Iron County register., 1899-02-23
The Republican Party's Purpose.

The Republican Partys purpose.
The president has notified the lead
ers of his party that he would convene
the next congress in extra session if
the present congress did not pass the
Hull army bill. The notification was
a combination of command and threat,
which showed how determined the
president is to have the backing of a
large military establishment in his ex-
pansion scheme. The democrats sub
mitted proposition to continue the
strength of the regular army at 62,500
men until the emergency for so large
force no longer exists, and meanwhile
recruit seperate force of natives in
the several colonies for local use. But
that plan did not suit the president at
all. He wants a standing army of 100,-
900 Americans as a regular thing.
Why he wants such large army be
does not say, but there was top-lofti
ness about his command to the leaders
of his party which suggests the thought
that he deems it none of the country's
business why he wants so many soldiers
at hand all the time. However, Sena-
tor Cockrell's amendment defeats the
scheme so far as this congress is con-
cerned.
Before the Spanish American war a
standing army of 5000 men was con-
sidered large enough. Ia fact, there
was no use for an army at all, except
tions and take care of the forts and
other public property belonging to the
military arm of the government. The
war did not change the home condi-
tions one way or the other. Not a
single additional soldier is needed for
service in the United States. Il follows.
then, that the additional 5000 men
which the administration bill pro-
vides for are to meet extraordinary
conditions somewhere, but where is
not so clear. If $4,000 soldiers are
needed to keep some 12.000,000 men,
women and children in Porto Rico,
Cuba and the Philippines in subsection.
the president should say so, and he
should also say why we should force
our sovereignty upon them with the
bayonet when they do not want it at
all. If he is providing against a pos
sible uprising of the inhabitants of
Cuba and Porto Rico against American
ownership and expects the Filipinos
will continue their war of independ-
ence for an indefinite number of years,
let him say so. The people are quite
worthy of his confidence; besides, they
believe they have the right to know
all about what his purpose is, the more
so because they will have to foot the
bills.
But whatever it is that is making the
president firm in his determination to
quadruple the numerical strength of
the regular army, we may be sure that
it is not the best good of the people he
is looking out for. The republican
party has been steadily working to SO
shape national legislation that the
government at Washington would be
a centralized political power by trans
ferring the sovereignty of the people
to it, and by the abrogation of right of
the states to govern themselves in their
own way. That was the objective
point of the party when it first became
a factor in the nations political life
more than forty years ago, and the ad-
vance toward the goal has been sure
and steady, with never backward
step.
The first pronounced step was the
demonetization of silver in 1873. The
entire coinage of silver dollars from
the foundation of the government up
to that time was only about 5000, 900
pieces. and they being at premium,
bullion value, none of them was in
circulation. 1t was not, therefore,
that silver was ..debased," nor that
the monetary system Of the country
was silver top-heavy. 1t was demone-
tized to restrict the volume Of ultimate
redemption money to where the money
powers could control it. They had
full control then, consequently it was