Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1899-11-03

a captive race free, AMI to the cynicism
of Frenchmen at the expense of our
of Justice aud liberty cannot ,
make our best friends in England hang
their heads in shame; cannot put it in the !
power of the civilized world to say that |
our generous professions were hollow |
and our plighted faith no better |
than harlot's vow.
We cannot conquer the Filipinos |
because we cannot march over the dead
bodies of our national leaders and
prophets and heroes; cannot look into
the grave and troubled face of Washing
ton bidding us remember that "the basis
of our political system" Is the right of
people to make its own government, and
urging us to exhibit to the world the
"too novel example of people always
guided by an exalted justice and
benevolence" cannot, in Lincolns pre-
sence, task just Gods assistance" in
the effort to "bestride the necks of a
people because they will be better off
for being ridden; cannot, with Nc
Kinley leading us, do what he said would
be an act of "criminal aggression; can
going in the teeth of his saying, Rather
than make a war of conquest of this
people, would up anchor and sail out
of the harbOr."
We cannot conquer the Filipinos
because we cannot use any of our
historic battle-cries in the fight against
them; cannot allow our soldiers to give
one countersign of liberty, while pur-
suing them cannot arm our officers and
men with the triple armor of just
cause cannot nerve our troops with a
hatred of the enemy nearly as intense as
their hatred of the cruel and repellant
work they are set to do cannot look
upon victory except with shame that 1t
| is won over foeman so unworthy of
our steel; cannot ask beaten army to
surrender and trust to our good faith,
lest the taunt be thrown In our face, as
it was in President Schurman's by a
Filipino envoy, that American good faith
is not thing to be considered seriously.
We cannot conquer the FilipInos
because the country and congress will not
give the president the money necessary
to pursue his ruthless work; because an
outraged public sentiment will demand
that he quit doing what we went to war
with Spain to stop her doing; because
burdened taxpayers will protest against
being made to pay for shot and shell to
do the work which wise craftsmanship
should be able to do without the firing
of gun; because we are too great a
nation to trample on the weak, too free
people to permit chains to be riyeted
on another race by our agents and in our
name. and too Jealous republican COM
monwealth to see our blood and treasure
poured out in distant lands for the
benefit of favored few.
And if, in spite of all, the war of con-
quest and determination is pushed to Its
bloody end; if the last Filipino town
goes up in smoke and flame if the las
armed native is brought to bay in SWAMP
or pass, and falls under our volleys it i:
not the Filipinos who will be conquered
they, even as they die before the pitt
less hail of our bullets, may wei
eyclaim: "Americans, you have no
conquered us, you have conquered your
selves; in our ruin you have pulled
down the pillars of your own temple o
liberty; in beating US down you hav'
trampled upon your own history ant
principles; in destroying our republic
you have destroyed your own