Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1900-04-06
or! SCHuRz ON IMPERIALISM.
y'eastern conference of anti-il

Aiy"eastern conference of anti-im-
perialists occurred in Philadelphia re-
Gently and remained in session two
days. The conferences by the promot-
ers will be another step in the move
ment to bring the war in the Philip
pines to an end. At the afternoon
meeting several addresses were made.
At an informal conference held at the
afternoon session the chief subject of
discussion being the coming president
ial campaign, in which VIM. J. Bryan''s
name was frequently mentioned, No
conclusion was reached. Several letters
Of regret were read at the afternoon
session including Prof. Summer of Yale
University, Senator Pettigrew, Ex-
Secretary Of of Agriculture J. Sterling
Morton, Prof. Charles Elliott Norton
OF cambridge, Edward Atkinson of
Bos&. The meeting that night was
heEa Music Fund Hall and attended
by 'rhany thousand persons. Phillip
Garrett presided. Herbert Welsh made
eA0 OpoA1uS duuIcSo dAu "do AOAAO"SN
by Schruz who spoke as follows.
II entreat you soberly to con,em-
plate the alternative now before US. If
we permit the great wrong attempted
by the administration to be consum-
mated, our moral credit with the world
will be gone forever. Having started
in our Spanish war with the solemn
proclamation that this would be a war
of liberation and not of conquest and
then having turned that war into one
Of land, grabbing and self-confessed
criminal aggression, nobody will ever
again believe in any profession of vir-
tue or generosity we may put forth.
It will be hooted down the world over
as sheer hypocrisy Disgusting greedy
schemes. We shall be guilty of the
meSnest as well as in Its consequent
ces the most dangerous iniquity ma
till ian commis-the betrayal of an
a1iH There is nothing so perfdious
that 'Ihenceforth we shall not be
thought capable of, and other nations
will prudently take care not to make
common cause with us for anything
upon a mere assurance of good faith
on our part. This is the glory we
shall have won. Our sister republics
in this hemisphere have looked upon
the United States as their nation pro
tector and they were our national
friends. Since we have dishonored our
professions of disinterested motives
they will always suspect us Of a de.
sign to stretch out our rapacious hands
also agains, them Already they speak
of this republic no longer as their
strong and trusty friend. but as the
'deligro del Norte, the danger in the
North And they will do this so long
as we hold any of our conquests In
constant fear of our greed and perfidy,
they will, in case of critical complica.
tions. be inclined to coalesce even with
world powers against US, and we
sYall have secret or open enemies in
stead of trustful friends at our very
doors. We shall have the Philippines
with population bitterly hating us,
and, in case of trouble with any for.
, eign power, eager to kindle a fire in
our rear. We shall instead of enjoy.
ing the ines,imable pleasing of exemp.
ton from the burdens of militarism,
be obliged to keep large and costly
arguments 10 hold down our discon.
tented subjects and to provide for our
own security. And more. We shall
have bad conscience. We shall have
betrayed the fundamental principles of
our democracy, robbed tn, American
people of their high ideals and beliefs,
and thus destroyed the conservative
element without which a democracy
based on universal suffrage cannot
long endure.
''And all this to gain some CONNER
cial advantages and naval facilities
which we might have had juAt as fully
and much more securely, had we kept
good faith with ourselves, with our al
ms and with the world.
fNow contemplate the other side Of
: tie alternative. If the American peo-
pie, even after the monstrous aberra-
tions of their government, repudiate
the policy of criminal aggression, and
renounce their conquests; if they de-
clare that their profession of unselfish
motive and generous purpose in the
Spanish war was sincere and must be
maintained at any cost-what then
They must forever put to shame the de-
tractors of the American democracy.
They will show that, although the
powers of their government may
sometimes be put to base uses by men
of misguided ambitions, the American
people are honest and can be counted
upon to resist even the strongest OF
temptations, the intoxication of victory
and to submit even to the notifying
ordeal of a confusion of wrong done
in their name, in order that right,
Justice, and liberty may prevail. Such
an altitude will secure to the American
peODlothe cOnfdence Of manhood as