The times., 1898-02-22
Circulation Statement.
George Washington the Jingo.

George Washington the Jingo
The noble soldier statesman and pa
triot. the anniversary of whose provi-
Dental birth the country commence
rates today, although the American
people are in no mood for jublant cele-
bration, was the greatest jingo of his
day and generation
Ii is true that the term itself, as ap-
piled to Americans in whom burn the
fires of fearless patriotism had not yet
been invented. But George Washington
was not the less a jingo. and from the
moment he devoted his life, fortune
and sword TO the cause of liberty to
the day when he saw the glorious end
OF his war mission at Yorktown. he
was opposed, harried, insulted and in
trigued against by influences and inter-
ests exactly analogous to those which
have been conspirins against patriot
ism and national honor ever since the
outbreak of the Cuban war.
The American Revolution was fierce
~ opposed by the English Tory ele-
ment in the country. 1t had fought
hard and bitterly for abject colonial
submission to the Stamp Act and
every other oppression and outrage
visited upon the colonies by Great
Britain. From the earliest outbreak of
popular resentment against King
George and his ministers to the ter
mination Of the great struggle it de-
nounced Washington, the noble sign
ers of the Declaration, the Continental
Congress and everybody else arrayed
on the side of freedom. as rebels and
traitors for whom the hangman's rope
was too good.
1t is quite superfiuous To remark that
this Tory element was chiefly COM
posed Of our best business interests"
of the people whose pockets We're in
volved in rupture Of commercial and
financial relations with England With
them. of course. We're certain place
lDlutIS hlluti Allt- III tli7ll tAbN a. L lt
combination was a strong one. 1t rep
resented capital and influence. 1t pur-
sued all the sound business methods
of bribery. corruption and intimidation
10 accomplish its objects. That it
failed is due to the fact that the Amer
lean colonists had some higher concep-
ton Of their rights and liberties than
could be measured by the cubical con-
tents Of sugar barrel or expressed
in terms Of money.
The blessed memory is revived for us
today that the Tories were unable to
stem the tide Of American jingo devo-
tion and courage. and ultimately were
driven out of the country like the avar-
icious and craven Judases they were.
New circumstances and conditions in
later times have brought a new race Of
Tories to our shores. or bred them here.
Once more they are found as repre-
sentatires of "our best business inter-
ests" Again we find them. like their
antetypes, demanding the privilege of
bartering national fame and great
peoples glory for a miserable profit to
themselves, They form the class who |
shout "Jingo," at the least manifesto |
ton of patriotism. and who, day and |
night. conspire to sell the country to !
their allies, the money lenders of Eu-
rope
on a national occasion like the pres
ent one. ii is natural to wonder whether
the future holds for US the triumph of
the American Jingo or that of his an
tagonist. the Tory Judas. Have we
enough of the spirit of '76 left in the
land TO rise up and overthrow this
sordid. secret conspiracy against the
cause of the people and against human
liberty? DO the days that are soon to
come hold out the promise of another
jingo like the immortal Washington?
And if God, in His infinite goodness,
should send us one. viii he have the
wisdom and the backing of the nation
to expel the modern Judases from pow
er and influence. as those who infested
the original states We're eXpatriated
from them by the father of his coun-
try, and Of all American jingoes?