El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-11
IN6ERSOLL ON EXPANSION.
His Position As Briefly Explained
Just Before His Death.

Among the last letters, perhaps tn,
| last one, written by the late Colone
Robert G. Ingersoll was one received
| by the Clarion editor on Sunday. L
was dated July 20, and the postmarl
shows that it was mailed from Dobbs
about an hour after Colonel 1ngersoll's
sudden death.
In the Clarion of the 22d of June we
printed the following, the part between
quotation marks having been clipped
from Chicago paper.
Robert G. Ingersoll, always a repub-
lican, is not in accord with the admin
istratiop, and likely to be dubbed a
''copperhead 'by the administration pa
pers for his open expression of opinion
regarding the war OF conquest beiE e
wsged in the Philippines. He says: Il
have one sentiment for the soldiers,
cheers for the living and tears for the
dead. IT 1t were meet to weep over the
sacred dust of the brave who died to
render our flag stainless and keep it in
the sky, it is now in order to flood the
graves of the boys who are falling in
the Philippine islands. For they are
not lighting to add lustre to Old Glory
or to save the Union, but as mere ma
chimes at the behest of the admsnistra
ton which for the time being is the
government of the United States.
War with Spain, for which the volun-
teers took up arms, has long since end
ed. Congress has not declared war
against the Filipinos nor voted money
to carry on q foreign war of conquest.
Then why this thunder of guns, the
these new made graves as numberless
as the stars? 1t is q war not in the
name of liberty, but against it. Our
arms are not adding glory to the flag,
but instead are staining that starry
emblem of freedom with the
blood and tears of a people fighting for
the right of self government. The
soldier is not to blame. Therefore,
when he falls in such war his bier
should be draped in deepest mourning
and drenched with the tears of his fell
low cOuntrymen."
Colonel Ingersoll was q subscriber to
the American Press Information bu-
resu and his letter had the clipping to
which he referred, sent him by the bu-
reau, inclosed. The letter is as follows:
Walston, NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
July 20, 1899.
Editor Clarion:
My Dear Sir-I inclose a clipping
from your paper; OF course you copied
1t from some exchange.
The words attributed to me 1 never
uttered or wrote.
L have one sentiment for soldiers
cheers for the living and tears for the
dead. This is mine, but all the rest is
by some one else.
1t la true that 1 think the treatment
Of the Filipinos wrona-foolish.
1t Is also true that l do not want the
Filipinos if they do not want us. I be-
lieve in eXpansion-if 1t is honest.
1 want Cuba if Cubans want US. At
the same time 1 think our forces should
be immediately withdrawn from Gu ba
and the people of that island allowed
to govern themselves.
We waged the war against Spain for
right-and we must wear
the laurel unstained. Yours always,
r. G. INGERSOL.
They were brave words, worthy of
the big-hesrted, kindly man who wrote
them, and the attitude of Colonel Iu-
gersoll in reference to Cuba, and the
Philippines was, as we stated, mot in
accord with the administration. -
ILL.,, Clarion.