Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1899-11-17

grieved because his countrymen do not
receive him on his return to our shores
with hilarious approval of the treaty or
agreement which he negotiated with that
lousy and greasy but illustrious, IIadii
Mohammed Womoloi kiran WOndo. sui
tan of the Sulu islands, proprietor of a
royal harem and owner of flock of
slaves worth, in blocks of ten, twenty
dollars apiece, which treaty binds our
government to pay his royal highness
$1,000 a year for himself and smaller
salaries for the members of his court,
and to protect him in the enjoyment of
his concubines and the ownership of his
slaves as long as he shall allow the
stars and stripes to float over his shanty-
palace and refrain from butchering and
eating visiting Yankees.
In reply to his critics the professor
petulantly says that If it were not for
their ignorance their "present hue and
cry about The protectorate that has been
established over polygamy and slavery
in those islands would be absolutely
criminal" Then he informs us that the
100000 people who live on the Sulu
group are all Mohammedans that poly
gamy and slavery are a part of their
religion; that their men are "strong"
and so fanatical that they 'care nothing
for death and believe heaven can be at
tanned by killing Christians" and taht "to
attempt to interfere with the wives and
concubines and slaves of these warriors"
would "precipitate one of the bloodiest
wars in which this country has ever
been engaged and therefore, to keep
the peace, he made the treaty under
discussion.
This sounds a little strange coming
from college professor, preacher and
purity, but we are not going to quarrel
with him; indeed, we are about ready to
stop objecting to anything that comes to
us from the Philippines, and if we were
not, we could see some FEASIBILITY in
his argument. AS he suggests, we can
not afford one of the bloOdiest wars In
our history in order to convince our fel.
low-citizens of Suuland that we are
commissioned by Providence to teach
them to be content with one wife each
and to part with their slaves and do
their own work, for we have got all the
fighting we can attend to at present in
another quarter. Then, again. since we
have become world power and extended
our dominion over all sorts of people 1t
may be necessary to add to our assert
ment of religious creeds and pious
practices by taking in Mohammedanism
and Paganism and embracing their con.
stituent parts, including slavery and
polygamy. An imperial nation cannot
do business on a narrow, exclusive scale
in anything.
Once more, some consideration ia due
the sultan for the suave and gentle man
ner in which he received Schurman, and
the liberal terms on which he agreed tC
become an American citizen. Not long
ago an eminent English naturalist wht
was making Investigations in the Philip
pines called at the Sulu palace armed
with letter of Introduction and &C
cOmpanied by an interpreter and asked
establishment, from whom he wished t.
obtain permit to study botany, geology
and ORTHODOXY in the vicinity. II,
was told at the door that he could not b,
admitted because the sultan was in bat
temper, having been obliged to beheat
that morning one of his cOncu5ines tina
he had detected in an act of infidelity
But no such reception awaited an am
bassador, who. so to speak, wake,
straight into the open arms of tn
puissant potentate and his flock of wve
had very enjoyable visit with them.
Furthermore it is to be considered tina
a salary of $4,000 per annum for tn
supreme sovereign of country is dir
cheap, even if he is a dirty sovereig
and his country is little one. O
course 1t tears from our Constitution tn
clause which declares that "neithe
slavery nor involuntary servitude, eS
cept as punishment for crime. shaI
exist in the United States, or in an
place subject to their jurisdiction,"
have the symbol of our authority fl0a
ing over slave pen, and it burlesque
have harem protected by our army an
supported by drafts upon our treasury
but the Constitution was not made I
cover conditions that exist in the Eas
this year. The men who made 1t wei
far behind these times. 1t might as we
be admitted that we can not save III
document and scoop in the Sulus at ii
same time, and as the Sules must COM
! the Obsolate constitution must go. B.
yond this we may say that If we are
sanction slavery we might as we'll tai
polygamy with it. These reasons wi
not reconcile fussy folks to the Schu
man treaty, but we submit that no othe
so good can be given for approving
and therefore that they must stan
Mirror and Farmer.