Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-10-23
Hon. Ellsworth Rominger, of Bloom
field, Delivers Address.
TREATS QUESTION OF IMPERIALISM,
Talks Much on the Issue Democracy
Calls "Paramount"-Makes ForcefuI
Arguments and is We'll Received by
Audience-aood Attendance
IFrom Fridays Daily.l


Hon. Ellsworth Rominger, of Bloom
field, addressed a good audience of
Agency people at the town hall in that
place last evening, on the political
questions of the day. Mr.. Rominger,
altho from Bloomfield, is nevertheless
a republican, and as u man must be a
real republican or none at all in
Bloomfield, he is decidedly repub-
lican.
Mr.. Rominger is an eloquent and
forceful talker, and carries his audi
ence with him along the line of
thought he pursues. His address last
evening was somewhat different from
the major part of the addresses that
have been made this year. He admit
ted for the sake of argument" that as
the democratic party says, imperial
ism is the paramount issue. Then he
argued that question until every inch
of the ground was gone over, following
with the other issues in order OF the
Importance put upon them by the op-
position. By the time he had finished,
2his hearers had decided that, after all
this nation is not in any immediate
danger of having to address President
Mckinley as Your Majesty"
Mr.. Rominger knows something
about the silver question, too, and the
tariff, and trusts, and "nilitarism." He
covers all the ground thoroly, and
doesn't close until he has made it
plain to the people that they would
make a great mistake in sending to
congress the man made famous by his
speech at Bunch instead of that expe-
rienced law maker, John F. Lacey, a
man who is not afraid to advertise his
ono nd xt,f,o
tain arguments that cannot be contra
dlcted successfully.
Mr.. Rominger spoke in part as fol
lows:
THE opposition says that we should
Withdraw our troops from the Philip
pines, after we have won the country
from Spain and every tribe but one in
the islands has acknowledged our au-
thority. What would have been the
sentiment of the people in 1865 had
a faction in the north advocated with
drawing the troops when the victory
was nearly won. Would it have been
manly to recall the boys in blue, who
were doing such valiant deeds for the
purpose of reuniting our severed land?
Would it be manly now to Withdraw
sthe ones who are now fighting in the
Orient? l have no more respect for a
cowardly nation than | have for COW.
ardly man.
But they say we are working
against the interests of liberty-lov
ing people. Now the United States
represents the highest type of civiliza.
ton in the world. Does any one seri-
ously entertain the idea that such a
nation would try to Cypress a people
who are fighting for liberty The Fill
Mi orb
ed on by Agllinaldo and because they
do not understand our motives.
They also charge that President
Mckinley is not fulfilling his oath O
Office in the Philippine policy l sa,
that he is doing nothing else, and tina
il he had done anything other thai
ne did, he could have been impeached
The treaty of peace provided tina
Spain should withdraw her troops fror
the islands and that this countr
should assume the responsibility
hitherto borne by Spain. The con
mission that drew up this treaty Wa
composed, on the American side c
able men, all selected by the presiden
The first one to be selected was SEM
tor Gray. anti-eXpansionist. On tn
commission there were three anti-e5
pansionists, and two eXpansionist!
They looked into the matte
thoroly and all decided tina
the United States should take tn
Philippines. After this treaty ha
been ratified, was there anything fc
the president to do but carry out tn
measures? Was there man in tn
country who objected to the treaty
Even the leader of the democracy, "
j. Bryan, left his regiment in tn
south and came to Washington to us
his influence toward having it ratified
Mckinley has not violated his oath i
carrying out the articles of tn
treaty as he has done. If he had nj