The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-14
FITNESS FOR sELF-GoVERnMENT.

HI FITNESS. FOR EEE+GOVERNMENT.
is IA 4 al gutneat. that was generally accepted as
K valid .yyas made. Il justify OR !. seizure. 81
( IfaViai to- tie effect that the natives did not
fight for epeHdenGes AS they had permitted
foreign eerneft constructing less than cent OF
popuatlo All aeficatl rslails6i-4ar to
oyerthronS then chosen constitutional Government,
we justified their nabtyfor serfsdeferise
and cur national corscietaee seeaed t9 be satisfied
Thereby As the Hasaans would not offer 10 WING
an American faal+ Senator Morgan declared
thst they eqfld not sllstain4an independent Goxeril
meat and we had rightfo si&bjngqte their SOW
eregilty Tor the purpose 81 giving tfetIa good Grove
eminent COX them and have not YET been
able to agreeupon the kind f good 15ovefri1ie1t they
ere fo ae, for Congre S. aS not Yet passed ain act
er2bodyng any form ot goseTnirelt. But we. have
assulIed theiT public debt o sQopoo6 and are pay
ING out of our Teasrry teSdst Of their pubfc e5tab-
tishrlteft Is # Ell -. ::
Our attitude IN the case 81 Hawaii seemed to estabe
lfsilit principle Ii be: considered byus i dealing
with other nations that 1aast prove their fit.
ness Tor oyeEnnent fighting Tor The Hawaii
ans would not gilt and lose Their and therefore
lost their Independence He Cabasas no viewer were
trilculef fought and Being supplied with motley
and arms the UhIted States in violation OF onr
treaty with Spain and of our international obligations
they kept up warfare for three years Applying tc
them the doctrine that gave US Hawaii we said that
as they fought for Independence they had earned it.
and, although they had not made much impression
upon SPAN, and did net hold a single seaport nor
own, as a Government. a single ship at sea- we de
clared that SPAIN having failed to stop their ght for
independence for three years must vacate the island
and surrender her Sovereignty there or We would ex
pei her By force which we thereupon proceeded to do
Now, here it appears that we established two very
distinct and important principles in our international
policy, II any people won't fight for Independence
we have the right to seize their country il We can get
ahead OF. other nations which are abroad hunting.
prey any people will fight for independence we
Will JON them and give them aid to secure ii
hat seems plain and simple, and the immortality OF
the Tst principle so1nelvat saitened and redeemed
by the atfusrfr of the second. ..< .:<:~ a
American entlrent having settled don TO the as
sertjon Of these two principles and the AMERICAN
cQflscience having been quieted and soQttied BY the
balance which they establfshfbe one ofsetting tile
other, is now Disturbed and. Summoned to- swallow
anather acute change and assifniiate anew argument
On Sunday morning. "a day devoted to tltaIghts OF
peac, on earth and good VIII toward men; and to the
as uranee That righteousness exaitetha nation while
sin IS reproach 70 any people. It was annpunced
that the fact that THE Fping$ were fgFting"for their
PROOF contention
tha they are unfit for eli-gorernraentt :"
Having this evidence of such u1lfitness the
American Conscience mist straghtway adjust itself
to their bloody conquest It is snrfourced that we
have already IN the carnage four days, destroyed
5000 Of them thus removing from the scene their
unftness and incapacy that number Of persons UNI
qualified for independence and selfgover1ment OUR
nlen-o-War and gunboats have enforced the fact
hist we wtoierate no such evidence Of unftness for
self-goyern1et as fighting Tor it. shelling all the
unfortifed bamboo Villages within range: OF our fine
guns and wiping them and the families they sheltered
of the face OF the land which is not to be independ-
eht, because; under "our newest rule OF right and
duty these people with their feeble means Of re-
sstaHce, were still willing wlfully and mistakenly 10
prove their unthess Tor segovernnent@ dying to
secure i'll **<
1t viii be seen that since we became a ,'wordi
power wehave not only made it hot for the Amer
lean taxpayer and for the people who will or will not
fight for independence, but have also laid up trouble
Tor that neabe personality known and hailed as ,the
Genius Of History But her troubles are not yet
over II DIR complete conquest OF the Philippines is
not made within three years, and so made that our
presence there is not mere armed occupation the
other rule that we established against Spain will ap-
ply to unless we are able to move and carry an
amendment ....
Meantime a. comparison Of experience between
a Kanaka and Filipino would be Of much interest
tc.them and the outside world The one having been
absorbed because he did not fight and the other be-
cause he did, the absorber in each case being the land
OF the free and the home of the brave, they will be
compelled TO admit that TO the heather in his blind
ness the ways of Godfearing Christian people are
past finding out.
~. +. - = s-z@z~l@1.-1aa-D-@1-.
A PLEA FOR JUSTICE.