New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-09
THE LATEST VARIETY OF TRAITOR.

The great loyal meeting at Chicago was en-
tirely right in declaring that the cohuuc' %
such men as Atkinson, Laughlin ana Starr is
reasonable 1t differs from the treason lor
which Vallandgham was sentenced during the
Civil War only In the fact that they canno'
roocb INV considerable number OF persons
whom, their utterances can influence, whIe' the
Northern traitors In 1863 were able to reach anu
,neuence the minds Of many Union soldiers IN
the service. and OF great bodies of inhabitants
q, tho revoltcd States. II the two cases were IN
that one respect the same, Il would propapiy
become the duty OF the GoVernihen' ~ p'"''D
now as 1t punished then.
The criticism that public notice OF these men
only gives their ideas wider circulation Is HIS
taken. because the widest possible circuiatoh
only deepens and intensiies the popular 1eeIlns
toward men of the Vallandigham SORT Inc
mistake of these persons and their newspaper
hackers Is in supposlng that the people are not
loval. and have not a thoroughly intelligent anu
profoundly earnest approval OF their Govern
ment 1t need not be said to any VINO nave
watched the development Of public opinion IN
This country that there would have been long
MO q strong expression of popular approval LOT
those In Congress and elsewhere who set them'
selves against the course Of the Government
unless the public feeling had been wellnigh
unanimous. II does not take large minority In
this country TO make a great noise, and the
WILD takers and writer's are sufficiently numer-
ous IN get I'm n considerable stir II there were
even a small minority to shout approvai. Inc
performances Of these vociferous persons nave
net so little response, have been treated WIN
such contempt or Reproduction, and nave causeo
so many of their former associates to draw
back with disgust, that they have given useful
evidence Of the Astounding loyalty OF public
feeling
It is the special mistake Of agitators against
expansion that they make an appearance OF
being more ignorant and more lacking In ordl-
nary commons sense than the plain people VINO
Judge them. There are many millions OF Amer
leans who have never written books. nor
taught in colleges nor advertised themselves by
extravaganza of speech, but who know enough
of current events to know that II is a falsehood
for anybody to pretend that Aguinaldo and his
followers represent the great body Of the Phil
innine inhabitants. or that the Government be-
gan war against them or that they have been
anywhere treated with cruelty or harshness
beyond the limits of civilized warfare. When
writer or professor pretenus ho' W hno" 'no'o
things the millions of plain people do not be-
lieve him, since they cannot conceive how he
should be so much more ignorant than them
selves. It is the final and fatal mistake that
men keep up ranting who can suggest no prac-
teal mode of dealing with the Philippines, con-
sistently with the laws Of nations the honor OF
the flag, and the duties of the Government
toward those who have accepted Its authority
and protection. Men who do not dare to face
the real problems with which the Government
has to deal show even to the planest minds
that they are not sincere in pretending to be
governed by n sense of right or duty.