The age-herald., 1899-04-23

crats assumed control of the F'ifty-second congress, and Reeds position was practical ly endorsed by the democrats who had fought so bitterly against it.
 During that congress Reed, as speaker, appointed Mckinley chairman of the com mittee on ways and means, and opened the way for the Ohio member to rivet himself upon the country as the champion of pro- lection, and thereby to become the nominee of his party for the presidency and now the president of the country. Since this ad- ministration came in Reed, though easily made speaker by the republicans. has op- posed the president and his party upon number of the most notable propositions that have come before congress, and he has been unsparing in his criticism of the ad- ministration and some of its policies, though his loyalty as a party man and the speaker, named by his party, has caused him to finally put no obstacle in the way of administration measures when it has ap- peared that the majority of the party de- sired their passage.
 Opposed to War with Spain
 He was from the start opposed to the war with Spain and has never thought it justfiable. He doubted the duty of this country to interfere when it did, and con- ceding that duty, however, he has never believed that peaceable adjustment of the difficulty was not possible. He stood out against Hawaiian annexation with all his power and did his utmost to impress his position of hostility and to defeat the an- nexation of those islands, but when the overwhelming demand of the party became manifest as .unchangeable, he opened the way to the passage of the joint resolution. He has been an anti-expansionist and his attitude towrds the retention of the Phil ippines is well and widely known
 He believes in developing our foreign commerce by the encouragement of Ameri- can shipping but he thinks the annexation of far off tropical territory peopled with inhabitants who are slothfu, dirty and ig- norant and entirely out of touch and sym pathy with American ideas of popular gov ernment, will do little towards aiding for eign commerce and will be far more expen- sive in money, men and principle than all the benefits can possibly be worth.
 Must Yield Up the Monroe Doctrine
 eve must yield up the Monroe doctrine" he said to me once in a conversation when the Philippines were under discussion and after he had reviewed number of his ob- jections, If we take those islands When this country assumes ownership of that territory and establishes there its govern ment and attempts to plant its principles of popular government, we can on longer say to Europe that she can not come to American lands and increase her continent here. Any other conclusion would be ab- surd and could not be justified by any ap- peal to common sense" And when" he added, this continent is open to Eur ~,,an acquisition and that becomes reality, we may expect entanglements and disputes that can not but end in our great loss in a great many respects"
 Reed has been hostile to the proposi- tion for standing army of increased size as the most pronounced democrat. In this he has been consistent He fears stand ing army because it has in it. the seed of menace to. the civil authority and because it must be either idle. and then Il use css expense, or active and then engaged in