The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-11-23
RED CRIMES IN PURPLE EAST
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 late number of Harper's Weekly, "a journal of civilization" in an editorial which fairly shrleks with terror, and which repudiates the suggestion made by an English newspaper that the peo- pie of the United States have any re- sponsibility towards any country save their own. I should like to read the editorial which George William Curtis would have written on that same sub ject on the same page of Harper's Weekly; on the same page from which he preached abolition of slavery and begged for the recognition of a black mans rights. It seems only yesterday that we were going to war with Great Britain over some gold reefs in South America, on account of a people as foreign to us in every way as are the Armenian Christians But then we were upholdlng the Monroe doctrine. We were looking after our own inter- ests Now we have no right to inter- fere, because we have no interests at stake not even a few miles of swamp land and ridges of gold quartz.
 It seems contradictory that a govern ment cannot act as unselfishly as the individuals who compose it; that it is not capable of making sacrifices, as they are, and of moving from high motive. The very fact that ours, of all nations, has no interest whatsoever in Armenia is, it seems to me, the very reason why 1t should be the one to step in and put an end to those out rages upon humanity. For if the Ar menians are ever to be helped, it is surely better that they should be given that help from the highest motives, and that it should come from a disin- terested power, because they are weak and she is strong, and not because there Is more territory or free port of entry to be gained by it, or because once long ago in the past we signed 8 paper promising them our aid.
 It is no credit to man if he fights to protect his own property if he strug- gles with a thief who snatches at his watch or strikes out to defend him. self from an attack upon his life. But it is to his credit if he goes to the aid of another man; and the less he has to expect for himself in doing it., the greater Is the sacrifice, the greater his reward, and the nearer is his ap- proach to the standard of the one who gave his life for men. It Is much wiser in the end for a nation to make move in the name of humanity or for a mo- tive of truth and justice, than because mills will close down if she does not act and the values of real estate will fall. And to go out of our way to in terfere on behalf of helpless stranger in a distant land, just because he Is helpless, is, it seems to me, better than if we interfered because a missionary s house had been burned down, or con- sul's tin sign dented with stones.
 There was a captain of an English man-of-war who once sailed into the harbor of .,antigo at a moment when Spanish soldiers were engaged in shoot ing American sailors against the wall of the slaughter house, because they had caught them on board the filibus- terer, the Virginius. The English con- sul, who is still in Cuba, showed me the slaughter yard a few years ago, and told me how he had gone out in a boat at the time of the massacre and explained what was going on to | the captain of one man-of-war. The l English captain drew his ship in be- tween the three Spanish boats in the l harbor and the shore and sent word to | the Spanish governor that this mur- dering of sailors without trial of any sort must stop. The Spanish governor made reply that they were American l sailors, not Englishmen, and asked by | what authority the captain interfered and added that he wanted an answer and wanted it at once. And the Eng l fish captain sent the following mes sage: If you fire another shot In that
 slaughter yard, I will open on your men n-of-war with my port guns, and or
 the city of Santiago, and the gover- nor's palace with my starboard guns
 And I shall do this, not in the name
 of the queen of Great Britain. nor oi
 the president of the United States, but
 in the name of common humanity. And | that is my answer
 No government is better than those
 who compose it, but it's standard should
 be that of the best men in it. not of the l lowest. When there was a Washing 1 ton or a Lincoln alive in this country our government performed deeds as
 great as were the men who represented it. Are we to understand now that il is the Altgelds and Tillmans who arg to set up standard of conduct for us
 in the future? Only year ago half o1
 the country and all the politicians were clamoring for war with the greates
 power that they could have possibly
 selected for that purpose. Those whC l were not able to pronounce the name
 of Venezuela correctly and who could not have pointed it out on map were
 shrieking for some one to go to battle
 on her behalf; and this, not because
 Venezuela was a weaker power set up on by a weaker, but because of tht
 Monroe doctrine, which is a selfish doc
 Urine, so far as all rules must be selfisf that are created for self-protectioE
 Now these jingoes have another chance
 and one which would bring them ever
 lasting credit, should they take it, ant
 which would be an absolutely safe ont
 at the same time; for there is no liot
 in the path now, only a, sick man, {
 crafty, cruel coward, who is self-im
 prisoned in his own palace, who know
 he would be safer in any other coun
 try than his own; the last of a corrup
 and debauched power, with whom civ ilization has nothing in common, Wht has stood still while all the rest of tht | world aroJ1pd him has hann adVa0pip,