e brave men
whom they command will have the support of the country in upholding our
flag where it now floats, the symbol and assurance of liberty and
justice. [Applause.]

What nation was ever able to write an accurate programme of the war upon
which it was entering, much less decree in advance the scope of its
results? Congress can declare war, but a higher power decrees its bounds
and fixes its relations and responsibilities. The President can direct
the movements of soldiers on the field and fleets upon the sea, but he
cannot foresee the close of such movements or prescribe their limits. He
cannot anticipate or avoid the consequences, but he must meet them. No
accurate map of nations engaged in war can be traced until the war is
over, nor can the measure of responsibility be fixed till the last gun
is fired and the verdict embodied in the stipulations of peace.

We hear no complaint of the relations created by the war between this
Government and the islands of Cuba and Porto Rico. There are some,
however, who regard the Philippines as in a different relation; but
whatever variety of views there maybe on this phase of the question,
there is universal agreement that the Philippines shall not be turned
back to Spain. No true American consents to that. Even if unwilling to
accept them ourselves, it would have been a weak evasion of manly duty
to require Spain to transfer them to some other Power or Powers, and
thus shirk our own responsibility. Even if we had had, as we did not
have, the power to compel such a transfer, it could not have been made
without the most serious international complications. Such a course
could not be thought of. And yet had we refused to accept the cession of
them we should have had no power over them, even for their own good. We
could not discharge the responsibilities upon us until these islands
became ours, either by conquest or treaty. There was but one
alternative, and that was either Spain or the United States in the
Philippines. The other suggestions--first, that they should be tossed
into the arena of contention for the strife of nations; or, second, be
left to the anarchy and chaos of no protectorate at all--were too
shameful to be considered. [Applause.]

The treaty gave them to the United States. Could we have required less
and done our duty?

Could we, after freeing the Filipinos from the domination of Spain, have
left them without government and without power to protect life or