The Independent. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1895-1905, 1899-01-02
RANK HYPOCRISY.

Don't Open Robbery with Prayers.
Now that the treaty has been sign
ed, we trust to hear no more OF all
the sentimental drivel about "holy
war;" "duty and destiny" and a
"war for humanity" Last May the
Argonaut remarked that the protest
atoms that this was "not war Of
conquest" mot war Of revenge"
and the countless sermons saying
that this was "holy and philan-
thropic war;" we're snug hypocrisies
and lies. We said then that war
was not conducted with bibles and
hymn. books, with snuffling and
psalm singing, with bouquets and
rose water. War is waged with bull
let's and mems bodies, and this war,
we said, would be war OF revenge,
a war to puni,h Spain and war of
conquest
| This Journal excited the horror OF
the truly good by aunouncingin such
a brutal manner that this was not
holy war; but war for conquest.
Tbs walls of press aud pulpit wrath
were poured upon our heads, Pulpit
pecksniffs aud editorial Chadoands
shrieked in hoyror at the Argonaut,
and denounced us for our brutality
in telling the truth about the war.
But how about the matter now I
/ II we went to war to free Cuba and
to do nothing else, we have rot even
freed Cuba, for she is crouching
under our heavy hand, and the en-
tire nation is now specializing as to
how we can decently keep her. 1t
is the general consensus of opinion
that we can not decently keep her,
and therefore that we had better
keep her indecently. But the nation
al conscience is still little tender,
so it is practically agreed that we
had better let Cuba go for few
months and then annex her. Thus
, we save the national conscienc, and
we also keep Cuba.
If this war was not war Of con-
quest, how about Porto Rico? The
: Porto Ricans never did us any harm
They did not even annoy us with
!, the tales of their suffering and op.
, preston, as did the CubaUs If they
suffered and il they were oppressed
they kept quiet about it. But we
have taken Porto Rico from SPAR
t and annexed her to the Unitec
States without consulting the wishes
f, of the Porto Ricans, a simple, kindly
E and inoffensive people. We have
done with their land what we have
n done with the land OF the Hawaii
J. ans-we have taken it because W,
d wanted it and because we are strong
g err Now we are debating whethe
= we shall keep, sell, or free the lano
o of the Filipinos, having taken i
from Spain. In our Hawaiian grail
we made the hypocritical assumpt
i ion that the Hawaians desired an
n nexation which was false. 1t will
% scarcely be pretended that the Fill
y pinos desire annexation, when tn
10 insurgents remain in the field witt
g arms in their hands, and when the
1t still hold Spanish prisoners whom b
ID the treaty of Paris we are oblige'
to free. 1t will soon be matte
of fighting the .Filipinos, an
=, then it will be difficult for us
% keep up our sentimental pretense c
- "peaceable annexation" Is it nc
= time to lay aside all this hypocriti
no drival2
10 The Argonaut believes in anne,
-, ing Porto Rico. 1t believes in al
:. nexing Cuba. 1t believes in anne,
ing the Philippines. But it does nc
believe in doing all this with tn
sanctimonious sniveling and snifflin
and psalm-singing which accom-
or panied the Hawaiian grab, W
49, stole the land OF the Hawaiian pc,
= pie without even the pretense {
var conquering them. They were |