Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-04-17

Editor RlDehart of Newton, Iowa,
Writes Warm Letter TO Funston.
This weeks Newton Herald contains
the following open letter from Editor
q. F. Rinehart to General Fred Funs-
ton:
Dear Fred-I have not the honor of
your personal acquaintance nor do 1
care to form the acquaintance of any
man who commits half the crimes out
lined In the code and calls 1t civilized
warfare.
You are just now the lion of the peo-
pie because nine-tenths of the people
are thonghtleas and lack those essential
principles that constitute morality. The
lion Of today is the ass of tomorrow,
and you are destined to season Of
glory and then q total eclipse.
You have physical courage; no one
would care to dispute that, but physl-
cal courage is one of the chief char
acteristics of the tiger, and he is q
bloodthirs,y and cruel brute. hesitsting
at no sneaking means to accomplish his
designs.
Physical courage never makes his
tory. 1t is not destined to immortality.
1t deserves to die with the advancing
civilization of the age. Moral courage
alone deserves the laurel. 1t never
dies, simply because 1t deserves to live.
A man may recklessly expose him
self to danger. That proves him conr-
sgeous; 1t also proves him . fool
When Bruno was being burned at the
stake the flames Tapped and kissed his
heoric frame with tho sting Of death,
but not q whimper escaped him. lie
was dying for an ides. 1t was moral
courage that inspired him. when he
said, as the flames were sapptng his
Vitality: "It is with more trepidation
you administer this punishment than
receive It,"
General Grant lives In history, bnt
Grant never committed . crime to win
glory. lie had physical courage, bnt
he never recklessly exposed himself to
cater to the bleachers. He was not .
forger. He never partook of the bsesd
of an enemy and then used lis strength
thus acquired to throttle the enemy.
Grant was pretty fair sort of gen.
tleman. He demanded unconditional
and Immediate surrender, but he was
In the open field of battle under the
tree at Appomstox. He was neither q
liar nor sneak. 49,
Yon have captured Agutnaldo. You
thought Of the manner Of affecting bis
capture. God pity the man who would
wish to share the responsibility with
You. You are the man who will be pill
loried by the decent historians OF the
future as the msn who stained indeli-
bly, the escutcheon OF civilized warfare
BY an act of fnfamy Without 5 parallel
in the history Of tho world.
It is to be hoped thet the capture Of
Agninaldo will end the butchery in the
Philippines. Sixty-five thousand men
have tried for two years to capture him
and failed misersbly. lie was proof
against all recognized a,M approved
methods of warfare, hut helha.l never
rrckoned fyon, fSed, or hs would
have shot every prisoner brought to hls
camp lle wonids have taken no
chances. lie would have laid aside all
humane impulses and butchercd the
captive soldiers of the republic as he
would have bntchered hogs He would
have done this as his only safe. method
of meeting Funston with Funston.
Ills instincts were not barbarous enough
to conceive such, nor savage enough to
execute.
No one will find much fault in this
fact that Aguinaldo is captured, and
few will lind fault with the method,
because morality is not very wide
spread. Preachers in the pulpit will
endorse your conduct, and the admin
ietration will crown your net as the cap
shtaf Of record that has scandallzed
the civilized world. Few will have the
courage to speak Ut your conduct az Il
deserves, because moral courage IL rare
In these days Of football and pueilism
Your srllime bsgan with bribery.
You corrupted with administration
gold. The man who bribes il worse
than the man who accepts. You placed
yourself on the lowest possible level q,
the inception Of your scheme. You
then committed forgery. You wrote
letters to Agulnaldo and signed thereto
the name If his most trusted friend
aud lieutenant, even affixlng his seal
Every native who accompanied you
was y traitor. Your own mother In
Kansas said when she heard of youl
scheme: II am afraid the traitors vii
turn on Fred and delis er him to Aguin
aldo." She knew what traitor was
she also seemed to know BY instinct
that the rascals would be excused b,
the entire world if they had turned 20,
over to the man you was seeking t.
capture by bribery. forgery, fraud, de
ception snd dishonor.
4 You reached the ehaunts of Aguinald,
in famished condition. Your com
pany was weary aud starving. Aguin
aldo sent you immediate supplies ant
you used them to gain strength to ruiz
him. 1t Is y wonder that Almight,
God did not make every mouthful o
Aguinaldo's meagre hoard choke tn
entire command of bribers, forgers an,
traitors bent upon the most dishonoi
able course ever conceived, even b
savage minds.