The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1899-10-06

1T the cape, while Siberia, before our very
eyes, is being changed from the seat Of
wandering tribes Of ferocious nomads Into
. great civilized country.
When great nations fear to expand.
shrink from expansion, 1t II because their
greatness 10 coming to an end. Are We
still in the prime Of our lusty youth. stil1
at the beginning Of our glorious manhood
to sit down among outworn peoples. to
take our place with the weak and cravenf
thousand times mol thousand times
rather face any dimculty-rather meet and
erous and vigorous blood Of our national NE
into the narrow channels Of ignominy and
fear. Our opponents are fighting against
the stars In their courses, for they are
striving to bring dishonor upon the Aneri-
lean republic. They can qualify. reAne.
dinerentiate and differ al they wish, but
fundamentally their attitude u the atti-
tude Of hostility to the nag. Of hostility to
our sailors and soldiers, of hostility to the
greatness Of the nation-the greatness Of
the race.
The other day in New York q Democratic
club started to call itself the Dewey club
and had to abandon the name because the
members quarreled 70 among themselves
half Of them repudiating Dewey because hs
was an expansionist. Think Of It! They
dared not call themselves after the great
est hero, military or naval, whom We have
produced since the civil war because they
were not loyal to the policy for which that
hero stood; to the policy which he has
done so much to put into eject.
Ohio's Battle . iNssIensl Contese.
Ny fellow-citizens, this contest Of yours
In Ohio Is no mere state contest 1t 10
national contest. Our opponents are light
Ing on national grounds They take their
stand in favor Of economic unrest, Of imam
cial dishonesty and Of national dishonor.
We take up the glove that they throw
down. We meet them on every point. We
stand for q continuation Of the conditions
which have brought prosperity to NJ. We
| stand for an intelligent effort to wipe out
/ any wrong that may arise without Bubsti.
| tuting q tenfold greater evil. Finally. we
stand for upholding the traditional Amer
lean policy of defending the honor Of the
| American people In the face Of any foreign
foe and Of giving free outlet to the visor-
GUS and abounding strength Of the nation.
| We follow the policy which under WASH
ington secured us the navigation Of the
| Mississippi and the peopling Of the wilder
ness up to its shores; which under JeRer-
son secured the expansion Of the United
States through the Louisiana purchase to
| the far shores Of Oregon: which under his
successors secured our expansion into Tex
as and California; which as late a. the
days Of Seward secured our expansion into
Alaska. Four years age the very .pseple
| who now cry out against the Philippines
were crying out over Hawaii and demand
| ing (and for the moment succeeding In the
demand) that our nag should be hauled
| down where 1t had once been hoisted. Now
Hawaii is ours and its coming In has not
caused q ripple Of trouble, and who would
think Of giving 1t upf
If we finch from doing our task In the
face Of the nations, II we Zee from the
Philippines, we shall have written q shame
full page In the history Of our country, q
page which our sons and grandsons will
read with bowed heads. I verify believe
that the shame and anger such action
would arouse In our bosoms would force
us in a few brief years again to tread the
path upon which we have now entered.
only the delay would increase beyond
measure the dlficulty and danger. We can
not shrink from doing the task allotted to
us, unless we are content to see 1t done by
| stronger hands, and to admit that we are
not In the first rank among nations. Surely
no American worthy the name will make
such an admission.
In. the present crisis we appeal not merely
to party, but beyond party; we appeal to
all good citizens, to all patriotic Ameri
cans, to stand with us a. we uphold qnan
cial integrity ana the conditions which
make for material prosperity at home. Al
| we uphold the honor Of the nag and the
| interests Of the nation abroad.