Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1900-01-11

lesson he comprehends. He has no
conception of pure, orderly, equal, inn
partial government under equal laws
justly administered, because he has
never seen such a government. He
must be shown the simplest resultssof
good government by actual example
in order that he may begin to under
stand it's most elementary principles.
There must be no promise whatever
of the franchise until the peopleShave
been prepared for it,"
A Divine Mission.
Senator Beveridge claimed that the
nations power to make rules and reg
ulations for the government of its
possessions was not confined to. any
given set of rules or regulations. 1t
was not confined to any particular
formula of laws or kind of govern
ment or type of administration.
This question is deeper than any
question of party politics; deeper than
any question of isolated policy of our
country, even; deeper than any ques.
ton of constitutional power. 1t is
elemental. 1t is racial. God has not
been preparing the English-speaking
and Teutonic peoples a thousand years
for nothing but vain and idle sef-con-
temptation and self-administration
No. He has made us the master or
ganizcrs of the world to establiSh sys-
TEN where chaos reigns. He has given
us the spirit of progress to overwhelm
the forces of reaction throughout the
earth. He has made us adopts in gov
eminent among savage and seniie peo-
piles. Were it not for such a force as
this, the world would relapse into
barharism and night, and of all our
race, he has marked the American peo-
pie as his chosen nation to finally lead
i'm the regeneration of the world. This
is the divine mission of America; and
it holds for us all the profit, all the
glory, all the happiness possible to
man. We are trustees of the worlds
progress; guardians of it's righteous
peace. The judgment of the Mastersis
upon us: We have been faithful over q
few things; will make you ruler over
many things
What shall history say of us? Shall
it say that we renowned that holy
trust, left the savage TO his base. COM
dition, the wilderness to the reign of
waste, deserted duty, abandoned
glory, forgot our sordid profit even,
because we feared our strength and
read the charter of our powers with
the doubter's eye and with the quib-
bler's mind? Shall it say that called
by events to captain and command the
prouaest, ablest, purest race of his
| tory. in history's noblest work, we de.
clined that great commission? Our
| fathers would not have had it. SO. No..
| They founded no paralytic govern
ment incapable of the simplest acts of
administration. They planted no slug
gard people, passive, while the worlds
work calls them. They established no
reactionary nation. They unfurled
no retreatiilg flag.
'sThat flag has never paused in its
onward march. Who dares halt it now
now when history's largest events
are carrying it forward-now when
we are at last one people,
strong enough for amy task, great
enough for any glory destiny can be-
stow. How comes it that our first
century closes with the process of con.
solidating the American people into a
unit Just accomplished, and quick up
on the stroke of that great hour
presses upon us our world opportu-
nifty. world duties and world glory
which none but a people welded into
an indivisibe nation can achieve or
perform? Blind, indeed, is lie who
sees not the hand of, God in events SO
vast. so harmonious, SO benign. Re-
dictionary, indeed is the mind that
percciyes not that this vital people is
the strongest of the saving forces OF
the world; that our place, therefore,
is at the head of the constructing and
redeeming nations of the earth; and
that to stand aside while events march
now is a surrender of our interests, Il
betrayal of our duties as blind as it is
base Craven, indeed, is the heart that
fears to perform a work so golden and
so noble: that dares not win a glory
so immortal.
Have Counted the Cost.
''Do you tell me that it will cost us
money? When did Americans ever
measure duty by financial standards!
Do you tell me of the tremendous toll
required to overcome the vast Difficult.
ties of our task? What mighty work
for the world, for humanity, even fol
ourselves, has ever been done with
ease? Evensour bread we must eat by
the sweat of our faces. Why are we
charged with power such as no people
ever knew, if we are not to use it ii
work such as no people evel
wrought? Who will dispute the divine
meaning of the fable of the talents.
DO you remind me of the preciou:
I blood that we must shed. the lives thai
must be given, the broken hearts o.
loved ones for the slain? All, this is
indeed, heavier price than all com
bined. And yet, as 1; nation, every
historic duty we have DONE. ever.
achievement we have accomplished
has been by the sacrifice of our no
blest sons. Every memory that glori
ties the flag is of those heroes VIII,
have died that its onward mnrcl
might not be stayed. 1t is. the ma
tons dearest lives, yielded for thu
flag. that makes it dear to us; it is TIN
nations most precious blood poured
out for it that makes it precious to us
That flag is woven of hcroism ant
grief, of the bravery of men and WON
ems tears, of righteousness and bat
tie, of sacrifice and anguish, Of tri
J, umph and of glory. 1t is these .whicl
: make our flag a holy thing. VIII
) would tear,from that sacred bannerth
glorious legend of a single BATH
where it has waved on land or sea
; What son of soldier ,of the flag
+ whose father fell beneath it on an.
field, would surrender that proud rec
I ord for the heraldry of a king? Il
, the cause of civilization, in the servic
! of the republic anywhere on eartl
t Americans consider wounds the nc
: blest decorations man can win an
g count the giving of their lives glai
j, and precious duty. PRAY God tina