Arizona republican., 1898-09-13
THE RELIGIOUS J1NGoEs.

eSpecla1 QellS0C m representing LIS SQ- vocates as wordy jingoes from whom no glimmer of sense is to be expected.
 They have been forced py the course of events to submit to the prospect that the United States will. acquire. Porto Rico,. and to reconcile themselves to the idea that it will be good while be- fore we can withdraw from Cuba. But that we should think of such a thing as permanent occupation of the latter island, even though the interests of civilization should demand it. or that we should keep the American flag fly ing over any part of the Philippines them with rage and horror No one who was not-a jingc, they insist, would advocate step so much out of keep ing with our glorious if isolated his tory. But it is singular, admitting this theory, how many the jingoes are. We have sober merchants declaring that now is our golden opportunity to ex- tend our trade, and that if we turn our backs upon this opportunity it will not come again. We have the greater press of this country urging that the future of these distant races is now in CUT own hands, and that we have re- responsibilities to them which we cannot ignore. We have persons of every class and rank writing to implore the gov ernment not to be remiss in it's duty. We have the natives themselves beg ging us not to turn our backs upon them. And finally we have the relig- ious press almost unanimous in assert ing that, whatever else we do, we can- not with a good conscience abandon the task thus providentially put upon us. -..,....-.s -.s It is easy, of course, to sheer at the religious jingoes, as the Little Ameri- cans would call them, and to say that they are only thinking of new fields for missionary effort, and that their Imctives are as selfish as those of every one else. Even if this be true, there is nothing disgraeeful, we suppose, in missionary activity. The missionaries have sacrificed themselves, at least, for the good of others, and though they may sometimes be accused of mistaken methods, they have certainly proved in many instances to be the advance guard of civilization. It is not even necessary to admit the truth of Christianity in order to admit that US life is bound up with all that is test in our race and 1 it's achievements anu that a failure of missionary zeal would mean failure of much else we could little afford to spare. But the religious press is far removed from the suspicion of consid- ering the question only in it's relations to specific religious interests. Journals
 like the Independent and the Outlook
 argue the matter on purely. secular
 grounds. The former declares with energy that the Philippines must not
 revert to Spanish tyranny and adds
 that it. would be nothing short oi treachery to the inhabitants were this to happen. Having put out the Span iard by force,' says the Outlook, .sthe president rightly recognizes the truth that we must use: that force, so long as it may be necessary, to. preserve 1 life and property and to maintain order and peace" This may be jingoism, but 1 1t is also common sense
 The Evangelist urges the missionary
 argument as convincing, but it does not confne itself to that, and says truly
 that new conditions. have brought new
 obligations. The Northwestern Chris tian Advocate ridicules the idea that g nation of seVenty-fye million people
 cannot take care of colonies Little
 Holland has ruled. the Dutch Indies fol two centuries and ruled them we'll; and
 Holland has a population of four and g half millions. The Churchman points
 cut that to give back any territory te
 Spain goes against the grain ofrevery
 American, and that the "irreducible
 minimum" of our demand keeps or l growing; it began with a coaling sta.
 ticn, then expanded to Manila, then te
 all Luzon, and may yet embrace thf
 whole Philippines. That certainly is
 the tendency, and the majority of the
 American people seem to be alread, Ijingoes. .-, .:
 The evidence increases that the bill
 ious critics are in a minority growing steadily smaller and smaller.
 l Tky