The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-05-25
Question Of National Honor.
The Baltimore Sun says {:

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If all the fighting were to cease in
the Philippines tomorrow there would
yet remain, as Representative Fleming,
Of Georgia, points out in an able ar
ticle With the above caption in the
Nay number Of the Conservative Re-
view, the gravest Of all questions to be
settled by the American people in ref.
erence to the final disposition to be
made Of those islands and their inhab.
itants-a question not Of policy simply.
but Of national honor Mr.. Fleming
believes that there is code Of moral
ity for nations as well as individuals
Mr.. Mckinley must once have been Of
the same opinion, when, in a mes
sage 10 Congress, he declared that the
| fOrcible annexation Of Cuba was a
thing mot to be thought Of, " that "by
our code Of morality" such measure
would be IAN act Of criminal aggres.
sion. " Mr. Fleming differs apparent
ly, however, from the President in
two important particulars: First in
that we ought 10 practice what we
preach, and. second. that he thinks
that the same code Of morality applies
TO an "act of criminal aggression" in
the Philippines as in the island Of
Cuba.
How far the administration and
even Mr. Mckinley himself, has de-
part,d from the high standard
Of moral conduct set mp in the Presi
dents message in 1897 has been for
months becoming more painfully APP
parent 1t has never, perhaps been
so strlkingly manifested as within the
past few days, and especially since ru-
mors Of a speedy close of hostllities,
consequent upon the complete subject
tion and submission Of the Filipinos,
seem TO have gained credence at the
national capital With brutal frank.
ness worthy of the age and character of
Attila and Hun, it has been announced
from Washington, and, apparently upon
the highest authority, that the proba-
bility Of these rumors proving well
founded is altogether attributable to
the 'firmness" with which the 'insur
gents" have been dealt with and 10 the
final realization on the part of the latter
that they have no choice left between
unconditional submission and exter-
mination. " The administration Of
Mr.. Mckinley is apparently entitled to
the honor Of being the first and only
government Of a professedly Christian
nation, certainly of modern and CIV
ilized one, which has deliberately pro-
posed the extermination" of seven or
eight millions of human being as an al
tentative line of policy to be pursued
in the event of their refusal to submit
voluntarily to foreign invader.
1t is no wonder that the Hon. Will
liam II. Fleming, OF Georgia, finds
the question of ethics and of honor in
volved in the present problem even
more interesting than the questions OF
constitutional law or of political, mill
tary or commercial expediency. He
says "every American citizen who val
ures the honor Of his country ought to
acquaint himself with the facts regard
ing our war with the Spauiards, re-
Gently ended, and our war with the
Filipinos, which is still in progress.
We need not concern ourselves with all
the details A few salient points
will serve to guide US If we really
wish to find the truth and are willing
TO face it when we find il. " These
salient points he finds clearly presented
in a brief review of our actual rela-
tions towards the Philippines and our
actual dealings with the Filipinos since
the date Of Admiral Dawey's arrival
in Manila bay, on the lst of May, 1898
To Admiral Dewey, "a straightfor-
ward, honest minded man and lib
erty loving American" and to our
consular officers, Messrs. Pratt, Wild
man and Williams. representing our
government at Manila. Hong Kong and
Singapore. he does full justice and es-
pecially to the perfect good faith with
which they invited and accepted the
cooperation of the Filipinos as our al
lies and profted by their services in
the earlier stages of the conflict.
The quotations which Mr.. Fleming
makes from the official correspondence
of these officers with the State and
Navy Departments are most suggestive
and instructive, and cast the strongest
light upon the moral turpitude involved
in the subsequent change of policy on
the part OF the administration when
the appetite for blood and conquest had
siezsd upon Mr. Mckinley and his ad-
visers
Readers, if there are any. " says
Mr.. Fleming, "of the debates appear
ing in the Congressional Record" (de-
bates to which Mr.. Fleming himself
made valuable contribution at the time)
will be put to their wits end to har-
moniz, the seemingly contradictory state
ments contained in many of the
speeches, pro and con, and on the sub
ject of our relations to Aguinaldo and
his followers. Opponents of the ad-
ministration' policy quote freely from
the letters OF our consuls showing the
agreements made and partly acted out
with Aguinaldo Supporters Of that
policy cite the dispatches from the
State Department refusing to make any
promises. etc. The apparent contradic-
tion is easily explained. tits only mat
ter Of fixing the dates of the several
tranactions. In the early stages OF the
war with. Spain our oonsuls and Dewey
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