The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-12-07

near not having a civil government as the
1 Republic of Haiti. When such an en-
lightened governing agency as Great
| Britain claimed a strip of Venezuela q
| few years ago we gave her notice to
keep her hands of, to submit her claims
| to arbitration, although we were keep
ing out this high governing agency from
/ considerable portion of the country Of
South America and were maintaining
power which had government by reyolu-
| tion.
There is at least one thing in govern
ment worse than government by reyoiu-
ton, and that is government by brute
force. The government of one communi-
ty by another community of one race by
another race. contrary to the customs and
ideas of the governed. is something worse
than government by revolution. / say.
then. let US follow the American prece-
dents, the policy that we have followed
in the case of Haiti, Mexico and yenezu-
ella. and that we have proclaimed for
Cuba. l say let us follow the dictates of
Justice; for this great nation. after favor
ing people who were struggling for in
dependence and encouraging them In that
struggle, can never stand before the bar
of history. having purchased that people.
and having endeayored to crush those
aspirations which not merely our own
glorious example but our own direct in
element had aroused.
The Filipino does not. perhaps. come up
to Anglo-Saxon standards and should not
be judged by them. He may not make
war according to civilized precedents. al
though If we are to Judge from the state
ments Of one party to the controversy
there is nothing barbarous that he has
committed in this war that cannot be du-
plicated by the conduct OF Great Britain
in South Africa. He seems advanced
enough. however. to fight for his freedom.
Give him the benefit of that
I have seen this spirit called somewhere.
and I think admirably called, the "uncon-
Iuerable spirit" IL Is the spirit that kept
George Washington fighting after Valley
Forge. It Is the spirit which animates De
Wet today in South Africa after the or
ganization Of the republican armies has
been destroyed and they have been broken
up into bands OF rowing patriots. 1t Is the
same spirit which. according to the reports
Of our own generals. has broken down
tribal lines and made the people of the
Philippines unanimous in their hostility to
this nation. II is the same spirit which
would have shown itself in Cuba had We
turned our war of deliverance in that
,,
conquest.
Those who think that the Filipnos con-
tinue to wage against us the war We pur-
chased from Spain because OF some speech
made by somebody against the treaty have
read history to but little purpose, II, in
deed. they have read 1t at all. They ars
inspired by that same unconquerable spirit
which is the noblest heritage of the human
heart, which I am glad to believe is uni
yersal: it is mans best title to freedom,
and that is the spirit to wage unrelentinS
war in behalf OF liberty. The Empire OF
Great Britain never attained loftier
moral stature than when. after Majuba
Hill she showed herself willing TO do jus
tice to the Beers
Standing almost peerless in physical
strength among the nations, she displayed
that nobler and more essential quality
of greatness when after reverse she
yet listened to the demands OF that weak
little Republic in South Africa. That act
of Gladstone strengthened his country in
the hearts of men the world over; and
it will shine in history all the more
brightly in contrast with the brutal and
merciless policy of determination which
is now shocking the sensibilities OF
Christ endom.
But how much easier is il for us to-
day to pursue policy Of Justice? We
have suffered no reverse. or none indeed
unless it be a moral one which our own
conduct has inflicted. The organized
armies have been dispersed. The Filipino
leader. whom we bore to Luzon with arms
in one of our own ships has been driven
by us to the caves of the mountains, IL in
deed he yet lives. The time has come
when we should frankly declare to those
people our ultimate purpose toward lam.
Let us give them that assurance when
bI-fn ipsn
that we will aid them for ono year-for
five years il need be-ip setting UP a
Government of their own. symbolized by
their own flag. and that we will leave
with them all that Is most glorious in the
meaning of another flag-liberty, ir
pendence, self-government. loud
plause.l