The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-10-05

NeItcu tHc SOleHlHly pTOclalmeu
war of liberation and humanity
into a war of land grabbing con.
quest, criminal aggression and
Snbiugation, thus destroying the
belief of mankind in the sincerity
of our virtuous profession, brand
ing us as nation of hypOcriteS
and destroying our moral credit
with the world.
1t has Seduced us TO commit the
meanest miSdeed a nation can
commit-the crafty betrayal of an
ally and the wanton slaughter of
innocent people 1t has made
our former friends in the con-
quered countries hate us with an
undying hatred. 1t has involved
us in an unnecessary, wicked and
abOminable war that has already
cost us thousands of American
lives and nearly two hundred
millions of money, and will cost
Incidentally more.
Ii has made our President com
nit fragrant usurpation Of power
which. if c0ndoned and permitted
to. stand as ruling precedent,
will become more dangerous to
our free institutions. 1t has put
to contempt and ridicule the fun
damental principles of our De-
mocracy and is undermining the
popular belief in our Old ideals Of
right, justice and liberty, which
alone furnish the conservative
element Indispensable to a De-
mocracy working through univer-
sal suffrage. In this Republic.
which should be governed by an
intelligent and we'll Uniformed pub
lie opinion, in has introduced one
of the most insidiOus practices of
despotic governmental censor
ship of news.
We are now witnessing the
strange, the unprecedented spec
Gacle of the President, as can
didate for reelection, in his letter
OF acceptance, partisan cam
palgn paper, drawing upon hidden
stores of official knowledge and
publishing detached pieces of
documents as they may be advan
tageOus to his and his party'S in
terest. He has no reason to com
plain of the widespread suspicion
that. if all these documents were
published entire, they might bring
unwelcome light, for, as | have
shown, his "benevolent aSsimila-
ton" order, that usurping de.
claration of war against the Fill
pinoS, standing up for freedom
and independence, the whole of
which happens to be known, ap-
pears i'll his letter Of acceptance
J in Il garbled condition, mislead.
ingly emitting the most important
parts.
What, in view of all this. is
now TO be done2 There is a sim.
pie moral precept which every
honest man and every honest ma
tion will recognize as binding.
Whenever YOU have done anyone
a wrong, or committed a wrong
to be done in your behalf, YOU
must repair it to the best of your
ability. Let no seliShneSs and
no false pride make you hesitate.
Ii you do, you are on the down
ward slope.
The first thing necessary is that
the American people should not,
| by their votes, approve the wrong
full acts by keeping those who
have done them in the name of
the Republic in places Of power,
thus encouraging them to 80 ON,
but should stamp the wrong done
and the wrongdoers with the
most emphatic vote of condemna-
ton. We should put in their
places others that recognize the
wrong done and are willing to re-
pair it.
1t is said that if we voluntarily
give mp the subiugation of the
Philippines we shall lose our
prestige in the world. All, yes!
We shall indeed lose our prestige
! with the land robbers; our pres
tige with the oppressors of weak
peoples; our prestige with the
swash bucklers who are constant
: " spelling for a fight; our pres
tige with the sc0flers at Demo
cratic institutions; our prestige
with the devotees OF despotic rule.
| Yes, with them our prestige will
| be irretrievably gone We shall
| even be in danger of being re
garded the world over as an hon
est people; as a just, generous,
noble and liberty loving people;
as a people of such moral great
ness that, in spite Of the int0xica-
ting seductiveness of victory, it
may be counted on always to
listen to its conscience and to
overcome all false pride in re
| pairing a wrong done, and in
vindicating its high principll :;
people so truthful that its word
can always be believed; a people
so upright that the powers of the
world will feel instinctively in