The record-union., 1899-05-01
ing of our institutions and to the mar
velous growth and prosperity of our

velous growth and prosperity of our
/ country.
I'VE shall not believe that the gain of
a few naval battles over weak and
unprepared foe have power to throw
us into such enthusiasm or such mad
ness as to turn us permanently from
| the principles and policies to which we
owe our national existence, our life and
| liberty; or that destiny, the divinity of
| fatalists and materialists, can weaken
our faith in the God of justice right
eousness and love, who scorn and thrust
far away those who having the giant S
! strength, use it to Cypress or destroy
the weak or ignorant.
| I'VE have never looked upon our
selves as predestined to subdue the
earth, to compel other nations with
sword and fire to accept our rules we
have always believed in human rights.
| in freedom and opportunity; in educa-
tion and religion; and we have invited
all men to come and enjoy these bless
ings in this half a world which God has
| given US, but we have never dreamed
| that they We're articles to be exported
and thrust down unwilling Threats at
the point of the bayonet We have
sympathized with all oppressed peoples
| with Ireland, Greece and Armenia and
Cuba. To emancipate the slaves we
gladly sacrificed the lives of hundreds
of thousands of our soldiers. And
now the American soldier, who never
shoulders a gun except in a righteous
| cause is sent 10000 miles across the
| ocean to shoot men whose real crime
is that they wish to be free, wish to
| govern themselves. To say that they
are unfit for freedom is to put forth
the plea of the tyrant in all ages and
| everywhere. The enemies of liberty
have never lacked for pretexts to justify
their wrongs; but, in truth, at the root
of all wars of conquest there lies lust
for blood or for gold.
/ IF the inhabitants of the Philippines
come gladly to throw themselves into
our arms we should refuse to do mora
than counsel, guide and protect them,
urtil they form themselves into sta
BILE and independent government What,
then is to be thought of those who seem
resolved either to rule or exterminate
| them. believing probably that the only
good Filipino is a dead Filipino.
1.-THE argument that our policy has,
from the beginning, been one of ex-
pansion, has no application in the pres
emit crisis. In purchasing Louisiana
and New Mexico and Upper California.
including Nevada and Utah. and most
of Arizona and a part of Colorado, it
may be said that We bought land not
human beings-land that was part of
/ our inheritance. But now, following
/ the lead of our great capitalists and
trust lords, we buy at one stroke 49,
/ 100000 human beings, who live in an
| other hemisphere who differ from US
in every way, who dwell in a climate
/ that is fatal to the white man. who
can be OF no advantage whatever to US.
| but who if we persist in holding them
will involve us in the most serious diff
fculties and dangers. A war of con-
quest is in contradiction with our fun
damental principles of government; it
is opposed to all our traditions The
| thought of ruling over subject peoples
is repugnant to our deepest and noblest
sentiment. We have. room for three
or four hundred millions of human be-
| ings. If more are required and we
are true to ourselves, British America
will come to US without there being
need of firing a gun. We have money
enough already and voslr wealth is rap
! idly increasing. What we have to
learn is how to live, how to distribute
our money. how to take it from its
mastery over US and make it our ser
want
Our capital is fast becoming the
most lnhuman, the most Ubiquitous
tyrant the world has ever known. It's
| tyranny is a blight and a curse to those
who exercise it as we'll as the multi
tude who are its victims Commercial
and manufacturing competition is be-
coming a fierce struggle for existence.
Whereas the tendency of true civiliza-
ton and religion is to convert the strug-
gle for life into cooperation for life.
eff it is our destiny to become an en-
pire, it is not our destiny to endure as
a republic Empire and imperialism are
associated with kingly and arbitrary
rule, with militarism and conquest.
Was not the Roman Empire built upon
| the republic?
1.-The more we hold aloof from Eng
land, the better shall it be for America.
She has not an ally in the world and
there is probably not a nation in the
| world which would trust her as an ally.
She has never loved US from the days
in which she oppressed the colonies, to
the dark days when, by aiding the
disruption of the Union permanent She
does not love US now. We are the
most dreaded rival she has because we
threaten her supremacy in what is near
est and dearest to her-her finances. She
is confronted by difficulties and dan
gers of various kinds from which we
are free. An alliance with her would
involve US in the difficulties and dan
gers by which she is confronted and
from which we are free. We need
neither her advice nor her assistance
When the American people resolve
to hold what they never intended to
take possession of they will have little
difficulty in finding solution of this
Philippine difficulty. Above all. 1t
them not be misled by vanity; let them
not hearken to the siren voice of Eng
lish f1attery: let them not stop to think
WHAT other nations shall say, but let
them, as becomes a great free and
enlightened people, be self directed,
holding in view only such aims and
ends as are wise, just and conducive to
the permanent welfare and highest in
terest of the republic"