Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1899-08-17
PETTIGREW'S VIEWS
On the "Civilizing War" in The
Philippines Against Our
Former Allies.
United States has no Right
Whatever to Make War
On the Natives.
Should do Right no Matter
What the World Would
Think of Us.

MINK VI vs..
Chicago, Ill :, Aug 17-United States
Senator Il. F. Pettigrew of South Da-
kota, who was at the Auditorium yes
terday on his way from the east TO his
home IN Sioux Falls, gave the foregoing
as, in his opinion, the only honorable
course for this country to pursue in the
orient. Senator Pettlgrew was elected
IN 1894 on the republican ticket and was
one OF those who followed Senator Tell.
or when The Colorado man walked out
of the St. Louis convention OF 1896. He
also voted against the ratification OF the
treaty with Spain.
Yesterday he said concerning the
Philippine war "we founu country Of
100000 people with an established gov
ernment and an army of 10000. This
government had been our ally, had taken
four times as many prisoners as we, and
had treated them according to the usages
of modern warfare. When President
Mckinley declared that we would pro-
tect all those who recog nized tie milit-
ary authority Of the United States and
coerce all who denied our authority, he
declared war. His action was unconsti-
tutional and IN violation of every prin.
ciple of our government. The presi-
dents talk about who shall haul down
the flag, when we have made that flag
is contemplate. We have no more right
to take the Philippines than France had
to take the colonies at the close of the
revolutionary war on the pretext that
we were protestants and that our civil.
zatlon would be bettered by our being
compelled to adopt the catholic religion.
We give as an excuse for our outrageous
course in the Philippines that We desire
to give them civilization and bible. That
has been the excuse made wrongfully to
acquire territory and commit murder in
doing 80 ever since there was bible and
for ages before. Most OF the ones who
are fighting US are catholics. If we
want to kill catholics in order to help
the march of civilization We need not 60
20 far away from home.
RIGHTS OF THE NATIVE PEOPLE.
"This 'civiIizing war talk Is all sham.
England has always used it in wrestling
from people their God given rights.
Any people can &c aintaln as good gov
erument as they have right to have,
and you cannot give them better one.
England IN India Is an unmixed curse.
With trade balance in favor of India
of $3.50, ,O00,0 900, million of her people
die of starvation annually. And the re-
hex action on the usurplng government
is as bad In England there is less of
civilization to copy and more abject pow
erty owing to the unequal distribution
OF wealth arising from her foreign policy
than IN any other country on earth. The
result will be the same with us.
1--WE cannot have one e.half empire and
one half republic, and We do not pretend
that we will allow the Flliplnos to assist
in our government. How could we have
read the declaration OF independence in
the Philippines on the Fourth of July?
Why should not a flag be raised in vic.
latlon OF the spirit and the letter of
| that great document be hauled down?
| It is to our shame that We ever raised it
| and the outrage should be remedied. We
should do right. no matter what the
world might think of us. If we were to
see strong man beating a small boy,
should we say to him: Go ahead. beat
| him till you have killed him, you should
not stop, now that you have begun?
"President Mckinley wants to make bis
| administration mark an era in our hiss
| tory. He certainly is succeeding, but it
will be an era which, If this policy is
continued, will prove curse to u.s."
Speaking Of the general political situ.
alton, Senator Pettigrew said:
Bryan will be nominated by accls.
nation. Croker's recent utterance is
not worth consideration. l hope that
be will not support Bryan, for such gu p
| port will do him more harm than good
| He may have come over to Bryan IN
| order to control some delegations apd
change the Chicago platform. The
democracy should reafirm that platform
and add to it such matters as have come
up since. The republican talk against
trusts is buncorbs They talked against
them in their platforms Of 1883 and 1897
but said nothing in 96 To leave it tc
the states would be useless in the face
of the Supreme court decision IN the
] original package case."