Be careful what you say. Some of them speak English."
The commissioner hemmed and hawed and tried to recover himself.
"What does the dear old flag stand for?" he repeated. "For
liber--No--for-r-r----Well, 'pon my word, what does she stand for?"
"For the army and navy," whispered a neighbor.
"Yes," he thundered. "Yes, the flag stands for the army and navy, for
our officers and men, for our men-of-war and artillery, for our cavalry
and infantry, that's what she stands for!"
This was received with great applause, and the speaker smiled with
satisfaction. Then gradually his expression became sad.
"I am sorry to say," he said,--"I am ashamed as a citizen of our great
land to be obliged to admit, that there are at home a few
craven-hearted, mean-spirited men--shall I call them men? No, nor even
women--there are creatures, I say, who disapprove of our glorious
deeds, who spurn the flag and the noble principles for which it stands
and to which I have alluded, who say that we have no business to take
away land which belongs to other people, and that we have not the right
to slaughter rebels and traitors in our midst. I appeal to the
patriotic Cubapinos at this board, if we are not introducing a higher
and nobler civilization into these islands."
The native gentlemen bowed assent.
"Have we not given them a better language than their own? Have we not
established our enlightened institutions? For instance, let me cite the
custom house.
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