

And State Papers 87 



American Republic to take a larger position in the 

 world than ever before, and therefore more than 

 ever to concern itself with questions of policy com 

 ing without its own borders. As a people we have 

 new duties and new opportunities both in the tropical 

 seas and islands south of us and in the furthest 

 Orient. Much depends upon the way in which we 

 meet those duties, the way in which we take advan 

 tage of those opportunities. And remember this, 

 you never can meet any duty, and after you have 

 met it say that your action only affected that duty. 

 If you meet it well you face the next duty a stronger 

 man, and if you meet it ill you face your next duty 

 a weaker man. 



From the days of Monroe, Clay and the younger 

 Adams, we as a people have always looked with 

 peculiar interest upon the West Indies and the 

 isthmus connecting North and South America, 

 feeling that whatever happened there was of par 

 ticular moment to this nation; and there is bet 

 ter reason for that feeling now than ever before. 

 The outcome of the Spanish War put us in posses 

 sion of Porto Rico, and brought us into peculiarly 

 close touch with Cuba ; while the successful negotia 

 tion of the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty, and the legis 

 lation following it, at last cleared the way for the 

 construction of the Isthmian Canal. Porto Rico, 

 it is a pleasure to say, may now serve as an example 

 of the best methods of administering our insular 

 possessions. Sometimes we have to learn by ex 

 perience what to avoid. It is much pleasanter when 



