Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1899-04-03
LET US DO RIGHT.
Stop Playing Tyrant With the American
Flag Wrapped Round Our Body.


Stop Playing Tyrant With the American
Flag Wrapped Round Our Body.
From the Philadelphia City and State.
We assume that it is right to have a
national conscience. If this is true,
such conscience can only be formed
and made operative by the individual
members of the nation expressing their
opinions on national affairs. The more
critical and important the affair, the
more necessary is expression of the
sober opinion of citizens. The reverse
makes Of the American democracy
nothing but an immense chained mob
Once forced into any line of policy, and
the man at the helm becomes an auto
crat. He either actively does what he
wants unimpeded. since criticism of his
acts is impossible, or he gets what he
wants done, or what he is afraid to have
stopped, by the drift of destiny.
What are American arms doing in the
Philippines, wherein is being incurred
the slaughter of hundreds, possibly
thousands of natives, and scores, possi-
bly, hundreds, of brave, valuable Ameri-
can lives?
We are seeking to effect conquest
over people who do not belong to us; u
conquest as vulgar as indefensible NOR
ally in its basis, as those which Ma
poleon effected on European soil in the
early part of the century. We have
demanded submission of people over
whom ,ua had Sunl riUbts cnpna Frpu,
purchase from Spain, their confessed
oppressor-that and no more. With
insolence and mendacity we call them
'rebels" and shoot them down-men
who, as Senator Mason truly says, swore
no allegiance to us, and who, Judged in
any court Of ethics known among men,
owe us no allegiance This is precisely
what we Americans-who revere Lex
ington and Bunker Hill and other bat
tle-grounds of freedom-are dong in
March, 1899. 1t is not bullying John
Bull, or glory-loving Johnny Crapeaud,
or the brutal Russian Bear that is doing
this, but We ourselves. We are 1.-THE
man." and no other. We have to rub
our eyes and slap ourselves to be sure
we are awake and in our senses, so
totally un-American is this thing.
The Filipinos have right on their side,
and their clmate-and every honest
man, in his heart of hearts, knows it;
and we have wrong on our side, and II
love of the main chance-and we all
know that, too Men have determina-
speration--when they are fight,
ing for freedom. Mean, treacherous
''rebels" like the Filipinos prefer that
even to a beautiful gilded American
cage. 1t is to put them in that cage,
and to have them hop up and down
gratefully like timid birds, that we are
destroying good American lives; no prin-
ciple in it, no glory; just the fun of
making men who thought they were
about to be free crawl-and then that
beckonng main chance later on! We
may succeed: we may take, shoot, or
exile the "rebel" AguinaIdo; we may
hem in and crush his army.
But this ugly truth will remain pre-
ciSely the same, indestructable whether
we succeed or fail: We are playing the
tyrant with the beautiful, free American
flag wrapped round our body. This is
what history will see, and what we may
now see if we cool our heads and look
straight at it.
President Mckinley said, at the Bos
ton Home Market Club dinner, that he
left the question in the hands of congress
to settle it. Then why not call an extra
session of that body, and let it settle il?
Why not command our forces to stay
within their army lines, stopping the
conquest programme until congress
determines what action the true honor
of the country requires? If Gladstone
was man enough to hold Great Britain
after defeat back from an unjust war
with the Beers, why should not our
president at least give congress the
chance to do the right and magnanimous
act after repeated victories?