The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-08-29
RoosEvELT-s NEW ENGLAND TOUR

90 N@@@E ~ IL A[AA-
States o n Friday, his first speech being
made in Hartford. Conn, to an i'm
mense crowd of workmen in the after
noon. followed by a second address in
the evening in the coliseum This sec
ond speech was the main one of the
day and in it the president went into
politics. He seems to have parceIed
out the issues of the day among his
several speeches, discussing one at one
town and another at another point. At
Hartford on Friday he devoted most of
his time to the Cuban question, laud-
ing his party for what it had done for
the island He failed. though, to say
anything about the postoffice stealing,
the looting of the palace or to explain
the alleged discrepancy in the treas
ury accounts involving nearly a mil
lion and three-duarters of dollars.
One would judge from his language
that through the fundamentally OF
the republican party Cuba "a already
become the garden spot of the world;
that a Utopia had at last been founG.
While declaring hat after I'VE had
there laid deep and broad the founda-
lions upon which civil liberty and ma
tional independence must rest we turn
ed the island over to those whom the
people had chosen as the founders of
the new republic" he makes the signifi-
cant statement that Cuba must in in
ternational affairs be to a degree a part
of our political system. We expect her
to accept a political attitude toward us
which We think wisest 10Th for her and
for U.S." Note the latter part of this
sentence. Cuba must adopt toward Us
a political attitude which I'VE" think
wisest. Cuba is to have no say in the
matter of the adoption of her attitude
toward the United States. Under that
dragnet, the Platt amendment. Cuba is
independent, so long, and so long only,
as she remains completely subservient
to the wishes of our government. 1t is
not a string the republican party has
attached to the island, but a mighty
cable with sufficient power at our end
of it, to drap her within our territorial
boundaries whenever we think the
proper time has arrived. What nom
sense it is to be talking about the free
dom and independence of the island of
Cuba.
In this speech the president, mildly,
very mildly, expresses the belief that
it is only a matter of i short tile be-
fore we will enter into reciprocal trade
relations with Cuba. He has ceased to
demand it as a right of the Cubans and
to declare that such a law shall be
adopted at an early day by our con-
gress. He seems to have toned down
considerably from his recent position OF
this question.
In discussing the Philippine question
we are glad to see that the president in
declaring that peace has come in these
islands, makes an exception of the Mo-
ros and admits that We may be forced
to chastise them if they persist in al
lacking our troops 1t is refreshing
to know that there is one member e:
the administrator honest enough to
that the war il the Philippines is
not owe yet.
At Providence, r. L., the president
spoke on Saturday. His chief topic
there was the trust. He began this
speech by declaring that we were pass
ing through a great period of pros
and he said such a period is as
as adversely to bring mutterings
Of discontent.' In other words, the
numerous strikes of wage earners oc-
curri-.g all over the country, north.
south, east and west, are results Of the
great prosperity of the country. The
working men are too prosperous; hence
hear from them mutterings Of dis !,
and complaints against their
employers. If this is republican rule |,
prosperity the people should make a |,
change and see of what kind is demo- |,
ratio prosperity, for we can hardly be- |,
ieve this republican sort is to their lik- |,
ng. |,
On the subject of trusts and monop
olies the president still adheres to his |
IDEAS of publicity and government con- /
rol, though he has toned down consid-
.rably in his views on these points. At
east he is not as emphatic and st1cnu- [
us in his language a she Was in his e
fourth of July speech. We here re- Z
from Sundays press dispatches I
7hat he said on this subject, and we '
fish u readers to notice especially o
That he says about the government 10
ow using the power conferred upon it s
y the Sherman antitrust law IN put 81
Ilg down trusts and unlawful combi- u
of capital: n
The President on this subject said: Z
There is in our country a peculiar !"
infculty in the way Of exercising such lft
1pervision and control because of the e
ecuhar division Of governmental DOW n,
Now the conditions are complicat-
!, and We find it difficult to frame ma w
onal legislation which shall De ade- lss
nate, while as a matter Of practical lin
1perience state action has proved en- =,
rely insufficient and in all human l..
can not or Will not DE made ~