The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1898-07-15
The Duty of the United States.


The capture of the islands which Spain
has so long misgoverned and tyrannized
over will be easier than the future dispo-
sition of them, and it is possible they may
cause more trouble than suppressing such
a contemplate nation as Spain. "Crazy
Bill" as the Emperor of Germany is
called in Europe, is anxious to give
trouble in order to make military record
and it is possible he may attempt to seize
some of the Philippine Islands, under
some pretense or other. This would bring
England into the difficulty, for she would
object as decidedly as the United States,
and "Crazy Bill'' would either have to
back out or fight would most likely be
the result, with both the United States
and Great Britain against him. Such
future to the present is quite possible,
tho the crazy emperor may not be mad
enough to run his head into such trap.
But without such condition being
projected into the present situation by
which the United States find themselves
the present actors, there are other serious
problems to solve. 1t was the solemn
declaration by Congress that Cuba should
be independent, Cuba for the Cubans,
and that the island should not become
any part of the United States, and this is
the desire of the great mass of the Amer
lean people, but there is a class, a small
class though it may be, whose sole bns-
mess in this world is stock jobbing, spec
ulating and the plumber of all whom it
can circumvent, and who are eager to
make an Egypt or British India of not
only Cuba but of all the islands which
are taken from Spain. In short to sup
plant the barbarous, uncivilized cruelty of
the Spaniard by the more refined British
rule. The great danger to be appre-
hended from this stock jobbing class is
their almost unlimited power with the
Administration, at whose head unfortu-
nately is placed one of the weakest men,
Tue Philippine Islands offer great pos
sibilities to this class and they are pre-
pairing their way through their CONNER
cial daily papers, which have lately dis
covered that the Cubans are miserable,
mongrel race, half or three-fourths of
them negroes and utterly unfit for self
government. This belief is being pressed
upon the people by their newspapers
which but few weeks ago could not find
language sufficiently strong 20 praise the
bravery and noble qualities of Gomez,
Garcia, Maceo and their men,
The Philippines are rich prize and
the possibility for plumber by the stock
jobbing class is immense, and their efforts
will be supreme in striving to accomplish
their purpose.
But the United States has a mission to
perform, and that mission is to break
their chains and set free all peoples they
come in contact with, not to enslave and
rob. To whom much has been given,
from them much is required.
1t is the mission of the United States to
extend the elements of popular institu
tons and local selfgovernment wherever
their influence and power reach And
this is the belief of all dowll-trodden
peoples of the earth. They hail the
appearance of our flag as the emblem of
freedom and run toward it to get under
its folds. The far away Philippines hailed
the coming of Dewey as their deliverer
from the Spanish yoke. When the La
drone natives, who did not know of the
war against their Spanish oppressors
until the Charleston, on her way to
Manila, stopped TO take formal possession
of the islands in the name of United
States, heard the news it was glad tidings
to their ears, and they welcomed the
Americans with shouts, tore off their
stripes, cut the buttons from their coats
and gave them TO our sailors as mementos
OF the day of their deliverance
Their people may not be capable of
self-government but it is their desire to be
free, as it of all the human race, and it is
the duty of the United States to use every
means to prepare them by protecting and
establishing public schools i'll those coun-
tries. The strength of the United States
lies i'll their educational institutions, and
their danger lies i'll the stock iobbing
Mammon worshipping class who know
or regard nothing but wealth. In order
to increase that wealth their greedy ewes
are already gloating on the rich prizes
they see i'll the islands that are escaping
from tie hand Of the Spanish robber