The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1900-09-21
TEDDY ON HARD TIMES
Straight From the Shoulder
Talk i'm Wisconsin.
Confronted Not Only With a Para
EeEsss mount Issue, But An Ing
9g5s 60 mediate One. p0Ahols g,sp1

In the course of his speech at La
Crosse, Wis, Governor Roosevelt, re-
publican nominee for vice president, said:
we are confronted in this campaign
with two issues, Of which they say one
Is paramount and the other is immedi-
ate. The paramount issue is miitarism
and Imperialism, and the immediate
issue is free silver. They have insisted
as little as possible upon the latter.
They have been for it, but not so much
for it as to brighten the gold men away
You can not be half-heartedly for a de-
preciated dollar. You may find diff
Guilty in making up your mind. At
Kansas City they mad great difficulty in
determining what to do in regard to the
financial plank Of the national platform.
Ii you remember. they were only able to
decide what they thought of the cur
rency by calling on Hawaii to cast the
deciding vote for them. You remember
they stood about even until Hawaii's
representatives made up their minds for
them and enabled them to declare that
they had 81 per cent of faith in a 4S
per cent dollar.
In Reach of the Dollar.
"They have expressed much alarm as
to whether the dollar should be put
above the man or the man ahead of the
dollar, whatever that may mean. Dur
ing the past four years the republican
party has confined itself to the common
sense action of putting men within reach
OF the dollar and making the dollar
worth hundred cents in gold when we
get within reach of it, and they left to
him TO decide whether it should be before
or behind. 1t is a good rule to let well
enough alone Don't let it be our fault
in destroying the prosperity that we
now have. Hard times have fallen upon
each of you men, but they are a good
deal harder upon the wife and children
OF each man. These are the people who
suffer most, but when hard times come
all suffer somewhat. Now, for the sake
OF yourself and for the sake of your
wives and families and for the we'll being
of your country, appeal to you for the
re election of President Mckinley. | do
not care whether that is called an i'm
mediate issue or a paramount issue, it
is certainly impOrtans.
Democratic Phantoms.
''As for the issues they raise in those
twin phantOms of miltarism and i'm
perialism about which we are asked to
be so frightened as to forget civic good
faith, material prosperity and the honor
OF the flag | have word to say. | will
talk about militarism. | am informed
that | have exaggerated somewhat the
relative proportion of the army to the
people. We now have regular soldiers
in the army IN the proportion of Just
SO 100 of regular soldier to each thou
sand people in the land, and the amount
OF tyranny of which you are in danger
is represented by that fractional amount
OF man to the corresponding fraction
al amount Of the population of the
country. You could raise in this state
OF Wisconsin over night enough men to
overwhelm instantly the entire regular
army of the United States. Sometimes
it is difficult to argue a question because
the statement of it is argument enough.
We have no larger a proportion of SOL
dlers to the population now than we had
one century ago during the presidency
OF the elder Adams We have less than
we had 30 years ago when there were
hostile Indians to fight on the plains.
In 1870 there was more miIitarism than
now, because miitarism was caused bv
an outbreak of the Sioux, the Comanches
and the ArapahOes. There is no more
danger from the soldiers now than then.
The army here in this republic is made
up OF men who serve perhaps two years
at time, and then they come home to
civil life. The regular army is the
servant of the people, and is no more a
menace to your liberties than is the po-
lice force in this city. You are in just as
much danger of militarism from the
present regular army as you are that
your mayor will set up as dictator with
his 20 policemen, or whatever the num-
Der is.
"You remember in 1864 you were
threatened with the defeat of Abraham
Lincoln. The defeat of Lincoln would
have been the undOing of the bloody
work OF the war. 1t were better to fail
to elect him in 1860 than to have failed
IN 1864. 1t is the greatest crisis now
that has been since then. 1t would be
better to have elected Mr.. Bryan four
years ago and to have suffered the
grinding miseries. 1t would have been
better to have elected him then than
now, when we have set our hands to the
task, than to bring the misery upon
ourselves and leave legacy of shame
and dishOnor for our children who come
after us.
What the republican party wishes is
that the laws shall be so executed in
this country, and the rights of the peo-
pie so upheld, that no man and no com
blnatlon OF men shall wrong or be
Wronged; that the private individual
snail have the freest scope given his own
mead and heart and hand that he NAV
work out his own fate as his fOrefathers
worked 1t out. 1t is not possible for the
wlsest administration to secure favor
able conditions under all circumstances.
1t is possible for it to do as has been
done under President McKinley-to Sc