Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1899-10-20
REEDS sesuke AND WARNING.

REEDS ReBUKe AND WARNING.
To whatever question ex.Speaker Reed
may speak his countrymen will listen to
him with respectful attention and
assured interest. They know him to be
not only one of the abest but one of the
purest of American statesmen; they
know him to be a strong, wise man, and
patriot whose fine integrity is I'M
questioned and unquestionable. He con-
sequently speaks to them as one having
authority. In what may be called his
farewell to his old constituents of Maine
his plain, frank language is wholly char
acteristic of the man as he has been
the years of his public life. He said to
them in this parting message:
81 have never trimmed sail to catch
the passing breeze or ever flown a
doubtful flag"
All the world that has observed the
public career of the ex-speaker knows
that to be irrefutably true. Further, he
said.
"Office as ribbon to stick in your
coat is worth nobody's consideration.
Office as opportunity is worth all con-
sideration."
That is the thought and speech of one
of the elder sort of patriots and states
men; it embodies the high political ideal
of one of "Plutarch's men, come down
to us from a former and better time, of
such as sincerely held that public office
was public trust, to be administered
with high conscience and patriotic zeal.
In conclusion, Mr.. Reed said to his old
and long time constituents:
"Whatever may happen, I am sure
that the first Maine district will always
be true to the principles of liberty, self
government aud the rights of man.
This confident prediction by the ex-
speaker is confirmatory of his ancient
political principles. which are based
upon the Declaration of Independence
and the constitution of the United States,
instruments of wisest statecraft which
were formerly held in much respectful
regard, but which now find small favor
with the latter day statesmen.
A recent special dispatch to the New
York Tribune, which presented certain
views upon the question of the Philip
pine war, makes somewhat clearer the
meaning of the concluding words of Mr.
Reeds message to his old friends and
neighbors. The Tribune's dispatch was
as follows:
ain railroad train last night Thomas
B. Reed took part in discussion with
two Portland men, and plainly expressed
his sentiment in regard to the war in the
Philippines One of the friends with
him, who is radical expansionist, re.
marked that to withdraw our troops
from the Philippines now would hui
initiate our nation before the world
Mr.. Reed replied You don't think those
Filipinos would chase our soldiers 1000
miles if they should start for home. do
your
1.-The Portland man replied that it was
not the fear of the Fiiplnos, but humila-
ton in the sight of other nations that
was referred to, whereupon Mr.. Reed
said: Il have always observed that with
individuals the fear OF humiliation is
exactly in proportion as they deserve it,
and | believe the same principle holds
good with nation and with a party
Some people seem to be afraid that these
Filipinos will put their tongues in their
cheeks at US. They have done that
already. They have watched our failure
as others have. | don't know how long
1t will be before the American people
get tired of spending S5O,0O0,00O a year
trying to conquer these people, but it
does not seem to me it will be very long
| can conceive that freedom is Just as
dear to them as it is to US. and that they
will fight for it just as long"
OF course there is danger that such
statesmen as Senators Hanna, Platt and
Quay may denounce the speakers
reasonable utterances, but should they do
so the question of the Philippine war,
as viewed in the light of the great
Declaration and the constitution, In the
light also of its vast cost In money and
It's other cost of precious lives, will still
have to be answered, and answered
right. dozen men are wiser than one
man, and the 70000,000 people of this
country are wiser than all the syndicates
of politicians, who, sled with virtuous
Indignation, fling sticks and stones at
those unregenerate traitors, Edmunds,
Iloar, Boutwell,, Reed and the hosts
whom they represent. War is nightly
picturesque thing, but the wise old
adage declares that who fights pays, and
the people are now paying the great
price for that prolonged contest in the
far east, the end of which is not yet
Mirror and Farmer.
THE CENSORSHIP ABOLISHED.
The administration has acknow lodged
one of its least excusable blunders by
abolishlng the Manila censorship. The
fact was not known until this week
although the tyrannous institution ceased