The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1900-05-10
Written for The Prison Ma7rOr,

Written for The Prison Muror.
United States senators and few
other statesmen evince surprise that
we have paid Spain $2O,OOO,OOO for the
Philippine islands, having popula-
tion of from eight to ten million.
They 60 on to figure out how much
per head we paid, as they claim, to
enslave and subjugate those people.
Had they paid better attention to our
history under that head for almost a
century they would have found that
the acquiring of territory and enslav-
ing the inhabitants has been our prac-
tice during that period.
In 1903 we bought the Louisiana
territory from France; in 1919 Florida
was ceded to us by Spain; in 1913
Mexico was willing that we should
have California, Nevada, Utah and
part of Arizona, New Mexico; and in
1867 Russia, for money considera-
tion, ceded to us Alaska, all of which
human beings, and what did we do
with them? Did we not make slaves
(?) of them all, and are we not, to this
day even, keeping them in abject SUBJ
mission and bondage?
In the face of all this inhumanity
and vile practice to which we subject
ed those people, whence, 1 ask, come
these manifestations of astonishment
and surprise that we should buy the
Philippine islands to enslave their in
habitants? The records of past &C
tions are the best and only criterion by
which to judge the future deeds of
nations as we'll as individuals. Search
and scan closely the pages of United
States history and see whether you
will find anything in them to warrant
the pessimistic and villifying accusa-
tions made, that the government of the
United States seeks or contemplates to
enslave and subjugate people who
through circumstances beyond our con-
troll, by the display of undaunted valor
and patriotism on the part of the
American people, have become a
charge upon us. Our keen instinct of
humanity and duty forbids us to aban-
don them until we have safely de-
livered them from the chaos and dan
ger that turks and threatens them
within and without.
We have good reason to put our
faith and trust in the American peo-
pie. That they will do justice to those
poor, miserable fellow beings who have
never known anything but the scourge
of cruel Spain, and therefore not cas-
lily brought to see the motives which
prompt the American people to sacri-
fees of life and treasure in their be-
half and for their future welI-being.
There are bright pages in the history
of the United States, but among the
brightest of the bright will be those
that will chronicle the results of what
the calamity howlers are now pleased
to call subjugation and unlawful ag-
SAOooiOu, auO OoIC ody UudC UuTluR
the next decade there will be estab-
lished in the Philippines republic, a
free government the people of which
will offer praise and thanksgiving to
God Almighty and beseech His bless
ing upon the American people for
their deliverance.
Had we, or did we even now, after
freeing those people from the merci-
less bondage of cruel Spain, abandoned
and left them to their own fate to
work out their own salvation, even
guarding against their acquisition by
any of the powers, can imagine by
far greater disaster and misery
amongst themselves than they have
ever known even under the corrupt
government of Spain as we could look
for nothing but constant struggle of
mutual destruction between the diff