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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (June 21, 1900)
'Cbe Conservative * fierce fighting to bring the unruly Saxons to realize the beneficent Christian faith the Frankish military chieftain wanted to give them. And after their conver sion they would not remain firm in the faith , when Charles was absent , but would return to the worship of Odin. Because of this " " "backsliding" propen sity their "reconversion" was often necessary and only accomplished after severe chastisement. The patience of the great Christian monarch finally became exhausted. In his desperation he resorted to massacre as a means of enforcing respect for his God. Accord ingly he slew 4,500 Saxon prisoners in cold blood. After several exhibitions of this convincing form of argument it is recorded that "Wittikind , the hero of the whole war , was compelled to con fess the superiority of the God of Char lemagne and received the right of baptism. His example was generally followed and Germany became Chris- tian. " After the death of Charlemagne the empire he hud built and the religion he had establisned , by force of arms , both perished. The latter was revived at a later and more opportune period , and in an altogether different manner. Bishop Cranston is demanding of this country a repetition of the campaign made by this mediaeval monarch. THE CONSERVATIVE believes that there is too much enlightenment in the world . _ , today to permit a A Barbarous , , . . . Suggestion. return to this ancient , barbarous idea of missionary effort. If our mis sionaries are unwelcome in China , let them do as any courteous people ought to do , leave the country or desist from their teaching. Until the Chinese are willing to desert Confucius and accept our Christ , without the aid of artillery , we had best leave them at the shrine of Confucius. THETKOPICS. confronting us in the Philippines are becoming more and more apparent. We must not only meet the armed resistance of the people but must contend against that which is even more difficult to overcome , viz. , the diffi culty of adjusting ourselves to the cli mate. In order to develop the resources of the islands , physical labor is a necessity. For this our race is not adapted. The experience of our soldiers in the Philip pines indicates their inability to with stand the debilitating climate. I * Capt. E. O. Woodruff , surgeon in the United States army , recently returned from service in the Philippines , in his re port shows a veritable epidemic of ner vous diseases , bordering on insanity , among our officers in Luzon : He says "It made no difference to tell every one in the tropics that alcohol was danger- . . . , * . x. . . Stimulants .Essential. , . , , , v be confessed that we saw more drinking in the Philippines than we had seen for a long time steady daily consumption. It seemed inevitable. This almost universal drinking must mean a natural defensive craving , as surely so many men cannot be fools to do what was so positively said to be wrong. A Spanish army surgeon told mo that their experience was to the effect that a certain amount of wine daily was essential in that climate. I did not believe him , of course , and was inclined to ridicule their large requisi tions for wine , putting it down as the race characteristics imported from the shores of the Mediterranean. It did not take long to find out that he was cor rect , and the reason is not difficult to find. "I have never yet seen any account of the terrible nervous exhaustion that re- . suits from the long Nervous Diseases . . Epidemic. continued expos ure to great heat and moisture. It is a veritable neuras thenia. There is no escape from the heat nicrbt or dav. One wakes UD at night fairly drenched with perspiration. It wears out nerve force quickly and surely. Now the symptoms of exhaust ion are everywhere. I never heard so many complaints of persistent insomnia as I did in the Philippines. One young , vigorous staff officer , who seemed al ways cool , complained to me one day that on the previous afternoon at 5 o'clock ho found he could not remember anything he read. When he got to the end of a sentence he had forgotten the beginning. He was disabled until the next morning. A surgeon informed me that before he was half through his daily rounds he discovered he could not remember the patients' answers , and he always had to lie down thirty to sixty minutes before the brain would work again properly. A general officer one day found himself in the same fix. He would act on no papers because he could not remember what was to be acted on. It is needless to remark that in warfare the lives of soldiers are rather precarious if from sheer exhaustion their officers cannot use their brains. It is a serious question , and I have been astounded at the illogical actions taken in some in stances. In these conditions of mental prostration the thing that ought not to be done is apt to be ordered through paral ysis of the reasoning faculties and mem ory. Much absurdity of conduct has its origin in cerebral asthenia. In my limited circle one man broke down com pletely and another became insane ; both due to overwork and the heat. A large percentage of soldiers have gone insane , and there are also a large number in whom muscular strength is largely re duced. Soldiers who appeared to be just as strong as at home found them selves done up after five innings at base ball. It showed itself in the eyes , and in a number of cases there was inability to read through paresis of accommoda tion indeed , accommodative asthenopia is almost a tropical disease. " This does not present a very en couraging outlook. The resources of the islands will be of little avail to Am erican enterprise if the islands are un inhabitable to our people. The attempt to adapt our race to the Philippines will fail as has every like attempt to people torrid countries. THE CONSERVATIVE BUSINESS. TIVE was passing down Wabash avenue , Chicago , on Fri day , June 15 , 1900 , and beheld over the door of an empty and dilapidated build ing , a newly-finished sign. It was long and loud in colorings and painted upon canvas it read "Democratic ; : Headquar ters. " Next door , with an eye to business , was a smaller sign and in golden and cheerful letters it said : "Tape-worm Expelled. " If the people who practice under the latter can efficiently treat the people represented by the former sign , Bryan will not be nominated at Kansas City. The tape-worm grows fat by the diminution of its victim ; the latter is constantly emaciating while the tape worm "expands" and "benevolently assimilates. " As Bryan has grown the democracy has diminished. Until the tape-worm is expelled the decline will continue. Mr. Bryan has THE BKYAN VOTE. frequently made the claim that he received an unusually large popular vote in 1896. Because of the oft-repeated assertions of this character , many people have been deceived into believing that Mr. Bryan proved an exceptionally strong candidate and would have been president if the popular vote instead of the electoral vote had determined the result. To correct an impression so at variance with the facts it is only neces sary to refer to the history of presidential elections. Mr. F. H. Clifford has compiled the presidential vote , from the first cam paign of Jackson Weaker Than Greoley. in 1824 to the elec tion in 1896. It will be a surprise to many an ardent Bryauarchist to know that the represen tative of thu sacred ratio received the smallest per cent of the popular vote of any democratic nominee during the entire period. The defeat of Greeley has always been regarded as the most humiliating disaster to the democratic party. Greeley received 44 per cent of the popular vote. This record of Greeley was eclipsed by Bryan in 1896. Mr. Bryan received but 40 per cent of the popular vote. This showing ought to silence the absurd claims put forth by Bryauarohists , whose lack of judgment is in part compensated for by an excess of enthusiasm. There is but one possi bility for the democrats to duplicate the humiliating record of 1896 and that is by repeating the nomination made at that time. "Roberts , Pretoria : They sometimes won't stay whipped. Otis. " Philadel phia North American.
