Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-04
No Falterfng.

feSterdayS ceremonies at the Capitol
served the excellent purpose of permitting
the President to give emphatic and public
expression to his views regarding the fruits
of Admiral Dewey's victory. He wasted
no words, saying:
There was no flaw IN your victory: there
will be no faltering in maintaining it.
The reports of the occasion note that this
pointed reference to the national policy was
greeted with tremendous cheering. There
could be installing the Presidents in
tent. He recognized the occasion as one
of deep meaning TO the republic The nation
was thanking the officer whose achievement
had wrought great change in domestic
and international circumstances. Two
courses were open to him chief executive,
attending this rare ceremony. He might
formally praise the admiral for his courage
and skill and then by his silence express
doubts as to the ultimate results or value
of his achievement. Or he might not only
thank the admiral for his service. but voice
the intention of the people to make use of
it.
The President had already chosen the
latter alternative. There has been no fall
tering since the peace commissioners re-
turned from Paris Throughout the try
ing times of last winter, when the peace
treaty was held up in the Senate, the Pres
ident stood by the policy formulated in the
treaty of taking over the Philippines and
giving them good government When the
insurgents precipitated an unnecessary
struggle the President responded instantly
to the emergency and. though handicapped
by the lack of a sufficient force, conducted
the campaign in Luzon with energy, real
izing that to hesitate at so critical juno
ture would be to encourage the Tagals and
their American allies and precipitate dis
graceful, disastrous retreat.
Therefore, when President Mckinley ut
tered those few words of assurance yester-
day on the spot where other great national
policies have been pronounced he was but
bringing the administrators program down
to precise terms and extending to Admiral
Dewey an expression Of gratitude and re-
ward more significant than all the demon
strations which had preceded, more endur-
ing even than the costly symbol of victory
which was about to be handed to the COM
mander of the navy. 1t was promise to
inscribe the victory of May 1 upon the
tablets of the nations history so deeply
and firmly that it should become part of
the permanent record of a great peoples
development and progress. Secretary Long
had in more extended manner outlined the
purpose of this government as to the island
wrested from the Spanish rule, fore
casting d new marked by American
benefcence. The President crystallized the
program into a single sentence.
OF course. President inley speaks in
his representative capacity when he prom
ses that there will be no faltering in main
tanning the victory of Manila bay. He has
h,li, hot, I, fs,r
the people. Despite the protests of a hand
full of retrogrades and pessimists every sign
points to the policy of establishing Ameri-
can sovereignty over the Philippines as the
will of the nation. 1t remains for the peo-
pie themselves later to justify that belief
or to destroy it. 1t would be sorry spec
tacle indeed If, as a result Of political
Vaccinations and the intrigues of traitor
Gus academicians, the people at the polls
should erase those words uttered yesterday
and write in their place a reputation of
Admiral Deweys conquest and confess
sion to the world of timorous incompetence