Arizona republican., 1899-02-24
STAND BY THE PRESIDENT.

l The president is cOnsplcEJuSly right | in his purpose to summon an extra ses- sion of congress if the army reorgani-
 z8tion bill is not passed by the senate.
 The house has done it's duty, recoS- nizng the urgency of increasing the army strength and of an apprcprlall0n ample tC maintain it on the proposed
 new basis The nation is not with the senate in delaying the passage of the measure and tinkering it for the pu',- pose of protracting the discussion in conference We shall have need for
 large increase Of the army for few
 years or until the island populations
 coming under our control have adapted
 themselves to the changed and i'm
 proved conditions under United States
 authority. whic1 will sweep away every
 vestige of the cid. oppressive Spanish
 regime and give the people such pro
 tectiCn of their personal and property
 rights and such privileges of local gov
 ernment as they have never had under
 Spanish rule It is noticeable that the
 very men who oppose the army bill and
 who are denouncing the president as a
 kind of American Genghis Khan or
 General WeyIer were loud in their de-
 mands for war last spring. These gen.
 tlemen must have very infantile nc
 tions of war, if they imagined that the
 United States would abandon the fruits
 of victory and let that infamous and
 wicked" Spanish rule resume it's activi-
 ties in the several islands-a proceed
 ing which would put us in the same
 category with cruel old Spain. But the
 statesmen who shudder with well
 feigned horror at the mention of army
 increase, really have no fear of the
 military dcspotism bogey, which they thaO7ce haUa nStructR0 They think they can frighten the nation into demanding the defeat of the admins tration policy by pOrtraying the hor- TOTS of a military despotism." We heard much of that kind of talk thirty odd years ago. Even Lincoln was charged with being a conspiratOr against the life Of the nation and Grant was certainly going to 'overturn the republic and dance an Indian war dance over the crumbling ruins. The revival of this ibogey now is for politi- cal purposes.
 Meantime the army Of the republic is inadequate for meeting the present responsibilities and possible future emergencies incident to occupying the new territories. The faction who de manded war with Spain in April, 1898, | are opposed to accepting the Tesponsi- | bilities of war Their attitude is cow ardly. The nation is not With them. | If we go to war, there will be war charges to be paid. The Spanish war has cost us, thus far, over $200 900, ,000 | It may cost a hundred millions more. l and much trouble and vexation, re- quiring the exercise of patience. In | stead of seeking to thTa5t the benef- | cent purposes Of the administration the gentlemen Of the opposit On slCuld i appre ciste the gravity Of the droies i'm posed upon the president and support ! ilin in the solution cf jhe serious prob ! lens grc wing out of the war. There i is TO horcr in trying 10 evade national | respans: :Dil.aies. The present emer- { gencies demand army increase. The | president should have the power ac- | corded to him in the bill rassed by the | house. The bogey of military desDot- | ism' is only scarecrow to frighten children Journal.