Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1904-12-09


nation should on the one hand endeavor
by every means to aid in the development
of the various movements which tend to
provide substitutes for war, which tend to
render nations in their actions toward one
smother. and indeed toward their own poo
pies, more responsive to the general senti-
ment of humane and civilized mankind;
and on the other hand, that 1t should keep
prepared, While scrupulously avoiding
wrongdoing itself to repel any wrong and
In exceptional cases to take action which
In a more advanced stage of international
relations would come under the head OF the
exercise of the international police. A
great free people owes 1t to itself and to all
mankind not to sink into helplessness be-
fore the powers of evil.
Second Hague Conference.
We are in every way endeavoring to help
on, with cordial good will, every movement
which will tend to bring us into more friend
ly relations with the rest of mankind In
pursuance of this policy shall shortly lay
before the senate treaties of arbitration
with all powers which are willing to enter
into these treaties with US. 1t is not pos
sible at this period Of the worlds develop
ment to agree to arbitrate all matters but
there are many matters of possible differ
ence between us and other nations which
can be thus arbtrated. Furthermore, at
the request of the Interpariamentary
union, an eminent body composed of prao-
tical statesmen from all countries, have
asked the powers to join with this govern
ment in second Hague conference, at
which 1t is hoped that the work already so
happily begun at The Hague may be car
ried some steps further toward completion.
This carries out the desire expressed by
the first Hague conference itself.
The Monroe Doctrine.
In asserting the Monroe Doctrine, In TAX
Ing such steps as we have taken in regard to
Cuba, Venezuela and Panama, and in en-
CeaVOriDP To Cirpum SCriba the theatnr Of
war in the far east and to secure the open
door in China, we have acted in our own
interest as we'll as in the interest of human
| ity at large There are, however, cases in
which, while our own interests are not
greatly involved, strong appeal is made to
| our sympathies. Ordinarily it is very much
| wiser and more useful for us to concern
ourselves with striving for our own moral
and material betterment here at home than
| to concern ourselves with trying to better
| the condition of things in other nations.
| We have plenty of sins of our own to war
| against, and under ordinary circumstances
we can do more for the general uplifting of
| humanity by striving with heart and soul
| to put stop to civic corruption, to brutal
lawlessness and violent race prejudices
here at home than by passing resolutions
about wrongdoing elsewhere. Neverthe-
| less there are occasional crimes committed
on so vast a scale and of such peculiar hor-
| ror as to make us doubt whether it Is not
| our manifest duty to endeavor at least to
show our disapproval of the deed and our
sympathy with those who have suffered by
it. The cases must be extreme in which
such a course is justifable. There must be
no effort made to remove the mote from
| our brothers eye IL we refuse to remove
| the beam from our own. But in extreme
| cases action may be justifable and proper.
| What form the action shall take must de-
pend upon the circumstances of the case:
that is, upon the degree of the atrocity and
| tn ,aIx Tha
in which we could interfere by force of
arms as we interfered to put a stop to in
| tolerable conditions in Cuba are neces-
sarily very few. Yet 1t is not to be expected
that people like ours, which in spite of
certain very obvious shortcomings, never
theless as whole shows by it's consistent
practice its belief in the principles of civil
and religious liberty and of orderly free
dom, people among whom even the worst
crime, like the crime of lynching is never
more than sporadic, so that individuals and
not classes are molested in their funda-
mental rights-it is inevitable that such a
nation should desire eagerly to give express
sion to its horror on occasion like that
of the massacre of the Jews in Kishineff, or
when 1t witnesses such systematic and
long-extended cruelty and oppression as
the cruelty and oppression of which tho
Armenians have been the victims, and
which have won for them the indignant
pity of the civilized world.
The Philippines.
In the Philippine islands there has been
during the past year continuation OF
the steady progress which has obtained
ever since our troops definitely got the
upper hand of the insurgents. The Phil
ippine people. or. to speak moro accur-
ately, the many tribes, and even races.
sundered from one another more or less
sharply, who go to make up the people
OF the Philippine islands, contain many
elements of good. and some elements
which we have a right to hope stand for
progress. At present they are utterly
incapable of existing In independence at
, all or of building up a civilization of
their own. l firmly believe that we can
help them to rise higher and higher in
: the scale of civilization and of capacity
, , for self-goyernment, and most earnest
ly hope that in the end they will be able
! : to stand, II not entirely alone, yet in
some such relation to the United States
as Cuba now stands. This end Is not yet
, in sight, and 1t may be indefinitely post
, poned II our people are foolish enough to
. . turn the attention of the Filipinos away
: from the problems of achieving moral
!. and material prosperity. of working for
a stable. orderly and just government.
5 and toward foolish and dangerous in-
: trigue5 for a complete independence for
which they are as yet totally unfit
On the other hand our people must
keep steadily before their minds the fact
that the justification for our stay in the
. | philippines must ultimately rest chleny
: upon the good we are able to do In the
islands. l do not overlook the fact that
in the development of our interests in
the Pacific ocean and along its coasts
= the Philippines have played and will play
O an important part, and that our interests
r have been served in more than one way
d by the possession OF the islands. But ouI
= chief reason for continuing to hold them
O must be that we ought in good faith
n to try to do our share OF the worlds
II work. and this particular piece OF work
s has been imposed upon US by the result:
IT of the war with Spain.
y For Elective Government.
d Within two years we shall be trying
e the experiment of an elective lower
e house in the Philippine Legislature.
It may be that the Filipinos win misuse
e this legislature and they certainly will
n misuse 1t II they are misled by foolish
u persons here at home into starting al
'e agitation for their own independence o
e into any factious or improper action. II