The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-11-23
JUST SUPPOSE.

1t is repeated from Washington that
Mckinley will oppose any scheme to
weaken the south's representation in
the federal house or the electoral col
lege. You see that Pritchard have
been able to instil into the growing
republicans minds in the north tina by
dealing with paternal care and favor
with the south, that it may be so re-
p~ublicanized as to make their party
much stronger and to intrench for
ever. By the way, did IL ever occur to
the reader what would be the condi-
ton of affairs in our country if all the
democrats in all the states were to ac-
cept McKinleyiSm as the final express
sion of governmental policy and per-
lection. Suppose all the democrats do
as some thousands are supposed to be
meditating or to lave accomplished,
Zine h radicals" what would be the
destiny of the republic? Let all jump
the fence n run with the hounds.
what a future wou be ahead. But our
party in all sections, based upon Nc
Kinley principles and the country hence
4Oilh I'LL Dy ICpuOIiSdIl SCIlcouiC-
Would there be a mighty smash, or
would the ideal government of the
wisest dreamers be realized? 1t would
perhaps rival some how the dream of
Lord Rosebury in his late interesting
address when installed Lord Rector of
how easy the change that could have
been if the great elder William Pitt
had not become an earl. He thinks
there would have been no war with the
American colonies, and there he fore
tells what might have been. He dwells
with evident pleasure upon the picture.
We quote a part only:
The reform bill Of 1882 would proba-
bly, have been passed much earlier, for
the new blood of America would have
burst the old vessels of the constitution
1t would have provided a self-adjuSting
eyStem of representation, such as now
pevails in the United States, whereby
the increasing population is proper
tionately represented. Aid, at last,
when the Americans occupied a major
ity of the seats, the empire would, per-
hapS, moved solemnly across the At
lantic and Britain would have become a
historical shrine, n european outpost
of the world empire. What an extra
ordinary revolution it would have been!
The greatest known, without bloodshed
the most sublime transferrence of pow
ers in the history of mankindI Our
conceptions can scarcely picture the
professions across the Atlantic Of the
greatest sovereign and the greatest
fleet in the universe. Minister'S, gov
ernments n parliament departing
solemnly for another hemisphere! Not
as in the case of Portuguese sovereigns
emigrating to Brazil under spur of ne
cesSity, but under the vigorous embrace
of the world:
America would have hung onto the
skirts of Britain and pulled her back
u OF Europern complications. She
would have profoundly affected her
/ foreign policy in the direction of peace.
and her influence on her domestic poll
cy would have been scarcely less
potent"
Oh, those might have beens blu were
not. If one were to speculate as to
what vast changes could have beer
wrought if the wheels of destiny had
| only revolved in a different way. Sup
pose the south had been victorious:
| But we stop. 1t is too fruitful and
even painful. Suppose Mckinley had
never been born or elected, then what.