The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-03-12

nently inhabit the tropics, and We
therefore cannot make colonies of these
new acquisitions in the original and
only politically wise sense. They can
only be dependencies administered by
military power and in a manner wholly
opposed to the spirit of our institutions.
The mission of America to the world
has heretofore been one of moral lead
ership; she has borne the torch for
the struggling nations of the world.
Her influence upon forms of govern
| ment and the progress of political
rights has been beyond comparison
greater than that of any other nation
in all history. If she shall now resign
this place at the head of the worlds
progress and become mere competitor
with the brigand nations for the des-
| poilment and enslavement of weaker
| races, our stupendous experiment of
free lf-government will have ended
in pitiful failure. The declaration of
! the president that the flag shall not be
hauled down, the recent statement Of
Chairman Cannon of the house of rep
| resentatives appropriation committee
| that the United States could not if she
| would, and would not if she could
withdraw from the Philippine islands,
| together with the numerous utterances
| to similar effect by generals in the
| army, and others in close touch with
the administration, leave no doubt
that the republican policy is def
| nitely fixed upon a programme of
| imperialism. Against this the ira
ditional sentiment, the patriotism and
| the sense of justice of the Ameri-
can people will rebel, and in my judy
| ment the campaign of 1900 will have a
| tremendously stimulating effect in re-
awakening our old Fourth of July emo
tons and in rededicating our institu-
tons to that high service of liberty in
which the fathers laid the foundations
of the government. Of course, this is
a big question and I cannot pretend
to discuss it in a short interview, but
in my opinion it is to be the thing most
talked about in the next campaign.
$50 far as the money question is con-
cerned, the chief discussion on that
subject will be directed to the currency
more emphatically than to the coinage
feature. The question will be presented
whether the banks shall be permitted
to run the treasury and issue all the
| paper money; in other words, whether
money trust shall be erected by the
law in this county.
LAS to candidates, of course McKin-
ley will be renominated by the repub-
licans and my judgment is that Mr.
Bryan will again be the standard bearer
of the opposition. To be sure, things
are moving very rapidly now, and in
the next Is months there is ample time
for the appearance of new candidate
for the democratic nomination. So far
as the supporters of Mr.. Bryan are con-
cerned, I feel very certain that their
first object is the good of the country
and if, when the time comes to name a
candidate for president, it shall appear
that anybody else is stronger before the
people and is at the same time repre-
sentative of the ideas and ideals of the
ly compatible to their friendship for
| Mr.. Bryan to select another man. Tn
der these circumstances indeed Mr.
Bryan himself would be the first man
to advise such action. He is patriot
in every sense of the word. Those who
have studied his recent utterances and
have observed the manner of his recep-
ton in different parts of the country
since he has been speaking on matters
that are at this time especially to the
front politically, cannot have failed to
note that he has exhibited very broad
wise and conservative disposition and
that he has commended himself very
| strongly to the confidence of a large
number of men who in the last cam
paign distrusted him. He has shown
that while he does not mitigate any OF
the demands heretofore made in behalf
of plans for the betterment of the con,
diton of the masses. yet he is fully
abreast of the new issues as they arise
and that his position in regard to them
is determined by the same considera
lions as those which have always made