The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1903-01-30

give the island independence, the
pledge was kept not merely in letter,
but In spirit. It would have been a
betrayal of our duty to have given
Cuba independence out of hand. Pres
ident Mckinley, with his usual sin
gular sagacity In the choice of agents,
selected in General Leonard Wood the
man of all others best fit to bring the
island through its uncertain period Of
preparation for independence, and the
result Of his wisdom was shown when
last May the island became in name
and in fact a free republic, for it start
ed with a better equipment and under
more favorable conditions than had
ever previously been the case with any
Spanish-American commonwealth.
FINALLY, in the Philippines, the
problem was one of great complexity.
There was an insurrectionary party
claiming to represent the people of the
islands and putting forth their claim
with certain speciousness which de-
ceived no small number of excellent
men here at home, and which afford
ed to yet Others a chance to arouse
factious party spirit against the
president. OF course, looking back. It
Is now easy to see that it would have
been both absurd and wicked to aban-
don the Philippine archipelago and let
the scores of different tribes-Chris-
tian, Mohammedan, and pagan, in
every stage of semi-Asiatic barbarism
turn the islands into a welter of
bloody savagery, with the absolute
certainty that some strong power
would have to step In and take pos
session. But though now it is easy
enough to see that our duty was to
stay in the islands. to put down the
insurrection by force of arms, and
then to establish freedom-giving civil
government, it NEEDED genuine states
manship to see this and to act ac-
cordingly at the time OF the first re-
volt A weaker and less far-sigbted
man than President Mckinley would
have shrunk from task very difficult
in itself, and certain to furnish occa-
sion for attack and misrepresentation
no less. than for honest misunder-
standing.
"But President Mckinley never
hinched. He refused to consider the
thought of abandoning our duty In
our new possessions. While sedulous-
ly endeavoring to act with the utmost
humanity toward the insurrectionists.
he never faltered in the determine
ton to put them down by force of
arms, alike for the sake of our own
interest and honor and for the sake
of the islanders, and particularly for
the great numbers of friendly natives.
including those most highly civilized,
for whom abandonment by us would
have meant ruin and death.
Again his policy was most amply
vindicated. Peace has come to the is
lands. together with greater measure
of individual liberty and self-govern-
ment than they have ever before
known. All the tasks set us as a re-
suit of the war have so far
been well and honorably accom-
plished, and as result this nation
stands higher than ever before among
the nations Of mankind.
President McKinley's second cam
paign was fought mainly on the is
sue of approving what he had done In
his first administration, and specif-
cally what he had done as regards
these problems springing out of the
war with Spain. The result was that
the popular verdict in his favor was
more overwhelming than It had been
before.
"No other president In our history
has seen high and honorable effort
crowned with more conspicuous per-
sonal success No other president en-
tered upon his second term feeling
such right to profound and peaceful
satisfaction.
"Then, by stroke of horror. SO
strange In Its fantastic iniquity as to
stand unique in the black annals Of
crime, he was struck down. The
brave. strong. gentle heart was stilled
forever. and word was brought to the
woman who wept that she Was to
walk henceforth alone IN the shadow.
The hideous infamy Of ths deed shock