The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1900-06-30

| or more we have been employing an army
OF some $4,000 men In suppressing an In
surrection against our authority 5000
miles away. No industry has felt the
strain of these extraordinary expenses
nor have they affected the general sun
OF our prosperity More than that, the
conditions resulting from the legislation
OF the past four years have obliterated
every issue that was raised during the
last campaign. The democracy, having
therefore to find some rallying cry seek
II In the results OF our late war with
Spain. and upon that question. as upon
all others. we stand ready to meet them
In the open.
During the weeks and months preced-
Ing the outbreak of hostilities with Spain
the president OF the United States. who
| knew by personal experience on many a
battlefield something Of the horrors of
war. and who realized the expense and
| suffering which war entailed. stood firmly
| upon the ground that q peaceful solution
could be found. And when that awful
occurrence took place in the harbor of
| Havana, and a hot frenzy of indignation
| swept over our people, and conflict
seemed inevitable. he faced popular clam
or and heated counsels. and still believed
| that the wrongs of Cuba could be rem
edied and redressed without an appeal to
| the arbitrament of war.
THE folly of Spain and the indignation
of the American people forbade a peace
| full solution. Then the president, Sec
| onded by a republican congress. before
| a gun was fred, declared to the world
| the lofty and unselfish motives that alone
actuated the nation No, man now. or
| in the centuries to come, when history.
which alone triumphs over time re-
counts the marvellous story of the war
which changed the map of the world, shall
ever truthfully say that this republic was
animated by any but the noblest pur-
poses. Recorded time tells of no such
war. for 1t was fought. with bloody sac
rifice, by a great and free republic, for
the freedom of another race. while Its
own liberties were unassailed.
This Is not the time or the occasion
to dwell upon the incidents of the war
crowded with successive victories and
illumned with countless examples OF In
dividual bravery and gallant conduct. It's
living heroes are honored by n generous
country; its dead have ennobed the race,
and will live forever In the hearts of a
grateful people. Throughout all its anx-
ious days the president commander in
chief of our armies and our navies
planned and directed with unerring hand.
His wise diplomacy saved us from threat
ened international complications. From
the commencement of hostilities until
their close the conduct of the war was
unassailable, and the paltry criticisms of
two years ago are already buried in the
limbo of oblivion.
I'm August, 1885, n preliminary proto-
col was executed at Washington, fol-
lowed by the sessions of the peace COM
missioners OF the United States and
Spain in Paris, commencing in october
Of that year. Public interest In this
country concerning these negotiations
was intense. Until our soldiers and
sailors had landed at Manila we had
known little OF the conditions of the peo-
TDt.gtt -.
tanned that the cruelties and oppres-
sions existing in Cuba were mild COM
pared with the treatment to which $780,
900 of people in those Islands were sub
jected. We realized that If We relin-
quished the archipelago to Spain we con-
signed its inhabitants again TO condi-
ton worse than slavery, worse than bar
barism. We had put our hands to the
pillow, and every instinct of honor and
humanity forbade us to turn back.
universal demand arose from all over
the country that we should retain our
hold upon these islands, afford their peo-
pie the protection of our laws, lift them
out of their unfortunate condition and
fit them, II possible. for self-government.
Any agreement by our commissioners to
give back the Philippines to Spain. re-
serving for ourselves an island or coal
ing station, would have aroused univer-
sal national Indignation. and would never
of the people.
mo man saw this so clearly as did
the president. In his advices to the COM
missioners he told them Ii was imper-
alive that we should be governed only
by motives that should exalt the nation;
that territorial expansion was our least
concern, but that whatever else was
done, the people of the Philippines must
be liberated from Spanish domination,
and he reached this view solely through
considerations of duty and humanity. The
American peace commissioners, men OF
differing political faiths. reached unani-
nous conclusion. The treaty of Paris
was ratified by vote of two-thirds OF the
senate, and the territory we acquired
under II became lawful and legal pos
sessions of the United States. The re-
sponsibility for the war rested upon us
all; the responsibility for the treaty rests
chiefly upon the republican party, and
that party avows the wisdom of the
treaty and declares 1t to be the policy of
the party to adhere to its terms and to
accept the responsibilities 1t imposed.
I'VE assumed dominion of Porto Rico,
Cuba and the Philippines for reasons diff
fering as to each of them.
1--WE took to ourselves the little island
OF Porto Rico because II lay under the
shadow of our own shores, and because
It's continued occupancy by Spain or by
any foreign government would be a con-
slant menace to the states and to that
great interoceanic waterway which We
shall build and own and operate as an
American canal. We found IL impover-
ished by years Of colonial disagreement
and without any system of revenue laws.
Soon after the peace its people were fur
Their stricken by flood and famine. We
assumed towards them every obligation
which sympathy and friendship could
prompt We contributed as nation large
sums of money to ameliorate their con-
dition and to enable them to plant and
garner their crops. Then we said to
them: We shall give you n just and
equitable form of free government, with
power to manage your home affairs. I'm
til you shall devise proper and efficient
methods of revenue and taxation your
needed funds shall be raised as follows:
You shall pay upon your imports Is per
cent. of the present tariff rate govern
ing importations into the United States,
which means an average duty of about
seven per cent. All the necessares of
life and building materials for the struc-
lures you need shall be free. On the LIST
day of March, 1902. all these duties shall
cease tn any event. and shall cease
sooner IL before that time you can ar
range for the needed revenues of the Is
land
The recommendations OF the president
were fully and satisfactorily complied
with; the people of the island are con-