The record-union., 1899-02-06

life to the better side of living, then
there should be no age limit, and the
youth not be discharged until he or she
is fully equipped to engage in the
struggle with the world alone and I'M
aided.
The response further goes on to say
that as a matter of fact children are
not peremptorily discharged from these
institutions at IA, but are retained,
their support being drawn from the
contributions of the generous minded
made to the orphan asylums. and that
all these institutions take especial care
to discharge no inmate until a good
and permanent home Is secured for
them. To this 1t Is rejoined that the
State should not send any ward of its
care to private charity for support
That as a matter of fact there are
many instances in which the child
taken from these institutions to what
is presumably good home, is set
adrift from 1t without means of sup
port or sufficient knowledge or skill to
make his or her way alone.
To this answer is made that in such
cases most institutions will again re-
ceive the child; that when they secure
homes for their inmates they take care
to bind the new guardian to such term
and extended guardianship as to insure
the minor home training for the period
of early habit formation. Thus the de-
bate stands with much the heavier and
better moral reasons with the pro-
ponents of the advancement of the age
during which State aid is given and the
strong financial argument and tax
paying ability of the people supporting
the negative.
If the proposition should prevail. 1t
will greatly broaden the work of the
orphan asylums and augment their
usefulness. On the other hand it may
prove unwise expenditure in this, that
it may necessitate the reduction of the
per capita. Besides, those are heard
in opposition who insist that the State
Is already so liberal in its benefac-
items to orphans that the asylums can
well afford to carry the children on over
the age of II. as in fact they do, and
that without any particular discomfort
or urgent begging. To all which the
affirmative respond with the demand
that the State shall do its duty to help
less children regardless Of expense, and
that its moral obligations should not
bear the dollar mark.
If the demand of the Filipino insur-
gents should be acceded to and their in
dependence be recognized, what would
be the conditions then. An armed body
in the interior which would be Obliged
to set up and maintain a civil govern
ment that as yet scarcely more than
exists upon paper. 1t would be without
navy or any of the necessary ma
chinery or arms Of government to pro-
tect foreign residents, the property OF
aliens and non eombatants, or to en-
force commercial regulations. 1t would
therefore speedily determine into die
tatorship, against which all the ma
tions having interests In the Philip
pines would arise for the protection of
their own. Anarchy would supervene
and the stronger Powers would seize
the islands and divide them as spoil.
Our recognition of the Filipinos would
impose upon US the task of maintaining
respect for that recognition, and we
VIC uld at once be involved in a danger
Gus struggle with foreign Powers In
the end we would be compelled to es-
tablish a protectorate over the archi-
pelago. In short, we would be landed
precisely where we are now, plus war,
loss of blood and treasure, besides in
volyed relations with other Powers. But
as matters now stand all nations recog-
nize the treaty of Paris as legitimate,
our possession of the Capital and chief
port of the islands as absolute, our as
sertion of military and civil power as
complete, and they are thus estopped
from any interference or intermeddling
In his last paper on the Merrimac In
cident, Lieutenant Hobson says the
Spanish officers sought to commit him
to statements they desired. But he
refused to answer the inquisition that
was organized for the purpose except
upon the condition that Admiral Ger
vera, to whom he had surrendered, and
the British Consul Ramsden, who rep
resented American interests at Santf-
ago de Cuba, We're first informed Of
the inquisition and Of the questions
asked, namely, what was the purpose
of steaming the Merrimac into the
channel? This refusal under conditions
put an end to the investigation, since
it gave no ground for treating him as
contumacious witness, and they did
not evidently wish Mr.. Ramsden to APP
pear in the matter. Not more success
full was one OF the inquisitorial officers
with Hobsons men. They We're asked,
also, for what purpose the Merrimac
was sailed in, whereupon Charette
drew himself up proudly and replied in
firm voice: "In the American navy
it is not the custom for a seaman to
know, or to ask to know, the object of
his superior officer" Which splendid
answer lifts Charette far up in the esti-
nation of manly men, and inspires in