Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1899-10-05

Either the islands would have been left
to their own fate, had such course been
followed, in which case series Of bloody
massacres would have taken place, and
the war between the Spaniards and the
Filipinos would have dragged along its
wretched length until some outside inter
ference took place, or else, what is far
more probable, as Dewey's fleet sailed
out the fleet Of some European power
would have sailed in, and we would have
had the keen modification Of seeing the
task which we shrank from begun by
some nation which did not distrust its
own powers, Which had the courage to
dare to be great. Dewey had to stay and
we had to finish the job we had begun.
A weak nation can be pardoned for CIV
ing up work which it does badly; but a
strong nation cannot be pardoned for
flinching from a great work because, for
sooth, there are attendant difficulties and
hardships. The century which is just
closing has seen what the century which
is opening will surely also see-vast
strides in civilization, the result of the
conquest of the worlds waste places, the
result of the expansion Of the great mas
Democratic Attitude Destructive.
Gov. Roosevelt summed up as follows:
Our opponents seek to make their
points by denouncing trusts and expan-
sion. In both cases they occupy purely
destructive attitude. They advocate moth
ing constructive The Democratic party,
with that fatal facility it has shown for
many years in appearing at every reeur-
ring presidential election as the enemy
of the business man, and, above all, OF
the workingman, now once more comes to
the front as the champion of the forces
that tell for economic destruction. Ihey
denounce the trusts, but the measures
they propose against them are purely po-
litical, are not economic, not remedial.
They strive to win by infaming ignorant
passion, and trust that the passion thus
indamed will overcome sound judgment.
They propose either no remedy or else
they propose remedies so absurd and so
vicious that they would tenfold aggra-
vate all existing evils. Mr.. Bryan mas
developed a visionary scheme of national
supervision, a scheme of extreme central
ization, which would be unavoidable at
present and which might cause great
havoc to industry, if so much as the at
tempt was made to put it into effect. We
propose to meet the problem in the only
way in which it can be met, by cool and
careful study, by finding out what the
facts are, and then by exhausting every
legitimate power, legislative, administra-
tive and judicial, to regulate the indus
trial movement and to cut out all abuses.
Corporations (for what we commonly call
trusts are generally merely big corpora
tions) render great services, and are in
dispensable instruments in industry in
Our modern life; but their growth has
been accompanied by the growth of evils
which we can but remedy by common
sense and common honesty-not dema-
gogic cutlery. Our opponents say we have
no plan. We have; and the plan is, as a
first step, to try the effect of publicity,
and then to supplement- publicity by tax
alton, and then by licensing or whatever
measure experience shows to be effective.
Before hitting we must know exactly
what we are hitting at, and whether the
blow will hurt more than it helps.
Jugglc of Words.
So again, when they come to deal with
expansion, they juggle words. They state
insincerely what they know is not true,
and strive to bring shame ard dishonor on
the country for their own political adj
vantage. They say they are against i'm
perialism. So are we. No: an American
in the land favors Imperialism, and they
know this. They profess to fear the evils
of a great standing army and a grand
navy. They know that no one proposes
for a moment to make the army and
IL olo+ lxy 10
moment than they have been to our needs
of the past. We are not imperialists;
we are e0pansionists, and that we have
got to be whether we wish to or not..The
work of expansion IS going on all about
us before our eyes. Every miner who
stakes out claim on the Yukon, every
new settler who takes up unoccupied land
among the foothills of the Rocky Noun
tains is a unit in the great work of ex-
pansion. Every man before me to-day
is here because his forefathers We're ex-
pansionists when they crossed the Allie
ghanies and came this side of the Ohio.
Expansion means growth, neither more
nor less. Imperialism is simply a catch
word Of those who wish to retard our
growth, to stunt us, to hinder the devel-
opment Of our might, of all our power.
What do they mean by Imperialism?
DO they consider us imperialists because
Colorado, California, Oregon and Wash
ington have become part of the Union?
As well use the names of those States as
of what is now going on in the closing
years of the century, as the nation ad-
vances with the strides of giant to take
the front place among the peoples of the
world All great nations must expand
just as long as they grow and flourish.
Do our opponents mean that democracy is
the only form of government under which
the greatness that comes by expansion is
barred? Do they mean that our mighty
republic is too weak to do a work which.
as matter of fact, will call for but
fraction Of its giant strength?
ADDR Ess OF GEO. K. NASH.
Gubernatorial Candidate ON Prosner-
49, -