The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-06-21
THE FOLLY OF MANIFEsTos.

We DO not believe In the enecQye
ness of the political manifesto. Pam
phleteering has accomplished great
deal in the politics OF this world from
the time when Daniel Defoe had his
ears cut off for his 1.-The Shortest Way
With the DisSenters," but we do dot
believe the silver men are boosting
their cause to any great extent by the
issuance of declarations, of great
length and much repetition.
In the days OF old, when state of
war was the normal condition of man
kind. and periods of peace only breath
ing spells between conflicts, the war
lord, Of whatever particular title,
! might and did declare war whenever
he chose, upon whatever nation he
might happen 10 single out as a little
less than his size and possessing posi-
bilities of spoils such as TO make the
undertaking, if successful, profitable in
a business way, public opinion as to the
righteousness of his cause not in the
least lettering, since there was no pub
lie opinion worth mentioning as a
moral force
Within later centuries. however, all
| this has been changed not merely as to
! the objects of warfare but as to the
method of proceeding toward their
accomplishment. Though nation does
still rise against nation and kingdom
against kingdom, and republic against
republic, for that matter, with all the
real rapacity of the nation, kingdom or
| republic of olden times, yet some de-
cent pretext founded in righteousness
must be conuiVed behind which TO
conceal the real animus Of the scheme
from justice-loving world.
But not only has there been this nom
ina1 Improvement, which regards the
objects of warfare; the way of getting
about them has also changed with the
times until, even in the most righteous
cause, though there were no such thing
as 1.-The balance of power" that con-
venient expression meaning the cut
throat jealousy of nations, no civilized
power could command the respect of
mankind which should abruptly ter
inmate peaceful relations with any
other power, hitherto friendly or I'M
friendly, as the case might be, and
launch it's armies upon the offending
state for the purpose of getting its own
again or trouncing the offender into a
mood Of national deoency or for any
other of the objects of warfare JUST
fable upon considerations OF right and
r1Ar vi
causes as between or among nations,
and they must be settled in the old way
for a while yet. But these causes are
acknowledgements Public senti-
ment among the people of the respec-
tive nations in interest is a growth.
The final desperate mood in which one
or the other, or both at about the same
time, takes up arms is a growth. The
setting of the forces in battle array is
a growth Always at the natural and
proper stage, in these later centuries,
there is issued by the authority in each
nation recognized as competent thereto,
what is called a declaration of war
but what is, in reality, a recognition of
war as already existing. The Old-time |
declaration" Of war was notification |
to the subject to arm, and to the enemy, |
If he heard Of it before his territory |
were actually invaded, to mind his eye. |
The modern recognition serves mere |
ly to legalize acts of hostility which |
otherwise would be plain murder and |
robbery.
The above considerations have TO do /
with nations, aggregations of individ- |
uals occupying certain defined terri
tory, subject to or participating in an
established government, recognized as
politically autonomous by all other like
political entities. But who ever heard |
of revolving, rebellious people issu-
ing a declaration of war? This is
but if ever done must have
arisen from a self-asSGmed character
for autonomy which no government,
particularly the one against which the
revolt is directed, would treat with any
sort of respect, even If such an exer-
else Of magnanimity were to be thought
of as might be likened to the assassin
warning his victim before he raises his
dagger, fully intending TO strike. What
the threatened government would re-
spect in such case would not be the
declaration of war but war itself,
by respect that il must
needs then bestir itself to put down the
rebellion Meanwhile, the revolving
people, not nation yet, must fight and
win at least one war before they can
be in position to even treat for peace.
Once they obtain a standing as an in
dependent nation they may then go
into the declaration business on their
own account as soon as they Ike, but
until that time il must be war. not
words; blood. not ink; sheets OF fame,
not sheets of paper: martyrs, not man
ifestoS. Nothing is here said as 10 the
of the cause. Right or
wrong. the means to achieve it must
be the same, with this added. that
though an unrighteOus cause may &C
Iually be made u seem more nearly
plausible by ingeniouSly worded dec
arau0nS OF principles or purposes, a |
righteous cauSe-One inherently and
)alpably righteous-were balf-sUrren-
Tered, should the generals who head its !
armies be ever pausing on the very
Adge Of bsttle 10 read 70 the troops
some fresh proclamation meant 10 per
Suade them sll over again OF the merits
# their cause; or, most abSurdly ridicu-
Gus, send forth some herald toward
he enemy. in very hearing OF the
steady tramp. tramp OF his perfectly