New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1899-02-08
Have We Forgot en-?


pansion seem to have placed themselves
in an uncomfortable position before the
country by reason of their inconsistency
on this subject. The war was entered.
INTO not for the purpose of enslaving
people, but to set them free and give
them an opportunity to work out their
own salvation unfettered by powers that
bad heretofore held them in subjection.
It seems evident now, from the position
the government is taking on the Philip
pine question, that had we not been
bound by the Teller resolution to restore
Cuba to:its own people, we would now
simply claim that they would neyel be
capable of self government and under
that fimsy and unfounded claim we
would then proceed IT, make the island
part of our territory.
Is it any wonder that the powers of
Europe look with suspicion upon our
motives " hen, in one and the same war,
we fight to set one people free and at
the same time place shackles upon an
other people situated very nearly like
the first and fighting under similar cir
cumstances for their freedom2
There is some doubt as to whether ex-
pansion is a good policy in cases where
territory can be acquired at the request,
or at least with the consent, ofpeople of
the territory proposed for annexation,
but can it ever be justified il cases like
the one that now presents itself III the
Philippine question: Ours is govern
ment whose very foundation stone and
cardinal principle is that government is
based on the consent of the governed.
and that no just government can exist
in the absence of such consent, and vet
we are threatening to compel people
that was fighting for recognition be-
fore the world OF those inalienable rights
of which the Declaration of Indepen-
dence speaks fighting as were we in the
Revolution agaihst tyrant-we threat
en- to compel tlfem to lay down the
arms they have born in holy Llberty's
name a1d submit to our their new mas
ter's-dictat1on and will. We saw to
them that they must give up their fight
for indepence; that we have conquered
their former masters and that our VIC
tory has given us 4 right to succeed to.
the power Of domineering over them as
had Spain in previous years. Is there
any consistency in this2 Is there in this
any evidences Of sincerity and un-
selfish effort to advance the welfare of
mankind and civilization?
In order to stand in the eyes Of the
world, and even before our own people.
as a nation whose heart beats for the op-s
pressed and whose strong arm is weild--
ed only for the purpose Of striking
blows for liberty and independence, we.
must repress this unnatural thirst and
desire for imperial possessions in foreign
lands.
We fully realize that some responsible
ity was thrown on our shoulders from
the fact that we had possession of a por-
ton Of the Philippines at the close Of.
the war, but what we conde demn is the
evident intention of the admins stration,
as is apparent from the press and its
spokesmen in Congress, to make those is-
lands part Of our territory forever, with
out any regard to the wishes Of the peo-
pie that inhabit them. Let the treaty be
ratified and the war closed, but let the.
people know what is to be done with
these islands, as was done ID the case Of.
Cuba before We went to war.