The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-08-06
VIGOROUS CONTENTION OF PROF.
LAUGHLIN AT ANTI-IMPERIAL.-
IST MEETING
CEIlICI>M IS NOT TREASON
AMERICANS HAVE THE RIGHT TO
ASK THAT POLICIES BE MADE
CLEAR TO THEM
GRAVE DANGER IN DECEPTION

Pleads Against the Condemnation
of American Citizens for AdvOcat-
ing the Doctrine Upon Which the
Greatest Republic in the World
Is Founded - Gov. Stone Talks
Some Politics.
CHICAGO, Aug 5-A well attended
meeting of the anti-imperialistfc league
was held tonight, in Resale hall. Prof
Fl. Laurence LaughIin, of Chicago uni
Versity, was the principal speaker.
Addresses were made by Profs. A H
Tolmau and Paul Shorty, of Chicago uni
versity, Frank H Scott and Sigmund
Zeisler.
Prof. Laughlin spoke as follows:
FREEDOM OF SPEECH.
Some wise persons object to any pub
tic protest of this nature because it may
possibly be interpreted as giving aid and
comfort to the enemy. Let us look clos
er at this attitude and its consequences.
If the servants of the people in a short
period of office may be left free to inau-
gurate any new condition whatever and
then claim freedom from criticism be-
cause the conditions of their own crea-
ton have placed them in a critical posi-
llOIlr lIlSn there Is ali emu TO Tree gov
ernment by the people. There is a great
principle at stake here. for which we
ought to contend. Do the sovereign peo-
pie advocate their sovereignty when they
choose a public servant? Why should
they not cry out in alarm at any sur
prislng new departure by their ignorance
our opinion publicly? But objectorS say
we are attacking our chosen leaders in
person. Not at all We are asserting
great and fundamental principles of hu-
manltV and 1ibarfV and IF in
of these principles men in office suffer,
that can be only because they have, of
their own responsibility, put themselves
In opposition to right and justice.
The seeming absence of a policy is.
after all, but a cloak for the most definite
plans to hold the islands at all hazards
under theory of false Consistency The
consistency of words and acts deceive no
one. In all our negotiations with the Fill
ipinos our government said: Surrender
your aspirations for independence and
liberty, and we will then give you what
we Ihlnk VIII be good for you Bear in
mind what that means Bear in mind
Lincoln word: No man is good enough
TO govern another man without that 9th
ers consent. When the white man gov
erns himself. that is government; 4;
but when he governs himself and also
governs another man. that is more than
lf-government-that is despotism.' On
Llncoln own definition, our government
IN the philippines is deSpOtism. On the
theory by which we abolish slavery our
treatment of the Filipinos IS desrntic
Since conquest and expansion are un-
douptedlY the milk In the cOcoanut there
Is nothing for us to do but to discuss that
poncy Squarely and frankly It should
pc opposed on two grounds; first, it is
second. It is wrong in the form Of morals
PREDATORY POLICY.
IF we really desire expansion, then
every argument in favor Of taking the
strength to taking Canada and Mexico
But to take Canada would mean war
with Great Britain. So ho! Then we
took the Philippines, because they were
fend. In other words we have returned
to the predatory policy of the middle
ages, which we used in taking territory
In the Mexican war, and which history
has recorded to our everlasting shame
and disgrace. Look at it in any way we
please, we are in the Philippines for the
lowest and basest of motives. Grant that
under international law of monarchial
nations we have a legal right to be there
Is that any reason for our violation of
every maxim of common sense and
morals? Why sink forever hundreds of
millions of dollars In the Philippines
when We know that the people can never
In centuries be assimilated into an
AnglO-SaXon state; that the land
can never be colonized by the white race
successfully?
1.-The expansion policy IS but another
and immoral expression of the spoils sYs-
tenn It provides district so far
away that, as Secretary Gage said in
be able to apply civil service rules there
1t provides new positions for politicians
and their retainers. So many more lieu
tenats, so many more commissions to
dangle before the workers ON the eve of
another election. The Backward step in
civil service reform was only a part of
the same work-yielding of the principles
of great party to the wolf and the hawk
IN politics. / object to expansion be-
cause it appeals to the lowest motives of
conquest and commercial gain, as against
our duty 10 liberty and free government: ::
object to it, because it assumes that
our people have no principles, as against
the base gains of trade and office and
that Americans are really cruel, despotic
and Indifferent to race fight for liberty
When, in truth, no nation was ever
more ready to nelp struggling people
against q despotic conqueror. Although
we have the same international rights In
the Philippines, which Russia or Ger
place, we could not, as a republic, do
what would be permitted to imperial Rus
sia or Germany.
Some tell US that we can do what we
please with the Philippines because SOW
ereiRnty over them belongs to us by
treaty. So. also, when slavery was per
mitted in the United States by law we
were able to do what we pleased with the
slaves we owned. But after years of tur-
moil and agony, we decided not to do al
that allowed, but in the spirit of right
and justice we set to work to remove our
unjust legal enactments and to give lib
erty and independence TO the slaves. Are
III - llSll4 AN II6e EdIlOQ, JuStl-
fed in doing with the Filipinos all that
international law would permit TO anv
monarchial nation? God forbid! If our
political principles are anything else
than hypocritical falsehoods, we have no
more moral ground for demanding the
unconditional surrender of the natives
than we should have had for the continu-
ance Of slavery under the cover of law.
Right and freedom are above all techni-
cal legal enactments whether national
or International, in the progress of man
kind laws must conform to right"