The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-04-25
WATTERsoN ON DESTINY.

WATTERSON ON DESTINY,
In a recent issue Of the Courier
Journal Mr.. Watterson, that quaint
and always interesting Journalist, ad-
vlses his party to raise the white flag
and surrender to the republican party
on the question of imperialism. He
does not announce that he is convinced
OF the righteousness of the republican
position. but he excuses himself by as
Stunning that it is impossible to combat
the forces which seem to be behind the
republican party. He admits that inn
perialism is an innovation upon Am
erican principles and antagonistic to
the teachings of the earlier statesmen
Here are his words:
Let us say at once that the scheme
OF occupying territory remote from
our borders, of subduing people alien
20 our character and institutions and
OF undertaking system of colonial
government over this territory and
these peoples without their consent
and apparently in opposition to their
willis not merely serious innova-
ton upon the original plan embodied
by the constitution of the United Stat
es, and contemplated by the authors
OF that constitution, but that it is re-
pugnant to the prudent counsels de-
livered by the ~wisest of our older
statesmen, to say nothing about the
teaching Of history"
After brief review of the past one
hundred years, he accepts the republic
can doctrine of providence and says:
God moves IN a mysterious way His
wonders to perform. He made the
Spanish war. He was not less behind
Dewey in Manila than He was behind
Shafter and Sampson and Schley at
Santiago. What was His all-wise pur-
pose? We know not. But there we
were and there we are; and nothing
is surer in the future than that we
shall be there a century hence unless
some power turns up strong enough
to drive us out. Instead, therefore, of
discussing the abstraction of imper-
ialism, illustrated by the rights and
wrongs of the Philippines. Mr.. Bryan
were more profitably engaged in con-
sidering how we may best administer
possessions, which, for good or for
evil, are with us to stay
1t will be noticed that he adopts the
republican theory that God Is respon-
sible for what we have done; that it
is matter of destiny, and that we
are being swept along by influences
over which we have no control.
Tho doctrine enunciated by the re-
publicans since the Spanish war, and
now Endorsed by SO great an editor as
Mr.. Watterson, is not only dangerous,
but it is immoral. 1t is politically dan
gerous because it encourages the re-
publican party to shirk responsibility
Co. ct, 81 T. Il
pretense that it is working out the
will of the Almighty; and it is immoral
because it obliterates the distinction
between right and wrong. The repub-
lican argument is built upon the theo-
ry that wrong done upon a large scale
loses it's evil character, and becomes
an integral part OF Gods plan. 1t is in
keeping with the tendency to call an
embezzler Napoleon of finance, pro-
vided the amount embezzled is large,
Mr.. Watterson has not in the past
been in the habit of defending his po-
sition with the philosophy which he
now employs. In former years he was
known as the special champion of ''the
star-eyed Goddess of Reform" When
the democratic party went down to de-
feat, as it often did, he did not say:
wonders to perform. He made protec-
ton and the republican party, and,
therefore. we must bow to BOTH" On
the contrary, he raised the democratic
banner aloft and appealed time and
again to the intelligence of the Ameri-
can people. Neither has he been in the
habit of excusing the crimes of indi-
viduals by attributing them to divine
inspiration. When Governor Goebel
was assassinated Mr.. Watterson did
not say: God moves in mysterious
way His wonders to perform; He
prompted the assassin to kill! We
cannot understand His all-wise pur-
| pose, but there we were, and here we
are, and there is nothing to be done
| about it,
Instead, he insisted that murder
had feen committed and that the gull
| ty should be brought to justice.
When the louisville and Nashville
| railroad entered the arena Of politics,
ard Logan its work of corruption and
! intimidation. Mr.. Watterson did not
say: God moves in mys. a.iors way
His wonders to perform. This rail-
road company has sprung into exist
ence and must be carrying out the pur-
poses of an all-wise Ruler"
Far from it! He insisted that the
railroad should keep out of politics;
and attend to the business for which it
was organized.
There is no more reason for throw
ing upon the Almighty the RESPONSE
bility for war Of conquest, and for an
imperial policy which burdens our ma
ton with large army and suppresses
the aspirations of distant peoples for
self-government than there is to blame
Him because one individual chooses to
kill another, or because a great cor
poration attempts to control state
government.
Questions must be decided by the APP
plication of fixed and immutable prin-
ciples. Jefferson said: 81 know of but
one code of morality for men, whether
acting singly or collectively" and
Franklin expressed the same idea,
only in different language. when he
said: Justice is as strictly due be-
tween neighbor nations as between
neighbor citizens. The highwayman is
as much robber where he plumbers in
a gang as when single, and the nation
that wages an unjust war is only a
great gang"
|