Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-09-07
Why We CANNOT CONQUER.
New York Evening Post.

New York Evening Post.
The problem of Philippine conquest
is not military one. This country
undoubtedly has the physical force to
make the islands a desolatlon and call
it peace. We can harry their coasts.
We can ravage their fields. We can
drive their fleeing inhabitants to noun
tain businesses, and dash their little
ones against stone. II it is mere
question Of brutc strength of money
and men and ships and guns-we can
employ itswlthout limit. We can kill
and burn and destroy like Avengers Of
God. No one doubts that. Mr.. Mo
Kinley, in Boosting of the new forces
he has got together for bending the
tilipinos to his will, is only glorying
as full.grownS9 mane might in his
ability TO break every bone in tho body
OF u street waif. The disparity is too
glaring. Ii we exert our giants strength
to crush the Filipinos, we nan un
doubtedly do it. But what we assert is
that ii is not question of mere force
majeure. There are moral obstacles in
our path more terrible than an army
with banners. If we wage war Of ex-
termination against the Filipinos, they
will have invisible allies, mightier than
all the battalions that tread the earth !;
SO that they that be with them are
more than they that be with us, and we
can never conquer them.
We cannot conquer the Filipinos be-
cause we cannot, as nation, place our
selves in a pillory to become the hiss
ing of mankind: cannot Justify the bit
tor taunt of the SEaniard that our pre-
tpU6nI tIsn MI
but thinly yelled greed and cruelty;
cannot give fresh edge to the sneers of
Germans at our Wanted purpose to set
a.captiye race free, and to The cynicism
of Erenchmen at tho expense of our
mission of justice and liborty; cannot
| make our best friends in England hang
their heads in shame; cannot nut it in
tho power of the civilized world to say
| that our generous professions were Il
| hollow moclery and our plighted faith
no better than harlot's vow.
Wo cannot conquer the Filipinos be-
| cause We cannot march over the dead
bodies of our national leaders and
| prophets ana heroes; cannot look into
the grave and troubled face of Wash
| ington bidding us remember that 1.-THE
basis of our political system" is the
right OF people to make its own gov
| ernment, and urging us to exhibit to
| the world the ''too novel example of a
people always guided by an exalted
| Justice and beneyolence;" cannot, in
Lincoln's presence, TASK just God 8
assistance" in the effort to ''bestrjde
the necks of people because they
will be better off for being ridden %
cannot, with Mckinley leading us, do
what he said would be an act of
| criminal aggression - cannot welcome
and applaud Dewey while going in the
teeth of his saying. Rather than make
a war of conquest of this people, [
would up anchor and sail out Of the
harbor. f"
We cannot cotquer the Filipinos be-
cause we cannot use any of our historic
battle-cries in the fight against them
cannot allow our soldiers to give one
countersign of liberty while pursuing
them: cannot arm our officers and men
with the triple armor of just cause
cannot nerve our troops with hatred
Of the enemy nearly as intense as their
hatred of the cruel and repellent work
they are set to do; cannot look upon q
victory except with shame that it is
won over II foeman so unworthy of our
steel: cannot ask beaten army to
surrender and trust to our good faith
lest the taunt be thrown in our face, as
il was in President Scnurman's by a
Filipino envoy, that American good
faith is not thing to be considered
seriously.
We cannot conquer the Filipinos be-
cause the country and Congress will
not give the President the money
necessary to pursue his ruthless work;
because an outraged public sentiment
will demand that he quit doing what
We went to war with Spain to stop her
doing; because burdened taxpayers will
protest against being made TO pay for
shot and shell TO do the work which
wise craftsmanship should be able to
do without the firing of gun; be.
cause we are too great nation to
trample on the weak, too free people
to permit chains to be riyeted ON
another race by our agents and in our
name, and too jealous republican
commonwealth to see our blood and
treasure poured out in distant lands
for the benefit of a favored few.
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