The Irish standard., 1899-10-21
CARL sCHURZ on IMPERIALISM.

|
speaker was Hon. Carl Schurz, the Ger
man leader and statesman. He. made
the speech of the day, and his patriotic
American utterances will produce ire
mendous effect in the Ohio campaign
with the sons of the fatherland and their
descendants. When Mark Hanna and
his merry men peruse the speech OF Carl
Schurz they will appeal to the Repub-
licans OF the country in agonizing tones
for more money in addition to the mill
ion dollars already demanded from them
to carry Ohio for imperialism.
We cannot do better than to give our
readers the peroration of Carl Schurz's
mastery address. After reviewing the
events in the Philippines, Mr.. Schurz
closed as follows:
The country has these days highly and
dcservedly honored Admiral Dewey as
a national hero. Who are his true
friends-those who would desecrate
Dewey's splendid achievement at Ma
Mia by making it the starting point OF
criminal aggression, and thus the open
ing OF a most disgraceful and inevitably
disastrous chapter of American history,
to be remembered with sorrow, or those
who strive SO to shape the results of that
brilliant feat of arms, that it may stand
in history not as part of treacllerous
conquest, but as a true victory of Amer
lean good faith in an honest war of lib
Grafton and humanity-to be proud OF
for all time, as Dewey himself, no doubt
meant it to be?
I know the imperialists will say that
have been pleading here for Aguinaldo
and his Filipinos against Our republic.
No-not for the Filipinos merely, al
though, as one OF those who have
grown gray in the struggle for free and
honest government, would never be
ashamed to plead for the cause of free
dom and independence, even when its
banner is carried by dusky and feeble
lands. But am pleading for more. 1
am pleading for the cause OF American
honor and self-respect, American inter-
csts, American democracy-ay, for the
cause OF the American people against
an administration of our public affairs
which has wantorly plunged this coun-
try into an ubiquitous war; which has
disgraced the republic by scandalous
breach of faith to people struggling
for their freedom whom we had used as
allies; which has been systematically
seeking to deceive and mislead the pub
lie mind by the manufacture of false
news; which has struck at the very
foundation OF our constitutional govern
nlent by an executive usurpation of the
war power; which makes sport Of the
great principles and high ideals that
have been and should ever remain the
guiding stars OF our course; and which,
unless stopped in time, will transform
this government OF the people, for the
people by the people into an imperial
government cynically calling itself re-
publican-a government in which the
noisy worship OF arrogant might will
drown the voice OF right; which will
impose upon the people burdensome
and demoralizing militarism, and which
will be driven into policy OF wild and
rapacious adventure by the unscrupu-
lous greed of the exploiter policy al
ways fatal to democracy.
l plead the cause OF the American
people against all this, and I here de-
clare my profound conviction that if
this administration of our affairs were
submitted for Judgment to a popular
vote on clear issue, it would be con-
demned by an Overwhelming majority.
| confidently trust that the American
people will prove themselves too clear
headed not to appreciate the vital differ
cnce between the expansion of the re-
public and it's free institutions over con-
tiguous territory and kindred popula-
tons, which we all gladly welcome if
accomplished peaceably and honorably
and imperialism which reaches out for
distant lands to be ruled as subject prov
inces; too intelligent not to perceive
that Our very first step on the road of
imperialism has been betrayal of the
fundamental principles of democracy
followed by disaster and disgrace; too
enlightened not to understand that a
monarchy may do such things and still
remain a strong monarchy, while de-
mocracy cannot do them and still re-
main a democracy; too wise not to de-
tcct the false pride or the dangerous
ambitions, or the selfish schemes which
SO Often hide themselves under that de-
ccptive cry OF mock patriotism: "Our
country, right or wrong" They will
not fail to recognize that our dignity,
our free institutions, and the peaee and
welfare Of this and coming generations
OF Americans will be secure only as we
cling to the watcbword OF true patriot
ism: Our country-when right to be
kept right; when wrong to be put
right"