The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1898-05-20


been waged. The gospel of kindness
needed to be recognized throughout
Christendom in order to make such a
war possible. The chief reason why
most of the European nations are not
now banded together against us is be-
cause they dare not take the part of
that behemOth of cruelty, the Spanish
government, against the crusade of
mercy which our nation has started.
Had it been on our part war of con-
quest, war of annexation, war of
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, there would have been
by this time enough flying squadrons
coming to this country across the At
lantic to throw into panic every city on
our American seaboard.
The wars of the crusaders were only
to regain an empty sepuloher; the Ma
poleonio wars, with their 6,000,0 900
slaughtered men, were projected and
carried out to appease the ambition Of
one man; of the %, 900, 900 slain in
Jewish wars, and of the 10000, 900
slain in wars under Julius Caesar; of
the 1870, 600, 900 slain in wars with
Turks and Saraoens; of the 3d. 900, 900
slain in wars of Xerxes: of the 20, 600, :
900 slain in wars of Justinian, and the
80, 900, 900 slain in the wars of Genghis
Khan, not one man was sacrificed by
mercy, but in this Hispanio-American
war every drummer boy or picket or
gunner or standard bearer or skirmisher
or sharpshooter or cavalryman or artil-
leryman or engineer who falls falls in
the cause Of mercy and becomes mar
tyr for God and his country.
Spain Will Be Free.
Another alienation of this war is
that it is for the advancement of the
sublime principle of liberty, which will
yet engirdle the earth. Not only will
this war free Cuba, but finally will free
Spain. By what right does dynasty
like that stand, and a corrupt court dom
mate a people for centuries, taxing them
to death, riding in gilded chariot over
the necks of beggared population?
There are $1,000 boys in Spain growing
up with more capacity to govern that
nation than will the weak boy now in
the Madrid palace ever possess. Before
this conflict is over the Spanish nation
will be we'll on toward the time when
constitutional convention will assem-
BILE to establish free government in
stead of the wornout dynasty that now
AFFECTS the people. The liberty Of all
nations, transatlantic as we'll as cisat-
lantic, if not already established, is on
| A.. = h. ctovoDnI
Napoleon III thought he had success
fully driven the principle out of France
when, on the I'd day of December,
1851, he rode down the Champs Elsyees
of Paris, constitutional government
seemingly crushed under the hoofs of
his steed. But did it stay crushed? Let
the batteries on the heights above Sedan
answer, and the shout Of $50, 900 con-
uuering hosts and the letter of surren-
der to Emperor William tell the story.
"Sire, My Brother-Not having been
able to die in the midst of my troops, 1t
only remains for me to place my sword
in your majesty's hands. 1 am, your
majesty, your good brother, Napoleon.
Sedan, September, 1870" That mon
archy having fallen, then the French
republic resumed its march.
Another alienation is that the war
opens with great victory for the Unit
ed States. 1t took our government four
years to get over the tiasco at Bull Run.
A defeat at the start of this present war
would have been disheartening to the
last degree and would have invited for
eign intervention to stop the war before
anything practical for God and human
ity had been accomplished and would
have prolonged the strife, for which we
are hoping a quick termination. In the
most jubilant manner let this victory
Of our navy be celebrated. With the
story of the exploding battlc$gip fresh
in the minds of the world it required
no ordinary courage to sail into the
harbor of Manila and attack the Span
ish shipping. That harbor, crowded
with sunken weaponry of death, to en-
ter it was running risk enough tC
make all nations shiver. But Manila
is ours, and the blow has shaken to the
foundation the palaces of Madrid, and
for policy's sake the doubtful nations
are on our side. For Commodore Dew.
ey and all who followed him let the
whole nation utter its most resoundine
huzza, and more than that, let us thank
the Lord of hosts for his guiding and
protecting power. "Praise ye the Lord.
Let everything that hath breath praise
the Lord.
A War For the Right.
Another alienation is the fact that
in this war the might is on the side Of
the right. Again and again have liber.
ty and justice and suffering humanity
had the odds against them. 1t was &C
when Benhadad's Syrian hosts, who
were in the wrong, at Aphek came up.
on the small regiments of Israel, who
were in the right the Bible putting il
in one of those graphic sentences fol
which the book is remarkable, "The
children of Israel pitched before them
like two little fooks of kids, but the
Syrians filled the whole country" II
was so in the awful defeat of the Lord 4
people at Gilboa and Megiddo. 1t was
so recently when gallant and glorious
Greece was in conflict with gigantic
Accommodation, and the navies OF
Europe lowering about the 9osporus
were in practical protection of the Turk.
ish government, fresh from the slaugh.