The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1899-09-21
THEY ARE NOT REBELS.

A certain class of newspapers
whose patriotism is decidedly of
the maudlin and mawkish order.
are greatly given, just now, to ex-
patiating upon the necessity of
sustaining the honor of the Amer
lean flag and soldiers in the Phil
ippine islands in the "rebellious"
assaults made upon them by the
people OF that country. The truth
is the Filipinos are no more reb-
els than were the Poles in their
brave defense of their land when
it was invaded by the Russias; or
any other people in the past whose
animating principle has been to
"drive the invaders out" when
their liberties have been attempt
ed.
Perhaps there is not more au-
thoritative exponent of the law of
nations than Vattel who enumer-
ates the following principles, in
book 1, chapter 81, sections, 263,
264, ''Law of Nations: "The
question becomes more difficult,
when it relates not to the aliena-
ton of some parts of the public
property, to the Remembering of
the state itself, the cession of q
town or a province, that composes
a part of it. This must ever re-
suit from invariable principles.
A nation ought to preserve itself,
it ought to preserve all it's men,
bers, it cannot abandon them and
is under an obligation to them of
maintaining them in the rank of
members of the nation. 1t has
not then a right to traffic with
their rank and liberty, on account
of any advantages it may promise
itself from such a negotiation.
They are united to the society to
be it's members; they acknowledge
the authority of the state, to pro-
mote in concert their common
welfare and safety, and not to be
at its disposal like farm or, an
herd of cattle. Il y y But this
province, or this city, thus aban-
doned and dismembered from the
state is not obliged to receive the
new master attempted to be given
them; the people being separated
from the society of which they
were members, they resume all
their rights, and if it be possible
for them to defend their liberty
against him who would subject
them to his authority, they may
lawfully resist him. Francis /,
having engaged by the treaty of
Madrid to cede the duchy of Bur-
gundy to the Emperor Charles ",
the states of that province declar-
ed ''that having never been sub
ject to any other crown but that
of France, they would die subject
to it; and that if the king aban-
doned them, they would take up
arms, and endeavor to set them
selves at liberty, rather than sub
NIT to another power. :"
Spain thus violating it's duty tt
it's dependencies by attempting tc
ALLEVIATE them to another power,
anuulled the original compact ex.
listing between the two countries.
and as a consequence, left the lat.
ter free to act for itself. That
the Filipinos are a brave and
chivalrous people loving liberty
as we'll as we, there can be nc
doubt. That they are legally and
morally right to endeavor to Sc
cure that liberty by resistance to
the foreign power attempting to
place yoke upon their necks, is
equally certain.
We hear great deal said in OPP
position to the withdrawal of ou1
troops from the Philippines, about
"retreating under fire." "dishon-
orable to haul down the flag in
the face of resistance" and other
rot of the same nature. We are
of those who believe that the best
thing to do, and the best time to
do it, after making a mistake, is
to correct it as early as possible.
That the attempted subjugation
and forcible retention of the Phil
ippines is mistake, all right
thinking persons must admit.
But it is undeniably a personal
error TO President Mckinley for
which the country should not be
held responsible. 1t would be too
much to expect of the executive to
correct his mistake in this in
stance for that would ruin him
politically. But we sincerely trust
that the first thing that Hon. w.
J. Bryan does after his inductioa
into the Presidential Office will be
the absolute, immediate and un-
conditional recall of all the Amer
lean forces now in the Philippine