Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1900-08-17

stitutional guarantees and is subject to
state Take away this security and his
| rights will be violated and his interest
political influence. This is the evil of the
colonial system, no matter by what nation
| 1t Is applied.
Title to the Philippines.
,a Whst is our title to the Philippine Is
SIS s5sn guy sS q the s'a gsss
tile e th hem nov Were QUO they t hGeSre
leans i fav tha WI the has v1ne
Divine hand and stamped with the like
snd passes with the soil? If governments
derive their just powers from the con-
by purchase We could extinguish Spain's
must hold it by some method consistent
mlth our uI,, IDEAS Of goysrnment- When we
them to fight against Spain, we disputed
SPANS title. If we buy SPANS title We
# we 1 had nof disnmfed 9te sSe
6o1id transfer no greater title than she
alone We Cannot aefend snaS title ih but
can can honerably turn the properly over to
| American official gave the Filipinos for
NAL assurance of independence is not
material There can be no doubt that we
accepted and utilized the services of the
Filipinos. and that when we did so we had
for their OWN ts independenee and submit sna
that history furnishes no example of
turpitude baser than ours if we now sub
Let us consider briefly the reasons
which have been given in support of an
our duty to hold the Philippine islands.
But duty is not an argument; it is a con-
| in any emergency. we must apply we'll
settled and generally accepted principles.
whether the thing to be stoien is of great
or little value. 1t is our duty to avoid
killing human being. no matter where
| or class he belongs. Everyone recognizes
| the obligation imposed upon individuals to
but, as some deny the application of those
laws to nations. it may not be out Of
place to quote the opinion. of others. JET
ferson, than whom there is'no higher po-
litical authority, said
II know of but one code of morality for
tively.''
Franklin, whose learning. wisdom and
virtue are part of the priceless legacy
bequeathed to US from the revolutionary
DAYS expressed pr the same ne idea idea in even
pftiee is stricsly due
robber when he plumbers in gang as
when singly: and the nation that makes
| an unjust war is only great gang.
Force Creates No Right.
would not dare to do as individuals, but
| the moral character of act is not &C.
in it. Force can Gefend rgR Hfe BUT %n1 5Dce
has has meyer yet Srg ca ed right; q i was
that the IN Gubans and t of
| right ought to be free and independent"
Language taken from the declaration of
independence, it is equally true that the
| Filipinos ARE and Of right ought to be free
| and Independent" The right of the .Cubans
to freedom was not based upon their proX-
unity to the United States, nor upon the
| language which they spoke, nor yet upon
| the race or races to which they belonged.
declared that the principles enunciated at
| applicable to the Cubans
| Who will draw a line between the natural
Who viii say that the former has right
| to liberty and that the latter has no rights
which we are bound to respect? And, if the
free and independent what right have we
| to force our government upon them with
ascertained, their rights must be deter
mined. and when their rights are once de-
termined, it is much our duty to respect
| those rights as it was the duty of Spain
to respect the rights of the people of Cuba,
rights of the American co1onists. Rights
! never conflict: duties never clash. Can
which belong to others? Can it be our duty
| to kill those who, following the example
| to fight for it:
Some poet has described the terror. which
thai mh he a5e san
brother; i is Written IAN ye are ra bret tbs
5 Tsn" LIE Let us hope , for the coming of the
destroyed. cannot be restored-wi1l be so
sacred that it will never be taken except
when necessary. to punish a crime already
| to be committed.
If it is said that we have assumed before
the world obligations which make it neces-
s sary for n us to permanently maintain a
reply. first, that the highest obligation of
| this nation Is to be true to itself. No obli-
nations combined, can require the abandon a
mgnt OF our theory OF government and the
our whole national life has been a pr ~naen
eo1 Who that our }bs to the
owe to foreigners who have a temporary
residence in the Philippines or desire to
| trade there.
Capacity of seIf-Government.
are Incapable of seif.governmen ,tlpi amos
Of them wdmiral pew wor IN a eo
clared the Filipinos more capable of self
government than the Cubans, and said
edge of both races. But I will not rest
the case upon the relative advancement
Ing the rights of the people IN Of de se1fb
America to self-government, said:
1T is the doctrine of thrones that man
| - A6AAOA Gilt ~ 5OsSIh luIuSolI. In01r
pardsans assert his incapacity in refer
ence to all nations: If they cannot com
mand universal assent to the proposition.
1t is then remanded to particular nations:
and our pride and our presumption too
often make converts of us. 1 contend
| that 1T is to arraign the disposition of
Provldence Himself, to suppose that He
has created beings incapable of govern
Ing themselves, and to be trampled on by
government of man.
| Clay was right. There are degrees
| of proficiency in the art of self-goVern-
tor to say that He denied to any people
the capacity of self-government. Once