Mars (Planet) -- Fiction; Martians -- Fiction; Science fiction; Space travelers -- Fiction
A happy idea had apparently occurred to the Emperor of China and the
Mikado of Japan, for, attended by their intermingled suites, they
rode together in a single carriage. This object lesson in the unity of
international feeling immensely pleased the spectators.
An Unparallelled Scene.
The scene in the Senate Chamber stirred every one profoundly. That
it was brilliant and magnificent goes without saying, but there was a
seriousness, an intense feeling of expectancy, pervading both those who
looked on and those who were to do the work for which these magnates of
the earth had assembled, which produced an ineradicable impression. The
President of the United States, of course, presided. Representatives
of the greater powers occupied the front seats, and some of them were
honored with special chairs near the President.
No time was wasted in preliminaries. The President made a brief speech.
"We have come together," he said, "to consider a question that equally
interests the whole earth. I need not remind you that unexpectedly and
without provocation on our part the people--the monsters, I should
rather say--of Mars, recently came down upon the earth, attacked us
in our homes and spread desolation around them. Having the advantage
of ages of evolution, which for us are yet in the future, they brought
with them engines of death and of destruction against which we found it
impossible to contend. It is within the memory of every one in reach
of my voice that it was through the entirely unexpected succor which
Providence sent us that we were suddenly and effectually freed from the
invaders. By our own efforts we could have done nothing."
McKinley's Tribute.
"But, as you all know, the first feeling of relief which followed the
death of our foes was quickly succeeded by the fearful news which came to
us from the observatories, that the Martians were undoubtedly preparing
for a second invasion of our planet. Against this we should have had no
recourse and no hope but for the genius of one of my countrymen, who,
as you are all aware, has perfected means which may enable us not only
to withstand the attack of those awful enemies, but to meet them, and,
let us hope, to conquer them on their own ground."
"Mr. Edison is here to explain to you what those means are. But we have
also another object. Whether we send a fleet of interplanetary ships
to invade Mars or whether we simply confine our attention to works of
defence, in either case it will be necessary to raise a very large sum
of money. None of us has yet recovered from the effects of the recent
invasion. The earth is poor to-day compared to its position a few years
ago; yet we cannot allow our poverty to stand in the way. The money,
the means, must be had. It will be part of our business here to raise
a gigantic war fund by the aid of which we can construct the equipment
and machinery that we shall require. This, I think, is all I need to
say. Let us proceed to business."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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