Amador ledger., 1901-10-11
RANsoMING MISSIONARIES.

NrNiNSONiliNS NtOSIAINATICS.
The Bulgarian brigands who are
holding in captivity Miss Stone, an
American missionary, demand 800,
600 as the price of her ransom. This
sum is to be paid by November 8,
otherwise the captive will be put to
death or compelled to become the
wife of one of the brigands. That
is the way these freebooters do
things III The mountain Businesses of
Bulgaria. The Turkish authorities
are powerless to stop these outrages.
There is nothing uncommon in that
region in such lawleSs occurrences.
The fact that has brought this case
into such startling prominence is
that the captive is an American.
The government is considering the
propriety of recognizing this brigan-
dage by paying the money ransom.
1t certainly would be establishing a
bad precedent to concede to the de-
mands of these outlaws. They would
conclude that the United States
citizens afforded an unusually re-
numerative field for their operations,
and would naturally push the captive
and ransom business in this direc-
tion for all it is worth. We do not
know of an instance of government
paying the claims of ransom put for
ward by the brigands of Europe.
Individuals have been ransomed, but
by their friends, and not by the gov
eminent to which they owe allegi-
ance. We believe in the United
States extending its protection to
the utmost of its power to every
citizen, whether for business or
pleasure The missionaries of our
various religious denominations are
no doubt doing much good in foreign
fields. But it becomes a very seri-
Gus question whether the United
States, or any other government, is
under any obligation to get the
missionaries out of every scrape
they manage to get into by virture
of their proselytzing mission. Our
missionaries go to make war-by
the noble methods of moral suasion
and upright living it is true-upon
the time-honored religious customs
and creeds of the country to which
they are accredited. They voluntary
assume this position, moved thereto
no doubt by the purest humanitarian
motives. They do not represent the
government in their self-sacrifcine
work, but simply the religious or
ganization to which they belong,
and which furnishes them with the
means to pursue their work. As
far as the United States is concern
ed, all religions are alike. If the
government interferes at all, ii
would be not to protect the mission
airy, but the citizen, and it is a
debateable point whether the mis-
sionary abroad does not by the very
nature of his work, forfeit his citi-
zen's claim to the protection of his
government. We have naught but
words of praise to say concerning g
the noble band of missionaries and
their work for the regeneration of
the world. The question is, Is it
not the place of the religious denomi-
nations rather than the civil gov
eminent, to protect them in their
work. Their work necessarily in
wolves an attack upon the deep
rooted religious prejudices of the
people to whom they are sent. The
Boxer rising in China last year was
mainly owing to the missionaries,
and aimed against them. 1t is about
time that the United States clearly
defined its position on the PROPOSE
ton of defending missionaries who
happen to get into trouble in foreign
lands.