Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1900-07-19
ROOSEVEL1'S SPEECH
The Republican Vice Presidential
Nominee Opens the Campaign.
The ISSUES MADE BY DEMOCRATS.
Nothing Practicable offered TO Remedy
Trusts-Ths Free Silver RatiO-Cuba,
Porto Rico and the Philippine Is
lands-What Expansion Means.

dressed a most enthusiastic crowd il
the Auditorium in this city last night
Col. Stone called the meeting to ordeI
and introduced United States Senator
Cushman X. Davis as chairman of thu
evening". After Chairman Davis
speech Gov. Roosevelt was introduced
After the applause had died down hi
spoke in part as follows:
We have come here to begin the worl
of campaign more vital to American in
terests than any that has taken place
since the close of the civil war. We APP.
peal not only to republicans, but to all
good citizens who are Americans in fact
as well as in name to help us in re-
electing President Mckinley. 1t was in.
deed of infinite Importance to elect him
four years ago Yet the need Is even
greater now. President Mckinley has
more than made good all that he prom
Used, or that was promised on his behalf,
and as the smoke clears away we see
how utterly trivial are the matters be-
cause of which his administration has
been criticised, when compared with the
immense substantial gains for American
honor and interest, which under that adj
minlstration have been brought about.
We know definitely what we believe,
and say 1t outright. Our opponents, who
represent all the forces of discomfort,
malice and envy, formed and formless,
vague and concrete, can hardly be said
to know what they really do believe, be-
cause the principles they profess, If put
forth markedly, are so revolving, even to
their own followers that they like at
least to try to wrap the mantle of hy-
pocrisy around them.
They rant about trusts, but they have
nothing practicable to advance in the
way of remedy; nor is this to be Won
dered at, when one Of the makers Of
their platform, the representative from
New York, and the leader of their organ
ization in New York, are both themselves
among the most prominent stockholders
in the worst trust to be found to-day In
the United States, the ice trust which
had justly exposed itself to the criticism
which our opponents often unjustly ap-
ply to every form of industrial effort.
They have invented the imaginary dan
ger OF imperialism and about that they
also rave. Yet so conscious are they OF
the hollowness of their attack, so well
aware that to follow out their profess
sions would mean to trail the American
flag In the dust, that they are obliged
to pretend that really after all they are
for expansion. After infinite labor they
finally did decide that they still believed
In free silver
This decision was reached In their com
mlttee by vote of 20 to "a; so that It ap-
pears that they only have So per cent. of
faith in their IS cent dollar after all
Even this amount of faith they were able
to reach purely BY the aid of Hawaii
and vet four years ago they objected as
much to our expansion over Hawaii as
they now object to our expansion over
the Philippines There is an element Of
grim comedy in these builders having
now perforce to take the once rejected
stone to make out of 1t the foundation
of their new platform,
Their only unequivocal position Is that
In favor of free silver at ratio of 16 to
|, for they have sought at least to make
the pretense of qualifying, or at least OF
what they mean when they ask
for the relaxation of the bonds Of jus
tce and order and the abandonment OF
our position as a great nation manfully
doing its part In the world work that
must be done by all great nations. True
to their nature, they have sought to sub
ordinate the one issue on which they
take a decisive stand, and they declare
that they have subordlnated the ques-
ton of free silver to other questions.
Now. as a matter of fact, they cannot
decide which one of their various here
sizes the people shall regard as most i'm
portant.
What they say about Cuba and Porto
Rico need not detain us for a moment,
IN Porto Rico we now have Gov. Allen
In charge. We have established a sys-
tenn under which the island Is advancing
by leaps and bounds to prosperity. In
Cuba we have put Gen. Leonard Wood In
charge, and all the preliminary steps
have been taken to give to the people
Of the island their own government Our
pledge to Cuba shall, of course, be kept |
Gen. Woods administration is a synonym
for honesty and cleanliness, and the min
ute that fraud was discovered In the post
al department, the wrongdoers were |
hunted down In unsparing pursuit; and
he best possible proof was thereby given |
hat we meant what We said, and that
cleanliness would be OBJ
tanned in the only possible way by the
cutting out Of corruption |
wherever 1t was found
As regards the Philippines even the
Kansas City convention felt that they |
had to propose some policy, and what
they propose Is that we should first give
them a stable form Of government; Sec
md, independence, and third, protection
from outside interference. By the order
N which they put these propositions they |
showed their estimate OF their impor-
lance Well, what we are doing now Is
precisely and exactly to try and secure
/ stable form Of government in the Phil
ppines, and the chief obstacle in our way
$ the support given to the bloody Aguin-
aldlan ollgarchy by their sympathizers
among the people who are represented In
he Kansas City convention. Moreover,
low we actually are seeing that no out
side nation interferes In the island. Aft
,r we have secured stable government
we intend to give them self-government
is rapidly as they are fitted for It. Our
opponents say that they wish now to give
hem independence To give independ'
,nce now would be precisely like giving
to the widest tribe OF
Apaches in Arizona. 1t would mean the
urning over Of the most peaceful, law
lbding and prosperous part of the popu-
alton to be plundered by the banditti
who are following Aguinaldo.
Expansion means In the end not war,
tut peace. But like every other great
rood 1t can normally be achieved only
~ effort at the outset. Woe to us II
= -annk from such effort. Woe |. ne
all to do our duty because rne nrsr step
Gems hard to the weakllngs and the men
Il little heart. II we are to retain the re-
pect of mankind we must do no wrong
nd must not endure wrong from others.