Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-07-13
VIEWS OF AN ABLE STATESMAN.

Ex-senator EQmuuuS IN Inc iHuepchuohh |
In government of the people the
national conscience consists OF the
average conscience of the people who
maintain it and elect its officers. II the
Ten Commandments and the Sermon
on the Mount are the standards of the
conduct Of the individual they must be
of five, or one hundred, or one million
acting together-Nation,S State, Munici-
pality, Trust, Corporation, Labor Union,
Church, or any other combination of
men.
Superiority in intelligence or physical
power cannot alter the fundamental
verify of things. The good that any
government does and the evil that 1T |
does is the good deed or the evil deed |
of every citizen that supports 1t in the
act The intelligence, the morality, |
and the industry of the man, the family,
and neighborhood, are the only founda-
| ton and measure of good government.
| 1t was TO defend and secure these that
the Declaration was given to the world.
Liberty of person., liberty of labor,
and liberty OF opinion and speech and
of religious worship, and equality of
rights would, our fathers thought, pro-
duce Justice and order with all that
these terms imply. We have pursued
the experiment of government under
these standards for now 1913 years. On
the whole, it has proved, with all its
failures to keep to the standard, tho
best system of government yet known
among men.
Internally IL has shown great prog
, ress; much as yet remains TO be am
! proved and rectitied in securing to Its
, citizens the rights which it provides
! for. But in the family of nations and
peoples which cover the globe we have
! stood, like the others unrestrained by
ANYTHING save our own will or want OF
. strength, although it is self-evident
! that the same principles of Justice
should be applied in the relations OF
:, nations that we have made the COM
polling standards in our internal affairs.
!. But as we are stronger than most
! nations we ought, if we really believe
y in the great truths on which our govern
ment is founded, to be scrupulous in the
: highest degree, in our conduct toward
a every people with whom we have to do.
y Whether we have been so is question
"a it is the bounden duty of every citizen
4 to consider, and if he thinks the officers
! the people have elected are mistaken
!, in their policy or wrong in their con
= duct of affairs he ought to say so, anc
I do his best to correct the wrong ane
=, change or modify the policy. This II
\; the very essence Of the political dut,
80 of a citizen. And, reciprocally, thu
officers of the government are bound al
\; faithful agents to give the fulles
4 information in respect of their ad
- ministration and withhold nothing
rs other than what the public safety ma.
IA require to be kept secret for the time
~ The Importance of this duty in tn
~ present unhappy condition OF GU
4 affairs is very great. AS one instance
~, and Just now the most urgent one, tn
- people ought to know precisely wha
80 took place between our authorities IN
~ agents and the rebel forces and authori
81 ties in the Philippines before tn
% capture of Manila, and what took rlat
~ after it, what were and have been ii
ny instructions to our forces there; whi
na were and have been all the instruction
to the commissioners sent there, an
what was the real reason of the
failure to secure peace. According
the the reports of the time, the Philippii
I'M, people were struggling by war to
VII free from the Spanish oppression befo
,rd- and at the time our fleet appeared
the Manila, and were our co-operatil
ing friends until after the fall of that cit
lvet and had and still have possession
nge the principal islands except few tow
Hid along the coast.
rug Had Spain, then, anything to cede
~, us other than a pretended sovereign
,h,e that did not exist in fact?
han Under wha circumstances did I
ket. friendship and operation of the FL
her pinos change to one of hostility, a
which still continues?
While the events of the past cam
g.. be reversed, the present and the futi,
Sir are in our hands. How shall We d
IAN, charge our responsibilities of Just
p pne and Just policy
mere First, let US know the whole truth
ufe, what has happened. and then perhi
lace the advocates of glory or dominion
trade or civilization and religion
yanced by the cannon and the bayon
- n. and supported by the blood and treas
!, o. of our people, can point out to us b
he these are the ways of pleasantness
hich Vhe pains Vi poaoo
~ tEyery we'll man hath his i'll day." Whel