The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-08-23

<ANQ, Nnaly, we TOOK up the RED gage OF
battle that republic might be estab-
lished on the island Of Cuba. 1t re-
NAMED for republican adminfstra-
ton to reverse this proud and honor
able policy of more than hundred
years; 1t remained for this party to
defy public opinion, to divorce govern
ment from the sovereign people. to
turn Its back upon brave men strug.
Cling for independence and lend its
moral, II not its physical aid, to the
monarchy of Victoria while It crushed
the Beers. Shame to the party that
froths Of neutrality" while republics
are destroyed! Shame to the party
that embraces the policy of decrepit
Spain to prevent the birth Of new
republic! Shame, I say, to the party
that once claimed a Lincoln and
Seward, Sumner and a Chase. to
desert the children Of liberty and take
up the policy Of an Alphonso and
Chamberlain!
Dawn Of Liberty in Asia.
But the oppression of Spain was not
confined to the western world. In her
younger days when her statesmen were
preaching the doctrine of world pow
er. world dominion, of duty to Chris
tianize and destiny to civilize, her mar
liners had sailed into the orient and
planted her yellow banner upon the
archipelago of the Philippines. And
there for three hundred years she wag-
ed a war of loot and plumber and
treachery. She planted her custom
houses on the coasts, levied taxes on
the natives, and ruled in q savage
manner over a part of the tribes and
a portion Of the territory.
Before the war Of 1898 began the
Spanish governor general in Manila
had been forced, at the point Of insur-
gent bayonets, to promise reform in
the government. He pledged autono-
nous government; reforms in local
government, and lowering Of taxes.
And Spaniard-like he broke his prom
Uses.
Then the naval forces Of the United
States defeated the Spanish fleet in
the bay of Manila; Santiago was cap
tured-the same Santiago at which 8.
certain imitation hero charged up a
hill in the second line of battle, hill
already taken by colored troops. The
colonial empire Of Spain was gone. For
three hundred years she had possessed
a colonial policy; for three hundred
years she had been a world power,
hght1ng and scheming for gold and
glory; for three hundred years she had
followed duty and destiny taking her
sons to die in tropical lands among
foreign peoples; and at the end of her
lmperialistic career. loathed and de.
spised, decayed and decrepit, nerveless
and friendless, she lapsed back into
secure inactivity, an admonition to her
contemporaries, sad prophesy set up
as warning for the exploiters of the
policy of greed and gore.
And still in the light of all history
the republican party would take up
the burden of oppression and repres-
sion where Spain was forced to lay it
down. The party that once said 1.-The
slave is a man" now forgets it's past
and declares that 1.-The Filipinos are
property. The Filipinos are ours"
says Mckinley. by the triumph Of
our arms and the treaty of peace our
obligations in the Philippines are inn
posed" Triumph of our arms" means
conquest, slaughtered sons, pillaged
plantations, cities blackened and burn-
ed. And the treaty of peace" means
twenty millions of dollars paid by us to
Spain for void title to property which
she never reduced to possession and
which she could not legally convey. In
that statement he sets forth the right
to buy the sovereignty of state. to
govern at the will OF the purchaser.
to make and unmake internal laws. to
control absolutely the destiny Of the
inhabitants by an arbitrary external
power. He proclaims the robbers
right to take by force, to govern for
the advantage of the governor, to hold
IN subsection by the sway of soldiery.
He adopts the creed of caste and the
policy of imperialism when he denies
to the Filipinos government of their
own and refuses to them the prospect
OF United States citizenship.
Principles OF Government.
The fundamental idea of imperial
ism Is inequality. 1t presupposes a
ruling and ruled class, a class of
governors and class of governed. a
class of subjects and one of citizens.
1t rests on force and presupposes an
arlstocracy or an oligarchy and a
standing army. 1t is survival of
doctrine of divine right.
Democracy is founded upon the
equality of manhood; it rests upon
equality before the law, equality of
opportunity. equality of race whether
brown or black or white, whether
negro OF Caucasian or Malay. But
more, it adheres to equality of ma
tionality, whether the nation be Great
Britain or Orange Free State. the
United States or Spain or the Fill
Pine republic. The question that
democracy asks is not, How good is
your government" but sis it the gov
eminent that you want?" Democracy
believes that national regeneration
comes only from within, that every ma
ton should have absolute freedom of
choice in its form of government. and
that ip time all nations will work out
their own salvation and choose the sort
of government best suited to their ca
pacity and needs.
Imperialism goes to the Filipinos
and says: Il am holier and wiser
than thou. I know the sort of gov
eminent that you need better than you
do. have bought you from Spain. If
you will not admit that own
you. my soldiers will keep kill
ing you until you do admit it. You
cannot be citizens of your country be-
cause it is not yours but mine, since
l bought it. You shall not be citizens
of my country because you are not I'M
worthy. You should be good and re-
ligious and let me establish law and
order and tax collectors and peace,
and I will invoke an alien and extra