The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1900-07-20

NORED.
Acting under the instructions of his
superiors, the many sided Executive,
President Mckinley, in his formal &C.
ceptance Of the nomination for the
Presidency, dwelt strongly on the
money question as being the vital
issue of this campaign. No doubt he
would will 1t thus if 1t were in his
power so to do, but the people will not
so have it.
There never has yet been time
when any man or class of men Can
force upon the whole people their in
dividual views and say this we will
discuss and the other we will ignore "
In proof of this we have only to cite
the editorials of the leading papers OF
the country and see what question
they are most ardently bringing to the
front. A newspaper that's preaching
the sound money doctrine alone is as
much behind the times as one extoll-
ing the different phases of the slavery
question or the causes which led up
to the war of 1919. We are progress
sive nation, and when a question
comes up it is promptly settled and at
once relegated to the background to
make room for something else.
In the spring of 1898, a remarkable
condition OF affairs presented itself.
Never before were we SO closely allied
on internal matters. The unanimc us
vote of an entire Congress to place
uureservedly in the hands Of the Chief
Executive the sum of $50, 0O0, 900 to be
used, as he saw fit, in waging war
against the common foe, wasaspectacle
never before seen in the government
of our republic.
Who for one instant ever dreamed
that this signal recognition of trust
would result in the manner it has :?
Suppose for one instant, that it had
been known that the end of this would
mean the requirement., through blood
and purchase, of the Philippine Is
lands, and the international complica-
tions which have unavoidably follow
ed. The powers of the administration
never could have forced such meas
ure on our statute books. At that
time we were assured that it was a
war of freedom, not conquest, and that
our battleships carried relief to the
poor, distressed, who were groaning
under the Spanish yoke of slavery.
The message to Congress, stating a
status of war existed, was guarantee
of freedom to Cuba. What are now our
colonies, never for one moment enter
ed into the consideration of the decla-
ration of war. 1t was not necessary,
the thought Of empire was furtherest
from our minds.
Poor deluded creatures we were !!
Never was a confiding nation more
completely duped. We did not then
realize that our President and the
White House coterie were INDUCING
In pipe dreams Of empire and emper-
ors. Colonies for the United States
were an unheard of thing. When the
Protocol was signed the country was
still in ignorance as to what would be
the final fate of the Philippines, and
it was only very recently that any
authoritative statement concerning
the administrations course has been
made public.
We now know what to expect in case
the Republican party is again success
full. They will talk the silver question
to the gold Democrats until the voting
il over, but the day after the election
they will calmly tell them that the
true issue was imperialism. Are the
people going to be again hoodwinked?
We think NOT.