Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-09-04

Patriotism and love of country are
such strangers they can not fix val
ue on them and therefore can not
Morganize of use them as a basis for
trust.
Have Forgotten IIlustrious Men.
They have no use for your Ideals of
government. They have forgotten
what Washington said, what Jefferson
said, what Monroe said, what Clay
Calhoun, Webster and Lincoln said
The principles for which our revolutio-
nary fathers fought are classed along
with the story of Washington and his
Ratchet and left to the good little
children in school as beautiful ideals,
but when 1t comes to business there is
no place for them. When it comes to
legislation they don't fit. When it
comes to war with an ignorant and
weak nation these principles of gov
eminent are about as potent as were
military ethics in the capture of
! Aguinaldo by General Funston.
The Philippines.
There Is no better evidence that
| these great gods of the republican
party have renowned the fundamental
principles upon which our government
| is founded than the attitude they as
sumo toward the nation of people
now battling for their freedom in the
! Philippines Islands. The cruel, brutal.
| barbarous, unaccounted for and I'M
necessary war now having been wag-
ed in those islands for over three
years, is and will be as long as history
will record it, the blacklist blot on
Americas escutcheon. Ordinarily
| there is some excuse for war. Nations
generally have some differences before
resort is made to arms.
Principles as Against Territory.
Amongst civilized nations the diff
| ference should involve principles rath-
| err than the acquisition of territory. In
our war with Great Britain we fought
| for principle. the principle OF sell
government We believed that she
had no right to make laws to govern
us unless we participated in their en-
actment In our late civil war
again it was a battle for principle. that
of liberty and freedom. But will you
tell me for what principle we are bat
Ting with the Filipino people? We
Cdu T6dully WhdI lhS PSc
pie of those islands are fighting for
but can you inform us for what prin
ciple this great liberty loving people
of ours who believe that all men are
created equal.th every nation of PEG
pie have right to govern themselves
without the interposition OF foreign
power and that governments derive
their power from the consent of the
governed inform us, will you, fol
what principle we are fighting.
| Sympathy All Right.
At the commencement of this wal
had the Filipino people trespassed
upon any of our rights, had they been
striving to take away our liberties OF
violating any treaties or obligations
due our government. then there would
have been cause. But this was moi
true. Our people so far as they hat
any knowledge of these far-off is
landers. respected them and sym
pathized with them in their effort tt
free themselves from the power o
Spain and establish for themselves ;
government of their own. If any PEG
pie on earth can sympathize with an
other in an effort to gain their liberties
it should be the people Of these United
States.
The Price We Paid.
The real, genuine, good people OF
this government. and there are mil
lions of them, who have desire to
take care OF their own business and
leave to other nations the same right
have not forgotten that their fathers
fought hard to gain the liberties we
now enjoy. Our good and intelligent
people have not so soon forgotten the
price we paid for the right to govern
ourselves. | need not recount TO you
a history Of that struggle. 1t is ia
miliar to all. Guided, therefore, by
our gratefulness to those who obtain
ed these sacred rights, imbued and
inspired by the lessons found in our
nations history and being possessed
by the natural desire and love of free
dom which is common to all human
beings, our people almost bleed at
heart at the thought of weak and ig
norant people fighting for their free
dom, and especially is this true when
the fight is against a strong nation
well equipped in the modern science
Of warfare.
Says People Will Rise.
This feeling of sympathy is deep
rooted and whenever our people awak
], en- to the real facts which exist in oul
l war in the rhi.lppines, they will rise
i in their Indignation and put an end
t to it. More than this. they will for
t ever relegate to obscurity and shame
/ the Infamous scoundrels who com
\ menced and perpetuated it, not fol
} principle, but for greed of empire and
f selfish desires.
9 Agunaldo's Work.
: "Why, it is said by the leaders OF
} this cruel war that this republic was
e driven, in honor bound to certain in
D terest in the islands, to commence and
4 continue it, and that this continuance
: was to keep the faith we pledged tt
e Spain in our treaty, and we Were
i there only to restore order and care
9 for the safety of the Filipinos who
1 had been our friends. This may have
: been and probably was the frs
t thought of the administration wher
} our position in those islands came
: about so suddenly upon the victory Of
| Il