The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1898-04-07
The Ofacial PAPER of San Juan County
THURSDAY, APRIL It'll, 1898.
WAR OR PEACE.

It now seems probable that before an
other issue of THE ISLANDER is pub
Iished, and possibly even before this
one reaches considerable portion of its
readers, war with Spain will have been
declared or all immediate danger Of
such struggle will have passed. The
tension of the past few weeks has been
tremendous. The patience and forbear-
ance of Congress and of the people has
been remarkable under the most trying
circumstances, and upon the president
and his immediate advisers has rested
a burden of anxiety and responsibility
which has had no parallel since the
dark days preceding the civil war.
The country has not lacked for exhibit
tions of pyrotechnic oratory both in
and out of Congress, or for warlike out
bursts from journals whose chief mis-
sion seems to be to inf1ame the public
mind regardless of consequences. But
on the whole the government and the
country generally has given to the
world an exhibition Of patience and
conservatism of the highest order.
coupled with degree of firmness and
dignity which has challenged the re-
spect and ladmiration OF old world ma
lions which are seldom inclined to
praise anything connected with the adj
ministration of government in the
United States. The genus lingo is
abroad in the land and his voice is
raised for war, but we may well be
thankful that the course of events has
thus far been dominated by stronger
and worthier influence which makes
for peace. This great conservative
sentiment was most wOrthily repre-
sented in Congress few days ago by
Congressman Johnson, of Indiana, in a
Just and fearless speech in the course of
which he said:
1'My voice has been and still Is for peace.
Whether it be proper or not, do not stop or
care. 1 am opposed to war, war with its de-
vastating consequences, war which involves
vast expenditure of public money, which in
wolves burdens of taxation to be paid by the
people, which involves the issuing of paper
money, which involves period of wild specula-
ton; war which, while it affords opportunities
for exalted patriotism and heroic devotion to
the nag, at the same time "opens up an oppor-
tunity for the cormoraut, who always preys
UPON the vitais Of the government and seeks to
take advantage of its necessity. am opposed
to that condition Of affairs which would take
away the flower of the American people which
would put women In the garments of mourning,
and which would bring to our unwilling ears
the voice of the orphan. would go to war only
As last resort. would not sacrifice precious
American lives except that our quarrel should
be a just one, and the first tgun would bring
every American citizen to the support OF his
ceuntry's flag; that would carry with it the
moral support of the civilized world"
And James Hamilton Lewis -
"Lewis, of Washington, sah!'-(great
CaesorD with his hair and his whiskers
parted In the middle and his trousers
nicely creased, had the affrontry to say
that the country is suffering from "to0
much Johnson" and even to attempt
to make political capital out of the
slanderous charge of sensational news
papers that the administration pro-
poses to accept money indemnity
from Spain for the murdered sailors OF
the Maine. The country is not suffer
ing from "too much Johnson" but
there is at least one state that Is suffer
Ing from too much Lewis.