I was particularly pleased by what you said about our course, the course of the American people, in connection with the Philippines and Cuba.  I believe that we have the Cuban Minister here with us to-night? [A voice:  “Yes.”] Well, then, we have a friend who can check off what I am going to say.  At the close of the war of ’98 we found our army in possession of Cuba, and man after man among the European diplomats of the old school said to me:  “Oh, you will never go out of Cuba.  You said you would, of course, but that is quite understood; nations don’t expect promises like that to be kept.”  As soon as I became President, I said, “Now you will see that the promise will be kept.”  We appointed a day when we would leave Cuba.  On that day Cuba began its existence as an independent republic.  Later there came a disaster, there came a revolution, and we were obliged to land troops again, while I was President, and then the same gentlemen with whom I had conversed before said:  “Now you are relieved from your promise; your promise has been kept, and now you will stay in Cuba.”  I answered:  “No, we shall not.  We will keep the promise not only in the letter but in the spirit.  We will stay in Cuba to help it on its feet, and then we will leave the island in better shape to maintain its permanent independent existence.”  And before I left the Presidency Cuba resumed its career as a separate republic, holding its head erect as a sovereign state among the other nations of the earth.  All that our people want is just exactly what the Cuban people themselves want—­that is, a continuance of order within the island, and peace and prosperity, so that there shall be no shadow of an excuse for any outside intervention.

We acted along the same general lines in the case of San Domingo.  We intervened only so far as to prevent the need of taking possession of the island.  None of you will know of this, so I will just tell you briefly what it was that we did.  The Republic of San Domingo, in the West Indies, had suffered from a good many revolutions.  In one particular period when I had to deal with the island, while I was President, it was a little difficult to know what to do, because there were two separate governments in the island, and a revolution going on against each.  A number of dictators, under the title of President, had seized power at different times, had borrowed money at exorbitant rates of interest from Europeans and Americans, and had pledged the custom-houses of the different towns to different countries; and the chief object of each revolutionary was to get hold of the custom-houses.  Things got to such a pass that it became evident that certain European Powers would land and take possession of parts of the island.  We then began negotiations with the Government of the island.  We sent down ships to keep within limits various preposterous little manifestations of the revolutionary habit, and, after some negotiations, we concluded an agreement.