The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1900-07-17
AMERICAN TEMPER.

AMERICAN TEMPER. i
"You expect too much, you Amer
leans, even of your gods. They must
be more temperate than the Christ
who turned water into wine. Your
laws must be not only wiser than laws
ever were, but wiser than could have
been enacted by finite minds not cap
able of reading the future. Your
Army and Navy must conquer every
foe, the elements included, with a ma
tion shrieking that Somebody has blum
dered!, at the first reverse and demand
ing a scapegoat. A state of mind
which would be chronic hysteria any
where else is that which your loudest
journals and politicians foster, and
which your people seem willingly to
adopt" It is perhaps not essential to
say that the critic was foreigner of
eminent ability, whose stay in this
country was under circumstances cal
culated to sharpen his insight.
1t is not quite lotos land, where one
may lie reclined without. a disturbing
sight or sound. Seventy-eight million
people are just now visiting with their
sharpest condemnation postal officer
who stole something at Havana. II he
had done the same thing at Indianapo-
lis everybody would have expected and
approved the proper penalty, and
there the matter would have ended.
But he was an American, chosen from
the postal service in this country to
show that this country does not tolerate
Spanish methods, and has disgraced
his flag. Nothing the man can do will
make him less than an object of detes-
tation. About the amount stolen no
body cares, nor what excusing tempta-
tions there were, if any, nor how the
crime was perpetrated with secrecy
and success. The man has brought re-
proach upon his country in its dis
charge of a sacred trust for q popula-
tion not yet prepared to govern itself.
The thought that one such act has
marred American example is to the
people of this country more bitter by
far than the loss of millions through
crime in the States.
| This is not q bad sign. 1t holds out
the promise OF cleaner and better gov
ernment in the dependencies than
many have ventured to expect. It is
only the truth that there has been in
thoughtful minds not a little anxiety
lest American methods should not work
out creditable government in distant
islands inhabited by Spaniards, negrof
and men of mixed races. Memory ol
performances in some Southern States
after the war has not been entirely re
assuring. If the men chosen by the
authorities at Washington should prove
no better than some chosen during and
latter the Civil War, and if the mer
finding favor with the mixed but dis
tinctly not American population should
prove no better than those who became
leaders in some of the States, the re
suits should never be satisfactory to the
pride of Americans. Nor could such re
suits conduce to good government here
after.
The temper of Americans is clearly
to demaud in the conduct of all public
business in the dependencies higher
standard Of purity and excellent and ,
sharper criticism of all shortcoming
than have prevailed in the less capable
States of the Union. With honorabl,
pity it is felt that these inhabitants o
Cuba and other islands have never hat
any opportunity to learn what self-gov
ernment requires, how tojudge men, o.
how to make public opinion barrie
against crime. Their people are il
charge of the United States as its wards
4 Toward the protection Of their right
and interests there will be directed
, far keener activity of public opinion il
the States than has ever been given
the affairs of any territory. 1t is {
: point of pride to teach these inhabit
ants what good government is. 1t is
,. point of honor to devote more pains ant
care to the Difference OF helpless ward
than might be given to home affairs
+ In that state of mind the people will e1
) pect much from everybody who repre-
sents them, and will obtain much.-N
Y. Tribune.