The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-08-09

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pie who receive least benefit from imos
ralism will be injured most by the nil,
| tary burdens which accompany IT,
In addition to the evils which he and ~.
farmer share in. common, the lahorinx MAJ
will be the first to suffer if Orient tai snN
jects seek work in the United States. tha
first to suffer If American capital Ieava.
our shores to employ Oriental labor in the
| Philippines to supply the trade of Chin
and Japan; the first TO suffer from the viz
lence which the military spirit arousos
and the first to suffer when the methods
of imperialism are applied to our own gov.
eminent.
! 1t is not strange, therefore, that the Ia.
| Dor organizations have been quick TO noIa
the approach of these dangers and promns
TO protest against both militarism and i'm
| perialism.
The pecuniary argument, though mor.
enectiVe with certain classes Is not like
ly to be used so often or presented with
SO much emphasis as the religious areu-
ment- II what has been termed the gun
| powder gospel were urged against the
F1llpinos only, ii would be a sufficient an
swer to say that a majority of the Fill
| pinos are now members of one branch ~
the Christian church; but the princnIa
involved is one of much wider applica
ton and challenges serious consideration
The Religious Argument
The religious argument varies in posi-
tiveness from a passive belief that Prov
idence delivered the Filipinos into our
hands, for their good and our glory 10
the exultation of the minister who said
that We ought to thrash the natives Gin.
pinos) until they understand who ".
are" and that every bullet sent, every
cannon shot and every flag waved means
| righteousness
| We cannot approve of this doctrine in
one place unless we are willing to appv
it everywhere. If there is poison in The
blood of the hand 1t will ultimately reach
the heart 1t is equally true that forci
bic Christianity, if planted under the
American flag in the far-away Orient, will
sooner or later be transplanted upon
American soil. If true Christianity con-
sists in carrying out in our daily lives
the teachings of Christ, who will say that
we are commanded to civilize with dvns
mile and pgoselyte with the sword? He
who would declare the Divine will. must
prove his authority either by Holy Writ
| or by evidence of a special dispensat
The command 60 We irto all the world
and preach the gospel to every crea ture''
has no Gatling-gun attachment. When
Jesus visited village of Samaria. and
the people refused to receive Him. some
be ca'l1d down from heaven to avenge
the insult; but the Master 1ebuktd them
| and said: Eye know not whet manner of
| spirit We are Of for the Sen of Man is
not come to destroy mems lives. but to
save them Suppose he had said I'VE will
THRASH them until they understand who
| we are" how different would have been
the history of Christianity? Compare, If
you will, the swa ggering, bullying, brutal
trfn e ~{nl IL r. LA
| Rule and the commandment Thou shalt
| Iowa thy neighbor as thysef"
| Love, not force was 1.-THE weapon OF
the NaZarene; sacrifice for others, not tho
exploitation of them, was His method of
reaching the human heart A missionary
| recently told me that the Stars and
Stripes once saved his life because his
assailant recognized our flag as flag that
had no blood upon il. Let II be known that
our missionaries are seeking souls in
stead of sovereignty; let it be known that
instead of being the advance guard Of
conquering armies, they are going forth
| to help and to uplift, hav-
ing their loins grit about
with truth and their feet shod with the
preparation Of the Gospel of Peace, wear
| ing the breast-plate of Righteousness. and
carrying the sword of the Spirit; let 1t be
| known that they are the citizens of ma
ton which respects the rights of the cit
liens of other nations as carefully as It
protects the rights of its own citizens.
and the welcome given to our missionaries
will be more cordial than the welcome
| extended to the missionaries of any other
| nation.
The argument, made by some, that IL
was unfortunate for the nation that IL had
anything to do with the Philippine ISL
ands. but that the naval victory at Ma
Mia made the permanent acquisition Of
those islands necessary. is also unsound
We won victory at Santiago, but th;t
| did not compel us to hold Cuba. The
shedding of American blood in the Phil
ippine Islands does not make it impera-
tive that we should retain possession for
| ever. American blood was shed at San
Juan Hill and FL Caney, and yet the Pres
dent has promised the Cubaus independ-
ence. 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 to-
day, but the President has promised to
haul it down when the flag of the Cuban
republic Is ready to rise in its place. Bet
| ter a thosuad times that our flag in the
Orient give way TO flag representing the
idea of self-government than that the flag
of this republic should become the flag Of
an empire.
An Easy, Honorable Solution.
There is an easy. honest, honorable So
luton of the Philippine question. 1t is
| set forth in the Democratic platform, and
1t is submitted with confidence TO the
American people. This plan l unreserv-
eddy indorse. II elected, / shall convene
Congress in extraordinary session es soon
as / am inaugurated, and recommend an
immediate declaration of the nations pur-
pose, first, to establish a stable form Of
government in the Philippine Islands. just
| as we are now establishing a stable FORM
| of government in the island of Cuba; sec
ond, to give Independence to the Fibpinos
| just as we have promised to give inde-
| pendence 70 the Cubans: third. 10 protect
1 the Filipnos from outside interference
| while they work out their destiny just as
we have protected the republics of CEN
| trail and South America, and are, by the
Monroe doctrine, pledged TO protect Cuoa'
| An European protectorate often results III
| the exploitation of the ward by the guar
| dian. An American prote ctorate gives 10
the nation protected The advantage OF our
strength, without making it the victim OF
! our greed For three-quarters o. CEN
fury the Monroe doctrine has been
shield to neigboring republics and
! yet il has imposed no pecuniay
burden upon us. After the Filipnos had
| aided us in the war against Spain, we
| could not nonorabiy turn them over 10
| their former masters; we could not leave
| them to be the victims of the ambitious
designs of the European nations, and since
we do not desire to make them a part ct
| US or to hold them as subjects we propose