Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-07-17

".
cause this honest man is keeping his
pledge. that the unprecedented early
endorsement so comes from the peo-
pie, and when congress conyenes in
the SHOWS of the coming winter, the
people will7haye spoken, and when the
President calls upon the congress to
act, they will act. and complete the
great work already planned, and then
the Fifty-seventh congress will have
it said to their credit, that they made
splendid history, and it will be record
| ed by the great measures enacted for
the good of all the people. as the
grandest in all our history.
Important Legislation.
Look for a moment upon what they
have done: The Panama canal bill,
the war revenue repeal, the irrigation
law. the Philippine government law,
and | think there will also be added a
Cuban reciprocity act.
"These are by no means all the i'm
portant measures passed or consider
ed by this congress, but these meas
ures stand out in my Judgment as the
most important, and are the acts that
will leave the largest impress on the
future.
The Canal Question.
''The Isthmian canal bill is the
most important and a canal for the
commerce of the world, connecting
the Atlantic and Pacific oceans will
now be built The route has been a
contention for many years. but the
fact that this great connecting water
way will be built is now assured, and
with its completion will come the
i credit to this nation of having under
taken one of the greatest engineering
Iprojects in the worlds history, the
consequences Of which, if successful.
will produce and cause greater ad.
vancement to the commerce and civ
ilization of the world, than any one
act of modern times. For years the
dream of canal had been in the
minds of statesmen, and weeks of de.
bate and years of labor, with the pie
thoric q conditions of our treasury
lmade it a possibility; when to our
4 greatest Joy the students and engi.
lneers and statesmen who had given
the subject careful study, wanted the
i Panama route; but the French COM
|pany had for many years had conces-
! sions, and was in control of the sit
|uation. The commission finally rec.
! commended Nicaragua; but Preside2t
4 mckinley wanted the Panama route
investigated, and the price of forty
million was placed on the franchise
and property by our experts, and by
i good financiering and diplomacy, the
French company finally came down
u from one hundred and ten millions to
,lforty millions, and the bill passed by
la practically unanimous vote.
Canal Will Come.
aPanama, first, if good title and
proper concessions can be given by
Colombia, if not, then by Nicaragua,
but canal will follow, sure as night
follows day, provided no obstacle OF
hindrance comes from the populistic
tendencies of the democratic party.
Retrospective View,
u Gentlemen, just think for mo
j, ment if anyone believes at this day
this government would now be launch
ing out on project that will take
money by the hundred of millions te
be raised by the people, if Mr.. Bryan
and his associates had been given the
reins of power in 1896 or 1900.
n buSlneSS FFOPOSltiOHs
tNThere is no politics III the canal. il
i is purely a business proposition; but
\ who would have had any faith in any
government or business people thai
4 had declared that so cents was a dol
lar. And more than that, that any one
would believe them after they had de
. clared it. 1t only shows to us how
very important it is to keep our vision
!; clear on finances, and not believe with
Bryan and Weaver that money can be
made by printing presses and resolu
lions by congress. Why, my friends, il
? would now. take two Bryan dollars tt
buy a bushel of potatoes. But excuse
me for referring to as dead an issue as
free silver. Even the democrats are
, not now doing it under their plan O
! reorganizing the party, but l com
mend them for their efforts in this line
for if there is anything that needs re
organization and fumigation it is the
: populist-democratic party. The echo
: has hardly died away from the las
f campaig -imperialism-and where il
/ it? Cuba free, the military withdrawn
Y a civil government duly installed ant
: by the passage of the Philippine civi
e government bill, a great step has beef
q taken toward establishing self-govern
1 ment for the people of those islands.
Provision for Philippines.
: "The bill is elaborate and I have NJ
$ time for details, but it provides stuff
: cient protection for capital to develop
4 the country and opens ways and mean
$ for business to go on, and take the cen
: sus and gather facts and figures TO
$ future development, and enables tn
J, lands to be disposed of by legal titles
L and lays the ground work for the set
Element of many questions to be sci
tied before that people are ready t,
T take upon themselves the task of sell
}. government, to live and to prosper.
Reclaim Western Lands.
= 'The passage of the irrigation bill il
y the first step taken toward reclaimin
:. under the control of the government
9 of the arid lands of the west TIL
: voice of the President was strong TO
). this legislation Then lands will b
reserved for actual settlers under tn
homestead law