Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1901-08-16
APPEAL to the PEOPLE.
ADDRESS BY THE ANTI-lMPER-
lALiST LEAGUES

They Believe They Are Right. and That the
Policy Of the Administration is Dangerous
to the Life of the RspubIic-They Give Some
Very Good Reasons tor the Faith They
Profess-Their Protest Rings With True Pa
triotism.
The Anti-Imperialistic leagues of
the country have issued the following
address to the people:
The Anti-Imperialist leagues OF the
United States have been silent since
the Presidential election, but not be.
cause they have less faith in their
cause or believe the battle lost. They
have hoped that those who voted for
Mckinley while disappearing his pol
icy in the West Indies and Philip
pines, would see that their votes were
misinterpreted, and would make their
disapproval known and felt. They
had hoped that Congress would claim
its place in our government and would
insist that the principles of freedom
must be recognized and applied wher-
ever our country holds sway. They
had hoped that the Supreme Court
would with no uncertain voice declare
that no human being under our con.
troll could be without the rights se-
cured by our Constitution, and that
neither President nor Congress, nor
both together, could exercise absolute
power over men entitled to the protec-
tion Of our flag.
These hopes have not been realized.
Where Benjamin Harrison nobly led,
too few have followed. The war in the
Philippines has been prosecuted with
unrelenting cruelty until the resist.
ance of the unhappy islands seems to
have been crushed. Many thousands
Of their bravest men have been killed,
or have died of disease, during the con-
test, and to-day the President exercises
power as despotic as cars over the
whole Filipino nation. Congress has
abdicated it's function. has given these
people into the Presidents hands, and
has adjourned without attempting to
deal with the questions presented by
the islands. Already it, has learned
that free government is hard and alb
solutism easy-a dangerous lesson in a
republic. Liberty and absolutism can.
not exist together.
Three years ago Congress by joint
resolution declared that the people
of the island OF Cuba are and of right
ought to be free and independent
that they were then independent, and
were justly entitled to be independent.
This country intervened to establish
their independence, and by the same
resolution promised not to exercise
sovereignty, jurisdiction or control
over said island, except for the pacifi.
cation thereof To-day the President
is the absolute ruler of Cuba. He
spends the revenues OF the island as
he pleases. No Constitution, no law,
fetters his power. At his instance
Congress has violated the nations
pledge. The "independent" Cuban
people have been told that they will
not be allowed to establish any govern.
ment in their own land, unless they
surrender in part the control OF their
finances and foreign affairs; unless
they give to this country the posses
sion OF strategic points on their terri.
tory; and unless in addition they give
to it the right to intervene in their
domestic affairs whenever in the judg-
ment of our authorities the occasion
shall demand such Intervention. They
are offered no option to refuse these
demands, which are blackened by the
presence OF American troops on their
soil, Thus to the whole world our
course has become an example OF ma
tional perfdy. The enforced submits
sion OF the Cubans to these unjust re.
qu:rements has made the stain on our
national record indelible.
The Supreme Court has just spoken,
but has left the law in doubt. Some
of its members have given counte-
nance to views urged by the admins.
tration, of which their associate, Mr..
Justice Harlan, says: "If the princi-
Piles thus announced should ever re-
ceive the sanction Of majority OF tLis
court, q radical and mischievous
change in our system of government
will be the result. We will in that
event pass from the era OF constitu-
ton. into an era OF legislative absolu-
tism."
Where such a revolution is threat.
ened and when Congress and the Su.
preme Court both fail, there is no help
save in the people. If they would
avert the impending calamity they
must help themselves. Let US not be
misled by names. Imperialism is not
a question Of crowns and sceptres, OF
names and titles. 1t is system Of
government. Where a man or body
OF men, an emperor or a President, a
Congress or nation, claims the abso.
lutte right to rule people, to compel
the submission of that people by brute
force, to decide what rights they shall
have, what taxes they shall pay, what
judges shall administer their laws,
what men shall govern them-all
without responsibility to the people