The Irish standard., 1899-05-13
His Cogent Arguments Against
The Mckinley Scheme.
STRONGLY OPPOSED TO IMPERIALISM
A Humiliating Spectacle in the
History of Nations.

The following is a brief synopsis OF
4 paper on "Thc Empire VS.. the Re-
public which was recently read by
MIR. A. B. Choatc, the Attorney before
literary club in this city:
II every one i'll Minneapolis and St.
Paul should, commencing with to-mor-
TOW morning, suddenly refuse to use the
splendid street cars furnished us for Il
tcrurban travel, and insist upon prim-
tive steam boat navigation for all COM
munications between the two cities, the
change would not seem more radical
and amazing than the change OF attitude
toward the fundamental principles of
our government which has come over
many citizens OF the United States since
the Spanisll-Amcrican War.
SO sudden has been this revolution
that President Mckinley has been
scarcely able to keep pace with it. The
ink is hardly dry on the public news
papers which report his utterances be-
tore nc performs official acts which his
speeches OF yesterday condemn And
not only has the divine right" pretense
been invoked to excuse these vandal
acts, but the old monarcfical plea that
the king can do no wrong" has been
resortcd to in principle by those who de-
clare criticism Of the president to be
treason. These people seem to overlook
the fact that treason means a betrayal,
breach Of trust; that those whom we
elect to office are our servants and not
sovcreigns; that a president OF the
United States may be guilty of treason,
and that those who uphold a public SER
want who commits breach OF trust are
the ones guilty OF treason, if any one is
guilty, and not those who protest
against such acts. The truths set forth
in our declaration OF independence as
scl-cvidcnt were never openly qucs-
toned by any one in the United States
until within the past year when they
have been rcpudiatcd and ridiculcd in
Our public press and even in Congress.
The very first declaration that, "all men
are created with equal political rights"
is set aside, and il is boldly proposed by
the administration to add islands TO the
territory OF the United States, whose in
habitants are to be expressly denied po-
litical equality on the bald statement
that they are unfit for citizenship in the
United States. Nothing could be more
revolutionary. One OF the chief ce-
mcnts OF weakness in the Grccan de-
nocracics was the division of the people
into two classes, one OF which was de-
nicd citizenship, while it was granted to
the other Arc we to not only disrc-
gard our own principles but also the
lessons of history? But we are compa-
Gently informed that if these people ever
become fit for citizenship we will grant
it TO tlem and in the meantime, "dcsti-
ny" has ordained that we teach them to
become fit for it. In other words, all
men are not created with equal political
rights, but God has employed our army
and navy to put on some finishing
touches for him, and has dcputized us to
decide when we shall grant inherent"
rights to his creatures.
Another "sclf-cvidcnt truth" an
nounccd when we were not SO powerful
as we now are is, that governments
derive their just powers from the con-
sent Of the governed" This sacred prin-
ciple, too, has been trampled under foot
with scorn and dcrision by the revolu-
tionists in the United States In order
to justify themselves and prove that we
never meant what we said these revolt
tionists are driven to ridiculous posi-
tions. They say, behold, have we not
always governed children, idiots, fools,
lunatics and women, without their con-
sent? The claim that our guardianship
over children and unfortunate persons
of defective intellect is justification for
making political slaves of whole nations
is unworthy of notice, except to observe
to what straits the revolutionists are
driven to justify their wrongful conduct.
If the founders of our government were
right in declaring certain political prin-
ciples to be self-evident and of univer-
sal application, then there is and can be
no nation Or people unfit for self-gov-
ernment.
That we the people of United States
who rebelled against the English mon
archy in order to set UP republic,