The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-05-22
WHOLESALE ANARCHY.
Doctrine of Might Makes Right sup
uorted by Republican Lenders.

Doctrine of Might Makes Right Sup,
ported by Republican Leaders.
A prominent Nebraska Republican In
q speech before the state university
explaining and condemning anarchy
quoted from several noted anarchists
to show that they advocate the doc
trine that might Is the foundation Of
right, but he unconsciously put the an
archists and the Republican leaders in
the same class. He quoted "Caspar
Schmidt, commonly known as Max
Stirner," as saying:
Right is power or might. What you
have the power to be that you have s.
right to be. I derive all right and justifi.
cation from myself alone, for / am en-
titled to do everything which have the
power to do.
Now, Republicans and Democrats
alike condemn this doctrine when an
individual applies it, but the Republic
an leaders are applying on large scale
in the Philippines exactly the same
doctrine that the anarchist applies on
small scale. Imperialism rests on the
doctrine Of force and on that alone.
We are in the Philippines because we
have the power to be. The Commoner
has already shown by the correspond
ence which passed between the presi-
dent and the peace commissioners that
Mr.. Mckinley insisted upon resting IT,
tie in part upon ''conquest"-that was
the word used-and conquest gives US
the only title we have. Spain was not
in possession when we went through
the form Of buying the islands and
the people and was not in position to
put us in possession. We purchased
an option on a fight and have been
lighting ever since. How can Repub-
ncans consistently condemn an anarch-
ist who asserts his right to kill because
he has the power to kill If these same
Republicans assert that we have q
right to govern Filipinos because we
have the power to do so and as corol-
larry have the right to kill Filipinos if
they object to conquest and subjuga-
ton? If our nation acts upon the theo-
! ry that might makes right, 1t will find
it difficult to draw line between
wholesale conquest and retail anarchy.
To fight anarchy successfully we
must set up a standard of right entire
" independent Of the force which sup
ports or defends it: we must insist that
there are inalienable rights and that
governments are instituted among men
for the preservation Of these rights.
Governments are necessary. but neces-
sary for what? For the protection Of
rights, and they are good just in pro,
portion as they protect the rights of
citizens. The Republicans have refus.
ed to discuss the principle involved in
Imperialism, but they cannot always
refuse. When they begin the discus.
sion, they will find themselves defend.
ing European principles of govern
ment, and they will discover upon ex'
animation that the empires Of Eu'
rope are responsible for the doctrine
of force asserted by individual an
archists. Is st not Ine to recognize
that moral principle cannot be at.
fected by the number Of persons In
volyed? That might makes right is nc
/ more true when the might is employed
+ by rs ,oOO, 900 than when Els employed
by one, and yet that is the only diff
ference between the doctrine of the i'm
perialist and the doctrine of the an
archist Commoner.