The silver lance., 1898-04-22
Not UnweIcOme.

Not UnweIcome.
1t looks like war, but if it comes it
is not to be deplored. The hurricane,
the earthquake, the frost, the lightning
and the hail are some OF the ministers
OF wrath with which she rends the earth,
works her reforms and teaches the Gill
dren of men their littleness and helpless
ness, and when either of these agents
starts out to execute its DEGREES, mercy
fees from the world violence spreads
its black wings exultingly and fills the
atmosphere with cries, even as the sea
eagle, from her eyrie on the cliff poises
her fierce wings and with exultant
screams goes out to meet and welcome
the incoming ocean storm.
There are times when the passions,
the wrongs, the tyranies, the expressions
and cruelties OF nations make clearing
of the air indispensable. The crimes,
multifold and merciless in detail, which,
with only brief intervals, have continued
10 Cuba through the watches OF cen
tury, and which have converted the once
tha, and which eliminated in the assas-
sination in their sleep Of two hundred
and sixty-six lives of men who wore the
uniform of American aeamen and were
defenders of our flag, have filled the cup
Of bitterness, and that rule must pass
away. If our nation were not to per
form the work the stars would fade in
shame from our flag and nation OF
seventy-fve millions of freemen would
be shorn of their elf-respect.
**+ No other Just such war IVES
ever before begun. First it is to avenge
an intolerable wrong-the wrong and
perfidity of destroying American lives
and insulting the American flag, when
those lives, with the flag above them,
were, in national sence, the guests OF u
Government, the agents OF which were
the assissins second, to avenge the
wrongs of hundreds Of Americans who
have suffered arrest, imprisonment, as
sassination and abolition from the men In
control in Cuba, and to restore to those
still alive their property rights third,
10 succor, as far as possible, the thou
sands who have been sentenced to death
by starvation by order Of SPANS highest
representative in Cuba and, finally to
break the arm of SPAN on this hem
isphere and secure to brave people the
freedom that they for years have been
gallantly fighting for. Surely those are
reasons holy enough to justify war, and
when from it all there is eliminated
every thought of conquest : when in ad-
vance the solemn pledge OF the highest
representatives of this republic. and
there shall be no conquest is given, that
places our country in position before
the world which the world cannot with
hold it's admiration from, for it gives a
new prestige to free institutions, new
splendor to the Republics flag.
A sharp and decisive war will save
this Nation from intimate future troubles.
The world has begun TO look upon US as
a nation of traders merely, and to doubt
the material spirit of our race. war
will cure all that. Insensebly in our own
country every year men are more and
more falling down in their worship of
gold, and overestimating the measure OF
infuerce which mere money should com
mapd. A war will supply the needed
shock to call up anew mems patriotism,
and cause them to revise their estimates
of real worth. When it shall be over,
1 the world will understand that while we
/ love peace above all things, it must be
peace with honor, and that will exault
greatly our prestige. Finally, we shall
never again be so lily prepared for
trouble. Welcome, then, the war.