Sistersville daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1902-1905, 1905-02-22

DOSSGSSlOn VI TIC hiiipP ihSo, ON'A
interest in the trade of the Or
lent, our building the Isthmian
canal, our insistence upon the
Monroe Doctrine, all demand that
our navy shall be of adequate size
and for it's size Of unsurpassed eff
ticiency. If it is strong enough L
believe it will minimize the
chance of our. being drawn into
foreign war. If we let it run
down it is as certain as the DAY
that sooner or later we shall have
to choose between a probably dis
astrous foreign war or peace
kept on terms that imply Ma
tional humiliation. Our navy is
the surest guaranty of peace and
the cheapest insurance against
war, and those who, in whatever
capacity, have helped to build it
up during the past twenty years
have been in good faith observing
and living up to one of the most
important of the principles which
Washington laid down for the
guidance of his countrymen. Nor
was Washington the only one OF
our great Presidents who showed
far-sighted patriotism by support
of the navy. When Andrew Jack
son was in Congress he voted for
the first warships we ever built
as part of our regular navy; and
he voted against the grant OF
money to pay our humiliating
tribute to the pirates of the Bar
barry States. Old Hickory was a
patriot through and through, and
there was not an ounce Of timid-
itv in his nature. and of course he
felt only indignant contempt for
a policy which purchased an igno-
BILE peace by cowardice instead of
exacting a just peace by showing
we were as little willing to submit
to as to infict aggression. Had a
majority of Jackson's colleagues
and successors felt rs he did about
the navy, had it been built up In
tead of being brought 30 a stand
still, it would probably never
have been necessary to fight the
war of 1912.
Again Washington said: "Give
to mankind the example of peo-
pie always guided by an exalted
Justice and benevolence.' This
feeling can be shown alike by our
dealings within and without our
own borders. Taft and Wright in
the Philippies and Wood in Cuba
have shown us exactly how to
practice this justice and benevo~
lence in dealing with other pco-
pIes-a justice and benevolence
which can be shown, not by shlrk-
ing our duty and abandoning to
self-destruction those unfit to gov
ern themselves. but by doing our
duty by staying with them afa
teaching them how to govern
themselves. by uplifting them
spiritually and materially. Here
at home we are obeying this
maxim of Washington's Just so
far as we help in every movement,
whether undertaken by the Gov
ernment, or as is, and should be,
more often the case, by voluntary
action among private citizens, for
the betterment of our own peo-
pie. Observe that Washington
speaks both of justice and benev-
olence, and that he puts justice
first. We must be generous, we
must help our poorer brother, but
above all we must remember to be
just and the first step toward Sc
curing Justice is to treat every
man on his worth as a man, show
ing him no special favor, but Sc
far as may be holding open for
him the door of opportunity so
that reward may wait upon hon.
est and intelligent endeavor
Again Washington said:
ICnntin1led ON 9Th napel