The San Francisco call., 1898-04-26
NOVELTIES IN POLICY.
THE Continental nations are showing much fee
 ing against the United States Whether this wi

HE Continental nations are showing much feel ing against the United States. Whether this will
 rise to the height of Spanish alliance remains to be seen. The war in which have engaged is denounced in every Continental capital and its cause, which is novel, is declared to be insufficient
 A procession Of empires has passed across the stage of history, and the science of government and the rights and powers of man in and through govern ment have undergone slow evolution That process has been accelerated since this republic appeared
 When Tom Paine expanded the rights of colonial people by first of all men uttering the declaration
 These colonies are, and of right ought to be- free and independent states" the novelty appalled, even his own countrymen, who had addressed themselves to pleading at the foot of the throne for redress of grievances.
 When Ben Franklin declared in the French court that the purpose of the revolution was the founding of government based on the will of the majority his French friends finched and some eered at him. In badinage they would daily ask, "M. Franklin, votre revolution comment va t'il?" and he would an- swer Ca ira" One day at court he engaged in an argument to prove that majority government was right The courtiers proposed to submit the question to count, and those in favor of such government to stand and be counted on one side of the room; those opposed upon the other Franklin stood and was counted alone When the demonstra-
 ton over his defeat closed the philosopher said Not fast, my friends ou contend that the minority is right. l am the minority and by your own argument 1 am proved right
 Many similar incidents illustrated the apparent hopelessness of our novel position but in our per sstence 1t won, and this republic issued from the victory.
 Our second war with Great Britain was to vind- cate the right of asylum and deny to foreign power the right of search and seizure on the high seas under pretense Of the right to impress its subjects wherever found. While the treaty of Ghent which ended that struggle did not especially include this point its vic tory fact has been denied
 We next met all Europe in diplomatic hostility in denial of the monarchial doctrine "Once a subject always subject and stood for the right of man to expatriae himself forfeit and orswear his allegiance and transfer 1t according to the dictates of his welfare. Nation after nation capitulated to this novelty, and that right of man has not been denied nor contested since we took Martin Koszta from Austria in the harbor of Smyrna This republic was novelty in its beginning, and its growing strength and influence in the world have been used, not to increase the rights of government over the rights of man. but to expand the rights of man in government
 At point in the line of precedents we have es- tablished has there been willing assent to our position by the other nations of the earth Yet we have won and established them al either in the face of hostile armies or against hostile diplomacy
 Now are embarked suddenly unexpectedly, but unitedy in another novel enterprise which like all that preceded it, in vndication of the rights of man. We take stand upon the declaration that while. we put in practice the theory that our Government derives its just powers from the consent of the gov erned a monarchy bas right to govern only I while it governs well, and agns its policy with the happiness of its people. We do not say that all peo- pie qualified for self-government but we declare that all people entitled to good government We do not deny that monarchy may be conformabe to the genius of nations, but appeal to the con- science of mankind upon the thesis that every Gov ernment must hold its title and munments in the contentment of its people