The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-06-29
WEAVING A TANGLED WEB.


WEAVING A TANGLED WEB.
/ ooh. what a tangled web we weave
When first we practice to deceive"
And it seems that the longer the
practice is kept up, and the greater ex-
perience one has in the craft, the more
hopelessly tangled becomes the web.
On the 18th of April, this year, war
was declared against Spain for the ex-
press purpose of saving the Cubans
| from the torture of starvation and
cruel treatment.
/ On the 18th of the same month the
/ Ogden Standard said: without hope
of reward, the United States has es-
poused the cause of an unfortunate
/ people in their efforts to secure their
liberty, and it can be accurately fore
! told that when hostilities cease, Cuba
shall have been freed" Without hope
! of reward!
! On the LIST day of May Dewey de-
! stroyed the Spanish fleet in Manila bay.
Thirteen days later the Ogden
! Standard announced its policy in re-
gard to the Philippines-where Dewey
had been resting on his laurels for a
! fortnight, while the American flag was
floating over Cavite-in the following
editorial:
What is the object of this aggran-
dizement, this love for colonial pos
session? 1t is like the craze for popu-
lation that often takes possession of
o;+;o- rpaa ,,ao,la caalx tO mako their
cities grow, regardless of whether the
added population will make life more
endurable or more enjoyable. false
pride possesses them, and they obtain
population at the expense of the well
fare of the community, and few
spectators profit TO the great discom-
future of the common people. So it
will be with this policy of annexation .
1t was two weeks after the American
flag had been planted in the Philippines
that the Standard said:
I'VE will get population and land,
but that is all, while the military arm
of the government will take from the
fields of productive labor hundreds of
thousands of men to help govern and
guard the new acquisitions. We see
no good to come from inaugurating
such an experiment"
Thus spake the Standard two weeks
after Dewey had fought the battle in
which he achieved greatness" Two
weeks after the stars and stripes had
been planted on Cavite the Standard
uttered those words about giving up
oh
at the point of the sword and can
non.''
But the Standard now justifies it's re-
cent desertion of Bryan in this way:
when Mckinley spoke no battle had
been fought, no islands captured, no
Dewey had achieved greatness; but
when Bryan spoke war had been de-
clared, Dewey had sent a chill up the
back of every European monarch, had
battled with and sunk a Spanish fleet
and captured the forts at Manila and
planted the stars and stripes over Ca
vite; he had won an empire"
Yes, and when the Standard spoke in
opposition to the retention Of the Phil
ippines, all these things had been done;
when it denounced the spirit of con-
quest, when it pictured the evils of
such a policy, the battle had been
fought, the islands captured, the great
ness achieved, the chill sent up, the
fleet sunk, the flag planted, and the
empire won.
Such is the warp of the Standards
web. Now let us examine the wool.
Upon taking his position at the head
of the American army and navy, Will
liam Mckinley, chief.
made this solemn declarations: I'VE
want no wars of conquest; we must
avoid the temptation of territorial ag-
erosion"
1t was an official announcement COM
ing from the chosen chief executive of
a peaceful people and an honest gov
eminent.
The Standard did not assail the pres
ident for giving expression to that
sentiment.
But when Mr.. Bryan, a private citi-
zen, for his command was not mus
tered in at the time he spoke, uttered
the same sentiment, the Standard said:
Bryan says he favors a war for HUI
mainly, but the nation must not ac-
cept any conquests. 1t does not seem
possible that w. j. Bryan could have
uttered those words. If it is true, then
his chances to be president of the
United States are gone forever"
In long editorial the Standard tries
to explain its position on the Philip
pine conquest. The. gist of its argu-
ment is found in this paragraph:
THE Standard, President Mckinley
and the American people are opposed
to wars of conquest and colonial pos
sessions, through purchase, or other
wise, excepting only when honorably
taken in provoked war by the Ameri-
can sailor and soldier
Why, of Counsel 1t knows that Nc
Kinley means one thing by conquest"
and that Bryan means another.
And thus, from the warp of contra
diction and the wool of subterfuge, the
Standard weaves tangled web in
deed.