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US Presidential Inaugural Addresses by Various
page 242 of 440 (55%)
My fellow-citizens, the public events of the past four years have gone
into history. They are too near to justify recital. Some of them were
unforeseen; many of them momentous and far-reaching in their
consequences to ourselves and our relations with the rest of the world.
The part which the United States bore so honorably in the thrilling
scenes in China, while new to American life, has been in harmony with
its true spirit and best traditions, and in dealing with the results
its policy will be that of moderation and fairness.

We face at this moment a most important question that of the future
relations of the United States and Cuba. With our near neighbors we
must remain close friends. The declaration of the purposes of this
Government in the resolution of April 20, 1898, must be made good. Ever
since the evacuation of the island by the army of Spain, the Executive,
with all practicable speed, has been assisting its people in the
successive steps necessary to the establishment of a free and
independent government prepared to assume and perform the obligations
of international law which now rest upon the United States under the
treaty of Paris. The convention elected by the people to frame a
constitution is approaching the completion of its labors. The transfer
of American control to the new government is of such great importance,
involving an obligation resulting from our intervention and the treaty
of peace, that I am glad to be advised by the recent act of Congress of
the policy which the legislative branch of the Government deems
essential to the best interests of Cuba and the United States. The
principles which led to our intervention require that the fundamental
law upon which the new government rests should be adapted to secure a
government capable of performing the duties and discharging the
functions of a separate nation, of observing its international
obligations of protecting life and property, insuring order, safety,
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