The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1900-10-27
PRICE 3 CENTS

The war was declared with almost
ananimi'y on the part Of Congress. All
will remembeT.with what positive reluc-
! tance Mckinley entered lnto the spirit
of this declaration, how he postponed.
: delayed and hssitated, and how he was
I pushed by she overwhelming senti.
, ment of both branches Of the national
legislature. BY Republicans and Demo-
cTa,s alike, into commencing hostili.
ties against Spain.
Iu the next place. deny that a
standing army" is menace to g Re-
publican form Of government, and Mr..
Bryan is careless Of history and indtf.
ierent 90 the provisions Of the Oonsti.
tuition Of ihe United States when he
lays down such q proposition 1t is
pure and open demsgogism. A "stand.
ing a.my" ina free governments, in
the sense 10 which that term is used
here and In England. has never been o
menace 70 It's institutions
Reour to history to verify this state.
ment Previous to the reign of vii.
liam the Third the subject Of stand
ing army" always excited bitter and
acrimonious contest between ParIia.
ments and Kings. The fear Of the peo.
pie was Of placing the control Of
such a weapon Ia the hands Of the Ex.
eOutive power alone. But when the
revolution Of 1893 was over, it was
found that there was DO prohibition
against Standing army" in the Bill
Of Rights. and that the whole question
was leis in the hands Of Parliament.
And one Of the first acts Of the Whig
PArlif I ent-tbe King and Parliament
being now in unity after 9 constitu.
tional monarchy had been firmly estab-
lished-Was the creation Of q standing
army. Strange comment upon Mr..
Bryan'a criticism and Of she platform
Of the Democratic party, that a stand.
ing s-my was born and nurtured In
great that cradle Of liberty the revolu.
tion OF 1888
Before that plank Of the Democratic
platform was written and before Mr..
Bryan had delivered his acceptance,
both history and the Constitution
shosld have been studied. Hear what
Maoaulay says:
We have made the discovers that sn
army may be 80 constituted as to be In
the highest degree efficient against an
enemy and yet Obsequious to the civil
magistrate. We have long ceased to
appEehend danger to law and to free.
dom from the license of troops and
from the ambition Of victorious gen:
srsls An alarmist who should now
tsik such language as was common
five generations ago, who should call
for the eatiFe disbanding of the land
force Of the realm, and who should
gravely predict that the WI -riors Of
Iukermsn and Delhi would depose the
Queen. dissolve the Parliament and
plUnder she bank would be regf -ded
as fit only for a cell in 81. Luke's. But
fore the Revolution our ancestors
had known standing army only as
an instrument Of lawless power.
Judging BY their own experience they
thought it impossible that such an
army shor'd exist without danger to
the rights both of the crown and Of the
people One class Of politicians Yves
never weary Of repeating that an Apos.
tolic church, loyal gentry, an an
oient nobility a sainted king, had been
foully outraged by the Joyces and the
Prides; another class reoor lted the
atrocities committed by the Lambs OF
Kirks, aHd bt the Beelsebubs and Lu.
offers Of Dundee; sld both classes
agreeing in scarcely anything else. were
disposed TO agree in aversion to the
rsdooats s*
The debate, which recurred every
spring on the Mutiny Bill. came TO be
regarded merely az an occasion on
which hopeful young orators fresh from
Christ Church were to deliver maiden
speeches setting forth how the guards
CO Plsistratus seizsd the citadel Of
Athens, and how she Frastorisn CO.
horts sold the Roman Empire to Didius.
At length these deolamatlons becsme
too ridiculous to be repeated. The
most old fashioned. the most eccen-
trio politician. could hardly. In the
reign of George the Third. contend
that there ought 10 be no regular SOL
diegs, OF shat the ordinary law. admin
istered By the ordinary courts. would
efectually maintain discipline among
such soldiers. All parties being agreed
as 70 the general principle, long suc-
cession Of mutiny bills passed with
discussion, except when some parth ?
lar article Of the militia J code appel
ed TO require puendment IL Is. peF-
hsps because the army became thus
, gradually and almost imperceptibly
one Of the Institutions Of England that
it has acted In such perfect harmony
with all her other institutions. has
never once during q hundred and sixty
years. been untrue TO the throne or
disobedient TO the law, has never once
defied the tribunals or overawed the
constituent bodies. "
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