The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-01-19

| MHnllA were 30 IlTnlJeu
in their supplies of provisions that they
were living on horse and buffalo meat,
and the Chinese population on cats and
dogs.
This war of conquest and criminal
aggression, (and if President Mckinley
has not changed the national code of
morality, it deserves no better name),
has brought about another end most
serious. 1t is nothing less than the
violation of the constitution of the
United States by the administration.
Under date of August 20, 1892 at Jolo,
an agreement was entered into between
the military authorities in the Philip
pines, acting through J. G. Bates,
brigadier general u. S. ", and the
sultan of Sulu, which brings the Sulu
archipelago and its dependencies under
the sovereignty of the United States.
That agreement is in part as follows:
Art. 1. The sovereignty of the United
States over the archipelago of Sulu
and it's dependencies Is declared and
acknowledged.
Art. 2. The United States flag will be
used in the archipelago of Sulu and
its dependencies on land and sea-
Art. 3. The rights and dignities of
His Highness, the Sultan, and his datos,
shall be fully respected; and morros
shall not be interfered with on account
of their religion; all their religious Gus
toms shall be respected, and no one
shall be prosecuted on account of his
religion.
Art. 10. Any slave in the archipelago
of Sulu shall have the right to purchase
freedom by paying to the master the
usual market value.
| article 2 nplyunfnU 10
1t is one Of "the rights and dignities
of His Highness, the Sultan, and his
datos." Polygamy is a Mohammedan
institution and the agreement that
"the Morros shall not be interfered
with on account of their religion" is
nothing less than a pledge that they
shall not be disturbed in the practice
| OF polygamy In the face of this, and
much more that might be said, does ii
not seem that many of the good men
and women of our country, who are
up in arms against Congressman Rob-
| erts, of Utah, for the practice of poly
gamy, are direlict in their duty in not
directing at least a part of their fire
against the administration for uphold
ing and protecting polygamy in the
Sulu archipelago.
But this is not all. The institution of
slavery exists there, and under article
l of this agreement "the sovereignty of
the United States over the whole
archipelago of Sulu and it's dependen-
cies is declared and acknowledged"
In this connection I want to refer to
only one of the many speeches made
by the president on his popular court
ing tour throughout the country in the
| fall of 1899.
Tn, ,Iys,,
alleged demand for gold as a price for
| peace, President Mckinley said in an
address to the North Dakota volunteers,
But the United States pays no gold
for peace. We never have a bribe for
peace in our history, and we never will"
The payment of $250.00 a month to the
sultan of Sulu, and $4,000 a month ad-
ditional among nine Of his datos, max |
ing total of $4,000 a month, or S912O
year salary to these people in order |
to secure the agreement or treaty to |
which have referred, and to establish |
peaceful relations with their tribes |
looks to me very much like paying |
gold for peace.
1t ought to be understood, however, |
that the United States must not be
held accountable for this infamous act |
but that all the shame and ignominy |
attaching thereto shall be laid to the
servile administration.
In that same speech President McKin- |
ley said "Our flag is there" (meaning |
in the Philippines,) where you left it, |
you boys of the North Dakota yolun-
teers You left it there in the hands
Of those who took your places, without |
blot and without stain" In this agree
with the president, because the flag
was placed there, and left there by the
gallant soldiers Of this republic in obe-
dlence to the command of their superb
ors. They did leave it without blot and
without STAIN" but I think It Is not
saying too much to charge that the
administration, in ordering that 1t be
so placed and left there, put upon it a
blot and a stain.
The soldiers of this republic are
heroic, courageous and obedient, and
1t would be unjust from what they did
in obedience to commands given them
to condemn them.
And 1t is just, If any wrong is COM
mitted that the blame for that wrong
be laid to the door Of those who gave |
the commands.
In that same speech President Nc
kinley said, And wherever that |
stahuaru lS TdlSeu, Whether in the |
western or the eastern hemisphere, ii |
stands for liberty, civilization, and |
humanity" Our flag stands for liberty.
civilization and humanity?
Is this utterance not strange coming |
from man who as the chief executive
OF the nation sanctions and approves |
the treaty with the sultan of Sulu, and |
violates the constitution by bringing |
within the jurisdiction of the United |
states place where the institutions |
OF slavery and polygamy flourish? |
The flag stands for freedom, and float |
over the institutions Of slavery? The
flag stands for civilization and human |
ity and unfurl its folds over the practice
OF polygamy? Not so. Not so.
Every patriotic citizen agrees that the |
American flag does not stand as the
emblem OF liberty civilization, and
MI