The San Francisco call., 1899-09-06
INTEMPERATE UTTERANCE.

! severe test the endurance OF those who favor H.
We have no sympathy with any who descend to
personalities in the great controversy nor with those
who use 1t merely means to get otlce But WTen
discussion turns upon intemperance OF utterance Is
not to be forgotten that began with the advocates
OF imperialism The President is himself responsible
for the ant-mperialist sentiment He was its fist
leader and exponent His declaration that forcible
annexation would be criminal aggression opposed to
Our national code of morals, the most extreme
expression that has been uttered 1t was IN PLAIN
terms the denunciation OF conquest as crime Inc
conscience OF the country accepted 1t, and has
not readily changed with the President. who now
offers another example OF extreme statement by de-
nouncng as 'rebels' an alien people who are re
sistng forcible annexation The reason why people
who accepted the Presidents first expression have not
veered to his second is to be sought in the style
chosen by imperalists in the beginning OF their advo-
cacy OF their novel policy. When General Merritt
admitted last January that that policy was IN opposl-
ton the constitution. but declared that the country
had outgrown the constitution, which no longer
worth discussing he alarmed the people That alarm
was not lessened when Whitelaw Reid one OF the
Commissioners who made the Paris treaty, said that
the time had come to teach the American people the
absurdity of the Declaration OF Independence.
The Tribune is wroth because audience in
church in Cincinnati facing Murat Hastead, gave
uterance 10 sympathy for Aguinaldo; but IS silent
about that other audience in church in Chicago,
which last April heard approvngly their pastor Hen
son. denounce the Declaration OF Independence as
the most damnabe lie invented by the devil to
deceive men.
The Cincinnati audience guilty OF the otfense
OF passionate utteranCe upon issue that can be de-
cided only by the temperate and sober mind. The
Chicago audience was guilty OF position that strikes
A -,
country for weeks the sentiment favored by the
Tribune declared itself in contempt OF the constitu-
ton and in enmity to the Declaration OF Indepen-
dence Those declarations were abhorrent to every
sentiment OF patriotism and to every aspiration OF
liberty They were in rebuke OF the men who died
for the establishment OF the republic and of the other
countless thousands who fell in red that the
Union might be perpetuated The men who were
most moved to action by these sinister and alarming
expressions OF venom against the principles OF our
Government were Republicans OF the school OF Lin
coin In all his utterances he went back to the
Declaration of independence as the rock on which
the republic is founded. He gored in its statement
of the fundamental truths OF civil government, and
declared that when tyrants and traitors assa1ed the
principle of the equality OF the would go
back forever that Declaration to their title to
the guarantees OF the constitution.
we nave redQ no apology IOl IhSllltl, NClu anu
Henson The imperialists, instead OF repudiating
their venom against the constitution and the Decara
ton. have defantly adopted it into their creed.
Having done so, they turn upon the anti-imperial-
lists and npeach their motives because OF Incorporate
and passionate expressions by who believe that
orcible annexation is criminal aggression, opposed
to our national code of morals.
The anti-imperalst sentiment does not need to take
refuge in epithet 1t represents the sober mind OF
the country which will finally decide the issue. 1t
resorts to no legend motto beyond the words OF
President Mckinley himself, which have already
quoted He stated the case OF ant-mperiaism better
than any other has stated it. In his statement the
whole case is carried. EulOgies of Agunaldo
necessary Let him stand where the Presidents
phrase put him as the victim OF criminal aggression.
In that character his personal merits and dement's
are lost sight Of Above all things, the soldiers OF
the country are deserving OF all honor. They have
done their best and highest in obedience their duty
and their oath 1t is the President himself who has
described them as engaged under orders, in criminal
aggression opposed to national morality. No
other has gone further in Characterization. All the
greater sympathy goes out to the troops that they
sent to a duty so described by the same President
who orders them to 1t.
The war OF conquest should be speedily closed for
only when it is over does the experiment begin for
which it was undertaken. The nature OF that expert
ment is revealed in the commercial expectations Of
the imperalists These have had their latest expires
sion in the utterances OF Senator Carter an earnest
mperialist, who says: "The Republican party will
retain the Philippines matter Of business profit
This is practical age We going to deal with
this question on the basis of dollars and II the
American people believe that the Philippines
going to help u.s. they will let the islands go
TT on the other hand they find that the Philippnes
mean constant drain and small returns, you will find
the people against permanent retention. Neither re-
ligion nor sentiment will have much influence in de
er1nining the verdict. The great question is Will it
pay?"
We suppose the Tribune will admit that this is the
first time in our history that Americans have been
asked to go beyond seas in poison climate, to wage
war for mere dollars and cents and to make con-
quest in order to see whether it will pay when made
and to give it up if it doesn't
The anti-imperalists have need to use epthets
10 +l,eir