Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1898-03-02
Ask Yourself the Question.

In these stirring days, when "a war
cloud is hanging over us, and we
hardly know what the next day
may bring forth or how soon we
will be plunged into war, criticism
of President Mckinley and the ad-
ministration for not opening hostil-
tiles at once is freely INDUCED in by
many, i'll Lewistown, as elsewhere
we presume.
Hardly a. day passes but that
Lewistown scores the administra-
ton for delaying a declaration of
var and INDUCES i'm all sorts of wild
talk about defending the nations
honor. a singular fact, however,
is that we have not heard of one
man, who carried a musket in the
war of the rebellion, manifesting any
such b~elligerent spirit, but on the
contrary, they are conservative and
look upon an appeal to arms as the
extremity.
These are the mel who have fought
the battles and know what war
means. Let us inquire how many OF
those who are now so anxious that
this country should go to wal
would answer the summons of the
president? How many OF these
blood-thirsty men would leave home
and family and go forth to bear the
brunt of the conflict? 1t is all very
well to talk of defending the nations
honor-and it should be defended at
all hazards-but let those who stand
ready to shoulder the musket, be the
first to let loose the dogs OF war.
When our country last called, VIII
liam Mckinley took his place in the
ranks as n private and served with
credit to his country. Is he the
man who will stand back and allow
our nations flag to he insulted?
Not he, but President Mckinley
knows that war is the most terrible
calamity and he will only allow it
when all other means of maintaining
our honor have been tried.
VIZ oBIthu III tlplutit Noldc vi
Rev. Frank Dewitt Talmage, made
in his pulpit at Chicago on February
10Th:
"War is the most cruel, the most
heartless, the most sad, the most
venomous. the most terrific, the
most awful, the most hellish and yet
most fascinating curse in history.
During the excitement OF last week.
with it's wars and it's rumors OF
wars, to hear some lei talk you
might think that an international
tragedy was Il two weeks trip oil
hunting after snipe and pleasure
seeking among the mountains. War
is not an April shower making the
spring flowers blossom in n garden
all. no, not an April shower. but a
deluge OF human blood. Not "a sum-
mer breeze ripping the brooks into
the dimple of babyhood, but the
crash down the home and the store
and the factory, and which will
again make these new ONE oi
America moan and weep for their
first born. And yet, though all this
horror may face us, ii il he rue that
the S%paniards sank our cruiser in
the harbor OF Havana / would bc
willing to resign my pulpit tomor-
row and start for the front.
And yet, my friends, though every
Indication seems to point to the fact
that some cowardly miscreant of a
Spaniard blew up our grand old bat
tie ship, / cannot and will not yet
believe that the Spanish government
connived at the awful crime. If it
did, at the cannon mouth Spain
must answer, and the old Mosaic
law will again be in demand, AN
eye for an eye, a tooth for n tooth, a
hand for a hand and blood for
blood But we must remember that
a cowardly miscreant OF u Spaniard
could have committed that damna-
BILE crime and the Queen Regent of
you or myself. Did not this country
love and honor and revere Abraham
Lincoln and James A. Garfield?
Was the north or the south or the
better elements anywhere RESPONSE
BILE for the bullets OF an insane actor
or a crazed fanatic seeking a politi-
cal office? And. furthermore, /
want to declare that the statesman
who prevents a war Is infinitely
greater than the warrior who puts
il down."