The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1904-02-12
REPUBLICAN EDITORS
IN WASHINGTON
Second Annual Convention OF
the National Association
in Session.
d. a SLElCHER'S ADDRESS
Declared That the Twentieth Centur,
Is the Age of Newspapers, the
Universal Educator and
Upiifter Of Mankind.

washington, Feb. C.-The second an.
jnual convention of the National Re
publican Editorial association began
at ,he Arlington hotel and will last two
Gays. The members of the Republican
Editorial association of New York also
are IN the city, so a joint meeting Of
the Two organizations was held. John
a. Slelcher of New York, president of
the National association, presided.
MI. Slelcher delivered an address, in
beginning which he declared that the
twentieth century is the age of news
papers, the universal educator, the up
litter OF mankind, the defender of hu-
man rights. We, in the lanu or Ben
0amln FRANKLIN, stand first in the light
of publicity.
Coming down to politics, Mr.. Sleicher
said:
1T is easier to ak for high ideals
than to live up to them. Everyone
heafs the talker, few see the doer. We
wonder how a shallow demagogue,
equipped only with the gift of a silver
tongue and boundless assurance, could
mlslead the public, divert a great polit-
1cal party from it's traditional prin-
ciples and compel it to indorse financial
n economic heresies that seem more
n more SrOtesque as time goes by.
Such men are incidental to every
American epoch. We recall the rag
money, the granger and ~antimonopoly
parties, fiat money, and more recently,
Tree silver, and wonder, in the light of
u sober second thought, how anyone
could have been misled by such trans
TORY decisions.
The democratic party is only danger
u at Irregular intervals, when a few
OF us real leaders have the courage to
have convictions. The opportunity to
nav this courage was great in 1886
and greater in 1900, but courage did
not prevail, and a political Dowie from
the wilds of Nebraska descended on it's
national convention and hypnotized it
while he was going through its pock-
cts. He is at it still and we earnestly
hope that he may not be %silenced be-
fore the next democratic rational on
Vention ConVeneS.
In the clear light OF history every
patriotic citizen should sincerely re-
joice that we have had presidents with
the wisdom to look ahead and with
courage to go ahead, farther and faster
than the people. To these presidents
minds we are indebted for the Louis
lana purchase, the acquisition Of
Alaska, the freedom of Cuba, the
planting of our flag in the far east and
its retention there, and to our stalwart,
honest, courageous, typical young
American president, Theodore Roose-
welt, we will be indebted during the
next four years l sincerely believe, for
She construction of the Panama canal,
for much needed and long sought pro-
lection for American shipping, for e "a
sonable advantageous reciprocity, a
sounder system Of finance and the
maintenance of our national honor,
wherever or by whatsoever it may be
1ssailed.
Depew a standpatter.
Senator Chauncey M. DepeW made a
brief political speech, in which he said
the democrats could not afford to re-
pudiate Bryan and could not succeed
without q candidate the country would
believe is opposed to everything Bryan
breaches. The democrats now, he said,
have had to bando several issues
they sought to raise, including the re-
cent attempt to assail the presidents
course In Panama.
He adherence to the ridi-
culed phrase, stand pat" with all it
means.
Secretary Taft Speaks.
Secretary Taft was introduced to the
editors by President Sleicher as the
philippine issue" The secretary took
advantage Of the opportunity to refute
some Of the statements about the al
legged unhealthy conditions in the is
lands. He said the editors could help
the American government in the Phil
ippines by denying the lies circulated
about the terrible climate here. He
spoke of the necessity for American
capital and American citizens in the is
lands, and said that h is needed tc
make success there is the presence OF
desirable Americans Of character. The
islands, he said, are a pleasant place tc
live In if one observes the ordinary
rules of hygiene, and pointed to himself
as an example Of that statement. He
spoke hopefully of Philippine affairs
If the tariff were reduced.