The age-herald., 1901-06-21
REPUDiATIoN.
Of the Declaration Of Independence
 is About Complete.

Fl om the St Louis Republic.
 On the Fourth of July, 1776, little band of American patriots and lovers of liberty whose names are now immortal in history. assembled in conference at Philadelphia, signed the splendid Ameri- can utterance known asta Declaration of Independence the keynote of which is:
 We hold these truths to be self-evi- dent, that all men are created equal: that they are endowed by. their Creator with certain enalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness That, to secure these rights. governments are instituted among man, deriving their just powers from the con sent of the governed"
 on the 4th of June, 1901 a little band of Americans constituting the cabinet of the Pre- ident of the United States. the government founded by the signers of the Declaration of Independence assembled in conference in the White House, the President of the United States presiding, and definitely repudiated and denied the truth of this keynote utterance of the Declaration of Independence.
 They decided that the President should govern the Philippines. with the strong hand of the military in utter disregard of any rights or wishes of the people with unjust powers of government de- rived. not from the consent of the gov erned, but from the employment of force intended to overawe and subdue the gov erned. The American people now confront this ominous repudiation of the great basic truth upon which the free govern ment of the United States is established Just as plainly as the signers of the Declaration declared this truth. so plain ly did President Mckinley and his cab met abandon t in their action at Tues days meeting
 There is no craft of special pleading which can reconcile one action with the other. The Declaration of Independence forbids our government of the Philip pines save with the consent Of the gov erned, forbids an American citizenship that is not equal in all rights before the law, forbids the employment of armies as a compelling factor in the government Of peoples subjected hi1 force 10 our un- welcome rule. the cabinets action of last Tuesday sanctions the very things for bdden by the Declaration of Indepen- dence.
 It must now be acceptedi as an accom- pIished fact that the United States gov ernment has abandoned the creed upon which 1t was originally established. The earlier management of the Philippine and Porto Ricaa problems could possibly have been defended as due to temporary neces- sity. The system of government now de- oided upon represents deliberate policy Of the administration.
 Tho Presidents cabinet authoritative ly decides that Congress is not necessary to colonial government; that military rule under this one-man power shall prevail in the Philippines: that backed by the military. the collection of tariff duties and all acts of government in the Philippines shall be continued.
 Not one of these things is permissible or possible under the terms ef the Amer ican Declaration of Independence Not one is in accord with American utter arces of the past sWe have now cut loose from the mooring. CIV have turned our faces from the original American faith of the patriots who won freedom for themselves and us and who founded this government as freedoms hope and haven for the worlds oppressed What 1o the American people think of Tues days action of the Presidents cabinet? Does it meet with approval as constitut- ing consistent Americ2n action? The ex- istence of the United States government as a free republic depends upon the peo- ple's answer to these questions,
 What tne South Proposes.
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