Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-09-23

ment by comparative, not absolute
standards Measure it by any othei
government on the face of the eartl
and your blood will riot in your veins
and your faces will glow with pride
for nowhere in the whole realm OF
humanity will you find another govern
ment that so completely recognizes ane
Iprotects the inherent rights of man as
the government of which you are citi-
zens. Compare it with itself In any
earlier stage of it's development, and II
will steady your hope in the destiny
of free institutions, for toilsome as the
journey has been, slow as progress has
! been, the highway of our national
march has been upward from the mo-
ment in which we took the first ster
until the moment in which am speak
1 ing. love to think that the flag OF
our sovereignty not only. surpasses the
emblems of all other nations in its
pure beauty and wonderful simplicity,
but wherever it rests, or wherever 1t
streams, 1t breathes the most marvellous
history that ever fell upon the ears of
mankind. 1t tells of a patient. patriotic,
courageous struggle for liberty. 1t tells
of an intelligence and prophecy almost
divine. which constructed new gov
ernment fit for centuries of growth
and betterment. 1t tells of an expan-
sion in which the genius of states
manship and the enterprise of industry
went hand in hand. seeking the, lakes
of the north, the gulf of the south, and
the ocean on the west. filling, as they
went, this unsurpassed empire with a
| life SO healthful, SO active. and
so efficient that the legends of
| the Orient fade into obscurty be-
fore the actual events of the west
| ern hemisphere. 1t tells of a
civil war unparalleled in all the
wars of the world, the final, the SUI
preme test of the republic, in which
patriotism reached it's climax and held
l"Old Glory up with every star blazing
from its azure field and every stripe
f1uttering in the air. It tells of peri
cd of uneNampled development and
magical prosperity in which ships
We're launched. railroads We're built,
mines We're opened. factories were es-
tahlished, and cities founded. In which
Iprairies became farms and deserts be-
came gardens. In which wealth in
creased; in which the population
doubled; in which education was uni
versally diffused: in which christiani-
ty spread; in which Uncle Sam" grew
to manhood. striding past the slow
marches of other nations, until this
giant aof the new world was leading
all the earth toward the high destiny
of the human race. The same old flag
tells of time when 1t was again car
led at the head of an American. army
and fiuttered on the masts of an Amer
ican navy in a crusade for humanity,
a time full OF honor and full of glory,
for when it was furled again in peace,
the lash that we had laid upon the
back of the tyrant had drawn the line
of American territory along the far
thermost shores of the Philippines.
II love the flag for what 1t has been,
and for what 1t is. I love 1t for its
victories. / would loveit in defeat, but
thank God 1t has never been defeated.
1 love it for what it means In the re-
construction and upbuilding of the
world. l love it because 1t is the sign
of liberty. the symbol of equality, the
bow of promise. of all that Is best In
humanity and above all, and embrac-
ing all, because it is the flag of the
United States, the most perfect gov
ernment ever founded and maintained
by men. There is no phase of political
opinion, however wild and visionary,
that should not be discussed with en-
tire amity and good feeling. but can
not abide the skeptic who prophesfes the
ruin of his country and the destruc-
tion of her Institutions; and I have
the profoundest pity for him who con-
stantly stivers before the problems of
the future. II there be such man
before me, he will be offended for
will be singing the songs of victory and
hope while he is chanting the dirges
of despair. These pessimists. if any
still remain, can find congeniel souls
only in that rapidly fading remnant of
religious fanatics who find in happiness
and joy only an evidence of mortal sin,
and who know they are wholly good
only because they are wholly niser-
able"
litical issues which are of interest to
was of full two and half hours dur
alton, it is impossible to give in a sin.
gle newspaper article. more than Il
brief synopsis OF his remarks. AT the
outset, he directed attention to the inn
portance of electing two republican
Upited States senators. which could
only be done by the election of re-
publican legislature. This he said was
of more Importance than the election
of a republican governor. On the
silver question he said in part:
'"The Kansas City platform is gross
libel, and did not believe that con-
vention of Iowa men would ever repub-
lish it. While, from a selfish point Of
view. it was of advantage to me as a
candidate. I believe that was patriotic
enough to hope that its exploded here
sizes would never again be endorsed by a
responsible convention. As a citizen of
Iowa shared the humiliation expert
enced by the strong minority which 80
courageously resisted the determination
to pledge the Iowa democracy to the Sc
ditions promulgated at Kansas City a
year ago. am not thinking alone Of
the demand for the free coinage of sill
yer. However honest its advocates orig
inally were, and doubt not they We're
perfectly sincere. the history of the last
five years has stricken down every ar
sument raised to sustain it, and those
,cho really expect or desire to see the
doctrine become a part of our financial
system are hardly more numerous than
the disciples of infant damnation i'll re-
ligion or of unlimited and irredeemable
paper money in politics. 1t is no sur