The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-09-15
SOME PATRIoTIC NUGGETS.

1t was a happy thought that led to the
publication just at this time of the little
volume entitled Patriotic Nuggets. When
there 10 go much talk about patriotism,
and SO much being said about duty and
responsibility, and SO many recipes for
increasing our prosperity and influence In
the world flying around 1t Is well to be
able to reour to the opinions Of the foun.
ders of our government and its preservers
at critical periods. This little book fur
nishes a convenient means of doing this.
The other day Senator Carter laid down
the broad rropasition that our policy In
the Phillpasss should be determined by
what we could get out OF them-that II
they proved commercially valuable we
should hold on to them, otherwise not.
1hat placed the present war in the islands
on a purely commercial basis, and made
1t practically a means of increasing our
trade. Benjamin Franklin, a great many
years ago, tackled the problem of increas
Ing trade by war and this WAS his concln-
sion:
To me it seems, that neither the
obtaining or retaining Of any trade, how
6rVN cOcNtTs Is 6u OpJtDb LOT
which men may justly spin each others
blood; that the true and sure means of
extending and securing commerce is the
goodness and cheapness Of commodities;
and that the profit of no trade can ever
be equal TO the expense of compelling it
and Of holding 1t. by fleets and armies.
If franklin was right Senator Carter
might just as well abandon the Philip
pines now for according to Franklin the
profits Of no trade can equal the cost of
compelling and maintaining 1t with
fleets and armies"
There is an idea abroad In the COM
munity, which frequently finds expires :
sion, that some wars are profitable, that
they conduoe to the prosperity OF the
country. This is what DR.. Franklin had
to say on that subject:
In my opinion there never was a good
war or q bad peace. What vast additions
to the oonventenoes and comforts of living
might mankind have acquired, II the
money spent on wars had been employed
In works of public utilityi
Again an idea seems to be prevalent,
that the same rules of moral
ity do not apply to nations as to irdIvid-
uals--that the former may do many
things which could not be defended If
done by the latter. That was not Or.
FIanklin's idea as is evident from the
following:
Justice is as strictly due between neigh
Dor nations as between neighbor citizens.
A highwayman is as much a robber
when he plumbers In a gang as when
single; and a nation that makes an I'M
just war Is only great gang.
Here is something upon the right of
nations to establish the form of govern
ment that best suits them. from Washing
ton:
Every nation has right to establish
that form Of government under which
it conoeives 1t may live most happy; pro-
vlded 1t In racts no right. and is not dan
gerons to Others, and no government
ought to Interfere with the internal con-
Germs of another except for the security OF
what Is due to themselves.
Here is the code of morality that
Thomas Jefferson laid down for men an
nations:
know of but one code Of morality for
men, whether acting singly or colleot-
lively. He who ssays Will be a rogue
when ] act In company with hundred
others, but an honest man when.I act
alone, will bs believed in the former as
sertion, but not In the latter.
Evidently Jefferson hoped that our
struggle for our rights would point the
way to other nations to secure theirs, for
he wrote:
1t is indeed an animating thought that
while we are securing the rights of our
selves and our posterity we are pointing
out the way to struggling nations who
wish, like US, to emerge from their tyran-
MES also. Heaven help their struggle,
ana lead them, as 1t has done Us, trium-
phantlY through them.
Here Is something that bears on the
subject of mixing mp in the politics of
Z foreign nations and becoming wor d
power. Evidently Thomas Jefferson
wasn't in accord with the policy of our
giodern expsnsionists He says:
We should be most unwisp, indeed, were
to cast away the singular blessings