Semi=weekly graphic., 1899-07-12
THE DAY AT ORACLE.
4 Two-FOld Occasion Happily Gele- brated at Acadia Ranch -A Bat
 tie With Fire Crackers.
speeial eorrespondence of the eraphlc.

one.hundred and twenty-third ami versary of the Declaration of Inde- pendence. Marvellous has been the growth of the United States in that century and nearly quarter won- derful the development and achive- ments of this free people. From the original thirteen coloLies with population of 4,000, GOO people, we have grown to forty four States and two Territories, with a population of 70, GOO, GOO souls. And this is the greatest and most glourious Fourth in all our history. Never was there time for so apprecative eelebra- tion Of the Fourth of July in the history of our country as the pres ent. Not only can we celebrate the achievement of our Independence from the "Mother Country, !" but the triumph of our army and navy, for ibumanity's sake, over Spanish arms on land and on sea. One year ago yesterday ahe 3rd), our navy wiped from the sea off the coast of Santiago, the last Yestge of the Span;sh h fleet, Q victory second only in importance to the superb and matchless victory of Admiral fewey in the harbor of Manila on May the lst of the same year. As result Of that war, liberty has been pro- claimed to the Cubans and Porto Ricans, and will be to the Fiipinos as soon as the latter fold thelr stan dard of revolt against tue stars and stripes of the United States. In deed, this memorable Fourth is only marred by the recollection of the continuance of the war in the Pilip- pines, and the conditions that make that seemingly useless slaughter of human life necessary.
 Somehow, there are great many people who thlnk that in the Philip pine matter somebody has blunder- ed, and that the war against the native Filipinos is nwarranted and an inexcusable and useless ex- ptndtdre of money and an unneces- sary sacrihce of human life. The war with Spain was pot begun for conquest, but for humanity's sake and to hberate the Cubans It was inaupurattd on lofty and ex- alted principles, and it should not have been permitted 10 become one of greed and cot quest, as it has apparently become in the Phillip pines. There IS feeling throughout this country that the Filipinos are waaing war as Washington wsged over century sgo-for liberty, home rule and independence There is also feeling that in hepurchase of ihe Philippine Islands from Span and the subsequent effort to subju- gate the F,liplnos to American rule, 1 the administration has biundered Whether ibe blunder was made by President Mckinley or ex-Secretary Day at the head of the American peace comm ssion, It may never theless prove boomerang. The a1quisition of the Philippines is departure from he traditional policy of this government. A vi vi,nrous enforcement oi the 'Mon
 roe Doctrine" by the United States necessarily implies uon interven
 tion policy in the Orient. It would be better tC reii quish the Philip pine Islands than tue Monroe Doctrine, which all nations of the earth have respected and conformeu to in the past
 But the war agalnst Fi ipino having been begun, there is nothing now to do, however much to be re
 gretted, but to prosecute the war to successful conclusion con:es> to no sympathy with the effort in certain quarters, to hamper and