North Park union., 1900-03-16
WORKING OUT OUR DEsrINY(?)
IT Is ALTOGETHER LIKELY

1T is ALTOGETHER LIKELY
that our opinions Of governmental
policy will have about rs much
effect at Washington as the wailing
of bob cat from the top of Longs
Peak would have on the moon; but al
the risk Of being called pessimistic
we will publish our thoughts. As to
our patriotism, we will NOT allow ii
impugned. 1t is, and always has
beenat par. When Mckinley was a
soldier in the East, we carried a car
bine in the Wpst. And the minnie
ball that rendered the hand that pens
these lines a withered old thing,
punched two holes through the sleeve
of our blue army jacket, that now
lies worn and moth-eaten, sad relic
of that terrible, bloody struggle, the
civil war.
Could we view expansion without
seeing in this spread of empire dan
ger to the Republic, we might look
on with feeling of much interest
and at least little national pride
But when We see our government
spreading out and gathering under
our lag the islands OF the sea in the
hasty and reckless manner character
istic OF the Mckinley administration,
with no constitutional right to do so;
and assuming jurisdiction over people
WHO never have asked for our sove-
reignty over them, and who in most
cases are classes OF Asiatlcs not
easily assimilable to our form of gov
ernment, it seems to us in our sober,
candid moments to be sowing the
seeds OF our own final destruction.
The Roman Senate had no thought
Of the overthrow of that mighty en-
pire when it sent Julius Caesar to
England to conquer the half-civilized
inhabitants of that island in the year
55 B. c. 1t is true that England
was tributary to Rome for 400 years,
but Rome was so engaged in the eX-
pansion business much of this time
that it was necessary to keep up such
q standing army that it alone became
one of the reasons OF lis downfall.
1t is well known that expansion
to the extent to which 1T has been
carried in this country, is foreign TO
our form of government. These
islands cannot be kept in Il state of
security and loyal to ouy government
without an army. And standing
army is revolving to every tue Amer
ican. Washington speaking OF the
oppression Of people by their rulers,
said:
"Born in land of liberty, having
early learned its value, having engaged
in perilous conflict to defend it,
having in word devoted the best
years Of my life to secure for it u per
manent establishment in my own
country, my anxious recollections,
my sympathetic feelings and my best
wishes are irresistibly attracted when
soever in any country see an
oppressed nation untprl the banners
of freedom"
Every true American approves that
language. And if the spirit of Wash
ington had been followed after the
gallant naval fight at Manila Bay
Uncle Sam would have said to the
Filipinos, "Give us small portion OF
your island, and we will aid you in
self government and protect you
against all danger from foreign foes. u
The needless slaughter Of Aguinaldo's g
| soldiers who had fought the tyranny
of Spain so long would not have been;
and hundreds-yes; thousands OF
lives of our own brave boys would
have been saved. Peace would have
reigned, and the glory Of our country
would have been untarnished. But
instead, what have we2 The so-called
insurrection is ended--on paper only.
One writer who speaks from personal
observation says it will last ten years.
The difficulties of war in Luzon were
not fully appreciated when-accord-
ing to Senator Hoar-we fired on the
Filipinos. Our soldiers, not accus-
toned to tropical climate, cannot
endure the dangers that lurk in every
fatal form, and hence our army there
is being decimated by sickness, insan-
ity, suicide and death. II this is
p: