The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1901-10-12


sions the president had said that w
could not consistently hold subject cold
MES: then the syndicates demanded
subject colonies and the president said
yea, yea. GE t1 % FL FL
In December the president sent 9 |
to congress stating that plain
duty required 10 to make the Porto
Ricans citizens of our republic, 80 that
they could trade with our people free
Of tarih duties; then the tobacco syndi-
cate objected, and in six weeks the
president swallowed his words and
abandoned plain duty, the trusts being
more potent in Washington than sever,-
ty millions Of American people.
Congress and the president had sol
EMMY assured the world that Cuba
should be free and Independent, and
that we were not going to assert sover-
eignity,z but would leave the islands @
be<soverned by the people Of the island.
The president repeatedly said this.
pledge involved our honor. and must b
made good. But when It came to With
drawing, and keeping our word, the
syndicates objected and the president
has approved the measures denying
Cuba her independence and keeping her
in state of vallalage. Today we
stand before the world with our word
dishonored. and our solemn pledge spit
upon, all because commercialism rules
at the White House and makes laws
at the capital. T." =
In the spring of '9s America was
shocked at the barbarities practiced by
Weyler in Cuba. The American people
rose as one man and demanded that
these Cuban horrors be ended. Amid
the applause Of mankind we went on q
mission of humanity. Then the aristo-
cratic government Of Great Britain, ac-
tuated by lust for gold and greed Of
land, determined to, assassinate two
South African republics. Had our gov
eminent then intimated to England
that we should regard the destruction
of two sister republics as an unfriend-
ly act, England would have halted. En-
gland did not want our displeasure. By
a mere manly and mere friendly pro-
test we could have saved those two re-
publics. But unfortunately we had 4
tuft-hunting secretary Of state, who
valued the privilege Of taking breakfast
with some British snobs more than he
did free institutions upon earth. He
gave England assurances Of our moral
support in everything she might do.
The newly made criminal millienaires
Of our land who wanted to be intro
duced at court demanded that we sup
port England and the president said
"Amen." The attitude Of this great re-
public Influenced other nations We
thus prevented Intervention and arbi-
tration; 50 that by indirection we have
helped to destroy two sister republics.
Today that brutal butcher. Kitchner
IL perpetrating horrors In South Africa
in comparison with which weyIer's
operations in Cuba were innocent
amusements. And we are lending
moral support to It all. Only three
years. agosalE America rode to put an
end to sWeylsr,s bra,t alitIeain Cubs.
Today a Republican adnninfstra tion -
making US Z silent partner in the COM
mission of greater horrors than were
ever dreamed Of by Weyler: /. \ r.
Verify, Tom Reed was right when he
said this was syndicated administra.
ton. Commercialism has no consci-
ence. Corporations have no soul, and
the syndicates which control this ad-
ministration have neither conscience,
soul nor principle.
WHAT rs MORAL WORLD POWER?
For half a century this republic was
t greatest world-power on earth, ito
in. fence incircled the globe. Not
through its armies, nor its navies, for It
had none, not through its wealth or ex-
hibtion Of brute force, for there were
a number Of nations that surpassed III
In all these things. But It was through
high ideals, through lofty standards.
We stood for human rights; we stood
for liberty; we stood for human. equal.-
| ty; we stood for justice, and the schol-
| ars and the statesmen OF the earth
pointed to our republic and said:
| There. there In the hope Of the world u
Every country In Europe was following
In our wake and slowly adopting our
institutions. Now we have stepped
down from that high plane. Vulga:
commercialism has pushed us down on
to the low level Of brute force. We
are taking a position beside the despotie
governments Of Europe. and are adopt.
ing their principles and their methods
From being the great moral force Of the
world, shaping civilization and elevat-
ing humanity, we are INDUCING in low
swagger and boasting Of our army and
| navy. ........ .... : -
And this is not all. There are mer
who insult our intelligence by telling q,
that this is expansion, that this 10 prog.
ress, and that we are becoming a world.
power. Surely this talk is the deliriun
Of q fever. A thousand bitter. expert
ences In history admonish that brut,
force 10 the same In AL lands, and>ifl ii
times. and that murder and pillaxe ar,
the same; no matter, under what flag o.
what sky they are committed. It viii
take our so-called Christian civilization
a thousand years to wash its hands O
the blood and the loot Of the helples,
Chinese.
The practice of despotism ABROAD
means the sapping Of liberty at home
and II the present corrupt and bruta
spirit shall continue. to rule, then fire.
institutions must persih from America
Instead Of progress it Is a return /,
barbarian. :"5 's-
THERE'S A NEW TIME COMING