Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-10-07

~ i>cpuDllcall q -
us Fifty Years Existence ana i'''"i"
Of its Measures and Leaders lSo4-l''f
by Frances curtis with a Foreword by
President Roosevelt. and introdurtlons
by William P. Frye. President pro
tempore, United states senate ana .
u. Cannon, speaker L. >. House Vi
Representatives. In two Noluiiies.
New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons
To the student of political history
especially that portion OF IL winch oed'S
with the great part played b. the he
publican party in developing the re-
sources and promoting the clviilZatlon
of the WORLDS greatest and nobleSt re-
public this work will ne simply lnvaiu-
able. 1t occupies Il field peculiarly ITS
own. Within its covers the STUDENT OF
Republican men and measures Wln
ma the complete story tolu iio' from
the standpoint of any Single hluiNidual
or section. b,,t from the far broader
standpoint of the party ltseil. MI.
curtis has given us large amount OF
valuable historical date in compare
lively small ,onpasS. 1t is clearly pre-
scented. i'm a S,vle at once direct and
forceful, and will constitute an exceed
mgly voluable addition to the literature
which deals with the polltlcal history
of the United States. The student OF
politics will find work admirably
suited to his needs while it will always
hold an important place as q work OF
reference. In his brief put forceful
"foreword" President Roosevelt says:
IN its essentials, human nature does
not change: or at least the change is
very slow. In the successive national
trials, great and small, Whlch TINS
country has had to face since the day,
half century ago when the kepuoll-
can party began it's career. the same
qualities have inevitably been dis
played-the qualities of strength anu
weakness, of wisdom ana folly, OF evil
and good: and in each of these crises
we have done we'll or i'll about in pro-
por ton as we have shown the qualities
which made us do well or ill in the
others. The problems shift from gen
GRAFTON to generatlon: Dut, alter all
in each case the danger is que
fundamentally the same evil ten
denotes. and in each case sue
cess can come only by the exercise OF
wisdom and courage. energy ana hiSh-
mindedness This is the reason why
the history OF the Republican party II
the past is not merely of abiding inter-
est to the student but is Of present inn
practical fashion actually to apply tht
principles of civic righteousness.
In his admirable Introduction Sena-
tor Frye sums up in a few words the
general scope of the great work accom-
plished by the Republican party. He
says:
1T is true that the Republican party
became an associated body of earnest
and humane men with the chief pur-
pose of preventing the further extern
sion of slavery. That great purpose
WAS duly accomplished. and. while this
WAS not the first intention, slavery
was itself destroyed. although at a
much greater cost and sacrifice than
could possibly have been forrseen III
1854; and il is not remarkable that az
new questions presented themselves
and as new problems arose to be solved
there was no thought of disarmament
even though one or two of those who
had been Leading spirits of the party
suggested that The time had come for
its epitaph to be written.
1t was the same party, less a few
prominent members. which gave itself
to the task of solving the financial and
economic problems as these presented
themselves, and which carried the
country and its people onward in the
march of progress to the position now
occupied in the front rank of nations
There has been no time when the party
could consistently retreat or even stand
still
Mr.. Curtis has well shown this in
various chapters of his work, as his
narrative proceeds from one period to
another. and from one Congress to an
other. quoting the expressions of Re
publican leaders, citing bills framed by
republican committees, and enacted by
both Houses of Congress. and telling of
me splendid administrations of Re-
puDlcan Presidents. He has shown
That for the most part the history of
the Republican party and it's acheive-
ments since the first election of Abra-
nam Lincoln has been the Doitical
history OF the United States. as i'm but
two years of that time the Democratic
party has been in full power of the
Government and able to carry out IN.
opposed its policies and designs. If
mas been indeed a most marvellous age
and wonderful period not only in our
own history, but the history of the
world"
Speaker Cannon, in his PREDATORY
note speaks of the record and achieve
mtnts Of the Republican party as fol-
lows:
The Republican party is construct
ed on the principle laid down by Abra-
nam Lincoln that this is "a govern
ment of the people, for the people and
by the people 1t has trjumnbed
over other parties since it's organiza-
tlon because of its courage to fight for
the principles formulated by the iudg-
lheht ana conscience of the people: If
has been governed not by hysterical or
impulse. but by con-
servatlsm and common sense. If had
us origin in the sober judgment Of the
people of the North that compromise
with slavery was not longer possible in