Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-06-11

nam Lincoln when you. my hearers. were
fighting for the Union. These rules uro
vide. OF course, for the Just severity neces-
sary In war. The most destructive of all
forms OF cruelty would be 10 show
weakness where sternness Is demanded by
iron need. But all cruelty Is forbidden and
all hhrshness beyond what is called for by
need.
Our enemies In the Philippines have not
merely violated every rule Of war but have
isadt OF these violations their only method
OF carrying on the war. We would have been
JUSTIFIED by Abraham Lineolns rules of war
IN INFINITELY greater severity than has been
SHOWN The fact really is that our warfare
IN the philippines has been carried on with
singular humanity. For every act of cruelty
by our men there have been fanumernbie
acts OF forbearanc@ magnanimity and gem
erous kindness; These are the qualities
winch have characterized the war as a
whole. The cruelties have been wholly ex-
ctptjonal on our part
The guilty are TO be punished. but in pun
iships them let those who sit at ease at
hone. who walk dellcateIy and live In the
soft places of the earth, remember also to do
them common justice Let not the effortiess
and the interrupted rail overmuch at strong
men who with blood md sweat face years
OF toll and days and nights Of agony, and at
need lay down their lives In remote tropic
Jnngles to bring the light OF civilization into
the worlds dark places The warfare that
has extended the boundaries Of civilization
at the expense of barharism and saYagery
has been for centuries one of the most POI
tent factors in the progress of humanity.
Yet from its very nature It has always and
everywhere been liable to dark abuses
1t behOoYes us to keep a vigiant watch
to prevent these abuses and to punish those
who commit them, but If because of them
we finch from finishing the task on which
we have entered, we show ourselves crayens
and weaklings, unworthy of the sireS from
whose loins we sprang.
Recalls the Civil War.
There were abuses and to spare In the
Civil War. Your false friends then called
Grant butcher" and spoke of your who
are listening TO me as mercenaries, as Lin
coins hirelings." Your open foes-as in the
resolution passed by the Confederate Con-
gress In October, 1S62-aceused YOU, at great
length, and with much particularly, Of
'contemptuous disregard of the usages of
civilized war" of subJecting women and
children TO Punishment, Imprisonment and
RACES on women" of ''lawIess cruelty OF
'perpetrating atrocities which would be dis
graceful to savages," and Abraham Lincoln
was singled out for especial attack because
or his spirit OF barbarous fer0eity."
Verify, these men who thus foully SIAN
dered you have their heirs to-day In those
who traduce. our armies 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 accomplished
Peace and freedom-are there two better
objects for which soldier can fight? Well.
these are precisely the objects for which our
soldiers are hghting In the Philippines.
When there is talk of the cruelties commit
ted In the Philippines, remember always
that by far the greater proportion of these
crueltles have been committed by the in
surgents against their own pe0ple-as well
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 the American army have
been the really effective means of putting a
m 1f-1tA1 fNf In fha fpnG Thss~o
these victories have been complete-and such
is now the case throughout the greater part
Of the lslands-all cruelties have ceased, and
the native IL secure In his life, his liberty
and his pursuit Of happiness. Where the In
surrection still smolders there Is always
chance for cruelty to show Itself,
Our soldiers conquer, and what Is the OBJ
ject for which they conquer? To establish
a military government? No. The laws we
are now endeayorng to enact for the gov
eminent Of the Philippines are to increase
expense Of the military authorities, and to
render even more difficult than In the past
the chance of oppression
Must Establish Peace.
The military power is used to secure
peace, In order that 1t may itself De sup
planted by the civil government. The prog
ress Of the American arms means the abolt-
ton of cruelty. the bringing of peace aud
the rule of law gpd order under the civil gov
eminent. Other IlationS have conquered to
create irresponsible military rule. We con
quer to bring just and responsible civil gov
eminent to the conquered.
But our armies do more than bring peace,
do more than bring order. They bring free
dom. Remember always that the independ-
ence Of q tribe or a 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 and Africa scores
of despotic monarchies. each of which is in
dependent and in no one of which Is there
the slightest vestige of freedom for the indi-
vidual man. ScRnt indeed is the gain TO man
kind from the independence" of a blood
stained tyrant who rules over abject and
brutallzed slaves. But eat is the gain to
humanity which follows the steady though
slow Introduction of the orderly liberty, the
law Hiding freedom OF the Individual which
is the only sure foundation upon which ma
tional independence can be built.
Wherever in the Philippines the lnsurrec-
tlon has been definitely and finally put down
there the individual Filipino already enjoys
such freedom. such personal liberty, under
our rule, as he could never even dream OF
uude. the rule of an independent Aguin-
aldian olgarchy.
The slowly learned and difficult art of
self-government, an art which our people
have taught themselves by the labor of
thousand years, cannot be grasped In day
by a people only just emerging from CON
ditiOns of life which our ancestors LETT be
hind them In the dim years before history
dawned. We believe that we can readily
teach the people Of the Philippine Islands
not only how to enjoy but how TO make
gOod use of their freedom, and with their
growing knowledge their growth In self
government shall keep steady pace.
When they have thus shown their ca
pacity for real freedom by their power OF
self governments then. and not TIL then, Will
II be possible TO decide whether they are to
exist Independently Of us or be knit 10 us
by ties Of common friendship cnd interest.
when that day will come IL is not In
human wisdom now TO foretell. All mat we
can say with certainty is that 1t wodld be
Dut back an unreasonable distance If we
should Weld to the counsels of unmanly
weakness and turn loose the islands, TO see
our victorious foes butcher with revolving
cruelty our betrayed friends, and shed the
blood Of the most humane, the most enllght-
ened the most peaceful. the wisest and the
best Of their own number-for these are the
classes who have already learned 10 welcome
our rule,
Nor while fully acknowledging our duties
10 others. need we forget our duty to our
own country The Pacific seaboard IS as
much to us as the Atlantic: as We grow IN
power and prosperity. so our interests VIII
grow In that farthest west, which Is tlle I'M
memorial east The shadow of our destiny
has already reached to the Shores Cf Asia.
I The might Of our people already looms large
! against the world horizon. and 1t viii loom
! ever larger as the years 20 by' No slates.
man has a right To neglect the Interests OF
I our people in the Pacific; interests which re
I important 10 all our people but which are
( Of most importance To those OF ctr people
/ who have built populouS ana thriving states
( on the western slope Of our continent
Not Party Question.
This should no more he party question
/ than the war OF the Union should have been
q party Question. At this moment the man
+ In highest office In the Philippine lslands y
rs vice governor. General tskc Wright OF
Tennessee. who calamity wore the gray in
{ The O. III War and who is now working hand
In hand with the head Of or army In the