Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1900-08-17
Imperialism would be profitable to

profitable to the ship owners, who
would carry live soldiers to the Phil
ippines and bring dead soldiers back /;
it would be profitable to those who
would seize upon the franchises, and
it would be profitable to those officials
whose salaries would be fixed here and
paid over there but to the farmer, to
the laboring man, and to the vast ma
jority of those engaged in other occu-
pations, it would bring expenditure
without return, and risk without re-
ward.
TO WHOM IT APPEALS.
Farmers and laboring men have as a
rule, small incomes, and, under sys-
TENS which place the tax upon con-
sumption, pay more than their fair
share of the expenses Of government.
Thus the very people who receive the
least benefit from imperialism will be
injured most by the military burdens
which accompany it.
In addition to the evils which he
and the farmer share in common, the
laboring man will be the first to suffer
if Oriental subjects seek work in the
United States; the first to suffer if
American capital leaves our shores to
employ Oriental labor in the Philip
pines. to supply the trade of China and
japan; the first to suffer from the vio-
lence which the military spirit arouses,
and the first to suffer when the
methods OF imperialism are applied to
our own government.
1t is not strange, therefore, that the
labor organizations have been quick to
note the approach of these dangers
and prompt to protest against both
militarism and imperialism.
The pecuniary argument, though
more effective with certain classes, 10
not likely to be used so often or pre-
sented with so much emphasis as the
religious argument. If what has been
termed the gunpowder gospel" were
urged against the Filipinos only, it
would be a sufficient answer to say
that a majority of the Filipinos are
now members of one branch of the
Christian church, but the principle
involved is one of much wider applica-
ton and challenges serious considera-
ton.
The religious argument varies in
positiveness from passive belief that
Providence delivered the Filipinos into
our hands, for their good and our
glory. to the exultation of the minis
ter who said that we ought to thrash
the natives (Filipinos) until they un.
derstand who we are," and that "every
bullet sent, every cannon shot and
every flag waved, means righteous
ness"
ENFORCED CHRISTIANITY NOT WANTED.
We cannot approve of this doctrine
in one place unless We are willing to
apply it everywhere. If there is poi
son in the blood of the head it will
ultimately reach the heart. 1t 10
equally true that forcible Christianity,
il planted under the American flag in
the far-away Orient, will sooner or
later be transplsnted upon American
soil. II true Christianity consists in
carrying out in our daily lives the
teachings OF Christ, who will say that
We are commanded to civilize with dy-
Mantle and proselyte with the sword?
He who would declare the divine will
must prove his authority either by
Holy Writ or by evidence OF special
dispensation. The command "Go We
into all the world and preach the Cos
pei to every creature" has no Calling
gun attachment. When Jesus visited
a village OF Samaria and the people re-
fused to believe him, some of the dis
ciples suggested that fire should be
called down from heaven to avenge
the insult; but the Master rebuked
them and said:
"Ye know not what manner OF
spirit We are of; for the Son OF Man
came not to destroy mems lives, but
to save them" Suppose he said:
ave will thrash them until they
understand who we are" how differ
ent would have been the history of
Christianity. Compare, if you will,
the staggering, bullying, brutal doc
trine of Imperialism with the golden
rule and the commandment, Thou
shalt love thy neighbor as thysclf."
LOVE, NOT FORCE.
Love, not force, was the weapon OF
the Nazarene; sacrifice for others, not
the exploitation of them, was His
method of reaching the human heart.
A missionary recently told me that
the Stars and Stripes once saved his
life because his assailsnt recognized
our flag as one which had no blood
upon it. Let it be known that our
missionaries are seeking souls instead
of sovereignty; let it be known that
they are an advancing guard OF con-
quering armies, they are going forth
to help uplift, having their loins grid
ed with truth and their feet shod with
the preparation of the gospel OF peace.
wearing the breastplate of righteous.
ness and carrying the sword of the
Spirit; let it be known that they are
the citizens of nation which respects
the rights OF the citizens of other ma
tons as carefully as it protects the
rights Of its own citizens and the wei.
come given to our missionaries will be
more cordial than the welcome ex.
tChNCu W tu0 IIiteslOUuIley Ol any
other nation.
The argument made by some. that
1t was unfortunate for the nation that
it had anything to do with the Philip
pine islands, but that the naval vic
tory At Manila made the permanent
acquisition of those islands necessary,
is also unsound. We won naval vic.
tory at Santiago, but it did not com.
pei US to hold Cuba. The shedding OF
American blood in the Philippine
islands does not make it imperative
that We should retain possession for
ever. American blood was shed at
San Juan hill and Ell Caney, and yet
the President has promised the Cubans
independence. The fact that the
American flag floats over Manila does
not compel us to exercise perpetual
sovereignty over the islands; that flag
waves over Havana to-day, but the
President has promised to haul it
down when the flag of the Cuban Re-
public is ready to rise in its place.
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