The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-11-23


ridges Of gold quartz.
1t seems contradictory that the 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 AImen1a
is, it seems to mo. the very reason why
1t should 10 the one to step in and put
an end to these outrages upon humanity.
| For If the Armenians are ever to be
| helped, it is surely better that they
should be given that help from the high
est motives, and that 1t should come
| from disinterested power, because they
| are weak and she is strong, and not be-
cause there is more territory for Tree
port of entry to be gained by 1t, or be-
cause long ago in the past, We signed
paper promising them our aid.
! Il is no credit to II man If he fights to
protect his property, if he struggles
with thief who snatches at his watch
or strikes out to defend himself from
an attack upon his life. BUT it
is to his credit If be goes to the AID of
another man; and the less he has TO
expect for himself in doing It, the great
or is the sacrifice, the greater his reward,
ana the nearer is his approach to the
| standard of the one who gave his life
for men. 1t is much user in the end
| for a nation to make a move in the name
OF humanity or for motive 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 interfere OH behalf of a
helpless stranger in 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 consul s tin sign dented with
stones.
There was captain of an English
man-of-war, who once sailed into the
! harbor of Santiago at moment when
! Spanish soldiers were engaged in shoot
ing American sailors against the wall
Of the slaugh ter house. because they hnd
caught them on board the fiitbuster, tn e
Virginius. The English consul, who is
| still i'll Cuba, showed me the slaughter
yald q few years ago, and told me how
| he had gone ont in row Loaf at the
time OF the massacre md explained what
was going On to the captain of the mall
of war. The English captain drew his
ship in between the three Spanish boats
in the harhof and the shore and sent
word TO the Spanish governor that this
murdg ring Of sailors without trial of any
| sort must stop. Tho Spanish governor
made reply that they were American
sailors. nos Englishmen, and asked ny
what authority the captain inrerferee,
and added that he wanted an answer
and wanted it at once And the English
cartnin sent the following message:
g If you fire another shot in that slaugh-
ter yard, ! Will open on your men-of-
war with my port guns, and on the city
of Santiago and the governors palace
with my starboard guns. And l shall
do this, not in the name of the Queen
Of Great Britain, nor the President of
the United States, bat in the namu of
common humanity. And that is my
abswer. "
No government is better than those
who compose it, hut its standard should
| he that of the best men in it, not of the
lowest. When there was Washington
/ or a Lincoln alive in this country, our
governments performed deeds as great as
were the men who represented it. Are
we to understand now that it Is the
Altgelds and Tillmans who are to set
up a standard of conduct for us In this
! futurep Only year ago half of the coun-
try and all of the politicians were clam
oring for war with the greatest power
that they could have possibly selected
for that purpose. Men who were not
able to pronounce the name of Venezuela
correctly and who could not have pointed
il 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 upon by a greater,
but because of the Monroe Doctrine,
which is a selfish doctrine, SO far as all
rules must be selfish that are created
for self-protection. Now these Jingoes
have another chance. and one which
would bring them everlasting credit,
should they take it, and which would
be an absolutely safe one at tine same
time. For there is no lion in the path
now, only sick man, crafty, cruel
coward, who is self imprisoned in his
own palace, who knows he would be
|
the last of corrupt and debaunched
power, with whom civilization has moth
ing in common, who has stood still
while all the rest of the world around
him has been advancing and CROWN g
stronger and more enlightened, until
today it is ouly q question as TO which
of the powers shall sweep Inn away,
and wipe out his evil memory by a signal
act of generous sacrifice.
q Tho warsbips of the q nited States
went into tlie Mediterranean once before,
and they should go once again They
went uniuvited, then to drive the Bar
barV pirates eff tho nigh seas, when all
of Europe was paying hlaokmail to these
| black legged buccaneers to be allow ed
to sail heir merchant men around the
Cape of Tarifa. They stood watching
each Other then as they stand today,
knowing it is against history for any
European power to give something for
| w IlAHb IL WTOug WiUuOut
gathering in II few islands at tho same
time CT establishing a protectorate, as
part payment for their good offices. And
while they paid tho tolls and hesitated,
Decantur with a feet OF old fashioned
wooden ships, but flying the American
flag, sailed past the Tarifa Straits.
and drove the Ecourge of the Middle Sea
back into their sandhilie, and asked no
mans permission, nor stopped for re-
ward.
Arc we grown so selfish and sordi d
since then that with our Whjte Squadron
we cannot set like example to the
powers of Europe.
ave are none Of u.s. says Mr.. Kip
ling, "infallible, not even the young
est. :" Ard no one "a lust gather that
nm urging any one to q bloody war. For
there would be no wRr. The battIeships
Of the United States could run the
J Dardanelles or what would be left OF
their fori1esses after the first ship
passed through with infinite case, and
could line ny opposite tie Yildiz Kiosk
and demand that the massacre should
cease with perfect safety to themselves
and to the Sultan. too. The Sultan'e
|