are    
doing it in the historical spirit1 and  
from the historical point of view4 ,we  
are stating facts not supposed to admit 
of denial4 ,the argument and inferences 
to be drawn from those facts do not     
belong to this occasion4 ,some will     
reach one conclusion as to the future1  
and the bearing those facts have upon   
its probable development1 and some will 
reach another conclusion2 with these    
conclusions we have nothing to do4 ,our 
business is exclusively with the facts4 
,speaking largely1 but still with all   

necessary historical accuracy1 ,america 
has been peopled1 and its development1  
up to the present time1 worked out      
through two great stocks of the         
,european family1--the ,spanish-speaking
 stock1 and the ,english-speaking stock4
 ,in their development these two have   
pursued lines1 clearly marked1 but      
curiously divergent4 ,leaving the       
,spanish-speaking branch out of the     
discussion1 as unnecessary to it1 it may
 without exaggeration be said of the    
,english-speaking branch that1 from the 
beginning down to this year now ending1 
its development has been one long       
protest against1 and divergence from1   
,old ,world methods and ideals4 ,in the 
case of those descended from the        
,forefathers1--as we always designate   
the ,plymouth colony1--this has been    
most distinctly marked1 ethnically1     
politically1 industrially4  ,america was
 the sphere where the ,european1 as a   
colonist1 a settler1 first came on a    
large scale in contact with another     

race4 ,heretofore1 in the ,old ,world1  
when one stock had overrun another1--and
 history presented many examples of     
it1--the invading stock1 after subduing1
 and to a great extent driving out1 the 
stock which had preceded in the         
occupancy of a region1 settled gradually
 down into a common possession1 and1 in 
the slow process of years1 an           
amalgamation of stocks1 more or less    
complete1 took place4 ,in ,america1 with
 the ,anglo-,saxon1 and especially those
 of the ,new ,england type1 this was not
 the case4 ,unlike the ,frenchman at the
 north1 or the ,spaniard at the south1  
the ,anglo-,saxon showed no disposition 
to ally himself with the aborigines1--he
 evinced no faculty of dealing with     
inferior races1 as they are called1     
except through a process of             
extermination4 ,here in ,massachusetts  
this was so from the outset4 ,nearly    
every one here has read ,longfellow's   
poem1 ,the ,courtship of ,miles         
,standish1 and calls to mind the short1 

sharp conflict between the ,plymouth    
captain and the ,indian chief1          
,pecksuot1 and how those ,god-fearing   
,pilgrims ruthlessly put to death by    
stabbing and hanging a sufficient number
 of the already plague-stricken and     
dying aborigines4 ,that episode occurred
 in ,april1 #afbc1 only a little more   
than two years after the landing we     
to-night celebrate1 and was1 so far as  
,new ,england is concerned1 the         
beginning of a series of wars which did 
not end until the ,indian ceased to be  
an element in our civilization4 ,when   
,john ,robinson1 the revered pastor of  
the ,plymouth church1 received tidings  
at ,leyden of that killing near         
,plymouth1--for ,robinson never got     
across the ,atlantic1--he wrote3 ,oh1   
how happy a thing had it been1 if you   
had converted some before you had killed
 any6 ,there is cause to fear that1 by  
occasion1 especially of provocation1    
there may be wanting that tenderness of 
the life of man 7made after ,god's      

image7 which is meet4 ,it is also a     
thing more glorious in men's eyes1 than 
pleasing in ,god's or convenient for    
,christians1 to be a terror to poor1    
barbarous people4 ,this all has a very  
familiar sound4 ,it is the refrain of   
nearly three centuries2 but1 as an      
historical fact1 it is undeniable that1 
from #afbc down to the year now ending1 
the ,american ,anglo-,saxon has in his  
dealings with what are known as the     
inferior races lacked that tenderness of
 the life of man which is meet1 and he  
has made himself a terror to poor1      
barbarous people4 ,how we of            
,massachusetts carried ourselves towards
 the aborigines here1 the fearful record
 of the ,pequot war remains             
everlastingly to tell4 ,how the country 
at large has carried itself in turn     
towards ,indian1 ,african1 and ,asiatic 
is matter of history4 ,and yet it is    
equally matter of history that this     
carriage1 term it what you              
will1--unchristian1 brutal1             

exterminating1--has been the salvation  
of the race4 ,it has saved the          
,anglo-,saxon stock from being a nation 
of half-breeds1--miscegenates1 to coin a
 word expressive of an idea4 ,the       
,canadian half-breed1 the ,mexican1 the 
mulatto1 say what men may1 are not      
virile or enduring races2 and that the  
,anglo-,saxon is none of these1 and is  
essentially virile and enduring1 is due 
to the fact that the less developed     
races perished before him4 ,nature is   
undeniably often brutal in its methods4 
,again1 and on the other hand1 the      
,anglo-,saxon when he came to ,america  
left behind him1 so far as he himself   
was concerned1 feudalism and all things 
pertaining to caste1 including what was 
then known in ,england1 and is still    
known in ,germany1 as ,divine ,right4   
,when he at last enunciated his         
political faith he put in the forefront 
of his declaration as self-evident      
truths1 the principles that all men are 
created equal2 that they are endowed    

with certain inalienable rights1 among  
them life1 liberty1 and the pursuit of  
happiness2 and that governments derived 
their just powers from the consent of   
the governed4 ,now what was meant here  
by the phrase all men are created equal8
 ,we know they are not4 ,they are not   
created equal in physical or mental     
endowment2 nor are they created with    
equal opportunity4 ,the world bristles  
with inequalities1 natural and          
artificial4 ,this is so2 and yet the    
declaration is none the less true2--true
 when made2 true now2 true for all      
future time4 ,the reference was to the  
inequalities which always had marked1   
then did1 and still do1 mark1 the       
political life of the ,old ,world1--to  
,caste1 ,divine ,right1 ,privilege4 ,it 
declared that all men were created equal
 before the law1 as before the ,lord2#a 
and that1 whether ,european1 ,american1 
,asiatic1 or ,african1 they were endowed
 with an inalienable right to life1     
liberty1 and the pursuit of happiness4  

,and to this truth1 as he saw it1       
,lincoln referred in those memorable    
words ,i have already cited bearing on  
our national crime in long forgetfulness
 of our own immutable principles4 ,the  
fundamental1 primal principle was indeed
 more clearly voiced by ,lincoln than it
 has been voiced before1 or since1 in   
declaring again1 and elsewhere that to  
our nation1 dedicated to the proposition
 that all men are created equal1 has by 
,providence been assigned the momentous 
task of testing whether any nation so   
conceived and so dedicated can long     
endure1 and that government of the      
people1 by the people1 for the people1  
shall not perish from the earth4  ,the  
next cardinal principle in our policy as
 a race--that instinctive policy ,i have
 already referred to as divergent from  
,old ,world methods and ideals--was most
 dearly enunciated by ,washington in his
 ,farewell ,address1 that the great rule
 for us in regard to foreign nations is1
 in extending our commercial relations1 

to have with them as little political   
connection as possible2 that it was     
unwise in us to implicate ourselves by  
artificial ties in the ordinary         
vicissitudes of ,old ,world policies1 or
 the ordinary combinations and          
collisions of her friendships or        
enmities4 ,our detached and distant     
situation invites and enables us to     
pursue a different course4444 ,taking   
care always to keep ourselves by        
suitable establishments on a respectable
 defensive posture1 we may safely trust 
to temporary alliances for extraordinary
 emergencies4  ,accepting this as firm  
ground from which to act1 we afterwards 
put forth what is known as the ,monroe  
,doctrine4 ,having announced that our   
purpose was1 in homely language1 to mind
 our own business1 we warned the outer  
world that we did not propose to permit 
by that outer world any interference in 
what did not concern it4 ,america was   
our field1--a field amply large for our 
development4 ,it was therefore declared 

that1 while we had never taken any part1
 nor did it comport with our policy to  
do so1 in the wars of ,european         
politics1 with the movements in this    
hemisphere we are1 of necessity1 more   
intimately connected4 ,we owe it1       
therefore1 to candor to declare that we 
should consider any attempt on the part 
of ,european powers to extend their     
system to any portion of this hemisphere
 as dangerous to our peace and safety4  
,on these principles of government and  
of foreign policy we have as a people   
now acted for more than seventy years4  
,they have been exemplified and         
developed in various directions1 and    
resulted in details--commercial1        
economic1 and ethnic--which have given  
rise to political issues1 long and hotly
 contested1 but which1 in their result  
from the purely historical point of     
view1 do not admit of dispute4          
,commercially1 we have adopted what is  
known as a system protective both of our
 industries and our labor4              

,economically1 we have carefully        
eschewed large and costly armaments1 and
 expensive governmental methods4        
,ethnically1 we have avowed our desire  
to have as little contact as possible   
with less developed races1 lamenting the
 presence of the ,african1 and severely 
excluding the ,asiatic4 ,these facts1   
whether we as individuals and citizens  
wholly approve--or do not approve at    
all--of the course pursued and the      
results reached1 admit of no dispute4   
,neither can it be denied that our      
attitude1 whether it in all respects    
commanded the respect of foreign        
nations1 or failed to command it1 was   
accepted1 and has prevailed4 ,striking  
illustrations of this at once suggest   
themselves4  ,in one respect especially 
was our attitude peculiar1 and in its   
peculiarity we took great pride4 ,it was
 largely moral2 but1 though largely     
moral1 it had behind it the             
consciousness of strength in ourselves1 
and its recognition by others4 ,in great

 degree1 and relatively1 an unarmed     
people1 we looked with amaze1 which had 
in it something of amusement1 at the    
constantly growing armaments and war    
budgets of the nations of ,europe4 ,we  
saw them1 like the warriors of the      
middle ages1 crushed under the weight of
 their weapons of offence1 and their    
preparations for defence4 ,meanwhile1   
fortunate in our geographical           
position1--weak for offence1 but1 in    
turn1 unassailable1--we went in and out 
much as an unarmed man1 relying on his  
character1 his recognized force1        
position1 and peaceful calling1 daily   
moves about in our frontier settlements 
and mining camps amid throngs of men    
armed to the teeth with revolvers and   
bowie knives4 ,yet1 evidence was not    
lacking of the consideration yielded to 
us when we were called upon1 or felt    
called upon1 to assert ourselves4 ,i    
will not refer to the episode of #ahff1 
when1 in accordance with the principles 
of the ,monroe ,doctrine1 we intimated  

to ,france that her immediate withdrawal
 from ,mexico was desired2 for then we  
had not laid down the arms we had taken 
up in the ,rebellion4 ,but1 without     
remonstrance even1 ,france withdrew4 ,in
 #ahia1 under circumstances not without 
grounds of aggravation against us1 a mob
 in ,valparaiso assaulted some seamen   
from our ships of war4 ,instant apology 
and redress were demanded2 and the      
demand was complied with4 ,yet later1   
the course pursued by us in the         
,venezuela matter is too fresh in memory
 to call for more than a reference4     
,these are all matters of history4 ,when
 did our word fail to carry all desired 
weight8  ,such were our standing1 our   
traditional policy1 and our record at   
the beginning of the year now ending4   
,no proposition advanced admits1 it is  
believed1 of dispute historically4 ,into
 the events of the year #ahih it is not 
necessary to enter in any detail4 ,they 
are in the minds of all4 ,it is         
sufficient to say that the primary      

object for which we entered upon the    
late war with ,spain was to bring to an 
end the long and altogether bad record  
of ,spanish rule in ,america4 ,in taking
 the steps deemed necessary to effect   
this result1 ,congress went out of its  
way1 and publicly and formally put upon 
record its disclaimer of any intention  
to enter upon a war of conquest1        
asserting its determination1 when       
,spanish domination was ended1 to leave 
the government of ,cuba1 and presumably 
of any other islands similarly acquired1
 to the people thereof4 ,as an incident 
to our naval operations on the ,pacific1
 the island of ,hawaii was then annexed 
to the ,united ,states as an            
extra-territorial possession1 or coaling
 station1 this being effected by a joint
 resolution of the two ,houses of       
,congress1 under the precedent of #ahde 
established in the case of ,texas1--a   
method of procedure the                 
constitutionality of which was at the   
time formally called in question by the 

,state of ,massachusetts1 and against   
which ,mr4 ,webster made vigorous       
protest in the ,senate4 ,in thus        
possessing ourselves of ,hawaii1 the    
consent of the native inhabitants was   
not considered necessary2 we dealt      
wholly with an oligarchical de facto    
government1 representing the foreign    
element1 mainly ,american1 there        
resident4  ,shortly after the           
acquisition of ,hawaii1 we1 as the      
result of brilliant naval operations and
 successes1 acquired possession of the  
harbor of ,manila1 in the ,philippine   
archipelago1 and finally the city and   
some adjacent territory were surrendered
 to us4 ,a treaty was then negotiated1  
the power of ,spain being completely    
broken1 under which she abandoned all   
claims of sovereignty1 not only over the
 island of ,cuba1 the original cause of 
war1 but over various other islands in  
the ,philippine1 as well as in the ,west
 ,indian1 archipelagoes4 ,these islands1
 in all said to be some #a1bjj to #a1ejj

 in number1 are moreover not only       
inhabited by both natives and foreigners
 to the estimated number of ten to      
twelve million of souls1 but they       
contain large cities and communities    
speaking different tongues1 living under
 other laws1 and having customs1        
manners1 and traditions wholly unlike   
our own1 and which1 in the case of the  
,philippines1 do not admit of           
assimilation4 ,situated in the tropics  
also1 they cannot gradually become      
colonized by ,americans1 with or without
 the disappearance of the native        
population4 ,the ,american can only go  
there for temporary residence4  ,a      
wholly new problem was thus suddenly    
presented to the people of the ,united  
,states4 ,on the one hand1 it is        
asserted that1 by destroying ,spanish   
government in these islands1 the ,united
 ,states has assumed responsibility for 
them1 both to the inhabitants and to the
 world4 ,this is a moral obligation4 ,on
 the other hand1 trade and commercial   

inducements are held out which would    
lead us to treat these islands simply as
 a commencement--the first              
instalment--in a system of unlimited    
extra-territorial dependencies and      
imperial expansion4 ,with these         
responsibilities and obligations we here
 this evening have nothing to do1 any   
more than we have to do with the        
expediency or probable results of the   
policy of colonial expansion1 when once 
fairly adopted and finally entered upon4
 ,these hereafter will be1 but are not  
yet1 historical questions2 and we are   
merely historical inquirers4 ,we1       
therefore1 no matter what others may do1
 must try to confine ourselves to our   
own proper business and functions4  ,my 
purpose1 therefore1 is not to argue for 
or against what is now proposed1 but    
simply to test historically some of the 
arguments ,i have heard most commonly   
advanced in favor of the proposed policy
 of expansion1 and thus see to what they
 apparently lead in the sequence of     

human1 and more especially of ,american1
 events4 ,do they indicate an historic  
continuity8 ,or do they result in what  
is geologically known as a fault1--a    
movement1 as the result of force1       
through which a stratum1 once           
continuous1 becomes disconnected8  ,in  
the first place1 then1 as respects the  
inhabitants of the vastly greater number
 of the dependencies already acquired1  
and1 under the policy of imperialistic  
expansion1 hereafter to be acquired4 ,it
 is argued that we1 as a people at once 
dominant and ,christian1 are under an   
obligation to avail ourselves of the    
opportunity the ,almighty1 in his       
infinite wisdom1 has thrust upon        
us1--some say the plain call he has     
uttered to us1--to go forth1 and impart 
to the barbarian and the heathen the    
blessings of liberty and the ,bible4 ,a 
mission is imposed upon us4 ,viewed in  
the cold1 pitiless light of             
history1--and that is the only way we   
here can view them1--divine missions and

 providential calls are questionable    
things2 things the assumption and       
fulfilment of which are apt to be at    
variance4 ,so far as the ,american is   
concerned1 as ,i have already pointed   
out1 the historic precedents are not    
encouraging4 ,whatever his theories1    
ethnical1 political1 or religious1 his  
practice has been as pronounced as it   
was masterful4 ,from the earliest days  
at ,wessagusset and in the ,pequot war1 
down to the very last election held in  
,north ,carolina1--from #afbc to        
#ahih1--the knife and the shotgun have  
been far more potent and active         
instruments in his dealings with the    
inferior races than the code of liberty 
or the output of the ,bible ,society4   
,the record speaks for itself4 ,so far  
as the ,indian is concerned1 the story  
has been told by ,mrs4 ,jackson in her  
earnest1 eloquent protest1 entitled ,a  
,century of ,dishonor4 ,it has received 
epigrammatic treatment in the saying    
tersely enunciated by one of our        

military commanders1 and avowedly       
accepted by the others1 that the only   
good ,indian is a dead ,indian4 ,so far 
as the ,african is concerned1 the       
similar apothegm once was that the black
 man has no rights the white man is     
bound to respect2 or1 as ,stephen ,a4   
,douglas defined his position before an 
applauding audience1 ,i am for the white
 man as against the black man1 and for  
the black man against the alligator4    
,recent lynching and shotgun            
experiences1 too fresh in memory to call
 for reminder1 and too painful in detail
 to describe1 give us at least reason to
 pause before we leave our own          
hearthstone to seek new and distant     
fields for missionary labors4 ,it       
remains to consider the ,asiatic4 ,the  
racial antipathy of the ,american       
towards him has been more intense than  
towards any other species of the human  
race4 ,this1 as an historical fact1 has 
been recently imbedded in our           
statute-book1 having previously been    

illustrated in a series of outrages and 
massacres1 with the sickening details of
 some of which it was at one time my    
misfortune to be officially familiar4   
,under these circumstances1 so far as   
the circulation of the ,bible and the   
extension of the blessings of liberty   
are concerned1 history affords small    
encouragement to the ,american to assume
 new obligations4 ,he has been1 and now 
is1 more than merely delinquent in the  
fulfilment of obligations heretofore    
thrust upon him1 or knowingly assumed4  
,in this respect his instinct has proved
 much more of a controlling factor than 
his ethics1--the shotgun has            
unfortunately been more constantly in   
evidence than the ,bible4 ,as a         
prominent expansionist ,new ,england    
member of the present ,congress has     
recently declared in language1 brutal   
perhaps in directness1 but withal       
commendably free from cant3 ,china is   
succumbing to the inevitable1 and the   
,united ,states1 if she would not retire

 to the background1 must advance along  
the line with the other great nations4  
,she must acquire new territory1        
providing new markets over which she    
must maintain control4 ,the             
,anglo-,saxon advances into the new     
regions with a ,bible in one hand and a 
shotgun in the other4 ,the inhabitants  
of those regions that he cannot convert 
with the aid of the ,bible and bring    
into his markets1 he gets rid of with   
the shotgun4 ,it is but another         
demonstration of the survival of the    
fittest4 7,hon4 ,c4,a4 ,sulloway1       
,rochester1 ,n4,h41 ,nov4 #bb1 #ahih47  
,next as regards our fundamental        
principles of equality of human rights1 
and the consent of the governed as the  
only just basis of all government4 ,the 
presence of the inferior races on our   
own soil1 and our new problems connected
 with them in our dependencies1 have led
 to much questioning of the correctness 
of those principles1 which1 for its     
outspoken frankness1 at least1 is       

greatly to be commended4 ,it is argued  
that these1 as principles1 in the light 
of modern knowledge and conditions1 are 
of doubtful general truth and limited   
application4 ,true1 when confined and   
carefully applied to citizens of the    
same blood and nationality2             
questionable1 when applied to human     
beings of different race in one         
nationality2 manifestly false1 in the   
case of races less developed1 and in    
other1 especially tropical1 countries4#b
 ,as fundamental principles1 it is      
admitted1 they were excellent for a     
young people struggling into recognition
 and limiting its attention narrowly to 
what only concerned itself2 but have we 
not manifestly outgrown them1 now that  
we ourselves have developed into a great
 ,world ,power8 ,for such there was and 
necessarily always will be1 as between  
the superior and the inferior races1 a  
manifest common sense foundation in     
caste1 and in the rule of might when it 
presents itself in the form of what we  

are pleased to call ,manifest ,destiny4 
,as to government being conditioned on  
the consent of the governed1 it is      
obviously the bounden duty of the       
superior race to hold the inferior race 
in peaceful tutelage1 and protect it    
against itself2 and1 furthermore1 when  
it comes to deciding the momentous      
question of what races are superior and 
what inferior1 what dominant and what   
subject1 that is of necessity a question
 to be settled between the superior race
 and its own conscience2 and one in     
regard to the correct settlement of     
which it indicates a tendency at once   
unpatriotic and pessimistic1 to assume  
that ,america could by any chance decide
 otherwise than correctly4 ,upon that   
score we must put implicit confidence in
 the sound instincts and ,christian     
spirit of the dominant1 that is1 the    
stronger race4  ,it is the same with    
that other fundamental principle with   
which the name of ,lexington is1 from   
the historical point of view1 so closely

 associated1--,i refer1 of course1 to   
the revolutionary contention that       
representation is a necessary adjunct to
 taxation4 ,this principle also1 it is  
frankly argued1 we have outgrown1 in    
presence of our new responsibilities2   
and1 as between the superior and        
inferior races1 it is subject to obvious
 limitations4 ,here again1 as between   
the policy of the ,open ,door and the   
,closed-,colonial-,market policy1 the   
superior race is amenable to its own    
conscience only4 ,it will doubtless on  
all suitable and convenient occasions   
bear in mind that it is a ,trustee for  
,civilization4  ,finally1 as respects   
entangling foreign alliances1 and their 
necessary consequents1 costly and       
burdensome armaments and large standing 
armies1 we are again advised that1      
having ceased to be children1 we should 
put away childish things4 ,having become
 a great ,world ,power we must become a 
corresponding ,war ,power4 ,we are      
assured by high authority that1 were    

,washington now alive1 it cannot be     
questioned he would in all these        
respects modify materially the views    
expressed in the ,farewell ,address1 as 
being obviously inapplicable to existing
 conditions4 ,under these circumstances1
 and in view of the obligations we have 
assumed1 the ,president1 and            
,secretaries of ,war and the ,navy1     
recommend an establishment the annual   
cost of which 7#bjj1jjj1jjj71 exclusive 
of military pensions1 is in excess of   
the largest of those ,european ,war     
,budgets1 over the crushing influence of
 which we have expressed a traditional  
wonder1 not unmixed with pity for the   
unfortunate tax-payer4  ,historically   
speaking1 ,i believe these are all      
facts1 susceptible of verification4 ,i  
do not mean to say that the arguments   
developing obvious limitations in the   
application of the principles of the    
,declaration and the ,constitution have 
been avowedly accepted by our           
representatives1 or officially          

incorporated into our domestic and      
foreign policy4 ,i do assert as an      
historical fact that these arguments    
have been advanced1 and are meeting1    
both in ,congress and with the press1 a 
large degree of acceptance4 ,and hence  
comes a singular and most significant   
conclusion from which1 historically1    
there seems to be no escape4 ,it may or 
it may not be fortunate and right2 it   
may or it may not lead to beneficent    
future results2 it may or it may not    
contribute to the good of mankind4      
,those questions belong elsewhere than  
in the rooms of an historical society4  
,upon them we are not called to         
pass1--they belong to the politician1   
the publicist1 the philosopher1 not to  
us4 ,but1 as historical investigators1  
and so observing the sequence of events1
 it cannot escape our notice that on    
every one of the fundamental principles 
discussed1--whether ethnic1 economical1 
or political1--we abandon the           
traditional and distinctively ,american 

grounds and accept those of ,europe1 and
 especially of ,great ,britain1 which   
heretofore we have made it the basis of 
our faith to deny and repudiate4  ,with 
this startling proposition in mind1     
consider again the several propositions 
advanced2 and first1 as regards the     
so-called inferior races4 ,our policy   
towards them1 instinctive and           
formulated1 has been either to exclude  
or destroy1 or to leave them in the     
fullness of time to work out their own  
destiny1 undisturbed by us2 fully       
believing that1 in this way1 we in the  
long run best subserved the interests of
 mankind4 ,europe1 and ,great ,britain  
especially1 adopted the opposite policy4
 ,they held that it was incumbent on the
 superior to go forth and establish     
dominion over the inferior race1 and to 
hold and develop vast imperial          
possessions and colonial dependencies4  
,they saw their interest and duty in    
developing systems of docile tutelage2  
we sought our inspirations in the rough 

school of self-government4 ,under this  
head the result then is distinct1 clean 
cut1 indisputable4 ,to this conclusion  
have we come at last4 ,the ,old ,world1 
,europe and ,great ,britain1 were1 after
 all1 right1 and we of the ,new ,world  
have been wrong4 ,from every point of   
view1--religious1 ethnic1 commercial1   
political1--we cannot1 it is now        
claimed1 too soon abandon our           
traditional position and assume theirs4 
,again1 ,europe and ,great ,britain have
 never admitted that men were created   
equal1 or that the consent of the       
governed was a condition of government4 
,they have1 on the contrary1            
emphatically denied both propositions4  
,we now concede that1 after all1 there  
was great basis for their denial2 that1 
certainly1 it must be admitted1 our     
forefathers were hasty at least in      
reaching their conclusions1--they       
generalized too broadly4 ,we do not     
frankly avow error1 and we still think  
the assent of the governed to a         

government a thing desirable to be      
secured1 under suitable circumstances   
and with proper limitations2 but1 if it 
cannot conveniently be secured1 we are  
advised on ,new ,england senatorial     
authority that the consent of some of   
the governed will be sufficient1 we     
ourselves selecting those proper to be  
consulted4 ,thus in such cases as       
certain islands of the ,antilles1       
,hawaii1 and the communities of ,asia1  
we admit that1 so far as the principles 
at the basis of the ,declaration are    
concerned1 ,great ,britain was right1   
and our ancestors were1 not perhaps     
wrong1 but too general1 and of the      
eighteenth century1 in their statements4
 ,to that extent1 we have outgrown the  
,declaration of #aggf1 and have become  
as wise now as ,great ,britain was then4
 ,at any rate we are not above learning4
 ,as was long ago said1--,only dead men 
and idiots never change2 and the people 
of the ,united ,states are nothing      
unless open-minded4  ,so1 also1 as      

respects the famous ,boston tea-party1  
and taxation without representation4    
,great ,britain then affirmed this right
 in the case of colonies and            
dependencies4 ,taught by the lesson of  
our ,war of ,independence1 she has since
 abandoned it4 ,we now take it up1 and  
are to-day1 as one of the new           
obligations towards the heathen imposed 
upon us by ,providence1 formulating     
systems of imposts and tariffs for our  
new dependencies1 wholly distinct from  
our own1 and directly inhibited by our  
constitution1 in regard to which systems
 those dependencies have no             
representative voice4 ,they are not to  
be consulted as to the kind of door1    
open or closed1 behind which they are to
 exist4 ,in taking this position it is  
difficult to see why we must not also   
incidentally admit that1 in the great   
contention preceding our ,war of        
,independence1 the first armed clash of 
which resounded here in ,lexington1     
,great ,britain was more nearly right   

than the exponents of the principles for
 which those embattled farmers          
contended4  ,again1 consider the ,monroe
 ,doctrine1 entangling foreign          
alliances1 and the consequent and costly
 military and naval establishments4 ,the
 ,monroe ,doctrine had two sides1 the   
abstention of the ,old ,world from      
interference in ,american affairs1 based
 on our abstention from interference in 
the affairs of the ,old ,world4 ,but it 
is now argued we have outgrown the      
,monroe ,doctrine1 or at least the      
latter branch of it4 ,it is certainly so
 considered in ,europe2 for1 only a few 
days ago1 so eminent an authority as    
,lord ,farrar exultingly exclaimed in   
addressing the ,cobden ,club1--,america 
has burned the swaddling clothes of the 
,monroe ,doctrine4 ,indeed we have1 in  
discussion at least1 gone far in advance
 of the mere burning of cast-off        
infantile clothing1 and alliances with  
,great ,britain and ,japan1 as against  
,france and ,russia1 are freely mooted1 

with a view to the forcible partition of
 ,china1 to which we are to be a party1 
and of it a beneficiary4 ,for it is     
already avowed that the ,philippines are
 but a stopping-place on the way to the 
continent of ,asia2 and ,china1 unlike  
,poland1 is inhabited by an inferior    
race1 in regard to whom1 as large       
possible consumers of surplus products1 
,providence has imposed on us obvious   
obligations1 material as well as        
benevolent and religious1 which it would
 be unlike ourselves to disregard4 ,it  
is the mandate of duty1 we are          
told1--the nations of ,europe obey it1  
and can we do less than they8 ,isolation
 it is then argued is but another name  
for an attention to one's own business  
which may well become excessive1 and    
result in selfishness4 ,it is true that 
the nations of the ,old ,world have not 
heretofore erred conspicuously in this  
respect2 and as the ,balance of ,power  
was the word-juggle with which to       
conjure up wars and armaments in the    

eighteenth century1 so the ,division of 
,trade may not impossibly prove the     
similar conjuring word-juggle of the    
twentieth century4 ,nevertheless1       
isolation is not compatible with the    
policy of a ,great ,nation under a call 
to assert itself as a ,world ,power4    
,then follows the familiar argument in  
favor of costly military and naval      
establishments4 ,but1 upon this head it 
is needless to restate our traditional  
policy1--our jealousy as a people of    
militarism and large standing armies1 to
 be used1 if occasion calls1 as a       
reserve police4 ,our record thereon is  
so plain that repetition grows tedious4 
,the record of ,europe1 and especially  
of ,great ,britain as distinguished from
 other ,european powers1 has been       
equally plain1 and is no less           
indisputable4 ,in this respect1 also1   
always under compulsion1 we now admit   
our error4 ,costly armies are necessary 
to the maintenance of order1 ,heaven's  
first law2 and ,world ,powers cannot    

maintain peace1 and themselves1 without 
powerful navies and frequent coaling    
stations4  ,finally1 even on such       
matters as the ,protective ,system and  
the encouragement of ,american ,labor1  
as against the ,pauper ,labor of ,europe
 and of the inferior races1 ,great      
,britain has for half a century now     
advocated the principle of unrestricted 
industry and free trade1--that is the   
,open ,door policy logically carried to 
its final results4 ,we have denied it1  
establishing what we in time grew to    
call the distinctive ,american system4  
,it is1 however1 now asserted that      
,trade follows the ,flag1 and that1 as  
respects dependencies at least1 the     
,open ,door policy is the best policy4  
,if ,trade follows the ,flag in         
dependencies1 and1 by so doing1 affords 
the ,american producer all needful      
protection and every fair advantage in  
those dependencies1 it is not at once   
apparent why it fails so to do at home4 
,is it less docile to the flag1 less in 

harmony with and subservient to it1 in  
the ,united ,states1 within our own     
limits1 than in remote lands under that 
flag beyond the seas8 ,and1 if so1 how  
is such an apparent anomaly accounted   
for8 ,but with this question we are not 
concerned4 ,that problem is for the     
economist to solve1 for in character it 
is commercial1 not historical4 ,the     
point with us is that again1 as regards 
the ,open ,door1--free trade and no     
favor1 so far as all outside competition
 is concerned1 ,american labor and      
pauper labor being equally outside1--on 
this long and hotly contested point1    
also1 ,england appears on the face of   
things to have had after all much the   
best of the argument4  ,as regards      
,pauper ,labor1 indeed1 the reversal    
contemplated of established policy in   
favor of ,european methods is specially 
noteworthy4 ,the labor of ,asia is      
undeniably less well paid even than that
 of ,europe2 but it is now proposed1 by 
a single act1 to introduce into our     

industrial system ten millions of       
,asiatics1 either directly1 or through  
their products sold in open competition 
with our own2 or1 if we do not do that1 
to hold them1 ascribed to the soil in a 
sort of old ,saxon serfdom1 with the    
function assigned them of consuming our 
surplus products1 but without in return 
sending us theirs4 ,the great           
counterbalancing consideration will not1
 of course1 be forgotten that1 like the 
,english in ,india1 we also bestow on   
them the ,blessings of ,liberty and the 
,bible2 provided1 always1 that liberty  
does not include freedom to go to the   
,united ,states1 and the ,bible does    
include the excellent ,old ,time and    
,old ,world precept 7,coloss4 #c3 #bb71 
,servants1 obey in all things your      
masters4  ,it is the same in other      
respects4 ,it seems to be admitted by   
the ,president1 and by the leading      
authorities on the imperialistic policy1
 that it can only be carried to         
successful results through the agency of

 a distinct governing class4            
,accordingly administration through the 
agency of military or naval officers is 
strongly urged both by the ,president   
and by ,captain ,mahan4 ,other advocates
 of the policy urge its adoption on the 
ground1 very distinctly avowed1 that it 
will necessitate an established1        
recognized ,civil ,service1 modelled1   
they add1 on that of ,great ,britain4   
,if1 they then argue1 ,great ,britain   
can extend--as1 indeed1 she             
unquestionably has extended--her system 
of dependencies all over the globe1     
developing them into the most           
magnificent empire the world ever saw1  
it is absurd1 unpatriotic1 and          
pessimistic to doubt that we can do the 
same4 ,are we not of the same blood1 and
 the same speech8 ,this is all          
historically true4 ,historically it is  
equally true that1 to do it1 we must    
employ means similar to those ,great    
,britain has employed4 ,in other words1 
modelling ourselves on ,great ,britain1 

we must slowly and methodically develop 
and build up a recognized and permanent 
governing and official class4 ,the      
heathen and barbarian need to be        
studied1 and dealt with intelligently   
and on a system2 they cannot be         
successfully managed on any principle of
 rotation in office1 much less one which
 ascribes the spoils of office to the   
victors at the polls4 ,what these       
advocates of ,imperialism say is        
unquestionably true3 ,the political     
methods now in vogue in ,american cities
 are not adapted to the government of   
dependencies4  ,the very word ,imperial 
is1 indeed1 borrowed from the ,old      
,world4 ,as applied to a great system of
 colonial dominion and foreign          
dependencies it is ,english1 and very   
modern ,english1 also1 for it was first 
brought into vogue by the late ,earl of 
,beaconsfield in #ahgi1 when1 by ,act of
 ,parliament introduced by him1 the     
,queen of ,england was made ,empress of 
,india4 ,it was then he enunciated that 

doctrine of imperium et libertas1 the   
adoption of which we are now            
considering4 ,while it may be wise and  
sound1 it indisputably is ,british4     
,thus1 curiously enough1 whichever way  
we turn and however we regard it1 at the
 close of more than a century of        
independent existence we find ourselves1
 historically speaking1 involved in a   
mesh of contradictions with our past4   
,under a sense of obligation1 impelled  
by circumstances1 perhaps to a degree   
influenced by ambition and commercial   
greed1 we have one by one abandoned our 
distinctive national tenets1 and        
accepted in their place1 though in some 
modified forms1 the old-time ,european  
tenets and policies1 which we supposed  
the world1 actuated largely by our      
example1 was about forever to discard4  
,our whole record as a people is1 of    
course1 then ransacked and subjected to 
microscopic investigation1 and every    
petty disregard of principle1 any wrong 
heretofore silently1 perhaps sadly1     

ignored1 each unobserved or disregarded 
innovation of the past1 is magnified    
into a precedent justifying anything and
 everything in the future4 ,if we       
formerly on some occasion swallowed a   
gnat1 why now1 is it asked1 strain at a 
camel8 ,truths once accepted as         
self-evident1 since become awkward of   
acceptance1 were ever thus pettifogged  
out of the path1 and fundamental        
principles have in this way             
prescriptively been tampered with4 ,it  
is now nearly a century and a quarter   
ago1 when ,great ,britain was           
contemplating the subjection of her     
,american dependencies1 that ,edmund    
,burke denounced tampering with the     
ingenuous and noble roughness of truly  
constitutional materials1 as the odious 
vice of restless and unstable minds4    
,historically speaking it is not unfair 
to ask if this is less so in the ,united
 ,states in #ahih than it was in ,great 
,britain in #agge4  ,what is now        
proposed1 therefore1 examined in        

connection with our principles and      
traditional policy as a nation1 does    
apparently indicate a break in          
continuity1--historically1 it will      
probably constitute what is known in    
geology as a fault4 ,indeed1 it is      
almost safe to say that history hardly  
records any change of base and system on
 the part of a great people at once so  
sudden1 so radical1 and so pregnant with
 consequences4 ,to the optimist1--he who
 has no dislike to ,old ,jewry1 as the  
proper receptacle for worn-out garments1
 personal or political1--the outlook is 
inspiring4 ,he insensibly recalls and   
repeats those fine lines of ,tennyson3  
,to-day ,i saw the dragon-fly      ,come
 from the wells where he did lie4       
,an inner impulse rent the veil      ,of
 his old husk3 from head to tail        
,came out clear plates of sapphire mail4
      ,he dried his wings3 like gauze   
they grew3      ,thro' crofts and       
pastures wet with dew      ,a living    
flash of light he flew4  ,to others1    

older perhaps1 but at any rate more     
deeply impressed with the difference apt
 to develop between dreams and          
actualities1 the situation calls to mind
 a comparison1 more historical it is    
true1 but less inspiriting so far as a  
commitment to the new policy is         
concerned4 ,at the risk1 possibly1 of   
offending some of those present1 ,i will
 venture to institute it4 ,in the fourth
 chapter of the ,gospel according to    
,st4 ,matthew1 ,i find this incident    
recorded3 ,the devil taketh him the     
,saviour up into an exceeding high      
mountain1 and showeth him all the       
kingdoms of the world1 and the glory of 
them2 and saith unto him1 ,all these    
things will ,i give thee1 if thou wilt  
fall down and worship me4 ,then saith   
,jesus unto him1 ,get thee hence1       
,satan4 ,then the devil leaveth him1    
and1 behold1 angels came and ministered 
unto him4 ,now1 historically speaking1  
and as a matter of scriptural exegesis1 
that this passage should be accepted    

literally is not supposable4 ,satan1 on 
the occasion referred to1 must not be   
taken to have presented himself to the  
,saviour in propri person with his      
attributes of horns1 tail1 and cloven   
hoof1 and made an outright proposition  
of extra-territorial sovereignty4 ,it   
was a parable4 ,he who had assumed a    
lofty moral attitude was tempted by     
worldly inducements to adopt a lower    
attitude1--that1 in a word1 common among
 men4 ,it was a whispering to ,christ of
 what among nations1 is known as        
,manifest ,destiny2 in that case1       
however1 as possibly in others1 it so   
chanced that the whispering was not from
 the ,almighty1 but from ,satan4 ,now   
if1 instead of recognizing the source   
whence the temptation came1 and sternly 
saying1 ,get thee hence1 ,satan1 ,christ
 had seen the proposition as a new      
,mission1--thought1 in fact1 that he    
heard a distinct call to ,duty1--and so1
 accepting a ,responsibility thrust upon
 him1 had hurried down from the         

exceeding high mountain1 and proceeded  
at once to lay in a supply of weapons   
and to don defensive armor1 renouncing  
his peaceful mission1 he would have done
 exactly--what ,mohammed did six        
centuries later6  ,i do not for a moment
 mean to suggest that1 as respects the  
voice of ,manifest ,destiny1 there is   
any similarity between the case of the  
,saviour and that which we1 as a people1
 are now considering4 ,i am not a       
prophet1 nor do ,i claim prophetic      
insight4 ,we are merely historical      
investigators1 and1 as such1 not        
admitted into the councils of the       
,almighty4 ,others doubtless are1 or    
certainly claim to be4 ,they know every 
time1 and at once1 whether it is the    
inspiration of ,god or the devil2 and   
forthwith proclaim it from the          
house-tops4 ,we must admit--at any rate 
no evidence in our possession enables us
 to deny--the confidential relations    
such claim to have with either or both  
of the agencies in question1--the       

,divine or the ,infernal4 ,all ,i now   
have in mind is to call attention to the
 obvious similarity of the positions4   
,as compared with the ideals and tenets 
then in vogue1--principles of manhood1  
equality before the law1 freedom1 peace 
on earth1 and good-will to men1--the    
,united ,states1 heretofore and seen in 
a large way1 has1 among nations1 assumed
 a peculiar1 and1 from the moral point  
of view1 unquestionably a lofty         
attitude4 ,speaking historically it     
might1 and with no charge of levity1 be 
compared with a similar moral attitude  
assumed among men eighteen centuries    
before by the ,saviour4 ,it             
discountenanced armaments and warfare2  
it advocated arbitrations1 and bowed to 
their awards2 spreading its arms and    
protection over the ,new ,world1 it     
refused to embroil itself in the        
complications of the ,old2 above all1 it
 set a not unprofitable example to the  
nations of benefits incident to minding 
one's own business1 and did not arrogate

 to itself the character of a favorite  
and inspired instrument in the hands of 
,god4 ,it even went so far as to assume 
that1 in working out the inscrutable    
ways of ,providence1 character1         
self-restraint1 and moral grandeur were 
in the long run as potent in effecting  
results as iron-clads and gatling-guns4 
,those who now advocate a continuance of
 this policy are1 as neatly as wittily1 
referred to in discussion1 for want of a
 better name1 as ,little ,americans1    
just as in history the believers in the 
long-run efficacy of the doctrines of   
,christ might be termed ,little         
,gospellers1 to distinguish them from   
the admirers of the later1 but more     
brilliant and imperial1 dispensation of 
,mohammed4 ,that the earlier1 and less  
immediately ambitious1 doctrine was1 in 
the case of the ,united ,states1 only   
temporary1 and is now outgrown1 and     
must1 therefore1 be abandoned in favor  
of ,old ,world methods1 especially those
 pursued with such striking success by  

,great ,britain1 is possible4 ,as       
historical investigators we have long   
since learned that it is the unexpected 
which in the development of human       
affairs is most apt to occur4 ,who1 for 
instance1 in our own recent history     
could ever have foreseen that1 in the   
inscrutable ways of the ,almighty1 the  
great triumph of ,slavery in the        
annexation of ,texas1 and the spoliation
 of that inferior race which inhabited  
,mexico1 was1 within fifteen years only1
 to result in what ,lincoln called that 
terrible war in which every drop of     
blood ever drawn by the lash was paid by
 another drawn by the sword8 ,again1 in 
,may1 #ahef1 a ,representative of ,south
 ,carolina struck down a ,senator from  
,massachusetts in the ,senate-chamber at
 ,washington2 in ,january1 #ahfe1       
,massachusetts battalions bivouacked    
beside the smoking ruins of ,south      
,carolina's capital4 ,verily1 as none   
know better than we1 the ways of        
,providence are mysterious1 and past    

finding out4 ,none the less1 though it  
cannot be positively asserted that the  
world would not have been wiser1 more   
advanced1 and better ordered had        
,christ1 when on that exceeding high    
mountain1 heard in the words then       
whispered in his ear a manifest call of 
,duty1 and felt a ,responsibility thrust
 upon him to secure the kingdoms of the 
earth for the ,blessings of ,liberty and
 the ,bible by so small a sacrifice as  
making an apparently meaningless        
obeisance to ,satan1 yet we can         
certainly say that the world would now  
have been very different from what it is
 had ,he so done4 ,and so in the case of
 the ,united ,states1 though we cannot  
for a moment assert that its fate and   
the future of the world will not be     
richer1 better1 and brighter from its   
abandonment of ,new ,world traditions   
and policies in favor of the traditions 
and policies of the ,old ,world1 we can 
say without any hesitation that the     
course of history will be greatly       

changed by the so doing4  ,in any event 
the experiment will be one of surpassing
 interest to the historical observer4   
,some years ago ,james ,russell ,lowell 
was asked by the ,french historian1     
,guizot1 how long the ,republic of the  
,united ,states might reasonably be     
expected to endure4 ,mr4 ,lowell's reply
 has always been considered peculiarly  
happy4 ,so long1 said he1 as the ideas  
of its founders continue dominant4 ,in  
due course of time we1 or those who     
follow us1 will know whether ,mr4       
,lowell diagnosed the situation         
correctly1 or otherwise4 ,meanwhile1 ,i 
do not know how ,i can better bring to  
an end this somewhat lengthy            
contribution to the occasion1 than by   
repeating1 as singularly applicable to  
the conditions in which we find         
ourselves1 these verses from a recent   
poem1 than which ,i have heard none in  
the days that now are which strike a    
deeper or a truer chord1 or one more    
appropriate to this ,new ,england       

,paschal eve3      ,the tumult and the  
shouting dies1        ,the captains and 
the kings depart2      ,still stands    
thine ancient sacrifice1        ,an     
humble and a contrite heart4      ,lord 
,god of ,hosts1 be with us yet1         
,lest we forget--lest we forget6        
,far-called our navies melt away1       
,on dune and headline sinks the fire--  
,lo1 all our pomp of yesterday          
,is one with ,nineveh and ,tyre6        
,judge of the nations1 spare us yet1    
,lest we forget--lest we forget6        
,if1 drunk with sight of power1 we loose
        ,wild tongues that have not     
,thee in awe1      ,such boasting as the
 ,gentiles use        ,or lesser breeds 
without the law--      ,lord ,god of    
hosts1 be with us yet1      ,lest we    
forget--lest we forget6      ,for       
heathen heart that puts her trust       
,in reeking tube and iron shard--       
,all valiant dust that builds on dust1  
,and guarding calls not ,thee to guard--
      ,for frantic boast and foolish    

word1      ,thy mercy on thy people1    
,lord6                          ,amen4  
,taken in connection with the foregoing 
paper1 the following-letter1 addressed  
to the ,hon4 ,carl ,schurz1 is          
self-explanatory3   ,,boston1 ,december 
#ba1 #ahih4  ,,my ,,dear ,,mr4 ,,schurz3
  ,in a recent letter you kindly suggest
 that ,i submit to you a sketch of what1
 ,i think1 should be said in an address 
such as it is proposed should now be put
 forth by the ,anti-,imperialist ,league
 to the people of the ,united ,states4  
,i last evening read a paper before the 
,lexington ,historical ,society1 in     
which ,i discussed the question of      
extra-territorial expansion from the    
historical point of view4 ,a copy of    
this paper ,i hope soon to forward you4 
,meanwhile1 there is one aspect1 and1 to
 my mind1 the all-important aspect of   
the question1 which1 in addressing an   
historical society1 was not germane4 ,i 
refer to the question of a practical    
policy to be pursued by us1 as a nation1

 under existing conditions4 ,that ,spain
 has abandoned all claim of sovereignty 
over the ,philippine islands admits of  
no question4 ,whether the ,united       
,states has accepted the sovereignty    
thus abandoned is still an open         
question2 but this ,i do not regard as  
material4 ,nevertheless1 we are         
confronted by a fact2 and1 whenever we  
criticise the policy up to this time    
pursued2 we are met with an inquiry as  
to what we have to propose in place of  
it4 ,we are invited to stop finding     
fault with others1 and to suggest some  
feasible alternative policy ourselves4  
,to this we must1 therefore1 in         
fairness1 address ourselves4 ,it is1 in 
my judgment1 useless to attempt to carry
 on the discussion merely in the        
negative form4 ,as opponents of an      
inchoate policy we must1 in place of    
what we object to1 propose something    
positive1 or we must abandon the field4 
,accepting the alternative1 ,i now want 
to suggest a positive policy for the    

consideration of those who feel as we   
feel4 ,i wish your judgment upon it4    
,there has1 it seems to me1 been a great
 deal of idle ,duty1 ,mission1 and ,call
 talk on the subject of our recent      
acquisition of ,islands beyond the ,sea1
 and the necessity of adopting some     
policy1 commonly described as ,imperial1
 in dealing with them4 ,this policy is1 
in the minds of most people who favor   
it1 to be indirectly modelled on the    
policy heretofore so successfully       
pursued under somewhat similar          
conditions by ,great ,britain4 ,it      
involves1 as ,i tried to point out in   
the ,lexington paper ,i have referred   
to1 the abandonment or reversal of all  
the fundamental principles of our       
government since its origin1 and of the 
foreign policy we have heretofore       
pursued4 ,this1 ,i submit1 is absolutely
 unnecessary4 ,another and substitute   
policy1 purely ,american1 as            
contradistinguished from the ,european  
or ,british1 known as ,imperial1 policy1

 can readily be formulated4  ,this      
essentially ,american policy would be   
based both upon our cardinal political  
principles1 and our recent foreign      
experiences4 ,it is commonly argued     
that1 having destroyed the existing     
government in ,cuba1 ,porto ,rico1 and  
the ,philippines1 we have assumed a     
political responsibility1 and are under 
a moral obligation to provide another   
government in place of that which by our
 action has ceased to exist4 ,what has  
been our course heretofore under similar
 circumstances8 ,precedents1 ,i submit1 
at once suggest themselves4 ,precedents1
 too1 directly in point1 and within your
 and my easy recollection4  ,i refer to 
the course pursued by us towards ,mexico
 in the year #ahdh1 and again in #ahff2 
towards ,hayti for seventy years back2  
and towards ,venezuela as recently as   
three years ago4 ,it is said that the   
inhabitants of the islands of the       
,antilles1 and much more those of the   
,philippine archipelago1 are as yet     

unfitted to maintain a government2 and  
that they should be kept in a condition 
of tutelage until they are fitted so to 
do4 ,it is further argued that a stable 
government is necessary1 and that it is 
out of the question for us to permit a  
condition of chronic disturbance and    
scandalous unrest to exist so near our  
own borders as ,cuba and ,porto ,rico4  
,yet how long1 ,i would ask1 did that   
condition exist in ,mexico8 ,and with   
what results8 ,how long has it existed  
in ,hayti8 ,has the government of       
,venezuela ever been stable8 ,have we   
found it necessary or thought it best to
 establish a governmental protectorate  
in any of those immediately adjacent    
regions8  ,what has been1 historically1 
our policy--the ,american1 as           
distinguished from the ,european and    
,british policy--towards those          
communities1--two of them ,spanish1 one 
,african8 ,so far as foreign powers are 
concerned1 we have laid down the        
principle of ,hands-off4 ,so far as     

their own government was concerned1 we  
insisted that the only way to learn to  
walk was to try to walk1 and that the   
history of mankind did not show that    
nations placed under systems of         
tutelage1--taught to lean for support on
 a superior power1--ever acquired the   
faculty of independent action4  ,of     
this1 with us1 fundamental truth1 the   
,british race itself furnishes a very   
notable example4 ,in the forty-fourth   
year of the ,christian era the island of
 ,great ,britain was occupied by what   
the ,imperial ,romans adjudged to be an 
inferior race4 ,to the ,romans the      
,britons unquestionably were inferior4  
,every child's history contains an      
account of the course then pursued by   
the superior towards that inferior race1
 and its results4 ,the ,romans occupied 
,great ,britain1 and they occupied it   
hard upon four centuries1 holding the   
people in tutelage1 and protecting them 
against themselves1 as well as against  
their enemies4 ,with what result8 ,so   

emasculated and incapable of            
self-government did the people of       
,england become during their tutelage   
that1 when ,rome at last withdrew1 they 
found themselves totally unfitted for   
self-government1 much more for facing a 
foreign enemy4 ,as the last1 and best1  
historian of the ,english people tells  
us1 the purely despotic system of the   
imperial government by crushing all     
local independence1 crushed all local   
vigor4 ,men forgot how to fight for     
their country when they forgot how to   
govern it4#c ,the end was that1 through 
six centuries more1 ,england was        
overrun1 first by those of one race1 and
 then by those of another1 until the    
,normans established themselves in it as
 conquerors2 and then1 and not until    
then1 the deteriorating effect of a     
system of long continued tutelage ceased
 to be felt1 and the islanders became by
 degrees the most energetic1 virile1 and
 self-sustaining of races4 ,as nearly1  
therefore1 as can be historically       

stated1 it took eight centuries for the 
people of ,england to overcome the      
injurious influence of four centuries of
 just such a system as it is now        
proposed by us to inflict on the        
,philippines4#d ,hindostan would furnish
 another highly suggestive example of   
the educational effects of tutelage on a
 race4 ,after a century and a half of   
that ,british tutelage1 what progress   
has ,india made towards fitness for     
self-government8 ,is the end in sight8  
,from the historical point of view1 it  
is instructive to note the exactly      
different results reached through the   
truly ,american policy we have pursued  
in the not dissimilar cases of ,hayti   
and ,mexico4 ,while ,hayti1 it is true1 
has failed to make great progress in one
 century1 it has made quite as much     
progress as ,england made during any    
equal period immediately after ,rome    
withdrew from it4 ,and that degree of   
slowness in growth1 which with          
equanimity has been endured by us in    

,hayti1 could certainly be endured by us
 in islands on the coast of ,asia4 ,it  
cannot be gainsaid that1 through our    
insisting on the policy of              
non-interference ourselves1 and of      
non-interference by ,european nations1  
,hayti has been brought into a position 
where it is on the high road to better  
things in future4 ,that has been the    
result of the prescriptive ,american    
policy4 ,with ,mexico1 the case is far  
stronger4 ,we all know that in #ahdh1   
after our war of spoliation1 we had to  
bolster up a semblance of a government  
for ,mexico1 with which to negotiate a  
treaty of peace4 ,mexico at that time   
was reduced by us to a condition of     
utter anarchy4 ,under the theory now    
gaining in vogue1 it would then have    
been our plain duty to make of ,mexico  
an extra-territorial dependency1 and    
protect it against itself4 ,we wisely   
took a different course4 ,like other    
,spanish communities in ,america1       
,mexico than passed through a succession

 of revolutions1 from which it became   
apparent the people were not in a fit   
condition for self-government4          
,nevertheless1 sternly insisting on     
non-interference by outside powers1 we  
ourselves wisely left that country to   
work out its own salvation in its own   
way4  ,in #ahfb1 when the ,united       
,states was involved in the ,war of the 
,rebellion1 the ,europeans took         
advantage of the situation to invade    
,mexico1 and to establish there a stable
 government4 ,they undertook to protect 
that people against themselves1 and to  
erect for them a species of             
protectorate1 such as we now propose for
 the ,philippines4 ,as soon as our war  
was over1 we insisted upon the          
withdrawal of ,europe from ,mexico4     
,what followed is matter of recent      
history4 ,it is unnecessary to recall   
it4 ,we did not reduce ,mexico into a   
condition of tutelage1 or establish over
 it a protectorate of our own4 ,we1 on  
the contrary1 insisted that it should   

stand on its own legs2 and1 by so doing1
 learn to stand firmly on them1 just as 
a child learns to walk1 by being        
compelled to try to walk1 not by being  
kept everlastingly in leading strings4  
,this was the ,american1 as             
contradistinguished from the ,european  
policy2 and ,mexico to-day walks firmly4
  ,finally take the case of ,venezuela  
in #ahie4 ,i believe ,i am not mistaken 
when ,i say that1 during the twenty-five
 preceding years1 ,venezuela had        
undergone almost as many revolutions4   
,it certainly had not enjoyed a stable  
government4 ,through disputes over      
questions of boundary1 ,great ,britain  
proposed to confer that indisputable    
blessing upon a considerable region4 ,we
 interfered under a most questionable   
extension of the ,monroe ,doctrine1 and 
asserted the principle of ,hands-off4   
,having done this1--having in so far    
perpetuated what we now call the scandal
 of anarchy1--we did not establish      
tutelage1 or a protectorate1 ourselves4 

,we wisely left ,venezuela to work out  
its destiny in its own way1 and in the  
fullness of time4 ,that policy was      
far-seeing1 beneficent1 and strictly    
,american in #ahie4 ,why1 then1 make    
almost indecent haste to abandon it in  
#ahih8  ,instead1 therefore1 of finding 
our precedents in the experience of     
,england1 or that of any other ,european
 power1 ,i would suggest that the true  
course for this country now to pursue is
 exactly the course we have heretofore  
pursued under similar conditions4 ,let  
us be true to our own traditions1 and   
follow our own precedents4 ,having      
relieved the ,spanish islands from the  
dominion of ,spain1 we should declare   
concerning them a policy of ,hands-off1 
both on our own part and on the part of 
other powers4 ,we should say that the   
independence of those islands is morally
 guaranteed by us as a consequence of   
the treaty of ,paris1 and then leave    
them just as we have left ,hayti1 and   
just as we left ,mexico and ,venezuela1 

to adopt for themselves such form of    
government as the people thereof are    
ripe for4 ,in the cases of ,mexico and  
,venezuela1 and in the case of ,hayti1  
we have not found it necessary to       
interfere ever or at all4 ,it is not yet
 apparent why we should find it         
necessary to interfere with islands so  
much more remote from us than ,hayti1   
and than ,mexico and ,venezuela1 as are 
the ,philippines4  ,in this matter we   
can thus well afford to be consistent1  
as well as logical4 ,our fundamental    
principles1 those of the ,declaration1  
the ,constitution1 and the ,monroe      
,doctrine1 have not yet been shown to be
 unsound--why should we be in such a    
hurry to abandon them8 ,our precedents  
are close at hand1 and satisfactory--why
 look away from them to follow those of 
,great ,britain8 ,why need we1 all of a 
sudden1 be so very ,english and so      
altogether ,french1 even borrowing their
 nomenclature of imperialism8 ,why can  
not we1 too1 in the language of ,burke1 

be content to set our feet in the tracks
 of our forefathers1 where we can       
neither wander nor stumble8 ,the only   
difficulty in the way of our so doing   
seems to be that we are in such a       
desperate hurry2 while natural          
influences and methods1 though in the   
great end indisputably the wisest and   
best1 always require time in which to   
work themselves out to their results4   
,wiser than the ,almighty in our own    
conceit1 we think to get there at once2 
the there in this case being everlasting
 tutelage1 as in ,india1 instead of     
ultimate self-government1 as in ,mexico4
  ,the policy heretofore pursued by us  
in such cases1--the policy of           
,hands-off1 and ,walk alone1 is         
distinctly ,american2 it is not         
,european1 not even ,british4 ,it       
recognizes the principles of our        
,declaration of ,independence4 ,it      
recognizes the truth that all just      
government exists by the consent of the 
governed4 ,it recognizes the existence  

of the ,monroe ,doctrine4 ,in a word1 it
 recognizes every principle and         
precedent1 whether natural or           
historical1 which has from the beginning
 lain at the foundation of our ,american
 polity4 ,it does not attempt the       
hypocritical contradiction in terms1 of 
pretending to elevate a people into a   
self-sustaining condition through the   
leading-string process of tutelage4 ,it 
appeals to our historical experience1   
applying to present conditions the      
lessons of ,hayti1 ,mexico1 and         
,venezuela4 ,in dealing with those      
cases1 we did not find a great standing 
army or an enormous navy necessary2 and1
 if not then1 why now8 ,why such a      
difference between the ,philippines and 
,hayti8 ,is ,cuba larger or nearer to us
 than ,mexico8 ,when1 therefore1 in     
future they ask us what course and      
policy we ,anti-,imperialists propose1  
our answer should be that we propose to 
pursue towards the islands of ,antilles 
and the ,philippines the same           

common-sense course and truly ,american 
policy which were by us heretofore      
pursued with such signal success in the 
cases of ,hayti1 ,mexico1 and           
,venezuela1 all inhabited by people     
equally unfit for self-government1 and  
geographically much closer to ourselves4
 ,we propose to guarantee them against  
outside meddling1 and1 above all1 from  
tutelage1 and make them1 by walking1    
learn to walk alone4  ,this1 ,i submit1 
is not only an answer to the question so
 frequently put to us1 but a positive   
policy following established precedents1
 and1 what is more1 purely ,american1 as
 distinguished from a ,european or      
,british1 policy and precedents4  ,i    
remain1 etc41  ,,charles ,,francis      
,,adams4  ,hon4 ,carl ,schurz1 #af ,e4  
#fdth ,street1 ,new ,york ,city4        
,,footnotes3  #a ,obviously1 men are not
 born equal in physical strength or in  
mental capacity1 in beauty of form or   
health of body4 ,diversity or inequality
 in these respects is the law of        

creation4 ,but this inequality is in no 
particular inconsistent with complete   
civil or political equality4  ,the      
equality declared by our fathers in     
#aggf and made the fundamental law of   
,massachusetts in #aghj1 was ,equality  
before the ,law4 ,its object was to     
efface all political or civil           
distinctions1 and to abolish all        
institutions founded upon birth4 ',all  
men are created equal1' says the        
,declaration of ,independence4 ',all men
 are born free and equal1' says the     
,massachusetts ,bill of ,rights4 ,these 
are not vain words4 ,within the sphere  
of their influence1 no person can be    
created1 no person can be born1 with    
civil or political privileges not       
enjoyed equally by all his              
fellow-citizens2 nor can any            
institutions be established1 recognizing
 distinctions of birth4 ,here is the    
,great ,charter of every human being    
drawing vital breath upon this soil1    
whatever may be his conditions1 and     

whoever may be his parents4 ,he may be  
poor1 weak1 humble1 or black1--he may be
 of ,caucasian1 ,jewish1 ,indian1 or    
,ethiopian race1--he may be born of     
,french1 ,german1 ,english1 or ,irish   
extraction2 but before the ,constitution
 of ,massachusetts all these            
distinctions disappear4 ,he is not poor1
 weak1 humble1 or black2 nor is he      
,caucasian1 ,jew1 ,indian1 or           
,ethiopian2 nor is he ,french1 ,german1 
,english1 or ,irish2 he is a ,,man1 the 
equal of all his fellow-men4 ,he is one 
of the children of the ,state1 which1   
like an impartial parent1 regards all   
its offspring with an equal care4 ,to   
some it may justly allot higher duties1 
according to higher capacities2 but it  
welcomes all to its equal hospitable    
board4 ,the ,state1 imitating the divine
 ,justice1 is no respecter of           
persons4--,works of ,charles ,sumner1   
,vol4 ,,ii41 pp4 #cda-b4  #b            
,historically speaking1 the assertion in
 the ,declaration of ,independence has  

been fruitful of dispute4 ,the very     
evening the present paper was read at   
,lexington the ,mayor of ,boston1 in a  
public address elsewhere1 alluded to the
 imprudent generalizations of our       
forefathers1 referring1 doubtless1 to   
what ,rufus ,choate1 forty-two years    
before1 described as the glittering and 
sounding generalities of natural right  
to be found in the ,declaration1 that   
passionate and eloquent manifesto4 ,mr4 
,calhoun declared 7#ahdh7 that the claim
 of human equality set forth in the     
,declaration was the most false and     
dangerous of all political errors1      
which1 after resting a long time        
dormant1 had1 in the process of time1   
begun to germinate and produce its      
poisonous fruits4 ,mr4 ,pettit1 a       
,senator from ,indiana1 pronounced it in
 #ahed1 a self-evident lie4 ,in the     
famous ,lincoln-,douglas debate in      
,illinois 7#ahfj7 the question          
reappeared1 ,mr4 ,douglas contending    
that the ,declaration applied only to   

the white people of the ,united ,states2
 while ,mr4 ,lincoln1 in reply1 asserted
 that the entire records of the world1  
from the date of the ,declaration of    
,independence up to within three years  
ago1 may be searched in vain for one    
single affirmation1 from one single man1
 that the negro was not included in the 
,declaration4 ,the contention of ,mr4   
,douglas had recently again made its    
appearance in the press as something too
 indisputable to admit of discussion4   
,it is asserted that1 in penning the    
,declaration1 ,mr4 ,jefferson could not 
possibly have intended to include those 
then actually held as slaves4 ,on this  
point ,mr4 ,jefferson himself should1 it
 would seem1 be accepted as a competent 
witness4 ,referring to the denial of his
 inalienable rights to the ,african1 he 
declared at a later day1 ,i tremble for 
my country1 when ,i reflect that ,god is
 just4 ,what he meant will1 however1    
probably continue matter for confident  
newspaper assertions just so long as    

anybody in this country wants to make   
out1 as did ,stephen ,a4 ,douglas in    
#ahfj1 a plausible pretext for          
subjugating somebody else1--,indian1    
,african1 or ,asiatic4 ,as ,mr4 ,lincoln
 expressed it1 ,the assertion that all  
men are created equal was of no         
practical use in effecting our          
separation from ,great ,britain1 and it 
was placed in the ,declaration1 not for 
that but for future use4 ,its author    
meant it to be1 as1 thank ,god1 it is   
now proving itself1 a stumbling block to
 all those who1 in after times1 might   
seek to turn a free people back into the
 paths of despotism4 ,they knew the     
proneness of prosperity to breed        
tyrants1 and they meant1 when such      
should reappear in this fair land1 and  
commence their vocation1 they should    
find left for them at least one hard nut
 to crack4--,works1 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #bcc4 
#c ,green's ,short ,history 7,ill4      
,ed474 ,vol4 ,i4 p4 #i4  #d ,the ,roman 
legions were withdrawn from ,great      

,britain in #daj2 ,magna ,charta was    
signed in ,june1 #abae1 and the reign of
 ,french kings over ,england came to a  
close in #abag4 ,it is a striking       
illustration of the deliberation with   
which natural processes work themselves 
out1 that the period which elapsed      
between the withdrawal of ,rome from    
,england1 and the recovery of ,england  
by the ,english1 should have exceeded by
 more than a century the time which has 
as yet elapsed since ,england was thus  
recovered4