The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1899-05-27
Filipinos Owe No Allegiance to
The American Flag.
PRINCIPLES OF LIBERTY INDICATED
Aguinaldo Broke Spain's Power
In The Philippines.

In his speech at the great anti-imperi-
alist meeting in Chicago on April 3o
Rev. DR.. Lloyd Jones said in part:
I'VE cannot violate the eternal princi-
pies of liberty in the Far East without
at the same time striking blow at our
democracy at home. Today the exercise
OF our constitutional right of free speech
is called treason, tomorrow it may be
lesc majcstc. The Imperialism OF today
may be the militarism OF tomorrow and
the Caesarism OF the day after tomor-
row.
For more than century the people
OF this country have consccratcd their
best efforts to the cultivation OF the arts
OF peace, to the pursuit OF civic virtues,
to the successful solution OF the prob
lens OF popular government. Who is
guilty OF treason now? We who de-
mand that Our people shall steadiastly
pursue this course OF national virtue and
continue to build upon the noble founda-
ton laid by the great architects OF our
republic, or those who would egg us on
to adventurous wars, to land grabbing
expeditions, to a crusade against liberty,
to the vast increase OF our burdens OF
taxation, to the wanton sacrifice of
| American lives, to the spoliation and de-
struction OF an innocent people, to the
overthrow of our own best traditions?
| They tell us that manifest destiny has
guided our course. The cry OF manifest
destiny is cowardly evasion OF rcspon-
sibility. The statement that destiny de-
termines duty is meaningless and hol-
low phrase. 1t bcgs the whole question
as to what our duty was and is. Destiny
indeed! A destiny bcgotten to order,
destiny which is the bastard child OF
blatant jngoism and mcrccnary COM
mcrcialism.
"Thcy tell us that the Filipinos are
rebels and that it is right to shoot them
down as such. Rebels? Since when do
the Filipinos owe allegiance to our flag?
| Perhaps since we purchased them OF
| Spain and paid s. a head for them. What
| right had Spain to sell them to us?
Spain's title to the Philippines was
clouded by century OF revolt against
her misrule and oppression, title as
bad and as full OF flaws as that to Cuba,
Of which we declared a year ago that
she is and of right ought to be free and
independent And what right did we
have to purchase the Filipinos? What
right have We to force upon them
our rule? Woe to the day on which a
majority Of the American people will
have forgotten the solemn declaration
OF the builders OF our nation that all men
are created equal that among the in
alienable rights of man are life, liberty
and the pursuit OF happiness. Woe to the
day when the American people will be
prepared to deny that governments de-
rive their just powers from the consent
OF the governed"
Applause at this point interrupted the
speaker. When the audiences demon
stration had ceased he resumed:
"But they tell us the Filipinos have
misunderstood Our motives; no designs
upon their territory were lurking in the
mperialistic heart; we we're guided by
the purest philanthropy Away with
such hypocrisy. Away with such sancti-
monious declarations that are belied by
our every act The truth is that the ma
tional administration, misled into the
false belief that such course would be
popular, coveted the possession of the
Philippines as permanent colony. The
truth was half admitted by Secretary
Gage, when in a speech in the South
last fall, he stated that our policy in the
Philippines was philanthropy and S per
cent Philanthropy and S per cent! A
philanthropy so passionate that in our
iron embrace the object of our tender
love is hugged to death. And per
cent? Where do they come in? The
advantages OF owning the Philippines
are most problcmatical Not in one hum
dred years could they repay the bare
cost of subjugating them and keeping
them in subjection. And so we shall
turn out to be deceived deceivers.
"Our attitude toward the Philippines
was fundamentally wrong from the be-
ginning. From the outset we treated
them as spoils of war The day after
the battle Of Manila the jingo press 81
the whole country set up in unison the