Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-10-07
DEGREES nv LOYALTY.

Evidently realizing the unfortunate po-
sit'on in which it has placed itself before
the public, through an ardent defense
of A~guinaldo and his cause, the Anaconda
this morning makes an effort
to show that the word "~copperhead' can
not with propriety be applied to the OPP
ponents of the government in the pres
ent war. It bases it's distinction between
those who sympathized with the confed-
eracy and those who sympathize with
the Filipino cause purely on the relative
Importance. of the respective conflicts. 1t
says:
The attempt to draw a parallel between
the Philippine question and our great
civil war, which involved the very life Of
the nation, is SO far-fetched and mon
strcusly absurd, as to throw it entirely
outside the pale of legitimate discussion.
The belief that the question is "outside
the. pale of legitimate discussion"
probably accounts for the efforts of our
contemporary to discuss it illegitimately.
Upon no other hypothesis a the Stan
dard's attitude be accounted for, when
it attempts to establish what might be
termed degrees of loyalty. When a war
takes place which involves "the very life
Of the nation" a man who sympathizes
with the enemies of his country is a cop
perhead. This the Standard comedies,
thereby giving webster's dictionary the
benefit Of it's endorsement. But when
q war takes place which does not involve
the life of the nation. then a man who
syinpathizes with the enemies Of his
country Is not a copperhead but just as
good an all around patriot as anybody
else! 1t requires more than half a col
umn for the Standard to tell it, out that
Is precisely the position it takes. To the
ordinary citizen this distinction will APP
pear absurd.
The question of the magnitude of a war,
or its effects upon the life Of the nation,
cannot be determined until it has passed
Into history and ultimate results are
weighed. When the c%opperhead of the
civil war was in a state of fermentation
IL "a IC ACoOlllOh "
been predicted, had his advise been fol-
lowed. He insisted that the government
should recognize the c~onfederacy as an
independent republic bring the war ia
an immediate close. In this respect he
set an example that is religiously follow
ed by the copperhead Of to-day.
="
When the Standard says the civil wal
involved the very life of the nation" II
uses a figure of speech, merely to show
that it was a big war as compared witt
a little war. Had the democratic idea
of permitting the southern states to Sc
up a government of their own prevailed
under what was then claimed to be tn
constitutional right of secession, the lf'
OF the federal government would not hav'
been involved, though it would ave SUI
fered the loss OF much of it's territory
Loss OF territory, honorably acquired b.
the recognized processes of the civilized
world, would likewise be one of the eff
fects of democratic advice at the presen
time, We're the government to leave Agui
naldo in possession of the field. 1t is to-
early to foresee what other results Nigh
take place in the endless chain Of cause
aud effects.
The issue before us. however, has t
do merely with the personal attitude o
the individual toward the government
when it is engaged in war. If he be
patriot he will stand by his country an
its cause, and his sympathies will be wit
its flag, despite his local political afilia
tons. If he be a copperhead he will d
just as men of his type did during tn
war of the rebellion-give his sympath
and best wishes to the enemies of hi
country. The causes leading up to a wal
and the issues involved in the contes
justify no one in giving aid and comfor
directly or indirectly, to the enemies q
his country-it matters not whether it b
"a big war. involving "the very life of tn
nation or a little war, involving it's hon
Or and dignity and commercial suprem
acy on the high seas.
Loyalty to the flag is not a question c
. Individual opinion as to the effects whic