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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 12, 1901)
' * ; The Conservative. TIMELY PREPARATION. Soon after the re-election of Mr. McKinley - Kinley he considered it necessary , or politic , to announce that he would not accept the third term of office , which a prominent partisan had already sug gested. A little later , in a party assem blage , Mark Haima was proposed as a suitable successor to the authority which he had so long wielded behind the scenes. And recently President Roosevelt declared his willingness to preside , by future election , over the des tinies of the nation , as well as hiR de termination not to attain to such dis tinction through any dirty work of political demagogues. These facts go to show that the leaders of the republi can party are already' thinking about and scheming for the election of 1904. On the other hand the hints and manoeuvres of the twice-defeated "Free Silver" candidate show that he is ready to court the "three-times-and-out" failure which is sure to overtake him , and not only himself , but the whole democratic party , if he and his short sighted theories are again allowed to challenge public opinion. What the democrats want for a candidate is a man of education , experience and incor ruptible honesty , and such a man can easily be found. If our republic is to be saved at all , it must be at the next election ; a longer following of the present policy would commit us irre mediably to ' imperialism , " with all the worn-out tyrannies which that term implies. And the overthrow of this at tempted Subversion of the'government can be effected only through the ad vocacy and successful development ol certain vital issues which are suggested by the present condition of affairs. 1. Our financial system must be firmly established on the gold basis. The'overweening'conceit of a large pro portion of our citizens , joined to their profound ignorance of the teachings of history upon this subject , lead them to demand a separate currency for our nation , in order to make our silver mines pay to the utmost , and to dis charge the public debt at our own valu ation ! But the experience of the work is against such isolated attempts , anc to yield to * this senseless clamor would be to bring distress and ruin upon our industries and discredit upon our financial relations with wiser govern ments. 2. Our colonial policy must be re nonnced and abolished at once and without reserve ; not only for our future security as a republic , but also to wipe out the stain of deceit and treachery with which our recent "criminal ag gression" has besmirched our nationa honor. We know now that the great body of ou people was tricked into the war with Spain , and that the war might easily have been avoided , had it not been fo rySvvtif" ' he ambition of a few politicians and he greed of a few capitalists ; we know oo that the Filipinos trusted us to help ree them from oppression , and that we etnrued their confidence by claiming .hem . as our own booty.Tho whole world appreciates these facts , and our moral reputation has suffered infinite harm by our sharp jpraotice , while our people as a whole show increasing indifference to the noblest ideals of national develop ment and are becoming brutalized through familiarity with the degrading nfluences of war. It will take genera tions to undo the evil effects of this ont- ) urst of imperialism well for us if we are able to check the tendency in time to avert complete and final disaster ! 8. An imperative need for the future security and worthy progress of our people is the entire and definite secular ization of our public schools. We have trifled long enough with the sacred rights of our citizens in' our attempt to mingle religion with the necessary in struction in practical knowledge , an attempt which never can satisfy any body and which is a decided wrong tea a large proportion of taxpayers. There is no use in saying that a simple , non- doctrinal service ought not to offend any person , of whatever belief. The fact is that it does offend. Catholics do not accept the Protestant version of the Scriptures ; Jews do not recognize the New Testament ; Moham medans , Confucians , Buddhists , Free Thinkers , ignore the whole Bible , and yet all of these have the same right to the privileges of the public school as the Protestants , who , as they have thus far been , and still are , in the majority , con sider themselves competent to lay down the law for the whole nation. Even in states and communities where religious instruction in the public schools is for bidden by law , that law has been openly and persistently transgressed and never more boldly than within the last few years ; each teacher evidently feeling that prevalent opinion , from the White House down , would sustain that rebel lion. There must be an end of this The religious character , or the sectarian bias , of the President should not be al lowed to influence the conduct of per sons appointed to direct the education of the young. There is not the slight est evidence that such religious exer cises have any improving effect upon the pupils. If they think of anything serious at all , their minds are at work upon the lessons which are to follow the prayers , when success or failure ii recitation means something of presen practical importance. The solemn im pressions which may be evoked by wor ship in a church or even at the familj altar , have no chance to develop amid the suggestions of the school room The stubborn adherence to the olc custom of "opening school with prayer' is dictated by the superstitious notion of teachers and officials who ignore the changed conditions which bestow a free ducation upon a free people , made up of almost every variety of nationality , custom and belief. Moreover , the chool hours are only too short for im parting necessary secular knowledge ; hero is no time for training in vision ary speculation , and , for that matter , morality can be better taught through the unchanging laws of natural science han by appeals to what is unknown and unknowable. A child learns some thing of sincerity and truth in the mathematical formula , "Three times one are three ; " but is only bewildered by the paradoxical statement , "Three are one and one is three. " But what ever arguments may be advanced for ; he continuance of religions teaching in the time allotted to secular iustruo- ion , these are all nullified by the evi- rlent and indisputable fact that the pub lic school belongs to the whole nation and hence should be forever freed from whatever does not pertain to the scien tific knowledge which it is necessary for all citizens to acquire. ELIZABETH E. EVANS. SEWARD'S JUSTIFICATION. When William H. Seward thirty- four years ago negotiated with Rus sia the treaty for the purchase of Alaska for $7,000,000 , he provoked an outburst of sarcastic mirth throughout the land. As well pay seven million for the north pole , men said ; there was nothing in Alaska but ice and mountains , some seals and a few tribes of very dirty Indians. No good thing could come out of Alaska , white men would not live there , trade was out of the question , Secretary Seward had thrown away our money. Years afterward it was admitted that the seal herds were worth , per haps , what we had paid for the terri tory whoso waters they inhabit ; but up to the time of the Klondike gold developments the general opinion as to Alaska remained unchanged. Al though the seal herds are on the way to extinction , trad.e with the territory is now rapidly developing and new possibilities continually appear. The report of the Secre tary of the Interior contains a great deal of interesting matter about Alaska. The new Nome gold district adds this season $7,000,000 worth of the metal to the national wealth. The product of the salmon canneries for the year 1900 was valued at $0,000,000 , and the suegestion is made that sal mon hatcheries be established by the government. Silver and platinum have been found and their are moun tains of iron , to which , of course , no body will payany attention during the gold fever. Copper mines have been opened and Secretary Hitchcock is of the opinion that there should be a commissioner of mines for Alaska. New York Times.