Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1898-12-19

cet5 lcf tGo pSpeFi noH5 or any l::tolsuStlrI'
or business cs;n be cent by felGphone.
Entered at The P0sto;Hce AieyaZGria, VirciA.
:, - seeond-olzss naattor.i
The Presidents alabama specch--Ex-
travagant and Misleading Utter
ances-- army and Navy in the Re-
cent war
To the Editor of the Alexandria Gazette:
Il is an upgracious task to cri;cz
when the world spplauds, or to take
exception when the DRIFT of public SEN
timent is strongly il Que direction, yet,
unless some one OF the minority speaks
Fit may well be claimed that unapimity
exists when such is not the case.
The President has been in Atlantis
AMI on Thursday delivered himself OF
what is called great speech there.
Some of his utteranCes offer material
for exnmination if nos challenge. His
slbj ct, OF course, was the recent war, and
and peace whose ratification awaits the
action of Congress. He euloaizes the
arny aqd rsvy On the ground OF cur
eiag iadehted TO hem "for Que Of the
most militant chapters oil American his
torv." TO any man or set OF men who
paTforra Gthfu.ly he daty assigned,
ev u when that duty involves sn air sie.
credit than is just has been awarded
the sailors ard soldiers OF the county
il our rsceot brush with Sp&iD. Tnr
Cuban cimats, it may be concedeG,
was enough To try the stoutest heart,
but the number of killed and woundeG
DC laud in the whole war WAS less than
that OF many single skirnish 10 1861
60, which has long since been forgot
tan. Our men did 80 well wlhl
they had to do, but their cp-
portunity was far too small to
Justify the countrymen Of Grant and
Of Lee in making q fuss over their
achieve uents. The ex,rsvegant plaud
It's showered upon them have gone far
sometimes toward msking them ridic-
uious.
But the most fulsome praise has been
bestowed upon the navy. We have
oeeu taught that in coDfict iii which,
from beginning to end, less than ten
lives were lost, and in which it is now
perfectly clear that the ships of the
enemy were ludicrousiy inferior 10 our
own (as the recently published letters
of Ccrvera have demonstrated) glory
superior 10 that of Nelson has been
won. Where the risk to life is proved
to have been SO slight, may it not be
fairly questioned whether m li'ary
elory in the highest sense hos heen wen
IT all? T. this be true, the exuitstion
of government which ''has proved
itself invincible in the recent war" is at
eas5 inj:bad taste. Yet the President
does not stop here. The regulation
apostrophe to this old flag" is intro
duceG, Of course-'That flag has be- q
planted in two bemispheres, and there
it remains the symbol Of liberty and
law, OF peace and progress. Who will
withdraw from the people over whom
it floats It's protecting folds? Who will
haul it down? 2"
This is another form Of declaring that
where the flag has once been raised IN
wer il should never cease 10 remain
u postulate which any intelligent
school Boy can demolish and piece
oi demag0gusry to which it is mortlfy'
ing 20 see the chief magistrate descend.
Il means, of course, that we are to an
nex the Philippines and revolutionize
The form of government bs queathed by
ina fathers of the republic If we are
10 be thus victimizsd by al ambitious
executive aud q servile Senate, let US
at least be spared such nonsense as the
above in public speeches, But, as
though tho President had not sufficient
" taxed the patience of sober hearers,
be adds the following: I'VE have SO
born ourselves in the conflict and 10
our intercourse with the powers Of the
world as TO escape complaint Of com
plication and give universal confidence
in our high purpose and unseltsh sac
yjfceg for struggling peoples" Here Is
richness for you. If Mr.. Mckinley be-
,ieves this, he is willfully ignorant OF
what the continental press OF Europe
has for weeks, with only TOO much
justification, been declaring IN re
spect to the treaty this coun
try has forced upon Spain !;
namely. that war, begu n
with the sole avowed purpose OF re-
deening Cuba FROM Spanish domlne-
tiou and establishing her independence
has ended by giving the lie to these
nrofessions and despoiling weak and
pIostrate foe of everything we could
With the smallest deceacy lay hands
an Il is 8 small compliment to al
audience for the President to suppose
them ignorant of what any discerning
newspaper reader has long been aware
The naked truth is that, while our
soidiers and sailors did their part faith
fuilv olory was not won by them IN the
war with Spain simply because, apart
entirely from the merits OF the cause
there was none to win in the vanquish'
inc of q mower so immeasureably y weak,
~ lns than ourselves. In this view the
honest and most meritorious OF those
Who were in the conflict agree, ana s 5ne
sooner all accept it the better; ouL
neonle north and south kaow well now ",
70 fght and within the memory o.
tbonsands still slive justly won the ap'
nIause of the civilized world for neru, s;.c
ism and proves. They added noen';s =
tn % their reputation in this respect lI
the ~ VA var of IS9S and did not need to aoo {.
snythine. They only detract from ron, !. II
now by msgnifying aonieVemeais' eois
which are unworthy OF any speo''
commentators COMMON SENSE.
Fairfax county, Va, Dec. 49,