Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1900-01-05

4 Sacrifice to the Folly and
Crime of a Wor of Conquest.
New York World.l


typical soldier citizen of the republic,
hero OF two great wars for liberty,
the war that freed the slaves and the
war that freed Cuba.
This sacrifice, concentrating in one
person and one event all the nations
sacrifices, drives into the public
mind and the public conscience the
folly aud the crime of Mr.. McKin.
leys war in the Philippines.
A year ago today there was peace
in the Phillippines--peacs with a
promise ola sunrise OF liberty, peace
with the Filipinos as our allies and
friends, peace with our army aud
navy sa!uting the flag of the Filipino
republic, peace with the Filipinos
trusting, in spite Of strange sileDces
and delays, that they would yet get
that for which they had been fight
ing the Spanisrd for three centuries
A year ago tomorrow, without
warning, without consultation with
our own officers in the Philippines,
without consulting the Filipinos, who
had established government of
their own six months before with
not word of protest from us, Mr..
Mckinley issued a proclamation
calling upon the Filipinos to lay
down their arms and become the
vsssals, the political slaves of the
United States. He held out no hope
of self government. He carefully
avoided mention of their political
rights. He uttered not a word Of
recognition or explanation. In thin
ly disguised language of arrogant
aud contemptuous despotism he gave
the alternative of political slavery
or death
A war followed-"this damuable
war, as Major General Lawton
called 1t with tho simple bluntnes-
OF the honest soldier. Homes, church
es, school houses have been burned
by the thousand. Tens of ,hous
ands OF men, women and children
who ought to have lived to bless the
name Of the republic have died-of
wounds, OF famine, Of fever, on bat
tie fields, in the depths of jungles,by
the ashes of their destroyed homes.
More than thousand, American
citizens have been sacriiced-each a
life of use and value, each life dear
to friends and family. Five times a
thousand have been crippled or in
valided for life by wounds OF disease.
And now the nation loses Lawton
"a hero name standing for all this
virtue and courage and usefulness
that IS erreparably lost to the repub-
lie
LOSC 1Or what!
Not for a single purpose Of power
or commerce or ACKNOWLEDGMENT that
could not and would not have been
gained without the shedding of a
drop of blood, without the sacrafice
of any principle.
And fha tuor nAas ~,
Major General LAYTON was killed
IN battle only Is miles from Manila,
within reach of shot from the BIZ.
guns OF our navy riding in Manila
bay.
And Otis is saying and Mr.. Nc =
Klnley is repeating: "The war is
over"
Must these sarifices go On and on?
Must slaughter be heaped upon
slaug liter, sorrow up>n sorrow? Is
there no conscience, no courage in
Congress7 Is there no clarion voice
to ring out the gospel OF truth aud
humanity and justice so that it will
stir to action those so-called repre-
sentative of the people who groyel
before the President-Autocr Is
there no one to say in the tones that
convince and compel:
Sin the name of the republic and
It's p 'inciples, in the name of hu-
manity. in the name of justice, in the
name of common sense, stop this
folly and this crime.n