The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-10-09

Hanna says there are no trusts. That
settles that question. He ought to ask
his wife Every wife knows there are.
The only trust that any republican in
this country seems to know about is
the ice trust and the republicans don't
they would know that every stockhol-
der Is a republican
THE republican party is not epa
ed to defend itself ON the trust uues-
ton. therefore they try TO get it out
of the campaign The republican par
ty Is not prepared to defend itself on
the army question. They say there is
no question OF militarism and yet an
army four times as great as the stand
ing army of 1896 is demanded by the
presidents message OF December 1898.
How much do we spend for educa-
ton IN the United States? Less than
30, OOO 600 a ear How much do IN
republicans want to spend on a mill
tary establishment? One hundred mil
lion dollars a year. They want to
spend more than half as much for a
military establishment as we spend for
n education of all the children in the
United states. Is that not a step to-
ward militarism? There are two rea-
sons which lead men in this country
TO want a large standing army. One
is a domestic one; the other is con-
nected with our foreign affairs. What
domestic reason is there for a large
army? What is the reason they give?
They say We need it for our foreign
policy but, my friends, they s for
the army before the American people
ever decided upon a foreign policy
that made a large army necessary.
In December of 1898 when the pres
ident asked for his army the treaty
had not yet been signed, but its terms
We're understood. When the republic
a congress vote to raise the army
to 1OO,O 600 the treaty had been signed
and no arm was raised against this
nation anywhere in the world. Up to
this time American people had never
voted for a colonial policy and yet the
republican party is pledged to a large
army What it wan with it?
1t intends to exploit the Philippine is
lands, and if got want to understand
the reasons for a large army read the
prospectus issued by the Philippine
Lumber and Development Company.
Your will find that at the head of the
company as president stands a repub-
lican membe of congress. who is b
chairman of the army committee of the
house of representatives, and another
republican congressman is attorney
for the company. What do you want
an army for? To hold the Philippines
while they are being developed by syn
dicates headed by republican politi-
cianS.
The American people lave not yet
decided in avo of imperialism. The
republicans refuse to meet it. You do
not hear defenses of imperialism from
those authorized to speak. You find
that now the republicans are trying to
hide behind first one subterfuge and
then another"
At the concluding session of the
convention, Hon. Bourke Cochran was
the speaker. Governor Mcmillan, of
Tennessee, called the meeting to order,
and introduced Mr.. Cochran. He de-
voted his speech to the question of i'm
perialism.
a. E. Stevenson addressed the con-
vention at the Afternoon session. He
said in part:
THE reelection Of President Nc
Kinley will be held by himself and his
party and justly so, an endorsement
of the policy of the administration to-
wards the Philippine islands. Let no
republican with uneasy conscience de-
lude himself with the hope that if sus-
tanned at the polls, there will be a
change in the methods and policy of
the administration. Such delusion is
worse han madness. The ~re-elec-
ton of the present executive would be
a vote of confidence, a solemn en-
dorsement by the American people Of
a war of conquest, the salient feature
of his administration. The condemna-
ton of the administration by the bal
lot is our only hope of escape from this
perilous policy it had in~augurated."