The age-herald., 1898-07-07
s- COY. JOHNSTON OPPOSED POLICY By Conquest and Acquisition in Florence Speech. THIS WAR FOR HUMANITY Whenever We Begin This Colonial Policy We Shall Check Our Internal Progress and Development'- Against Our
 Theory of Government.
THIS WAR FOR HUMANITY
Special Dispatch to The Age-Herald.

Florence July Ex-Governor Johnston's admirable address here on the Fourth, and what he had to say with reference to this government acquiring colonial possessions
 has set the people here to thinking of these
 matters. Along this line the governor l spoke in part follows:
 'No one can doubt the result of this war. The Anglo-Saxon never meets an enemy on anything like equal terms that victory does not perch upon his banner, and in this contest against decaying empire eX- hausted in an unrighteous attempt to hold in subjection people alien to their soil and opposed to their institutions, the end is predestined. When the war closes our flag, which represents liberty and self government, will float proudly over Cuba and the Philippine islands. The question ] will rise whether a war undertaken in the name of humanity and to give bread and l liberty to the people of Cuba shall ripen
 into spirit of conquest and acquisl l ton.
 The first objection to such a course is | that the national honor and faith was pledged in advance that we were under taking war Tor the sake of humanity and | to put an end to the cruel and arbitrary rule of the Spaniard in Cuba. Should We | violate this pledge by seizing that island, | and subjecting it to our denomination and | control, we would not only overturn the | long established doctrines and policies of our government, but would subject our 1 selves to the reproach that our solemn l declarations are as unfaithful as the faith | less nation we are warning against. The Philippines were not considered in all the discussions that led up to our action. No appeal for relief had come to us from their inhabitants.
 The thirst for dominion and power and wealth is found in nearly every bosom. In private life we find hundreds and thou sands of men ready and willing to bring sorrow and misery to many happy homes if gain shall accrue to them. Men are ready to artifcally advance the price of the necessaries of life in order to acquire money, even if every dollar comes stained with human tears and sorrow and misery. Such men merit the detestation of every honest man. A nation prompted by such motives would equally merit the detesta- tion of all good men. It is argued that we should retain permanent control and oWn- ership of every foot of land that success full war shall give us, because our com merce will be extended and our wealth in- creased. The inhabitants of the territory acquired are not to be consulted and the end to them is to be merely a change of masters.
 Where Should It Stop
 Sucn an argument seems ScdICely Woituy of an honest and free people who acknowl- edge God as their Lord and the ten com- mandments as the foundation and nspira- tion of their Jaws. If this policy of con quest and acquisition is correct why should we not carry it to its legitimate conclusion and siege all desirable territory every where that our brute strength and great resources would enable us to hold? All Men Born Equal
 How long are we to govern these islands? The theory of this government from It's foundation was expressed in the declara- ton that all men are bctn free and equal and that every people and nation are en- titled to institute and establish any form of government they desire and change or after it at pleasure. If that doctrine be sound, and 1t has never been questioned by a statesman in this republic, how can we deny the people of Cuba or Porto Rico or the Philippines their right to set up and maintain governments of their own choice? By what arbitrary measures d divine right are we to determine whether any people are incapable of sef-governmnt, and where did we obtain the right to sit in judgment upon nations and peoples. The United States today Is the greatest and most powerful nation on earth. little over one hundred years has seen our coun- try grow from tottering infancy to lusty manhood From three million people to seventy-fye million. From the wilderness to churches and schools and colleges and railroads and telegraph lines and factor ies and homes and charities than are in the borders of any other homogenious nation.
 Our country is as yet undevelopeo. we have resources and territory sufficient for thrice our popula ton, and the best energy and thought and patriotism of our people can here be employed for generations to come befdre there shall be need for other territory to employ. our surplus population or energies.
 Need No New Territory
 We need no new territory to extend our
 commerce we need only the friendly regard
 of the nations of the earth to secure their trade Can we acquire their Friendship
 more readily by seizing and holding them
 in subjection or by fair and just and gen. erous treatment. We of the south know
 what 1t is to be under the dominion or alien governments. We have seen carpet
 bag governments, largely composed of men
 of our own race, set up over us and de-
 voted to spoils. Shall we condemn any peo-
 ple to such miseries as we have experi-
 enced? Shall we who have drank of this
 cup offer 1t to the most degraded people
 on earth?
 The old doctrine was that we should seek
 the friendship of all nations, but entangling
 with none The Monroe doctrine insisted
 that foreign nations should not acquire
 new territory or dominion or control on
 the American continent. Other nations
 were warned against interference With
 American affairs, and we kept our hands
 clean of intermeddling beyond our own
 continent. All the territory we ever ac-
 ouired was here on our continent and un-
 der the shadow of our flag, and occupied
 by homogeneous people who desired to be-
 come part of goveynment. When-
 ever we engage in this business, whenever
 we begin the colonial policy we shaii check
 our internal progress and development,
 have demand for a great standing army
 and A. powerful navy, and multiply vastly
 our taxation. It is better to develop our
 own country than engage our thought and
 energies in distant lands
 Our Fathers Against It
 Our fathers pronounced against standing
 armies and great establishments. All
 these policies we must surrender to engage
 this new departure. A republic Is not con-
 stituted and fitted to govern foreign de-
 tendencies It is against our whole the-
 ory of government, that has it's bedrock
 .4x