Hutchinson gazette., 1901-04-25
WATTERsoN on DESTINY.

In recent issue or the Courier
journal Mr. Watterson, that quaint
and always interesting journalist adj
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
suming that II Is impossible to combat
the forces which seem TO be behind the
republican party, lie admits that im-
perlNlism Is an innovation upon Am-
erican principles and antagonlstc to
the teachings Of the earlier statesmen,
Here are his words;
let ms say at once that the scheme
of occupying Il territory remote from
our borders, OF subduing n people alien
10 our character and institutions and
Of undertaking system of colonial
government over this territory and
these peoples without their consent --
aud apparently IN opposition to their
will lg not merely u serious innoyN-
. tIon upon the original plan embodied
by the constitution Of the United stat
es, end contemplated by the authors
Of that constitution, but that II is re
pugnnnt to the prudent Counsels de-
livcrCd by the wIspst OF our Older
statesmen, 10 say nothing about the
teaching Of history"
After brief review Of the past one
hundred years, he accepts the rcpubll-
can doctrine Of providence and says:
God moves IN mysterious way HIS
wonders to perform, He made the
Spanish war. he was not less behind
Dewey in Manila than He was behind
Shufter 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 srrcr In the future than that We
shall be there century hence unless
some power turns mp strong enough
30 drive MS ont, instead, therefore, OF
discussing the abstraction Of imper-
ialism, Illustrated by the rights and
WRONGS OF the Philippines, Mr., Bryan
were more prohtably engaged In con
sldoring how we may best administer
possessions, which, for good or for
cyil are with MS TO stay
II will be noticed that he adopts The
republican theory that God is respOA-
siblr for what We have done that II
is matter OF destiny, and that we
are being swept along by influences
over which we have no control.
the doctrine cnunCiated by tho rc-
publlCans since the Spanish war, and
nov indorsed by 30 great an editor as
Mr.. Watterson, Is not only dangerous
but It is immoral 1t IL politically dan
gerous because 1t encourages the re-
publican party to shlrk responsibility
for It's sins and shield itself behind the
prrtense that II Is working out The
will Of the Almighty; and II Is immoral
because II obliteratcs the distinction
between right and wrong. The repuh-
lican argument Is built upon the theo-
~ that wrong done upon a large scale
loses its evil character and becomes
IN integral part Of Gods plan. II Is IN
keeping with the tendency to call an
pmhC2ZlcI Napoleon of finance, pro-
vided the amount cmboz2led is large.
Mr.. WattersOn mas not in the past
been in the habit of defending his po-
sition wit the philosophy which he
now employs, In former years he was
known as the special champion Of the
stOr-cyed Goddess Of Reform When
the democratic party went down to de-
feat, as It often did, he did not say:
God moves in mysterious way His
wonders 70 perform, He made protec-
tion 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 ihc
habit Of eXCusing the crimes Of indi-
Niduals by attrbuting them to divine
inspiration, When Governor Goebel
VAS assassnated Mr.. Watterson did
not say; God moves in u mysterious
way His wonders to perform; He
prompted the assassin to kill! We
cannot understand His all-wlsc pur-
pose but there we We're and here We
are, and there is nothing to be done
about IT,
ILstcad, hc insisted that n murder
had recn committed and that The gull
ty should bc brought to justice.
When the Louisville and Nashville
railroad ent,r red the arena Of politics,
ahd Logan its work of corruption and
Intimidation Mr.. Watterson did not
Say, God 'LOVes in myst a!iOrs way
His wonders to perform This rail-
road company has sprung into exist
euce and must he carrying out the pur-
poses Of an all-wisc Ruler"
Far from Il! He insisted that the
railroad should keep out Of politics
and attend to the business for which 1t
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
tion 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
plicaton OF fixed and immutable prin-
ciples. Jefferson said: II 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
gang as when single, and the nation