The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1901-02-13

for money? Is this a case of magns-
nimity, forbearance, love, gentleness,
mercy, protection of the weak-this
strange and over-showy onslaught of
an elephant upon nest OF feld-mice,
on the pretext that the mice had
squeaked in insolence at him-conduct
which no self-respecting government
could allow to paes unavenged? as Mr..
Chamberlain said. Was that good
pretext in small case, when it had
not been good pretext in a large one?
for only recently Russia had af-
fronted the elephant three times and
survived alive and un mitten. Is this
Civilization and Progress? Is it some
thing better than we already possess?
These harryings and burnings and
desert-makipgs in the Transvasl-is
this an improvement on our darkness2
Is it, perhaps, possible that there are
two kinds of Civilization-one for home
consumption and one for the heather
market?
When he comes to the United States
in the course of his criticisms, Mr..
Clemens shows the effects of his long
absence from his country. The bur
then of the article, in fact, is the re-
proach of the United States in having
forsaken old American traditions, as
Mark Twain thinks and followed En-
ropean precedents:inIits dealings with
the Filipinos. Here he is no more in
telligent, or discriminating than the
Evening Post of New York, or the Re
publican of Springfield, or Mr.. Bout
well, or Gamaliel Bradford, or the pee
tiferous Pettigrew.
There is not hairs breadth of ground
in the circumstances of the presence of
Mr.. Clemens country in the Philip
pines for comparisoni with England in
South Africa or Russia in China, to the
disadvantage of the United.States. Mr..
Clemens has simplyibeen de-American-
lied. He is one of that unhappy class
of our CONFERENCE.-THE has yielded to
the spell of alluring!and weakening
conditions abroad, as fatal to those who
lave in it as the lotus tabled by the an
clients to make strangers who ate of it
forget their country or lose all desire TO
return to it. He seems . to have adopt
ed the social and political rating of this
country that is made in some of the
capitals of Europe, in Paris, Berlin, or
Vienna, and is reissuiug it in this coun-
try in comment on late aud cure mt
| trr,n oil inio m
ON Mr.. Clemens article is that libel or
insult "can raise neither alien defam-
ers nor abusive sons to the level of re
sentiment, not even when the latter re-
pay honors and fortune with unique
reproach." Mark Twain is the only
one who will suffer from his indictment
of his country. 1t will continue to be
true that "to the fact that it is the most
free, the most liberal, the most benevo-
lent, the most progressive and the most
growing nation in the world, the Re
public can point with confidence, graft
tude and legitimate pride. On the fact
that the great mass of it's citizens love
it for being that, and serve it to keep il
that, the Republic safely and calmly
leans. The Republic can forgive its
traducers or misin,erpreters, can Pre-
tect them aud can hope for the coming
of better mood of mind to them"
This TRADE may split the ears of the
grounding anti-imperialists, but viii
make Mark Twain's judicious friends
and admirers grieve.