Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1902-02-22
WASHINGTON THE UNIFIER.
He Showed the Thirteen Colonies
the Pathway to National Life
The Ideal American.

1t seems no wonder at all, that,
after six years of terrible political
distress, under the articles of con-
federation, Washington should be
called to preside at the constitution
al convention in Philadelphia. Char
acteristically, Washington, when sum-
moned, was in western Virginia seek
ing how he might open up his lines
of communication and natural high
ways by which the east and the west
made clear for that great procession
westward of our advancing race
which he foresaw. He was the great
balance-wheel of the Philadelphia as
sembly of 1887, when sectional inter-
ests threatened disruption. He was
the anchor of the ship of state when
storms arose.
Made president, says the Sunday
School Times, he, under God, showed
us the true pathway of national life.
1t is difficult to realize the division,
the weakness, the lack of conference,
in the country and the government,
over a century ago. We were a
"backwoods nation" between the
mountains and the sea. The states
were jealous of the each other and
of the central government. Parties,
such as they were, had inherited all
the viciousness of the old organiZa-
lions in Great Britain. The people
were not welded together. One set
wanted to be pro-French and the
other pro-British.
When "Citizen Genet" came over
to get men, ships, and money, and
also to play, for selfish purposes,
upon the gratitude which our fathers
Washington took the right stand of
neutrality He showed that we were
not to be hyphenated Americans
as the manner of some is, even in
this day, He taught that the true
patriot should be, not Irish or Dutch
or italian or Franco or British-Amer-
leans, but Americans without adjec-
tives or politicians or printers ex-
pedients. To Patrick II snry, Wash
ington wrote: 81 want an American
character, that the powers of Europe
may be convinced that we act for
ourselves, and not for others" He
wrote again: "My ardent desire is
to keep the United States free from
political connection with every other
country, to see them independent of
all, and under the influence of none"
No wonder that Washington left
money to establish national univer-
sity, for he wrote: ut has always
been a source of regret to me to see
the youth of these United States sent
to foreign countries for the purposes
of education, often before their
minds are formed"
Thus this wise and great man, who
foresaw our national future, gave
us, under God, the true principles of
unity Our fathers listened to his
voice, pondered, took ''sober second
thought" and decided Alright and
happily for themselves and us. In
stead of scattering and degenerating
our country began to Consolidate and
grow. The nation, obeying the true
instinct of development, began to ex-
pand toward the west. A great
stream of population moved over the
Alleghenies and to the Pacific. Now
we look farther, yet let us remem-
Der.
It is good to notice, in the latest
and scholarly washington the Sol
der" by Gen. Henry B. Darlington,
of the United States regular army,
that the baseless legend of the COM
mander in chiefs profanity at Mon
mouth is effectually disproved. we
may be ever grateful to God for the
leader He gave US. Greater even than
Washington the engineer, soldier,
statesman, or sage, was Washington
the American, the unifier.