The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1897-04-16

| ing Just as well in hard times as in
good times. and during the summer
vacation as during winter work. Be
sides that. many of us have been pay
ing taxes to city. and state, and nation
for years. and while we are indebted
for the protection of government, the
government is indebted 20 us for the
honest support we have rendered it.
So | wish success to all earnest
and competent men who appeal
to city or state or nation for place
to work. But how many men in high
place in city, and state, and nation, are
at their wits end to know what to do,
when for some places there are ten APP
plicants and for others 100. Perplexi-
ties arise from the fact that citizens
sign petitions without reference to the
qualifications of the applicant for the
places applied for. You sign the APP
plication because the applicant is your
friend. Only God. who made the
world out of chaos. could, out of the
crowded pigeOn-hOles of public men,
develop symmetrical results. For this
reason pray Almighty God for all those
in authority
Then there are the vaster perplex-
tiles of our relations with foreign gov
ernments. For directions in such af-
fairs the God of nations should be inn
plored. The demand of the people is
sometimes so heated, so unwise, that
it must not be needed. Hank to the
boom of that gun which sends from
the American steamer San Jacinto
shot across the bow of the British mer-
chant steamer Trent, November s, 1861.
Two distinguished southerners, with
their secretaries and families, are on
the way to England and France to Off
cially enlist them for the southern con-
federacy. After much protest the COM
missioners. who had embarked for En-
gland and France, surrendered, and
were taken to Fort Warren, near BOs-
ton. The capture was plain invasion
of the laws of nations and antagOnistic
to principle for the establishment of
which the United States government
had fought in other days. However,
so great was the excitement that the
secretary of the United States navy
wrote an applauditOry letter to Capt.
Wilkes. commander of the San Jacinto,
for his prompt and decisive action"
and the house of representatives
passed a resolution of thanks for
brave. adroit and patriotic conduct"
and the millions of the north went
wild with enthusiasm, and all the
newspapers and churches joined in the
huzza. England and France protested,
- H., 4. ho4 10
distinguished prisoners should be sur
rendered and apology made for insult
to the British flag within ten days
Lord Lyons must return to London,
taking all the archives of the British
legation. War with England and
France seemed inevitable, and war
with England and France at that time
would have made restored American
nation impossible for a long while, if
rescue and helped the president and
his secretary of state. Against the al
most unanimous sentiment of the peO-
pie of the north the distinguished con-
federates were surrendered. the law of
nations was kept inviOlate, the lions
paw was not lifted to strike the eagles
beak. and perhaps the worst disaster
of centuries was avoided.
There came another crisis within the
last two years, when millions of people
demanded that American war vessels
sail into Turkish waters and stop the
atrocities against the Armenians. The
people at large have no idea of the
pressure brought upon our government
to do this rash thing. Missionaries
and other prominent Americans in and
around Constantinople assembled at
the Office of the American legation and
demanded that our minister plenipO-
Tertiary cable to Washington for
United States ships of war, and they
suggested the words of the cablegram.
Had our ships gone into those waters
the guns of foreign nations everlast-
ingly jealous of us, would have been
turned against our shipping, and our
navy, within a few years become re-
spectacle in power, would have crawled
backward in disgrace. The PROPOSE
ton to do what could not be done was
mercifully withdrawn.
There will not be a year between
now and the next 20 years when those
who are now in authority will not need
the guidance of the God of nations.
God only can tell the right time for
nations to do the right thing. To do
the right thing at the wrong time is as
bad as to do the wrong thing at any
time. Cuba will one day be free, but
it will be after she has shown herself
capable of free government. To ac-
knowledge Cuban independence now
would be to acknowledge what does |
not exist. The time may come when |
the Hawaiian islands may be a part of /
our government, but it will be when !
they have decidedly expressed the de-
sire for annexation. In all national |
affairs there is clock. The hands of /
that clock are not always seen BY /
human eyes. But God sees them. not |
only the hour hand, but the minute 1
hand; and when the hands announce /
the right hour has come the clock viii 1
strike, and we ought TO be in listening
attitude. THE Lord reigneth: let
earth rejoice; let the multitudes Of the
isles be glad thereof