The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-06-20

PROSTATE before them. Republican su-
premacy and Republican legislation have
eXtinguished the fires Of doubt and fear
and business has risen triumphant from
the ashes Therefore abolish your fire de-
partment, turn out the Republicans and
put in power the incendiaries who lighted
the flames and trust to what remains Of
Republican control to avert fresh disaster.
The proposition is its own refutation.
The supremacy of the party that has
saved the standard OF sound money and
guarded il by law is as necessary for its
security and for the existence Of honest
wages and Of business confidence now as il
was in 1886. The moment the Republ can
party passes from power. and the party Of
free silver and fiat paper comes in. stable
currency and the gold standard, the stan
Gard OF the civilized world, are in immi-
nent ana deadly peril Sound currency
and a steady standard of value are today
safe only in Republican hands.
Hawaii and Cuba.
But there we're still other questions in
1886 We had already thwarted the efforts
Of the Cleveland Administration to throw
the Hawaiian Islands back to their de-
throned Queen and to give England a fo5t-
hold for her cables in the group. We then
said that We would settle finally the Ha-
waiian question. We have done so. The
traditional American policy has been car
ried out. The flag Of the Union floats TO-
day over the crossroads OF the Pacific.
We promised to deal with the Cuban
question. Again cones the reply, We have
done so. The long agony OF the island is
over. Cuba is free. But this great work
brought with IL events and issues which
no man had foreSeen, for which no party
creed had provided policy. The crisis
came, bringing war in its train. The Re
publican President and the Republican
Congress met the new trial in the old spir-
it. We fought the war with Spain. The
result is history known OF all men. We
have the perspective now of only a short
tue years, and yet how clear and bright
the great facts stand out. like mountain
peaks against the sky, while the gathering
darkness of a just oblivion is creeping
fast over the low grounds where lie for
gotten the trivial and unimpOrtant things
the criticisms and the fault-fndings,
which seemed so huge when We still lin
gered among them. Here they are. these
great facts-a war of a hundred DAYS with
many victories and no defeats. with no
prisoners taken from US and no advance
stayed. with a triumphant outcome start
ling In its completeness and in its world
wide meaning Was ever a war more lust
ly entered upon. more quickly fought. more
fully won, more thorough in its resuits7
Cuba is free; Spain has been driven from
the Western Hemisphere. Fresh glory has
come 10 our arms and crowned our flag.
II was the work OF the American people.
but the Republican party was their in
strument. Have We not the right TO saw
that here. too. even as in the DAYS of
Abraham Lincoln, We have fought a good
tight. We have kept the faith, we lave fin
ished the work?
War. however, is ever like the sword of
Alexander 1t cuts the knot 1t is a great
solvent and brings many results not 10 be
toreseen. The world forces unclaimed in
war perform in hours the work of wears
OF quiet. Spain sued for peace. How was
that peace 10 be made? The answer to
this great question had to be given by the
President Of the United States. We were
victorious in Cuba. in Porto Rico in the
Philippines. Should We give those islands
back to Spain? Never was the Presi-
dents reply Would any American wish
that he had answered otherwise? Should
we hand them over to some other power?
Never was again the answer. Would our
pride and self-respeet as a nation have
submitted to any other reply? Should we
turn the islands. where we had DESTROYED
all existing sovereignty, loose upon the
world to be a prey 80 domestic anarchy 4
and the helpless spoil of some other ma |
ton? Again the inevitable negative. /
Again the President answered as the ma
ton he represented would have had him |
answer. He boldly took the islands. took /
them knowing well the burden and lespon- |
stbility, took them from deep sense of 1
duty to ourselves and others. guided by A
Just foresight as to our future in fhe
East. and with an entire faith in the
ability Of the American people to grapple
with the new task When future conven-
lions point to the deeds by which the Re
publican party has made history they will
proclaim with especial pride that under a /
Republican Administration the war of 1898 1