The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-02-01
STOKES SOUND SENSE.
Americas Chief Security Lies
in Her Volunteers.
Danger of Filipino Competition in
Our Products and With Our
Labor.

Washington, Jan, 26.-Represent.
ative Stokes addressed the house at
the evening session against the pend
ing army reorganization bill and
incidentally agsinst the imperiaIissic
policy of the administration. He
argued that "the proposition to
increase the standing army of 8
republic fourfold in time Of peace, or
at the close of successful war,
marks crisis in the history of that
republic. It is q proposition" said
he, "to legislate for the next war. OF
else to nee the increased army for
sinister purposes in the present con
ditions If the first. then it implies
the assumption that We are wiser
than future congresses Has the
management of the Spanish war been
so free from mistakes and scandal
that those methods should be crystal
lied into law and projected into future
campaigns ?
..Speaking for myself" said he. 81
would rather trust the volunteer SOL
diery, with all their alleged crudities,
for the protection of our homes and
the preservation of our liberties than
all the standing armies of Christen
dom {! The voluBteer soldiery Of
America is the apparently lnexhsuss
ible reservoir of power chat amszes
and mystifies Europe The regular
,army can be accurately counted.
weighed-snd neutralized The vol
unteer force never-it is the great
unknown factor in the problem that
cannot be estimated or hedged
against. The proposition to sub
etitnte q standing army is to weaken
our world position at an additional
cost Of upward of 500. 100000 an
nually It is more money for less
security. This bill, coming at the
time it does, construed in the light
of various utserances of the chief
executive, means preparation for
permanent occupation of the recent
II ceded Spanish possessions +"
Mr.. Stokes comedies the constitu.
tional right to acquire territory in
any of the ordinary ways-purchase,
conquest or treaty 1.-THE fact is,
we have gun the whole gamus as to
methods of acquisition. It is a
question of policy pure aud simple
policy for which the administration
will have to answer at the bar of
public opinion.
zone of the counts in the indics
ment against the president" said be,
"if he shall dare to carry out his
present policy, will come up from
that very south which applauded to
the echo his patriotic references to the
flag. When thai same south
begins to feel the added pressure of
$40, ,e00, 600 more of people, produc
ing under intelligent direction, sud
with American capital, the staple
products of the south, that count in
the indictmens will be coupled with
execration of the policy and of its
authors.
"Aoother count will come from the
great labor interests of this country
already punched with want for lack
of work, when they begin to feel the
added pressure of the teeming mil
lions of the Orient, swarm,Dg through
this open door to take the places in
forge and factory and 6eld-unham-
pered by exclusion acts of congress,
which must utterly fall as against
citizens of our territory-and of
other millions yet to be born IN those
islands VINO shall follow these, cloth.
ed with all the rights. immunities and
privileges Of citizens5ip-rights, i'm
munities and privileges that no court
nor congress can ever debar or limit
until the constitution of the United
States SHALL have been changed. ~
Mr.. Stokes wss listened to with
close attention and evident interest
throughout his able speech.