Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 October 1898 — HELD IN HIGH ESTEEM [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HELD IN HIGH ESTEEM

M’KINLEY’S POPULARITY ALMOST WITHOUT PARALLEL. 3is Calm Judgment and Wonderful 81x111 in Handling the Problems of the Late War Compel Admiration Even from His Opponents. Amid all the damaging reports and rumors that are flying about the heads of almost every high official who has had much to do with the conduct of the war it is notable that not even partisan antagonism has given rise to a single charge against the President or a sinupon either his services or his character. It may be said of him “he has won golden opinions from all sorts of people.” His popularity is almost without a parallel in the records ■of our government. A striking illustration of the high esteem in which he is held even by his political opponents was recently given , In a tribute paid to him by Senator McLaurin of South Carolina, who, in commenting upon the policy of the President in declining to accompany the declaration of war with a recognition of Otiban independence, said: “The President has shown wonderful judgment fn dealing with the war problem. I voted for the recognition of Cuban independence, but I am free to admit I made a great mistake. The President was right in refusing to recognize the Insurgents.” Warming to his theme the South Carolina Senator went on to point out what the President has done, to eliminate the last vestiges of sectional feeling between North and South. The President, he said, “has known no section or party in the administration of the high duties imposed upon him, and his appointment of Butler, Lee, Wheeler and Gordon to high and responsible positions has won the hearts and the sympathy of the men and women of the South, and he is to-day the pride of the entire nation. I predict that his peace policy will be as wise and as Ann and as much of a success as was his war policy.” This glowing tribute from a Democratic Senator to a Republican President, coming as it does on the eve of a general election, when party antagonisms are beginning to run high, is as creditable to the giver as to the recipient. It is a striking proof of the complete restoration of good feeling between the North and the South. Moreover. the eulogium was in no respect overdone. It was but plain justice to say that McKinley is “to-day the pride of the entire nation,” and abundant reasons exist to justify the bright prediction that “his peace policy will be as wise and as firm and as much of a success as his war policy.”—San Francisco Call. T he Next ongress The time has arrived when the people of the United States must turn their thoughts from patriotism to politics, or, rather, when they must divert a share of their patriotic efforts to new channels. For several months most of them thought or talked of little else than the war with Spain, and the last few weeks have been spent in celebrating the victories and toasting the heroes of our army and navy, from general to private and from pdmiral to stoker. This has been well. But the war has imposed new responsibilities on the nation and set difficult and intricate problems for it statesmen to solve. The present administration has the confidence of the country in a degree enjoyed by few of its predecessors since the foundation of the government, but Its policies, however patriotic and acceptable to the country, could be easily embarrassed, thwarted or even overthrown by a hostile majority in the LVlth Congress. That a supreme effort is to be made to accomplish such a result in the coming Congress and State elections indications are not wanting. Every device that can be invented, every means that can be employed, to prevent the election of a Republican majority to the next House of Representatives and keep the supporters of the administration in a minority in the Senate will be brought into play. If these succeed, not only will the fruits of the war be frittered away and the pledges of the nation made a byword, but all the dangerous political issues which threatened the integrity and stability of the country and were supposed to have been buried two years ago will be revived and reinvigorated. Is there any danger? We say frankly, yes. Unless the supporters of the administration throughout the country bestir themselves and work from this time until the night of election day as they have not worked before in the last ten years, there is grave danger that their representatives will not be In the majority In the next Congress, and that the Senate will be controlled by a coalition opposed to the administration and sound money. This Is the plain truth, and it may better be told now than when It Is too late. This is no time for factional fights in the Republican party; no time to indulge the passion of jealousy; no time for side issues of any sort. The enemies of the administration are going into the fight determined to win. They are playing the old, plain game of partisan politics; they will stop at nothing. If they dared they would draw a bar-sinister across Dewey's fame and belittle the achievements of the American army and navy at Santiago. If they.succeed they will declare the war a failure, whlvb they did so much to provoke, and will enthrone Bryan and free silver. The people of this country do not want to see this done; most of them do not believe It can be done; and yet there is danger It may be done. Warnings of It have come to us from supporters of the administration, not all

of 'whom are affiliated with the Republican party, that ought to be heeded.— New York Tribune. Grnmbler* Are Few. It is gradually developing that most of the complaints of army shortcomings have emanated from a few soldiers in each camp or command—every regiment will have some malcontents—and that the majority of the men are Vehaving like men and not whining over unavoidable discomforts. When they enlisted they accepted the fortunes of war, and war, even at best, does hot provide a bed of roses for its followers. They endured some privations, and found camp routine irksome and the life in Southern camps during a hot summer far from agreeable, but many of them were soldiers’ sons and had no thought of grumbling, remembering what.hardshlps their fathers encountered on the same ground. It is unfortunate that these young men, the bulk, indeed, of the volunteer army, should have been so misrepresented by the discontented element that for a time they all seemed to the public to be almost in a state of insubordination. The false reports circulated concerning the condition of camps, treatment by officers, insufficient rations, etc., and the childish grumbling over inevitable discomforts have done injustice to all the men in the ranks, by appearing to include them all In the list of “kickers.” Now that the truth Is made clear by the return of regiments in good physical condition and the denial by the trustworthy majority of rhe wild tales of suffering and starvation that nad preceded them, the public Is likely to be less ready to accept such reports In future until after investigation. A returned Missouri soldier is reported as saying that great indignation was aroused In his regiment at Camp Thomas when New York papers arrived containing complaints about the treatment of soldiers there. As he put it, they were “red hot” and would have “blanketed” the fellows who gave out the stuff if they could have been located. If blanketing were judiciously applied by his comrades to every chronic whiner in camp the fashion of making petty complaints—that are magnified as they pass on until they do injury to the country Itself—the habit would soon be abandoned. It is really the necessary discipline and restrictions of the army of which these grumblers complain, but a little more discipline would be wholesome. Journal. The Foreigner Gets the Freight. Satisfaction for the magnificent showing of the “balance of trade” for the last fiscal year is tempered by the consideration that our tremendous export business was so largely done in foreign ships. As has been recently shown, American products sent to foreign markets pay $300,000,000 a year to foreign ship owners. We abandoned the protective policy, so far as it applies to shipping in foreign waters, in 1815. The result Is that, with the greatest export business in the world, American commerce, meaning carrying trade to foreign ports, is nothing like as large as it was when we began doing business as an Independent nation. Seventy years ago the preceutage of American carriage in foreign trade was 92.5; when the civil war began, 65.2; when it ended, 27.5 and last year 0. If one of the big stores on Westminster street should hire the delivery wagons of its competing neighbors to deliver its goods to customers the impression that that concern was doing business in a very foolish way would evidently be justified. And that the American nation, with its growing trade, pays foreign ship owners for hadling it, is, quite as plainly, boundless folly.—Providence (R. I.) News.

The One Favored Country. . For the past six months of 1898 French imports amount to $440,996,508, against $372,628,188 for the corresponding period of 1897; while the volume of exports shows a decrease from $348,081,648 In the first half of 1897 to $315,434,697 In the first six months of 1898. Among the leading countries of the world the United States is the onlj’ one that shows a continuous excess of exports over imports, the latter constantly decreasing to magnificent proportions. Yet the free-traders would like to persuade the people of this country that protection is obstructive to national prosperity. They are not likely to succeed. Another Outrnge on Popocrats. Another corporation outrage that calls for a plank In reform platforms is the close tab the railroads keep on every phase of their business. The statistics that they are able to furnish on occasion are sometimes very ua-

comfortable and disagreeable. Thus the statement that within the last eighteen months fusion reformers in Nebraska have traveled 375,000 miles on railroad passes 1 seems to afford groundwork for attack on another corporation abuse. The prevailing tendency to Introduce facts and figures into politics is getting to be an insufferable annoyance and niust be stopped If we are to have any genuine “reform.” —Sioux City Journal. lieady for Conquest. That sterling American, Senator C. K. Davis of Minnesota, who has gone to Paris to enter upon his duties as a member of the peace commission, delivered a significant address on the occasion of a large public meeting held in his honor in Minneapolis the evening of Sept. 7. Senator Davis took strong ground in favor of retaining to the fullest extent the territory won by the United States as the result of the war with Spain, and in that connection said: “To-day the American markets are within the grasp of American Industries, and the American hand ,is feeding the American mouth. Nor is this all, for to-day our manufactured products are seeking the markets of the world. The markets of the world comprise the 1,400,000,000 human beings which the world contains, and it is in this market that American manufacturers are competing, as the natural result of a wise protection.” Herein is crystallized the great fact of America’s splendid position: First, the safe grasp of the great home market; second, the successful search for outlets Into the markets of the world. The first condition makes the second possible. Having firmly entrenched themselves at home, American industries may now feel secure in their base of operations and confidently go forth conquering and to conquer. No army of peaceful progress wa> ever so grandly equipped and fortified. Then and Not Before. Before we can witness a shipbuilding boom in the United States, some protection or .preference must be shown for our ships in competition with foreign ships. The American standard of wages must be maintained on sea as well as on land, and the standard of living on American shipboard must not be reduced to the level of living on foreign ships. When these differences are made good by government legislation, then we may look for utilization of our abundant resources for the revival of American shipping in the foreign trade, but not before.—New York Commercial. McKinley’s Great Achievement. In the midst of all the worry about camps and soldiers, President McKinley has the saitisfactiqn of knowing that he has conducted a grand and successful war, and that all the so-called mistakes are mere motes in the sunbeam of achievement which shall illuminate through future years a glorious page in the world’s history. Every American knows this, is proud of It, and will get prouder as time passes.—Chicago Record. Set Forward One Hundred Years. In a sermon delivered recently Rev. Edward Everett Hale characterized the recent war as “one of the great wars of the ages,” and added: “In one hundred days God had set forward the civilization of 'the world one hundred years. The lesson of the war is like the last flash from a thunderstorm; the lesson of peace on earth, good will among men.” How much more patriotic that than furnishing interviews to partisan papers to prove that the war was a failure. Quick Fortunes for Fanpers. A few years ago, according to the Populist howl lu Kansas, the people were paupers, buit things have changed. Now, in the platform of the state convention, the Populists are demanding that the state insure the property of the people at a small cost. That is, in eight years the former paupers have accumulated property and desire the state to insure their buildings against fire. Farmers Can Understand It. Under the Democratic tariff the importation of wool shoddy, waste, etc., was over 400,000,(XX) pounds during tho fiscal year ending June 30, 1898, including the wool In bond. Only 135,000,000 pounds of wool was imported. The farmers of this nation can readily understand the great benefit of the protective tariff.—Wauseon (Ohio) Republican. Costa Too Much. Let the electors next November bear In mind the pains and penalties of a Popocratic administration and indorse the economic success of the Republican party at the polls. No matter what tho petty provocation may be to kick out of the traces-and displace the old party from power, it costs too much.—Lincoln (Neb.) Journal. I A Pettier for Democrat*. The party that borrowed $262,000,000 at four and one-half per cent, interest in time of profound peace to ward off the effects of its own vicious policies should not, criticise a party that borrowed $200,000,000 at three per cent, to carry a foreign war. to a successful conclusion. Low Death Kate at Mnntnnk. An official report regarding the hospitals at Montauk shows that while upward of ten thousand soldiers have been treated the number of deaths docs not exceed one per cent. Some of the yellow journals have been reporting the deaths at five per cent. They Are Lookint- nt Maine, No Democratic paper has noticed that the Democratic vote in Arkansas a few weeks since was 34,562 less than Mr. Bryan's vote fn 1896. This is a falling off of nearly one-third.—lndianapolis JocF’.tlL