Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 October 1898 — PATRIOTIC DEMOCRATS [ARTICLE]

PATRIOTIC DEMOCRATS

Nothing Fo» Chmy Horror* to Stand On. The honest Democrat in civil and military life is hot supporting the camp horror campaign scheme. No one who knows Captain D, F. Allen of the One Hundred and Fifty-eighth Indiana will question his Democracy or his word. In a speech at a Loyal Legion dinner in Indianapolis he said: •T desire to condemn as forcibly as I can the attempt being made to fasten on the soldiers of the One Hnndred and Fifty-eighth Indiana suffering, said to have been caused by the neglect of the government, and more I condemn the effort to attach to President McKinley and the secretary of war responsibility therefor. It is an outrage; absolutely salsa In none of the regiments I knew of around us were there any of the sufferings or neglect, as widely and wickedly reported. As you know, I voted agaiust President

McKinley, but I sustain him against the false accusations of mistreatment of our boys, and believe that the time will come when the rollcall of American soldiers will, like the suu over the British possessions, be around the world. The American flag should forever float over all the territory now acquired.” The testimony before the army investigating commission at Washington has progressed far enough to show there is nothing in the camp horror exagger \- tions of yellow journals aud Democratic politicians. Generals “Joe” Wheeler and Fitzhugh Lee have testified that the mistakes made were unavoidable; that there was uo starvation or abase; in effect they show there has been a great deal of Democratic lying for campaign purposes. Neither had any fault to find. There were some conditions that might have been better, but all things considered the army fared as well, and in some cases, better than the soldiers had a right to expect. We no longer stand on the golden shores of California and,say: "Here is the line that marks the limit of our ambition.” On the contrary, our eagle eye still follows the settiug sun. A Democratic Xipanaionlst. Congressman Berry of Kentucky said recently: “I can answer only for myself. My position is that the United States should take and keep every foot of ground that has come to us by virtue of thrashing the Spaniards. We should do this without listening to or considering the opinion of any other nation. What we have won by the sword is absolutely our own.” That is good Republican doctrine.