The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-10-23
SLAVERY IN THE SULUS.

President McKinley's treaty with the
sultan OF Sulu, whereby the party of
the first part agreed to pay to the
party of the second part a stipulated
salary for upholding the American flag
in the southern part of the archipela-
go, has placed the United States in a
somewhat embarrassing position.
BY the terms of this treaty the pro-
lection of the stars and stripes is
guaranteed to the Mohammedan sub
jects of his sultanic majesty and the
power of the United States government
is pledged to protect them in their
social and religious practices These
includn slavery and polygamy. The
presidents attitude in relation to the
latter we leave for the moral crusaders
of his party to explain. His avowed
intention of retaining possession of a
country thiclIly peopled with polyg-
amists and shareholders, his claim
that the Philippines are American
property by right of purchase, his per-
sistent refusal to recognize any author
ity on the islands but the sultan, or
Mohalnmedans, are doubtless backed
by noble motives but they are not
transparent. They are fathomless to
the ordinary mind. They are deep,
dark and mysterious.
Between the years of 1861 and 1865
the slavery question was settled in
this country. A quarter of a million
of human lives and seven billions of
money were given for the abolition of
slavery. rich as was the libation,
immense as was the expense, the peo-
pie said amen" The war was not
with fanatics willing to fight to ex-
termination. 1t was with courageous
but reasonable men who knew enough
to quit at the end OF four years, and
while there have been heart burnings
and wounds that never healed,
fraternity of race, a similarity of in
terests, and a wholesome respect for
each others manhood drew the north
and south together after a quarter of
a century Of slowly melting GOODNESS.
If it ever becomes necessary to
the slaves i'll thes
it will require the force of
war, and it will be a war against the
Orient, a war in which every Mussel-
man will be interested and the Sulus
bslong to the most envenomed and
fanatical of all the Mohammedan sects.
When the American people with hon
est, patriotic, humane, courageous
Lincoln as chief executive put an end
to the institution of slavery in this
country they never dreamed that the
avarice of q. Hanna or the indecision
Of a Mckinley would involve them in a
similar conflict later on
1t may be claimed by administration
defenders that the president is justf-
fed in contracting on behalf of the
United States to protect polygamy in
the sultan's domain of Mindanao and
the Sulus on the very logical and ethi-
cal ground that some tribes of Ameri-
can Indians are permitted to practice
it, but what about slavery? 1t is
institution of the Sulus. It
is a system indispensable to the social
life and religious belief of NIoham-
It is protected by the arms
Of the United States. The American
flag floats over it while our William
the Conquerer is swinging round the
circle of the northwest electioneering
Tor votes and shrieking from the plat
form of his palace car: who will pull
that flag DOWN.
Slavery in the Philippines is not
merely permitted, as imperialists say
IF polygamy among the American
indians. In the agreement made !
oetween the reigning sultan and
an officer in the United States
army, general authorized and
instructed by William Mckinley, COM |
nander in chief. on behalf of the |
United States government, slavery is
expressly recognized, although article |
10 of the treaty authorizes slaves to |
themselves at the ruling mar
zot price.
What a benevolent provision, And |
he regulation of the market is left to