Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-07-15

homes under another flag, industry IS
4 burdened TO the breaking point. agricul-
| ture languishes. and half OF It's labor IL
| non-productive. while the temper OF It's
| people Is violently diverted from peaceful
| pursuits.
We cannot read n newspaper to-day
without seeing assertions Of the prepon-
| derance OF the Anglo-Saxon. Why does ne
bestride the world? 1t IS an immutaole
law. wide as humanity. that light SHAH
no; be hid under bushel The nation
which has nothing to give shall not be
allowed to take. While Rome could civil
4 lie and instruct. she conquered; when she
| could no longer give law and keep the
peace. she lost the strength TO STAY, ana
/ believe humbly and devouily that the
| Anglo-Saxon IS growing in greatness
! because he Is the missionary OF ciVillza-
tion, and carries the evangel of progress
into the dork corners of the earth. When
no ceases TO DO this. another will succeed
to his place; while ne does 1t. the powers
Of evil shall not prevail against him.
Spain POSSESSED America only 70 de-
stroy Just think OF IT, And Spain lost H.
France seized upon the heart of the Con-
| tinent. from the mouth Of the Mississippi
| 10 the Pacific, and she built a line of forts
| from Quebec to the Ohio; but hers was
not colonzing race. and the stars in
their courses fought against her till she
sold an empire for the coin of commerce
| Why do we possess America to-day?
| We have a stronger title than that Of the
sword. and a better one that the deeds
| OF France and Spain can convey-we have
| converted a wilderness into cities and
! farms. India was one vast slaughter
| house, where priests and warriors waded
| in human gore. subverted industry, and
robbed labor. England holds it because
| she keeps the peace, and allows down
| trodden millions a chance TO look upward
! and grow in heart and mind-each after
| his own kind. She holds Australia and
the isles Of the sea by the same title.
She has taken all Of Africa that is worth
| having for the benefit Of mankind She
| Will continue TO acquire till she has lost
the power to enlighten and develop.
These great movements are determined
| by the power that marks out the path
| for the comet and enforces natural laws.
| We are at the parting of the ways in our
| history We have accepted Hawaii; shall
we accept Porto Rico, tho Carolines, and
Philippines? II we do. 1t Is called impe-
rialism, Democracy boosted Of acquiring
every foot of territory belonging TO the
| United States. save Alaska. But for De
mocracy Florida would have been our
| southern and the Mississippi river our
you choose, then. Call il what you Will.
But call it by whatever name the imagi-
nation of faultfnders and obstructionists
may suggest or invent, the people of the
| United States are determined that the
| blood Of their brave soldiers shall not be
shed I'm vain. There will be a demand for
| indemnity-not that Spanish territory or
! Spanish gold can recompense the
mothers and fathers Of the soldiers whose
| lives have been already lost and those
| that will be. This loss is beyond and
| above computation in dollars and cents.
| If Spain, with all her Jewels and her
! gold and her territory were put up on
the auction block and sold to the high
est bidder, the price given would be no
| recompense for the life Of even a single
| one of the chivalric private soldiers who
| sailed forth at Santiago uparmed, but
| facing death TO remove the barbed-wire
! trochas and render II possible for their
| comrades to fellow on and dislodge the
| Spanish soldiers from their entrenched
| positions.
But there will be indemnity! If IT
means the Philippines for American pos
sessions. then the Philippines will be ours.
! II will be an indemnity that will humble
| Spanish pride. II will be an indemnity
| that Will wound the superstitious regard
| for Spanish honor. II will be an indemnity
| that will relieve the world of Spanish
| barbarism. Her Colonial possessions have
| for hundreds Of years been the theatre
of cruelty and inhumanity, from which
| all Christendom recoils. These things will
| be no more. The hundreds Of thousands
| Of American soldiers and seamen who are
marching under the folds OF the Star
| Spangled Banner are singing the battle
| cry Of freedom. Breathes there a man
| he =
| through and through under the inspira-
| ton Of such a scene as that described
| as one Of the accompaniment of the as
sault upon Santiago by General Shaf,er
and his matchless men?
| In a great national contest, led by such
! heroes as Dewey, Schey and Hobson,
| and by soldiers such as the invfncibles
| with Shafter Lee, Wheeler and l4awton,
| what can the incoTTigible grumblers ana
| faultfinders who are vainly endeavorlng
| TO block the wheels of progress, hope 10
| accomplish? AS well might covey of
grasshoppers defy a Kansas cyclone. The
| man who does it will soon be lost among
| the decaying debris of antiquity and the
marty that undertakes ii will soon find
| itself q wanderer on the treeless and
leafiess desert of everlasting oblivion.
| The finger of destiny is pointing unerrmg-
" 10 new highways TO national greatness,
and the revolution of 1858. ushered in with
Dewey's booming guns on the first day
of Nav at Manila harbor, will mark the
birthday of one of the most important
epochs in the worlds history.
This war will go on until Spain cries
hold. enough! When ii is over Cuba will
be free; Porto Rico will no longer be
Spanish province, and there will be
safe harbor in the Philippines for Ameri-
can ships at all times and on all occa-
sions. If we want a foothold on the Ca
naries. we will have it. Then we will
have a merchant marine 10 carry our
products TO Oriental markets, and 10
bring back such of the products Of Orien-
tal countries as we may need in our bust
ness.
Let the score or two of politicians at
Washington who are laundering in the
darkness, seeking after campaign issues,
while our soldiers are swelterlng IN the
heat of tropical climate, stop such
foolshness. The decree has gone forth,
and If they imagine that they can revoke
it. they know even less than they have
been generally credited with. Yes, let
obs,ructionists lugubriously howl about
the awful consequences Of so-called I'm
|. perialism." The people of this republic
are not going TO relax their efforts, or
malt on the pathway OF duty, because
politicians. in search or hindering obsta-
Giles TO throw in the way OF the powers
that be are ransacking their leXcOns for
repuisive words.
JOSEPH ii. SHEPHERD.
Varied Check stamps.
Boston Transcript