Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 69, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 May 1898 — Republican Pecinct Meetings. [ARTICLE]

Republican Pecinct Meetings.

The Republican voters of the seevral precincts of Jusper County, will meet at their respective voting places, except ns otherwise designated by the precinct chairman on Saturday May 7, 1808, two o’clock p. m., and select one delegate to each of the following Conventions: Congressional and Representative, both to be held in Rensselaer Indiana, on Wednesday, May, 11,1808. Tho basis of representation will be the same as for the .ludioinl Convention, held at Goodlnnd, April sth. Charles W. Hanley, Chairman, Rep. Cent. Com. J. F. Warren, Secretary.

The dissatisfaction of our citizens with the present city government, which caused the defeat of two of our three candidates Tuesday, will not, we believe, prove at all permanent, nor out any figure

in any subsequent election. The purchase of the light plant has already justified itself, as the people are now getting their residence and business electric lights cheaper, on an average, than they did before, while the street lights cost only about the interest on the cost of the plant, or only about one fourth of what they formerly cost. As to the waterworks, though the system was made much more extensive than many people thought necessary, yiet the indications are that the use of the water will be so great that the system will soon be found none too extensive; and at the same time, the great use of the water will bring in so large a revenue, that the very people who are now greatly dissatisfied with the waterworks, will, in a year or two, be the readiest to commend thejn.

Many of the sensational and mischievous city papers are already expressing opinions and making suggestions as to what this country will do with the Phillipino Islands, when we get possession of them. The course of these papers with their premature and unauthorized suggestions, is likely to do great harm, and very possibly get us into serious trouble with some European countries. If they succeed in creating a belief in Europe that the United States intends to either keep the islands or to trade them to England say, or Japan, it will be almost certain to cause Germany and France to interfere against us. Both nations are now very unfriendly in their feelings towards us, and very likely will only need such an incentive as that to cause their hostility to take a more decided turn. After Spain is fully thrashed and her formidable fleet on the Altantic has suffered the fate of her less formidable one in the Paoific, will be the proper time for a publio discussion of what to do with tbe Phillipines.

“There will be no glory in a victory over a power like Spain, glory will be in the results achieved for liberty and humanity.” Thus remarks a much respected exchange of a neighboring town. If the two sentences had expressed the idea that the chief glory to result from the war would be the results achieved for liberty and humanity, we could agree with it wholly. But that no glory is to result from the battles with Spain is already disproved by the story of Manila. The glory which results to a nation from its battles on sea und land, depends not on the relative power of the nations involved but in the particular circumstances under which each battle was fought. In the wars with flie piratical but insignificant Barbary pioneers in the early part of this eentury, our sailors won victories under such circumstances of heroism as have reflected undying glory on the American navy. The battle just fought at Manila is a similar case. Thatourstronger fleet there should have crushed the weaker one of Spain might not, in itself, bo a specially glorious achievement. But the circumstances under which it was done, and tho boldness and the splendid seamanship which onr fleets displayed, make it one of the most glorious events in our history. To boldly sail into the enemy’s harbor, between long lines of powerful forts and over waters supposedly thickly sown with mines and torpedoes, and then attacking and destroying the enemy’s fleet under the very guns of other strong forts, was an act that tho people of the earth will esteem glorious so long as valor is glorious and so long as men deserve the name of men.