The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1899-10-17
BISHOP POTTER
MAKES PLAIN.
What he Referred to in His
Talk Against Imperialism.
A NOTED EPISCOPAL DIVINE
Takes Issue with the Administration and
Insists That the Natives Of
the Philippines Have
Rights.


impression has been made by Bishop
Potters address before the Episcopal
Congress in session here, scathingly
arraigning the Mckinley administration
for it's policy of Imperialism and sacri-
flee of national welfare of the greed for
political advancement.
Sensational in the extreme, however,
has been the effect of the remarks of
Rev. Rufus Clark, of Detroit, who ap-
peared as the champion Of the admins
tration. The comparison of the foreign
born citizens of this country with the
savages of the Philippines in his effort
| to defend the benevolent assimila-
| ton" ideas of President Mckinley has
provoked a storm of protests and con-
demnation among those of foreign birth
AS Rev. DR.. Clark had left the city,
nothing could be obtained from him in
Explanation or extenuation of his
unfortunate comparison.
| The two addresses partook of the
nature Of set event. 1t was known
that Bishop Potter had been called upon
| to present his well known views re-
| garding the peris confronting the coun-
| try on account of the administrations
imperial intentions.
| Naturally the administration was
presented at the same time and the
choice fell upon DR.. Clark as its cham
| pion.
THE BISHOP TALKS.
Bishop Potter, of New York, was
asked to talk at length upon imperial
ism as practiced by this government in
the Philippines. He said he was soon
to leave for Manila and had not time
! to go further into the subject than he
did in his address to the Episcopal
Church Congress. He ran over the
reports printed in the local papers
/ and called attention to the fact that
they were so much abbreviated in
places as to cloud his meaning. Among
the things said by Bishop Potter and
not carried in the reports are the fol-
lowing:
1--WE will suppose that a great trans
maritime Power has acquired on
these shores large group of islands.
These have come into the hands we
will say, not by conquest, but by pur-
chase. We are an old and discrepid
people, and another younger, stronger
and weather. has beaten us in war,
and has thereupon informed us that,
whether we want to sell them or not
it will buy these islands for price,
which, substantially itself determined.
| FORCED TO CAPITULATE.
1--WE haggle and hold out as long as
negotiation, upon their own terms, was
Iforeordained from the beginning, and
that fact practically determines the
whole business. The foreign power has
thus acquired a great group of islands
of which, practically, it knows nothing.
They are very numerous, of very di-
verse populations, and Of very discim-
liar grades of civilization.
'The distant owner of them under
this new dispensation is a republic, and
their governments, so far as they have
any, have rested upon monarchial and
ecclesiastical traditions wholly alien to
the Republican ideas. Some of them,
however, have been maintaining a long
and heroic struggle for freedom and
have fondly hoped that their purchase
by republic will be simply the pre-
lude to the achievement of that end.
The foreign power is insolent; the.
natives rebel and clamor for a flag Of
their own. What strange stupidity,
what exasperating obstinacy?
A BACK NUMBER,
"True enough, when we turn back to
! the history of 1776 we find something
curiously like 1t, but when the Declara-
, ton of Independence is back num-
|, ber,' and life, liberty and the pursuit
. or happiness are the right only of the
most favored nations. The political ad-
venturer tells us that in the case of
these far off islands gatling guns are
the true missionaries of Christ. stands
up In his seat and shouts That is the
gospel for me- He is the persuasive
parsonage who, having a corner In
arms or clothing or canned goods, none
of which can find market If the war is
stopped, will tell you that the man who
is opposed to the acquisition of colonial
territory is, in the polite phrase of the
e governor OF great eastern state.
n either fool or scoundrel.'