The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1900-08-17

nISHG lOr right; III can conquer weaker |
people; it can exploit their lands, ap-
propriate their property and kill their
people; it cannot repeal the moral law,
or escape the punishment decreed for |
the violation of human rights.
Would tread in the paths Of tyranny, |
Nor reckon the tYrant's cost?
who iaEeth aUOther's liberty
His freedom is also lost.
WoIld we win as he strong have ever won,
Make ready To paw the debt.
For the God who regned over Babylon
is the God who is rFigning yet.
1.-The pecuniary argument, though
more effective with certain classes, is
not likely to be used 80 often or pre-
sented with so much emphasis as the
religious argument. If what has beer
termed the 'Gunpowder Gospel were
urged against the FiIipinos only, it
would be a sufficient answer to say
that a m" jority of the Filipinos are
now members of one branch of the
Christian Church; but the principle
involved is one Of much wider applica-
ton and challenges serious considera-
ton.
The religious argument varies in
positiveness from passive belief that
Providence delivered the Filipinos
into our hands, for their good and our
glory, to the exultation of the minister
who said that we ought to ''thrash the
natives Filipinosl until they under
stand who we are and that every
bullet sent, every cannon shot and
every flag waved means righteous
| ness
We cannot approve of this doctrine
in one place unless we are willing to
apply it everywhere. If there is
poison in the blood of the hand it will
ultimately reach the heart. 1t is
/ eQually true that forcible Christianity,
if planted under the American flag in
the far-away Orient, will sooner or
later be transplanted upon American
soil. If true Christianity consists in
carrying out in our daily lives the
teachings of Christ, who will say that
we are commanded to civiize with
dynamite and prose!yte with the
swords He who would declare the
divine will must prove his authority
either by Holy Writ or by evidence of
a special dispensation. The command
Go ye into all the world and preach
the Gospel to every creature has no
Gatliug gun attachmentl
"When Jesus visited village in
Samaria and the people refused to re-
ceive Him some Of the disciples sug-
gested that fire should be called down
from heaven to aveDge the insult; but
the Master rebuked them and said
'Ye know not what manner of spirit
We are of j; for the Son of Man is not
come to DESTROY mems lives, but to
save them Suppose He had said
we will thrash them until thew un-
derstand who we are how different
would have been the history of Chris
tianity Compare, if you will, the
staggering, bullying, brutal doctrine
Of imperialism with the Golden Rule
and the commandment Thou shalt
love thy neighbor as myself
IL We, not force, was the weapon OF
the Nazarepe; sacrifice for others, not
the exploitation of them, was His
method of reaching the human heart.
\ missionary recently told he that the
Stars and Stripes once saved his life
because his assHilsnt recognized our
flag as flag that had no blood upon
it. Let it be known that our mission
aries are seeking souls instead of SOW
ereignty; let it he known that instead
of being the advance guard Of con-
quering armies they are going forth TO
help and to nplift, having their loins
girt about with truth and their feet
shod with the preparation of the Cos.
pei of Peace, wearing the breastplate
of righteousness and carrying the
sword of the Spirit let it be known
that they are the citizens of a nation
which respects the rights of the citi-
zens OF other nations as carefully rs il
protects the rights of its own citizens,
and the welcome given to our mission
aries will! he more cordial than the
welcome extended to the missionaries
f any other ration.
The argument, made by some, that
it WAS unfortunate for the nation that
it had any thing to do with the Philip
pine Islands, but that the IA, al vic
tory al Manila made the permanent
acquisition of those islands necessary,
is also unsouud We won naval vic
tory at Santiago, but that did not
compel MS to hold Cuba. The she'd
ding of American blood in the Philip
| pine Islands does not make it impera
that we should retain possession for
ever: American blood was shed at San
Juan Hill and FL Caney, and yet the
President has promised the Cubaps
| independence The fact that the
| American flag floats over Manila does
not compel us to exercise perpetual
sovereignty over the islands that flag
waves over Havana today, but the
| President has promised to haul it
down when the flag of the Cuban Re-
| public is ready to rise in it's place.
| Better n Thousand times that our flag
| i'll the Orient give way to ftg repre-
senting the idea of seif-guvernment
than that the flag of this Republic
should become the flag of an empire.
|. There is an easy, honest, honorable
solution of the Philippine question.
| Ii is set forth in the Democratic plat.
form and it is submitted with conf
dence to the American people. Tbi-
plan unreservetlly indorse. IL elect
ed shall convene Congress in extra
ordinary session as soon as | am ill.,
augurated and recommend an imme-
diate declaration of the nations pur
pose, first to establish staple form OF
government in the Philippine Islands,
Just az we are now establishing G.
staple form of government in the Isl
and OF Cnha; second, to give indepep.
dence to the Fiiipinos, Just az we have
promised to give independence to the
Cnbans; third, to prote ct the Filipiuos
from outside interference while tbey
work out their destinN, Just as we
have protected the republics of Cen
trail ard S )uth America, and are. bvf
the Monroe Doctrine, pledged to prof