The Republican journal., 1912-06-06

until such time as all were satisfied that
our cause was just, and then united
country joined in supporting the hands
of the President and war was declared.
The judgment of our people in urging
war with Spain, both from motives of hui
manity to assist a struggling people,
who for a hundred years had fought for
their liberty beneath our very shadow,
and also to avenge the blood of our sail
ors who found their final resting place in
the waters of the Harhor of Havana,
has been justified by the outcome of that
war. A great people have been rendered
| free and independent; and the investiga-
tions of the last few years have proved
beyond doubt that the American Battle
ship was blown up by Spanish mine
deliberately placed and deliberately
fired.
/ want to stop right here in speaking
of the ideals of government to say a
word or two in reference to the Spanish
War, because the soldiers who fell in
that war and those who have died since
then, are buried in our cemeteries both
North and South; and on this day, we
decorate their graves as we'll as those of
the war of 81.
What a splendid, spontaneous out
burst of enthusiastic patriotism from
the North and the South and the East
and the West when war was declared.
Men who wore the grey and men who
wore the blue joined in offering their
allegiance to the flag; and the children
of those men rivaled each other in their
eagerness to enlist against the common
enemy. The Spanish war was brief, but
yet it was the prevailing opinion among
the countries of the old world that the
United States had undertaken a task
which it might not be able to accomplish
when war was declared against one of
the old countries of Europe, proud, AFRO
giant and naughty Spain. And remem-
Der we'll lady in my town who received
a letter from one of the interior prov
inces of Germany, in which the writer
said that she was praying for the success
of the American cause, but that every
body where she lived thought that Spain
was sure to triumph. The hand of
Providence guided the destiny of our
fleets and soldiers. 1t seemed to be
God himself who directed Dewey's feet
that moonlight night in May, past the
forts that lie at the entrance of Manila
Harbor, under the frowning guns of
Cavite, over the submerged mines and
into the harbor which had never been
visited by a foreign foe before; and
when the sun arose that morning and
glistened upon the minareted steeples of
Manila, it looked down upon two great
war fleets, one representing the mon
archy of Spain, and the other, the new
republic of the United States, the old
idea opposed to the new idea; and when
it sank at night, everyone of the war
vessels of SPANS proud fleet was a
blackened, Kissing, ruined hulk, and the
United States had taken its place as one
of the great world powers.
The soldier of the Spanish war drew
his inspiration from the soldier of the
war of the rebellion, and your example
will ever be emulated in the years that
are to come.
2. We must be true to the principle
that our country is for all and not for
the few. Great wealth has, during the
last few years, been gathered in the
hands of the few. The opportunity for
individual enterprise and the rapid in
crease of individual fortunes have been
immense during the development stage
of our country. This accumulation of
property in the hands of the few is
menace to society. 1t is the occasion of
great unrest throughout the country to-
day. There seem to be no justice in one
man having his millions and the inherited
wealth to enjoy every luxury that you
can conceive of, while the poor, but in
dustrious citizen sees his children de-
prived of education, because of lack of
means. Honest labor should be requit-
great wealth must be curbed. 1t is con-
TOW tO he Of
of Independence that all men were born
free and equal and have an inalienable
right to life, liberty and happiness. The
political party that foists a system of
government upon the public by which
the people may be exploited for the
benefit of the few, must be replaced by a
progressive party in which the rights of
the many shall be superior to the rights
of the few. | am not Socialist, be-
cause a Socialist destroys individual in
iterance.
But this country, which cost so much
on your part to save, must not now be
destroyed by the power of capital. Great
wealth concentrated in the hands of a
few, and great power vested in the trusts
and corporations, have had d tendency to
destroy individuality of effort and to
create an Oligarchy in place of Repub
lie.
Avarlce and greed-the worst elements
of human nature-prompted the slave
holding States to hold human beings in
bondage in order that the rich might en-
joy the result Of the labors of these
slaves, and those who had slaves refused
to recognize them as anything more than
chattels to be bought and sold and to
labor for their owners pleasure. To curb
this avarice and greed, and to make the
slave free cost US the war of 81.
The same avariciousness and greed on
the part of the few threaten the stability
of the Republic today. Some of those
who are rich and powerful would bind
the shackles of human slavery upon the
working man and make him creature
of barter rather than human being en-
dowed with the same rights and desires
and hopes and fears that the rich have.
1t makes no difference what political
party is in power, the aim and purpose
of these men are the same and the same
result is achieved. The power of the
rich and the great must be curbed, and
the individual given his right of life,
liberty and happiness.
How to do this is the great problem of
the hour. Thinking men ali over the
country today are trying to work this
out in a way that will save the country
from anarchy, and preserve the rights
of all.
Hictorv reoordo tho capoo doet;ny, for