The Indianapolis journal., 1900-06-07

III art, SCIENCE ana perseverance, Inc ia
lions OF the earth had come to know one
another better and to think less of fort
resSes OF defense and wars or extermlna-
ton and conquest. Race prejudiceS had
greatly diminished and everywhere there
was growing popularity in the question:
How 10 save the individual man and pro-
mote his interest? A feeling of worldwide
brotherhood had broken through degrees
of latitude and longitude and become the
proud empress of the human heart in ut
ter disregard of tropical suns. temperate
zones and northern skies.
"A ceaseless influence operated for the
betterment of mankind, yet here and there
the cruelty and barbarity of human nature
asserted itself The prosecutions and the
butchery of the helpless Cubans, through
the savagery of the bloodless Weyler, so
wrought uDon our minds and hearts that
we stood as one man in favor of shooting
Spanish rule and cruelties from the west
ern hemisphere. The love of our country
for human liberty and self-government
moved Congress TO declare that Cuba is ana
of right ought to be free and independent.
This declaration was not made in further
ance of any scheme ultimately to acquire
and annex Cuba or other territory, but
solely for the high purpose of giving a
people who had earned their freedom the
right TO establish and control a government
of their own. In taking up the cause of u
helpless and alien people. voluntarily and
without the hope of monetary or territorial
reward, our government secured for itself
the admiration of the world. Its motives
religion.
''It made its declaration for the liberia
ton OF the oppressed islanders effective by
an appeal to arms, but with Cuba's freedom
came question for our consideration
cid not foresee when the war was begun.
GREAT PROBLEMS.
1--WE are confronted with problems, as
the result of the war and the policy of the
party in power in reference thereto. that
threaten to rock like a ship in storm
our present form of government Touching
the solution of these problems, the Demo-
cratic party shall speak without reserve.
1t has earned this right The course il
pursued in the preparatory steps leading
up TO the declaration of war and subse-
quently are highly commendable. No
President was ever given more loyal sup
port by his opponents than the Democrats
in Congress gave Mr.. Mckinley in his
policy. They strengthened him in every way
possible, and in no instance did they seek
to obstruct legislation They voted him
every man and every dollar he wanted, and
when the crisis came, the courage, the he
roism and valiant services of Democrats
set the civilized world abaZe with glory.
Democratic volunteers equaled in num-
bers the Republican volunteers, and side
by side stood the boys whose fathers had
worn the gray and the boys whose fathers
had worn the blue, 10 carry to a people
thirsting, starving and dying for liberty
the gospel of old glory. At the head of the
American army as its commander-in-chief
stood the gallant Democrat General Miles.
On May j, 1898, battle matchless in
its brilliancy as in its results, made il
possible to plant our flag on the ramparts
of Manila, and rendered imperishable the
name and fame of Commodore-now rear
admiral-Dewey, Democrat.
THE courage displayed in the sinking of
the Merrimac. under the frowning forts of
death on the Spanish hills overlooking the
Santiago channel, has added to the list of
the worlds bravest and noblest benefactors,
the name of Hobson Democrat. The man
under whose command CerveraS s fleet met
defeat and almost annihilation, whose in
conquerable genius broke the power of
Spain In war and carried dismay to the
Spanish throne was that ideal and superb
naval officer, Commodore Schley, Demo-
crat.
"And finally, when the battle was hottest
In front of Santiago. when our brave SOL
dfers were fighting in the trenches all but
exhausted. when shot and shell were thin
ming their ranks the enemy advanced
upon them and retreat meant the slaugh-
ter and the butchery of our forces, General
Shafter was in the act of retiring with his
army, but not through any fault of his.
when suddenly there dashed upon the scene
and changed the situation from one of de-
feat TO one of victory that fearless and
high-spirited Southern Democrat, Little
Joe Wheeler
THUS IL is seen that not only the Dem
ocrats in Congress have done well by the
administration and the country, but in the
war, on land and sea, they have been
equal to every emergency with which they
have come face to face. Do 1 state 1T too
strongly when / say that the victories de-
termining the result of the war were won
under the leadership of Democrats?
1.-THE attitude of the Republican party
. toward she inhabitants of the islands, COM
ing, as between this and the Spanish gov
ernment, under the jurisdiction of the for
mer, cannot be maintained without an
abandonment of our national ideals and
constitutional restraints. Our Republic is
founded on the doctrine that governments
derive their just powers from the consent
OF the governed. We believe with Jefferson
and the fathers that the Supreme Ruler of
nations and of men has endowed all men
with the inalienable right TO life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness We hold
that it should be the concern of govern
ments to guard with diligent jealousy these
chief inheritances of man.
''The matchless grandeur and incompara-
bic genius of our government are due to
the worldwide sacredness of the principles
involved I'm the conflict out of which our
Nation came. If human liberty and self
government were worth fighting for in the
eighteenth century in America no Ameri-
can should now be found willing to deny
them TO the Filipinos in the nineteenth and
twentieth centuries.
DEWEY'S VIEWS.
"But we are told by the administration
at Washington and it's supporters at home
that the Filipinos. in the main, are an un-
civilized people and incapable of self-gov-
ernment. This contention runs counter to
the view of Dewey. When he landed his
forces in Manila harbor he said in a cable
gram to his government: They are far
superior in their intelligence and more
capable of self-government than the Gu
bans. / am familiar with both races, and
further intercourse with them has con-
firmed me in this opinion
''It never occurred to Dewey that it
would be the policy of this country to hold
the Filipinos as subjects. He was thor
oughly imbued with the idea his home gov
ernment stood upon, and he was happy in
the thought that his great victory had
broken the power of Spain in the archipel-
ago and opened the way to give the Fill
pinos their liberty. He therefore FASTENED
to argue by cablegram their capability for
seif-government, feeling, doubtless. his
countrymen would rejoice with him that
the people he had delivered from bondage
were at last to have the God-given right
10 govern themselves.
THE evidence shows that our representa-
tives treated these people, prior to the
break between them and our authorities, az
having sufficient intelligence to justify
acceptance of them worthy allies They
their cooperation and that it was our pur-
ence. But now the administration tells
them that unconditional surrender to our
authority must precede our treatment with
them for peace and that thpy must baniSh