, 1900-01-10

sessions. Dewey's attack on Manila
was a necessary blow in the war with
Spain. And the commissioners inform
us that there has not beer a moment
since hat attack when we could have
honorably withdrawn. The treaty of
peace gave us the archipelago. The
commissioners at Paris. having differ
ent views, came logically though slow
ly, to the unanimous conclusion that
no other issue was wise and honorable.
The responsibility has been assumed
and ratified by the great majority of
the American people, not thoughtless-
ly or hastily, but soberly. advisedly.
and in the fear of God.
"All just government does not derive
their just powers from the consent OF
all the governed. Gods government
does not. The consent of the governed
was not regarded by Thomas jefferson
or Abraham Lincoln in the chief acts
of their administrations Still in the
Philippine policy the commissioners
inform us that the great majority of
those to be governed ate with and not
against us, preferring American law.
intelligence, and liberty to the cruel
and treacherous dictatorship of the
Tagal conspirator.
What Americans supremacy means
for good order, sanitation, prosperity,
is seen in the incipient generation of
Cuba. We are grateful that God has
permitted us to give a long-suffering
population the beginning of good gov
eminent. An able critic of the present
policy sneers at the American people
for thinking that they are able to send
canned liberty" abroad. When this
criticism was heard by a witty Wash
ington lady she thoughtfully said:
The people are right, for, you know,
liberty must be preserved
"All students of history know that
liberty cannot be preserved without
without intelligence, obedience, self,
control, and public spirit. The sixty
tribes of the eastern archipelago new
er gained these things from the CentrI-
ries OF Spanish dominion. Not only
are they not a nation, but they can
never become a nation except through
such political and moral agencies a.
ennobled and unified the thirteen colo.
They are now a cOngerieS of hostile
communities in various grades of de-
velopment, demoraliZed not only by
b~arbarism, but by long years Of selfish
tyranny praCticed by a government e5-
%sentially hostile to the ~fundaments
ideas of free and self-governiAs ma
lions. To apply without restriction all
of Jefferson's brilliant generalilies to
peoples of this sort is the height Of I'M
practical doctrinairism and the dep:h
of political f~oolishness.~
Our fathers never thought of prAc-
ticlng any such perversion of their own
doctrines. The sturdy common sclsC
of the American people Qet Us lie
grateful for i) has considered the com
plicated Philippine problem in the light
of the facts. Regretting the necessit" |
of putting down the misguided insur-
rectionists, as they regretted the nee
cssity of putting down rebellion in Viz
ginia and anarchy in Chicago, the peo-
pie are resClute in their purpose to es-
tablish peace and freedom under the
flag. They intend that that flag shall
meal civil and religious liberty, order,
good government, enlightenment, So
cial and industrial progress, and such
a measure of ultimate self-government
as the Malay peoples may be trained to
exercise with wisdom and success.
I'VE are thankful that under able
humane, patient, and far-seeing lead
ership, America is taking her proper
place among the nations. We are hon
orably represented in the great Euro.
pean capitals. At the peace conference
America was the commanding and
%beneicient power. For the approach
ing exposition in Paris America is able
to secure a larger area than France
gave to any other nation except Rus
STA. This was largely due-our COM
missioner tells us-to the new prestige
which is one of the results of the Span
ish-Amsrican war.
England has been drawn closer to
us than ever before. An American mis-
sionary writes from Yokohama hat
the old English temper and habit of
offensive superiority to all things
Americans have disappeared. The
| American who has travelled in many
lands is grateful for this change. Many
American consuls informed our peace
| commissioners in Paris of the marve-
lous additional respect paid to Ameri-
ca in all European countries, including
Turkey.
New power means means new re-
sponsibility. New opportunity signi-
fies new obligation. Now that Ameri-
ca has come to herself, now that the
old-time division of north and south
is gone, this noble and puissant nation
is realizing that we have a divine com
mand to universalize Il political and
spiritual treasure. Purer life at home,
%loftier ideals of public duty, the neces-
sity of curing our domestic plague
spots, of delivering our civil service
from p~artisanship and corruption, and
of training consuls, diplomats, teach