New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-31
GENEROES OR JLSTf


An old saving about being just before being
generous has IN important application just "
nresont A few months ago the uhited "'a''H
undertake. even at the cost of war; to stop
four.century-oId career of wrong and oppres-
sion. The opprcssor refused to right the wrongs
co,nn,oined Of In fact. he said he would hsht
for the privilege of continuing to outrage JUS
lice and humanity Now he Is beaten ana heip
loss and suggests that we cease fghtine MN
and asks on what conditions we VIII 90 So
Immediately there goes UP cry to the Presi-
don't "Re generous in the hour Of victory lie
= urcod-urgcd most of all by those VINO
scoffed at the idea that any duty 10 huriai'y
could force us into war-to make the terms oi
no,co ca "a 70 restore as far as possible the
conditions antccedcnt to war
II Is natural that those who have all along
disapproved Of the war should WISE IL 10 he
barren one Believing 1t to be unhoiy' 'hey eau
not concede that any result OF II can De 'rul!
good and consequently they desire 70 1i'hi'i''~e
the result But the great mass oil the Alhericah
and British people. who regard tht war as Il
inst war. take a different view. II IL mas maue
nossible an even larger work or humanity 'hih
was originally contemplated they MINK tie
duty of the American Government Is tc USE
that opportunity, not to fee from It, il We
hor. rescued two persons from the oppressor
when we meant to rescue only one. they 'nihh
# IS a pretty poor kind of generosity that hahuS
the second refugee back to slavery, ana rish'iy
uroe that this country should be just before II
is generous.
This is q question entirely apart from any de-
sire of empire, any tendency to glory over IL
vonouisbed foe any wish TO exact indemnity or
rocoun ourselves With the utmost OF pity Tor
Sn,in with the least intention in the world Oh
buuiliating her unnecessarily, even'with set
fled nolicy of not annexing permanently the
philippipps we still cannot ignore the claims OF
iustice which forbid our generosity being MADE
the instrument to bring misery to any people
now in our power AS THE London Spectator
soealInc of the Americans having set out 10
terminate the misrule which afronted their
consciences. remarks "a moralist would say,
zone would think, that, having begun SO great
IN work they were bound to carry 1t through
chat they had contracted weighty even TERRI
"hlo ALLEGATIONS toward the coloniSts OF Spain
land were bound to discharge those obligations
"witbout thinking too much Of the conse-
"ouoncos 10 themselves. They can If they like
"beinr Anglo-Saxons give the colonists ilrm
"ond lenient government, and. as the historian
twill saw in the merest justice, and out or de-
"cent care for their own self-respect they ought
ito do It."
Admiral Dewey holds the harbor OF Manila
News lust comes that General Merritt and his
troops have arrived to support him, ana even
now they may be in possession and the spanish
authority be overthrown. Shall our generosity
take the form Of restoring the Middle Ages
Shall we In the Philippines do what the Holy
Alliance tried TO do in Europe after 1919, what
Il might have done in America but for John
Quincy Adams and James Monroe? This is
what. in the eyes Of THE Spectator" such gen
| crosby would mean:
T. ,reans that Spain should recover full au-
tbortv over eight millions OF dark persons
whom she has for three hundred years SO gov
erned that as Mr.. Foreman testihes. the chi !.
dren fy with shrieks II they see eastman
ord should recover IL at the very moment when
every virtue as well every vice In Spanlard
| will incline him toward severity In punishineht;
He Will be full of loyalty to his country ana ,al
of vengeance against rebels who have insulted
her and in the strength of both feelings ne VIII
strike as Spaniards struck In Peru. IL means
| that Americans having encouraged them 10 re-
| ,,oI, ore 70 hand over the two millions OF Ia
| Gala TO a nation which regards their revolt ho'
| only as a crime-that Is usual-put as an ulI-
paralleled insolence calling aloud LOT chas,lsy
| ment II means that the United states, Willcn
| NJ Ali Powers should keep engagements because
of her relation to the two continents in whiGn
| she claims hegemony. are TO betray Aguinaioo
| and the whole tribe Of Tagals. two millions OF
| dark people who have accepted Christianity ana
| disnlav many considerable qualities-though
| mercy we fear attracts them as little as IL AT,
! tracts some Spaniards-into those Spanlards
| hands America may be compelled by Conti'
| mental coalition TO do this thing and yet dc
| hlameless for there can be no sin where there
is no will: but TO do II voluntarily under the
| false plea Of generosity" would be nothing less
than a baseness. She had better even partition
| the islands among the great Powers. though. as
we maintain she is bound, having upset bad
| civilization TO provide good one. and not 70
| shirk RESPONSIBILITIES which from the moment
Admiral Dewey broke into the harbor or Mania
she took upon herself
Let us be generous to prodgality in relieving
door old Spain from any money payment. LEI
| us never dream, as some have suggested, oil
playing Napoleon and exacting contribution oil
her art treasures in which are wrapped her 70
mantle history. Let us take nothing In wanton
ness. But let us yield nothing which we are
bound for civilizations sake To hold. Generos
tv is n fine trait but to do justice Is an inalien
able obligation.