Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-06-03

10VV ~
OTTUMWA, WAPEL
ishing the task on which we have en-
tered, We show ourselves cravens and
weaklings, unworthy of the sires from
whose loins we sprang. There were
abuses and to spare in the civil war.
Your false friends then called Grant
"a butcher and spoke of you who are
listening to me as mercenaries, as
"Lincoln's hirelings." Your open foes
AS in the resolution passed by the
Confederate congress in October, 1852
accused you, at great length. and
with much particularly of "contemp-
tuous disregard of the usages of civil
lized war; of subjecting women and
children to Punishment, imprison-
ment, and DEATH" of murder" of
"rapine," of ''outrages on women" of
'lawless cruelty of ''perpetrating
atrocities which would he disgraceful
to savages;'' and Abraham Lincoln
was singled out for especial attack be-
cause of his spirit of barbarous fero
city Verify. these men who thus
Ifoully slandered you have their heirs
today in those who traduce our ar
mics in the Philippines, who fix their
eyes on individual deeds of wrong so
keenly that at last they become blind
to the great work of peace and free
dom that has already been accom-.
plished
Fighting for Peace.
Peace and freedom-are there two
better objects for which soldier can
fight? Well, these are precisely the
objects for which our soldiers are
| fighting in the Philippines When
there is talk of the, cruelties commit
ted in the Philippines, remember al
ways that by far the greater proper
Ition of these cuelties have been COM
mitted by the insurgents against
their own people-as we'll as against
our soldiers-and that not only the
surest but the only effectual way of
stopping them is by the progress of
the American arms. The victories of
effective means of putting stop to
cruelty in the Philippines. Wherever
these victories have been complete
and such is the case throughout the
greater pat of the islands-all cruel
ties have ceased and the native is Sc
cure in his life. his liberty. and his
pursuit of happiness. Where the in
surrection still smolders there is al.
ways chance for cruelty to show it.
self.
|
What Fight is For.
| Our soldiers conquer: and what is
the object for which they conquer?
To establish a military government?
No. The laws We are now endeavor.
ing to enact for the government OF
the Philippines are to increase the
power and domain of the civil at the
! expense of the military authorities
and to render even more difficult than
in the past the chance of oppression
The military power is used to secure
peace. in order that it may itself be
lsupplanted by the civil government
The progress of the American arms
means the abolition of cruelty, the
bringing of peace, and the rule of law
and order under the civil government
Other nations have conquered to ere
IetC Iuit. VIZ
Iconquer to bring Just and responsible
civil government to the conquered.
Army Brings Freedom.
I But our armies do more than bring
peace, do more than bring order
They bring freedom. Remember al
ways that the independence of a tribe
or community may and often does
have nothing whatever to do with the
freedom of the individual in that tribe
or community. There are now in Asia
land Africa scores of despotic mon
arches, each of which is independent
and in no one of which is there tn,
slightest vestige of freedom for the in
ldividual man. Scant indeed the gail
. to mankind from the Independence
!, of blood-stained tyrant who rule.
over abject and brutalized slaves. Blu
great is the gain to humanity whicl
follows the steady though slow intro
duction of the orderly liberty, the law
abiding freedom of the individual
which is the only sure foundation ur
on which national independence cal
be built. Wherever in the Philippine
the instruction has been definitel,
} and finally put down. there the ind
4 Niuuui Il iilpiuO dllSdus enjoys Sucl
2 freedom, such personal liberty, unde
our rule. as he could never dream O
y under the rule of an independent
: lAguinaldian oligarchy.
Cannot Be Learned In Day. 7
The slowly-learned art of self-go,
| eminent. an art which our peopl
5 have taught themselves by the laho
/. of thousand years cana1.ss.. LIS ST
2 ed in day by a people only jus
, emerging from conditions of lif
5 which our ancestors left behind Their
l in the dim years before history dawr
! ed. We believe that we can rapid
I teach the people of the Philippin
a Islands not only how to enjoy bu
S how to make good use of their fire,
$ dom; and with their growing know
Z ledge their growth in self-governmer
: shall keep steady pace When the
e have thus shown their capacity fo
4 real freedom by their power of sci
g government, then, and not till theI
4 will it be possible to decide whethe
$ they are to exist independently of u
/ or be knit to us by ties of commo
friendship and interest When tina