The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-07-09
SOMETHING ABOUT CONSISTENCY.

SDMEIdING ABOU1 CONSISTENCY.
The nation is spending about million
dollars day, not to mention the lives sac
riticed, to secure to the people of Cuba
the privilege of forming and maintaining
such a government as the majority
may desire. The only justification that
we can put out for this war is that it was
to relieve the oppressed and confer the
blessings OF freedom. Yet while we are
nghtlng to free Cuba, that the people
may establish a government founded
upon the consent of the governed, we
have by legislative act des troyed the free
dom of the people of the Sandwich Is
lands to set up government founded
upon the consent of the governed, and
have decreed that they shall have such a
government as we may see fit to give
them, without regard to whether it is the
kind the majority of them want or not.
While our army and navy have been fight
ing to establish the principle of the right
of self government our national legisla-
ture has been at work to tear it down.
We may say that the people of Hawaii
provided for them by us than under any
that they would be likely to provide for
themselves, and that may be true, but it
is no less true of the people of Cuba. The
ability of the latter to estab-
lish and maintain stable and just gov
ornment is quite as questionable as that
of the Sandwich Islands. That plea there
fore is not available to explain away or
modify the inconsistency of fighting to
give one island self government and 1egis
lating to take it away from another.
If our Inconsistency was sure to stop
with Hawaii it would not be SO bad, but
large and influential body of public men
backed apparently by liberal portion of
the masses of the people are preparing to
carry it much further. They want to an
mex the Philippines and Porto Rico and
every other of the Spanish possessions
that may fall into our hands. In other
words they are quite ready and anxious
to destroy the right of self government
which appertains to the people of these
places quite as much as to those of Cuba.
Even the clergy, or some of them, class
which is supposed to be way up in ethics,
are preaching sermons to show why it
would be no violation of our pledge to
retain as dependencies all the territory
that we capture except Cuba. A.short
time ago one of them who holds forth in
neighboring city pointed out that our
Reputation of the idea of conquest was
confined to Cuba, and that it would not
be inconsistent with this pledge to hold
everything olse, shutting his eyes to the
fact that when it was given nobody ex-
pected anything but Cuba to be invaded
and hence it was to all intents and pur-
poses general disclaimer against any
| haps our clerical friend was influenced to
look with favor upon this hair splitting
| by contemplation of the glori GUS oppor-
tunities which the possession of the Phil
| ippines would give for missionary work,
| inasmuch as he descanted upon them at
some length and with much fervor in
close connection with his limitation of
the pledge of Congress.
The President has requested the
people to assemble in their places
of worship tomorrow and give
| thanks for the victories that our
| arms have won. That is we'll. But it is to
| be hoped that at the same time the AL
mighty may BIO asked to illuminate the
| minds OF our statesmen and all
| others who need illumination so that they
can see that going to war to establish the
right of self government among one
people and legislatlng to destroy it among
| several others is neither consistent nor
creditable to great and enlightened
country like this.