New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-06-23


DR. Andrews Is very much Of philosopher.
But he cannot philosophize much on the current
history of the United States In such d cnaoS'
not wild and stormy like Millions, put sHi'ins
and CHEEKY and still a chaos. 1t passes 'he po"e.
Of the keenest observer to discover prihcipie VI
unity If everything were Ignored except p'"-
tics. according to the definition OF history give"
by Freeman, any generalization IN America
would be risky; and the trouble IS only i'e' ed'.'
with everv additional theme in which people take
an interest. Nature contributes events VIM
corrot no classified at all except Interruptions
of the course Of human affairs; TOT eHai"pie' ~
Charleston earthquake, which shook nearly nan
the country or the floods in the rivers OF the ii'-
s,ssInnj Valley which occur annually and only
emerge in the narrative or events VINE" ''''
hevond certain proportions Man, by contrib
utorv negligence has added in the last score VI
veara two disasters by food which Nature would
o,,er have caused of her own motion, the break
tho ~ tho reservoir dam I'm Williamsburg Mass
:, 1874 and the memorable catastrophe at
1obnstown. Penn in 1880 But these Incidents
or,v touchod the life OF the Nation when the call
c.,,e for help. The response in all such cases
vbero tho call has been made shows the solidarity
and unity Of the people socially. Appeals from
distant regions are answered by America IN the
game way as for instance, when Dreads'uii'
nv the shipload were sent TO the famlne-stfiche"
provinces Of Russia. In this matter OF inter-
national charity. or, rather. or charity '''''
knows no boundaries Of nationality OF race
America seems to have led the way mint LOT
the future historian. who may be abe 10 ma III
the mere growth OF the doctrine that all men
ore hrothers 2 KEY to universal history. When
he attempts to trace that doctrine back IN the
practical life Of the world to its origins, he VIII
perhaps find much to say about America III
spite of the current censures on materiaiism IN
American life which will doubtless survive In the
records that he must read. And this leads one
IN think that beneath DR.. Andrews's narrative
there is a psychological unity in the pecularities
NJ the race which seems to be better defined year
by year as the effect OF its efforts TO mouiu the
regions which it inhabts to its uses and OF the
reaction of soil and climate ana events upon It.
Some chapters in the history of the United
States which have been open since the hrst conf
ing Of Europeans to the New World now APP
parently closed That long struggle with the
red man. marked by so much suffering and IN
Justice and romance and herosm on every sioe'
which began with the massacre at jamestown,
may be said to have ended historically with the
massacre Of Custer and his troopers. The saw
last one without making the slightest break in
the march of civilization He has not been I'M
proved by contact with the men Of more
powerful race He is poor and wretched in COM
parison with what he seemed to earlier observ-
ers when he had the continent for hunting
ground But in his last great battle he showed
the same skill that he had displayed in more
favorable times He still the craftiest saw
hnf advancing
When Americans boast, they ought to boast OF
the Indian little; for, considering his numbers,
he made more stubborn fight against his
civilized foes than the Gauls, the Germans or
the Britons made against the Romans. The
European savages in the end by being
beaten. The red man never gave up his war as
long there was room to hight IN Inc last
quarter Of a century has been marked by efforts
more systematic than ever to civze as well
as conquer him, and these combined with re-
Elections on the past have shown that the Ameri-
can people have. on the whole, done better by
the so-called wards Of the Nation than they
gave themselves credit for. Other nations have
said a great deal about Yankee braS But they
have quite ignored the tendency OF the Ameri-
to deprecate himself In the person of some
occasional public wrongdoer. The whole Ma
ton has held itself responsible. after fashion.
when 1t has discovered that the Indians were
starved or debauched by a constituencies Indian
agent The effort to right such wrongs takes
marked place in the history of the last twenty
five years.
The National habit of selfdepreciation has
been even more obvious in episodes Of political
corruption to which DR.. Andrews refers. indicat-
ing in several cases his disbelief in the claTnor
Gus accusations that uttered in moments
of excitement. For example. he is convinced
that there is nothing more than coarseness in
the famous Credit Mobilier. Bribery he thinks
was never accomplished nor intended. while the
purpose of Cakes Ames honest and
worthy one. to help enterprises that were lam
gushing but were certain If carried out
to be of great use to the Nation In
other cases. while there was corruption
there was no excuse for the cyncism which
attributed the guilt OF a few to the many
and proclaimed an era OF universal dishonesty
In reading these volumes Is struck by the
fact that every series OF public or semi-public
offences rea hes at time or another n crisis
like disease and then disappears. Corruption
at the polls and in municipal affairs eliminated
with the Tweed Ring. Local abuses since that
affair have seemed only trivial echoes. Private
efforts to control the finances OF the whole Nation
reached their acme in the operations Of Gould
and Fisk Secret attempts to nulllfy the laws
and the Constitution worked their own defeat
in the excuses of the Ku-KluX. The effort TO
make terrorism rule of industry carried
out to an inevitable catastrophe by the Mollie
Maguires in Pennsylvania. The practice Of
theoretical anarchy eliminated suddenly in the
Chicago Haymarket. The thought of popular
vengeance upon criminals brought its re-
buke in the Cincinnati riots OF 1854 And the
Malta evoked it's own rctrbution in New-Or-
leans. There has been a varied record Of strikes
since the days Of the Molie Magures. The use
OF armed soldiery by propretors has brought it's
own But the system OF assassination a 3
a system has not been revived and the effort is
apparent I'm all modern labor rebellions TO make