Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1899-04-07
Letter from George Newton.

LSttSl Ull 0SVI6 81 ANSV sVA'
Mt. PLEASANT, Iowa, March 80, 80.
EDITORS AGITAToR: In this, the clos
ing year OF the Nineteenth century, in
the day of combines and trusts, in this
day of imperialism, capitalism, Eagan.
ism and all the otherisms known to man,
it is quite amusing to a bystander to
stick his head up above all this so-called
Americanism and take few notes.
There arc many very amusing things to
note. It's wonder that everybody on
this American continent don't laugh
themselves to death over the fact that
we are expanding in territory, expand
ing in debt, increasing our combines and
trusts, advancing wages or 10 per
cent and increasing prices of home CON-
modities from 20 to 80 per cent; civiliz-
ing and Outstanding our new posses
sions by shooting them down and burn
ing their property.
And there are other things to laugh at,
such as our government hiring. at big
price, investigating boards to find men
ouilty--of sending rotten, poison beef to
our army, and also guilty of rottenncss
of mouth. They find these men guilty,
and punish (?) them by retiring them on
full pay l think it would bea good idea
tor Mckinley to appoint one more inves-
tigating board, and have it composed OF
good, sensible men. If this was done,
every man connected with the running OF
this war, from president down, would
be ousted in three minutes.
How can we expect the people of the
Philippines and Cuba to be civilized by
party that has run things in the way
they have been run? Of course, if we
could civilize those people in the future,
in the right way, that would be all right;
but the question is, Will that be accom-
plished, | don't see how it can be &C
complisled by killing their women and
children and burning their property
don't believe you can shoot or burn
Christianity into any people on earth, be
they white or black. 1t will be ques-
ton of the loss of many lives, both to
the foreigners and to our own blood and
kin. Who will stand responsible for the
loss of those lives when it comes to the
Day of Judgment? I don't believe our
Savior ever intended for His gospel to be
spread in that way. He said forus to 90
out in all the world and preach the gos-
Del. He did not say for us to teach the
heather with shot and shell.
The Kansas City Starstates that Mark
Hanna and his clique of capitalists have
already tried to get the Cuban govern
ment to take loan of them for many
millions of dollars; and because General
Gomez has refused to be a party to the
plunging of his country into further
bondage, they have deposed him. Isn't
this enough to show any one why these
American expansionists are so anxious
for the control of these countries! The
same men who have grasped this Ameri-
can republic by the throat are the very
men who are on the throne to-day. It's
these wiley foxes with smooth tongues
who are so sad at heart ~ for those
poor, helpless heather.
If our government would treat those
foreign people as William Penn treated
the American Indians, they would not
have so much use for smokeless pow Ter
and Mauser bullets. You can convert
sinners by kindness and love, but you
cannot do it by force.
Our Republican friends are making
such a great fuss about wages being adj
yanced all over the land, and, therefore,
prosperity is here" but they forget to
tell about these same men having their
wages cut the past two years. Now,
hey are only placed back to where they
is all. Why have the manu-
acturcrs advanced wages? Simply be-
.ause they have made their combinations
, little stronger, thereby enabling them Il