The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1900-06-21

business I'm fermeut and had brought a
treasury deficit. paralyzed industries de-
preston. panic and. finally continuous
bad times to a degree never before imag.
ined. Would you know the result of our
tariff legislation, look about you. Would
you measure its success. recollect that 1t
is no longer an issue that our opponents,
free traders as they are. do not dare to
make 1t an issue that there is not a state
in the Union today which could be carried
for free trade against protection. Never
was a policy more fully justified by its
works; never was a promise made by any
party more absolutely fulfilled.
Dominant among the issues of four
years ago was that OF our monetary and
financial system. The Republican party
promised to uphold our credit. to protect
our currency from revolution and to
maintain the gold standard. We have
done so. We have done more. We have
been better than our promise. Failing to
secure. after honest effort, any encour-
agement for International bimetallism, we
have passed a law strengthening the gold
standard and planting IT more firmly than
ever in our financial system, improving
our banking laws. buttressing our credit
and refunding the public .debt at per
cent interest. the lowest rate in the world.
1t was a great work well done.
Continuing, Mr.. Lodge said:
We had already thwarted the efforts of
the Cleveland administration to throw the
Hawaiian Islands back to their dethroned
queen and to give England a foothold for
her cables in the group. We then said
that we would settle finally the Hawaiian
question. We have done so. The tradi-
tional American policy has been carried
out. The flag OF the Union floats today
over the crossroads Of the Pacific.
We promised to deal with the Cuban
question. Again comes the reply, we
have done so. The long agony of the is
land is over Cuba is free. But this great
work brought with It events and issues
which no man had foreseen, for which no
party creed had provided a policy The
crisis came. bringing war in its train.
The Republican president and the Repub-
lcan congress met the new trial in the
old spirit We fought the war with Spain.
The result Is history known of all men.
We have the perspective now of only
short two years, and yet how clear and
bright the great facts stand out. like
mountain peaks against the sky, while
the gathering darkness Of a just oblivion
is creeping fast over the low grounds
where lie forgotten the trivial and unim-
portant things. the criticisms and the
fault findings which seemed so huge when
we still fingered among them, Here they
are, these great facts: war of hundred
days, with many victories and no defeats,
with no prisoners taken from us and no
advance staid. with a triumphant out
come startling In its completeness and in
its worldwide meaning. Was ever a war
more justly entered upon more quickly
fought more fully won. more thorough in
its results? Cuba is free. Spain has been
driven from the western hemisphere
Fresh glory has come to our arms and
crowned our flag 1t was the work of
the American people, but the Republican
party was their instrument. Have we
not the right to say that, here. too. even
fha l.,. AF hr1l l,,r
have fought a good fight, we have kept
/ the faith. We have finished the work. - .
The new problems brought by the war
we face with confidence in ourselves and
a still deeper confidence in the American
people, who will deal justly and rightly
with the islands which have come into
their charge. The outcry against our new
possessions is as empty as the cant about
"mlitarsm" and imperialism" is devoid
of sense and meaning. -.
For the islands of Hawaii and Porto
! Rico the political problem has been solv-
/ ed. and by Republican legislation they
| have been given self government and are
| peaceful and prosperous under the rule
! of the United States.
| In the Philippines we We're met by re-
| bellon. fomented by a self seeking ad-
| venturer and usurper. The duty of the
| president was to repress that rebellion;
| 10 see to IL that the authority of the
| United States. as rightful and as right
| eous in Manila as in Philadelphia was ac-
! knowledged and obeyed. That harsh and
! painful duty President Mckinley has per-
| formed firmly and justly. eager to resort
! to gentle measures wherever possible, un-
| yielding when treaChery and violence made
force necessary. Unlike the opponents of
| expansion, We do not regard the soldiers
| of Otis and Lawton and Macarthur as
| "an enemy's camp"
| The restoration of peace and order now
so nearly reached in the Philippines shall
| be completed. Civil government shall be
established and the people. advanced as
| rapidly as possible along the road to en-
| tire freedom and to self government un-
| der our flag. We will not abandon our
task. We Will neither surrender nor re-
treat. We will not write failure across
this page of our history.
In conclusion Mr.. Lodge said:
1t is on these facts that we shall ask
| for the support of the American people.
| What we have done Is known. and about
| what we interd TO do there is neither Sc
crecy nor deception. What we promise We
| will perform. Our old policies are here
! alive. successful ard full of vigor Our
| new policies have been begun. and for
| them We ask support. When the clouds
| Of impending civil war hung dark over
| the country in 1861. we took up the great
| task then laid upon us and never fiinched
| until we had carried IL through to vic
| tory. Now, AT the dawn of new CEN
| tury, with new policies and new oppor-
| tunites opening before us in the bright
| sunshine of prosperity. we again ask the
| American people to intrust us with their
| future. We have profound faith in the
| people. We DO not distrust their capacity
| of meeting the new responsibilities even
| as they met the old. and We shall await
| with confidence under the leadership OF
| William Mckinley, the verdict of Novem-
| ber.
THE PLATFORM.
Senator Fairbanks, chairman of the
committee on platform, presented that
document, which met with warm approx
al. 1t is pronounced Endorsement of
President Mckinley and his administra.
| tiOn.
The financial and revenue planks of the
platform indorse the action of congress
and the executive on the currency Ques-
tion and the tariff and says:
The people by great majorities issued
TO the Republican party commission to
enact these laws This commission has
been executed. and the Republican prom
Use is redeemed. Prosperity more general
and more abundant than we have ever
known has followed these enactments