New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-12-23
A GOOD ADIISER.

wo cannot have too many such speeches as
.,o, Of Colonel Roosevelt at the New England
dinner In Brooklyn. He gave expression "
ideas which the present state or the country
and its prospective problems make most unci9
and valuable and he did it in way TO COM
mend them to the mass of citizens VINO HIKE
nrhlic oninion instead of leading men To dis
miss his ideas. no matter how good' pecause
they seemed only a phase of impractcapic anu
irrecOncilable opposition 10 the necessar! eh
denotes Of National life.
Colonel Roosevelt is an expansionst. lie be-
Ieved in the war; he worked for war, he fought
In the war and he is ready to have the Na'ioh
meet every duty and make the most OF ever!
opportunity resulting from the war ana assume
the full responsibility of that course "heh
such q mantle "fre-eater," the "Jlngo, the
"imnorialist" of the Little American-stops IN
ALL his enthusiasm to warn his cOuntrynen OF
the danger confronting them IN the course he
himself would have them pursue. and tells
them how they may avoid that danger ana no"
humiliating and wicked and contemplate VIII
be their failure If they do not avoid II, his
words count for vastly more than any warnings
of the same kind by men who are snarlihg
about the war, urging us to throw away what
we have gained, and predicting ruin lot inc
new possessions and for the Nation Itself from
the policy of expansion no matter how well we
may govern our dependencies When they sa!
there is danger In bad government or forto
Rico people shrug their shoulders and refuse 10
heed the cry of "Wolf. wolf. from lips that
are ever DINING into their ears false alarms.
The chronic calamity howler has little lnllu-
cnce even when he Is right. II Is ne VINO IL II
man among his fellows. sympathizes with their
aspirations, Is fired by their enthusasms ana
encourages them in their ambitions. who can
best lead them so that those ambitions ana en-
thusiasms will benefit themselves and the
world He can say that he Is anxious, ana
people will know that his anxiety Is reasonable
and heed his advice. The man who fought TO
give us new territories can with propriety ask
us to think Of the problems Of new territories
after this fashion:
And row have told you why am glad about
what We have done. Let me ADD my maj woi 'a
as to why / anxious about II. we nave
driven out the Spaniards-that has not proved
serious task for this Nation. But we are APP
preaching a really serious task. now IL pe
hooves to show that we are capable OF doing
Infinitely better the work which we blame the
Spaniards for doing badly. And woe TO us un-
less we do show not merely slight but d
marked aye wellnigh unreasonable, inn
provenent We have assumed heavy burdens
| heavy responsibilities. | have no sympathy
\
them The tasks are difficult, and all the more
| for that reason let US giro UP our loins and go
out and meet them.
| Woe to US, indeed. If do not make i'm
mca surablc Improvement. and woe to us, too, If
we do not arouse ourselves n people to the
responsibility and give every aid to the Govern
mcnt in setting up in the islands adminstra-
tioEs which shall have not merely the excel
| lcnccs and defects of our home politics. but
| the eXcellences without the defects. The final
! character of our colonial rule depends on the
people. no. on the President. No Admnistra-
ton makes the spoils system. hut the popular
pressure against which Presidents with varying
force contend, and the public opinion which en-
courages or dscouragcs them In resisting spoils-
men The President may devise the best Civil
! Service system imaginable FOR the new posses
sioDs but IL will not solve the problem unless
American public opinion makes II discreditable
and dangerous for politicians 10 try to make the
colonial service a perquisltc The people them
selves must not let the thought be nourished
that a place In the colonies Is a possibility as a
refuge for political workers III need or reward.
| Once let the spollsmen have the foothold and II
will take a alf-century 10 disodge them. Let
popular sentiment support and encourage an
absolute merit system, and we may start right
and go on right, and Ike England learn for
| home use the lesson Of our own colonial virtue.
This is the greatest opportunity the Civil Ser
vice rcformcr has ever had. He can establish
the merit system beyond attack or circumven-
ton. or he can by capiious criticism dlscredit
himself and his cause In our dependencies he
| has virgin field. The Government Is frankly
feeling It's way and looking to secure the best