The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-18
Roosevelt Fires the Opening Gua
of His Campaign to Boom
Militarism.
ASSERTION AND INVEcTIvE.
Rough Rider Leaves Logic and Ar
gument to Statesmen and Siren
uousIy Plays the Sol
dicr Role.

Thousands of persons besiered the doors
of the hall two hours before they were
opened. When at o'clock the crowds
were finally given a chance 10 get inside.
every inch Of space was filled in few
minutes. Thousands OF persons surged
about the streets unable to gain entrance.
The day session of the National Republican
League Clubs Convention was a tame af-
fai. to that presented When the Empire
State Governor arrived before the building
Just before $50 p. IN. lie was compelled to
reply to the repeated calls for speech.
Governor Roosevelt said:
Il intend to speak this evening In the
hall and can say but word TO you now.
All can say now is 10 appeal TO you as
Republicans to stand by the principles Of
our great party; 1 appeal to you as men
and as patriotic American citizens to stand
by US now-to stand by the great party
that stands for liberty and prosperity at
home and abroad. wherever floats the
American flag
Governor Warmly Greeted.
when the party entered the hall the Gov
ernor was given an ovation The Twin
City Campaign Glee Club. octet OF
well-known singers. furnished a couple of
selections. ard then Colonel Stone formally
called the meeting to order and introduced
United States Senator Cushman X. Davis
chairman CT the evening.
AS Senator Davis named the speaker OF
the evening the great crowd came to its
feet and six minutes of cheering and APP
plause swept the hall. When Roosevelt
finally was able to make himself heard he
returned thanks for the reception that had
been rendered him here to-day. He thanked
the Roosevelt Club especially for its choice
of name and uniform. He said he was
at ha honor "A
of young men. and young men stood for
much.
Roosevelt on the Issues.
Governor Roosevelt said:
Mr.. President and Gentiemen-We have
come here TO begin the work OF campaign
more vital to American interests than any
that has taken place since the close Of the
Civil War. We appeal not only to Republic
ans. hut to all good citizens, who are Amer
leans, N fact, well in name. to hep
US in re-electing President Mckinley.
I'VE appealed for President Mckinley be-
FIRE. asserting what he would do if Presr-
dent, from our Knowledge OF what he mad
done in lesser positions. Now. We appeal for
him. asking that the promise of second
term be judged by the performance of his
first. and piedging that the wonderful work
so triumphantly begun in his first term shall
in his second be carried to an even more
triumphant conclusion.
The Democrats rant about trusts. but
ia y have nothing practicable TO advance In
the way OF remsdy, nor is this To be won
dered at, when one OF the makers of their
platform, the representative from New
YORK. and the leader of then organization
in New York, are both themselves among
the most prominent stockholders in the
worst trust to be found to-day in the Uni
ted States-the Ice I rust-which had just
ly exposed Itself TO the criticism which our
opponents often unJustly apply TO every
form Of industrial effort.
They have invented the imaginary dan
ger of Imperialism. and about that they
also rave. Yet SO conscious are they of the
Eollowness of their attack. SO well aware
that to follow out their professions would
mean to trail the American flag in the dust.
that they are Obliged to pretend that really
after all they are for expansion.
+ After infinite labor they finally did de-
eide that they sull believed In flee silver.
This decision was reached in their com
m;ttee by vote OF 70 TO "a, so that 1t APP
IN 5has 5hey on ose ali Even on
this amount of fifth they were able 10
reach purely By the aid OF Hawaii. and
yet four years ago they objected much
to our expansion over Hawaii as they now
object to our expansion over the Philip
pines! There Is an element of grim comedy
IN these builders having now. perforce, TO
take the once rejected stone to make out
of 1t the Foundation of their new platform
Cuba and the Philippines.
what they say about. Cuba and Porto
Porto Rico We now have Governor Allen in
charge. We have established a system I'M
der which the island is advancing by leaps
and bounds to prosperity. In Cuba we have
put General Leonard Wood IN charge, and
all the preliminary steps have been taken TO
give to the people Of the island their own
government. our pledge to Cuba SHALL of
course. be kept; General Woods adnlinistra-
ton Is a synonym for honesty and cleanli
ness. and the minute that fraud was discov-
cred in the Postal Department. the wrong
doers were hunted down in unsparing pur-
suit. and the best possible proof was there
by given that We meant what we said. and
that governmental cleanliness would be OBJ
tanned in the only possible way by the un-
sparing cutting out OF corruption wherever
Ii was found.
I'VE now come to the Philippines and to
the general question of expansion. Many
of the positions taken by the populistic
Democracy at the moment are SO palpahly
dishonest and maintaile in such palpable
bad faith that to state them is sufficient.
II is hardly necessary 70 discuss what they
say about the Constitution following the
Tag The Democratic party never cham
p!oned the doctrine thus set forth save in
the dark days, when 1t had become the
danced to any tune which the apostles Of
slavery chose to pipe.
when under jefferson the great West
beyond the Mississippi was acquired when.
largely through the irstrume ntality of Jack
son. Florida was added 10 the Union. the
new Provinces, with their Indian popula-
TONS were GOVERNED precisely and exactly
on the theory under which the Philippines
are now governed. President Jefferson Sc
cured the Louisiana purchase just as Pres
ident Mckinley secured the Philippines.
and Andrew Jackson warred agairgt the
Seminoles when we had acquired Florida
is now warning against the bandits among
the tagals in Luzon.
Praise for Mckinley.
Unless We are willing to deprive Jeffer-
son and Jackson OF the NEED of honor
which has been held to be peculiarly theirs.
we cannot deny the same high praise to
President Mckinley st Kansas City the
men engaged in preaching the gospel OF
dishonor and Reputation solemnIy asserted
that imperialism abroad Will lead quickly
and inevitably to despotism at home You
men of Minnesota and the Dakotas, VINO
are here this evening. can appreciate the
fatuousness OF that statement by the sim
pie process eff thinking whether your lib.
critics have been abridged by the return or
the Minnesota and Dakota troops. VINO won
such honor for themselves in the Philip
pines
las regards the Philippines. even the
Kansas City convention felt that they had
to propose some policy. and what they pro-
pose Is that should fist give them a
pendence. and third. protection from out
side interference. BY the order In which
they put these propositions they showed
their estimate of their Importance. Well,
what We are doing now is precisely and ex-
actiy TO try and secure a stable form OF
government in the Philippines. and the
chief obstacle in our way is the support
given 10 the bloody Aguinaldian oligarchy
by their sympathiZers among the people
who are represented in the Kansas City
convention. Moreover. now We actually are
seeing that no outside nation fhterferes in
the island. After We have secured stable
government, we intend TO give them self
government as rapidly as they are ntted
for il. Our opponents say that they wish
now N giy Thorn indpppuience. To give in