Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-09-27

kings and princes who govern the op.
pressed peoples of Europe holding up 70
our aumirinE gaze real live samples of
their fascinating institutions: frontiers
across which our aristocrats can joyfully
| LOOK and feast their degenerate Ameri-
canism on as splendid a spectacle as the
| proudest and most perfect type of mill
tarism that the centuries since Caesars
| time have evolved.
Then must we negotiate treaties, con-
tract alliances that viii compel us TO help
perpetuate sham friendships; maintain
eenmities; mix up in riyalries, and uphold
al the complicated machinery and all the
Irightfui Expense of first class military
power. Thus will the republic die and the
empire flourish. Thus will we publish to
The world the fulti.lment of the prophe-
sizes of the enemies of free government.
Thus Will We end the tragedy upon this
immense stage and proclaim ourselves the
wise and powerful descendants of weak
| and foolish revolutionary ancestry.
| No Reason for Expansion.
| If our more than three millions of
| square miles of territory contained II con-
| gested populations; If our people were so
numerous that our borders We're over
| flowing with the surplus; If We had not
| the soil upon which to maintain all of our
| people, then the advocates of the forcible
| sand miles from home, might plead their
excuse. Conditions In this country being
| what they are. less than thirty people TO
| the square mile. when six or seven times
| that number could easily live here, they
have not even the shadow of an excuse
| to plead.
Again, If we had our domestic affairs
| SO we'll ordered that our people had jus
| ttce done to them at all times; If we had
all things SO lovingly fixed that we could
make no further improvement here at
| home; II all the problems involving our
| welfare were permanently settled; II We
had surplus Of integrity. intelligence,
| and virtue for which we had no use; If we
had no heathens, among. us upon whom
to test the, new device Of benevolent as
simiati9a ,hs our political a life was shs.s SO
| the boss and machine, the purchased vo-
| ter and repeater. the demagogue and
shyster disgraced us no longer; u we had
| no hypocrites in the pulpit. no thieves In
| Office, no embezzlers in our banks; If a
| humane regard for the rights of others
ness; II We would practice on the outside
what we SIMULTANEOUSLY teach on the
inside Of our, churches and Sunday
| schools, follow the teachings of the Christ
1 during six days instead of for six hours
| on the seventh; II our civilization did not
| present the fostering biotches of peniten-
tiaries. the electrocuting chair, and the
/ gallows. the gaming table and houses of
prostitution; II we had standing to our
credit real Christian civilizations; then
we might with some propriety call on the
/ far-off heather to repent. and in case he
1 refused, baptize him with fire and fill him
| with lead. But until we do evolve CIV
ilization. the attempt to "benevolently
assimilate" the oriental heather by wag-
1 ing war upon him with fire and sword is
| a crime against God and man.
! Attempt to Provoke War With Germany
The blacklist chapter ever written in all
the history of this country was the cum
| ningly planned and systematically exc
| cuted attempt during last winter and
! spring to disrupt the historically friendly
relations of Germany with our people
| and plunge us into war with that power
| Almost daily, covering period of sew
| era months, the dispatches from Manila
declared Germany was our secret foe.
One cunning misrepresentation after an
other was cabled TO this country and pub
| lished in all the newspapers. Acts that
never took place; declarations that were
never made, and circumstances that at
4 no time existed. were cited as proof that
| Germany. was plotting against us. Not
| withstandtng frequent and official denials
| by the German authorities. this Internal
prodding, these exasperating tactics were
| peresvered In until through the upparal-
lelled magnanimity OF the German gov
/ Manila harbor and all German interests
placed under our protection Thus ended
most ingloriously for the republican JIM
| ceived by any cabal.
How any Germaa with the falntest
even one drop of Teutonic blood in his
| veins. can under these circumstances,
| cast a republican ballot and thus become
of party that tried to involve us In
war with a friendly power. passes my I'M
| derstanding
The snnctity of the Flag.
We are. constantly reminded by that
section of the republican party that is
Whole universe That the war in the Phil
| ippines is joint undertaking of the re-
publican party and the Almighty. that 1t
the, political advantage of the former.
and the glory of the latter, and hence.
whoever Yields not unqualified allegiance
lG tnlN artF Isl IT,.
necessarily traitor.
| President Mckinley goes about the
4 country talking to undeveloped school
children: as well as to returning volun-
teers. about the unquestionaDie sanctity
| of the flag. revfving in a somewhat diff
| ferent form the exploded doctrine that
the king can do no wrong by declar-
ing the flag can do no wrong" In about
so many words, we are told that what
flag Is raised. when once floating. 1t
must be kept there at any sacrifice l
| care not from whom this sickening gush
of the infallibility of the flag may come.
| whether from the. temporary occupant Of
the presidential chair, or from some OBJ
scure layman. This doctrine that the
sanctity, and that 1t must be defended
with the last life whether 1t floats from
| Independence Hail. from the top of Bun
ker Hin Monument. or from the newly
| acquired harems of voluptuous Zulu
| chiefs; this doctrine that the flag is as
\ holy an emblem in the one place as in the
/
| Intensely vicious: incapable of being in
| voked in none other than desperate, un-
holy cause, To defend the flag in New
\ York harbor floating from the statue of
Liberty, .enlightening the world" where
| Its glittering stars are saluted with the
voices OF many nations; to defend the
flag where 1t guarantees liberty to every
slave and freedom to every victim of OPP
/ preston. Is an act of the sublimest pa
toriai ATTITUDES where it sanctifies poly
| Samy ana tolerateS slavery, Is task
that can be conscientiously performed
only by those who do not know right
/ A piece of bunting can become Invested
with the character of a flag only when
and stands for principles in themselves
true. When it stands for that which is
barbarous and wrong then the flag looses
that character capable of inspiring men
and becomes again meaningless piece
of bunting. A flag. as all other earthly
things can not only be used, but very
4 readily abused. To wave over a free peo-
pie is the only use for the flag. To hoist
it over harems and other out-lawed in
situations, is the abuse of it.
The War in Cuba.
When the emblem of Spanish tyranny
was replaced in long suffering Cuba with
the stars and stripes. there came from all
| our people one long shout of approval.
Democrats and republicans We're alike
government in dealing the death blow to
the lingering cruelty of inhuman Spain.
BY unanimous vote President Mckinley
was given the key to the national treas
ury and empowered to expend of the peo-
| pies money whatever might be necessary
| to drive Spain from Cuba.
Congress, without hostile vote sa-
luted the Cuban people with the benedic-
ton You are. and of right ought to be
free and Independent.
A Change of Tactics.
Who among us all would have prophe-
sled that the same army and navy, and
| the same appropriation that liberated our
allies in Cuba would at once be employed
against our allies in the Philippines. who
We're lighting for their freedom against
the same tyrant with far more commend
able valor, than ever Cuba did?
In the long list of bloody deeds that
disgrace humankind. none: II seems to me.
Is so entirely black and dastardly as the
awful drama we are now enacting-the
carrying of war by fire and sword into
the devoted homes of an innocent people
who never did us the slightest wrong,
and who battled for their freedom centur-
les before the American colonies raised
the banner of revolt against George the
E1II. To heed not the holy aspirations of
a people who are, striving to secure only
their God-given heritage of freedom. Is
Il wp nv nf hn hnr hor rio To o, 1T