The Irish standard., 1899-02-18

the transfer Of their country. the ratif-
| cation Of the treaty would have been
the glory, instead Of the burning shame
of the United States. We occupy about
the same position of treachery toward
the Filipinos that Napoleon did toward
the Spanish Bourbons in 1908, when, I'M
der the guise of friendship, he persuaded
them to accept French garrisons and
| then seized the country for the French
| empire, with his own brother as titular
king of the new conquest" We must
! say that we are bitterly disappointed in
the political morals of the nation-a ma
jority Of which must be in sympathy
with the unholy proceedings in the far
East, as otherwise the land-grabbing
senators would never have dared to rat
ify the treaty in its unamended form.
The imperialistic craze would seem to
have seized upon senators Of all parties,
for an analysis Of the vote shows that
40 Republicans, 10 Democrats, 5 Silver
Democrats, 3 Populists and 1 Independ
ent voted to ratify, while % Democrats,
Republicans, 1 Silver Republican and
l Populist voted against ratification. We
find as we expected, the names of Sena-
tor Hoar, of Massachusetts,, and Senator
Hale, of Maine, among the members of
the brave minority. We regret to find
Senator Mason, of Illinois, who protest.
ed so much, with the majority, but we
tho foo hot ho ri
dashed into his contradictory attitude by
the INSCRIPTIONS and aged freebooter
who controls the editorial columns of
the Chicago Tribune. This, however, is
no excuse for Senator Mason's moral
cowardice.
The whole outcome is disgraceful to
us as a nation. We have treated the
Filipinos, who We're inclined to be more
than friendly, with studied contumely.
We snubbed their brilliant young gener-
al-in-chief at Manila, and ignored their
accredited representative at Washing
ton. Conscience made Doors of us, for
we felt in our Utmost souls that we
meant to steal their country by armed
force. if they did not tamely acquiesce in
our designs, which is more than could be
expected from human flesh and blood.
The crime we have committed has re-
suited from weak executive, capital
istic influence in our national councils,
and an insolent, intolerant advocacy of
national highway robbery on the part of
majority of our daily press. which has
outHeroded in this respect, the very
sion" in Great Britain.
The blood, both American and Filipino
ian, that has been shed at Manila within
few days, is on the heads of the men
who have advocated selfish and dis
honest policy in the Philippines. If the
people of the latter had not been engaged
in bloody struggle with Spain, in de-
Tense Of their rights and liberties, for
many years before our partial occupation
of the Island of Luzon. there might have
been some faint claim to justification
of our conduct, but nothing can justify
us, except brazen brute force, which is
no justification, as the matter stands.
No doubt, many other valuable Ameri-
can lives, not to speak Of Filipinian
lives, which are also Of the brotherhood
of man, will be sacrificed before this
grave trouble is done with; and all for
a sordid idea of national gain. How
low have we fallen as people! We can
no longer call our recently proud and
unstained country "the last refuge Of the
oppressed" because we have ourselves
become oppressors.