Conservative.
TIIK JIKM , OF WAll ANI > ITS
HY KDWAKl ) ATKINSON , OI" JlOSfOX.
President McKinley said rightly tluit
to allow n war undertaken in the name
of humanity to be perverted into a war
of conquest would be a crime , but I
doubt if he was fully aware of the pen
alty which would at once be met by the
criminal nation.
A war of conquest or any permanent
occupation of tropical countries by
white troops brings not only fevers and
malaria upon them of well-known kinds ,
but yet worse , more fatal and more cer
tain to bring moral and physical degen
eration upon them is the infection of
venereal disease.
There are many good people whoso
sympathies have been aroused by the
anticipation of being enabled to carry
the benefits of Protestant Christianity
and of personal liberty to the oppressed
in the West Indies and the Philippine
islands. We may even admit all that is
urged in favor of making the conquest
of these islands upon those grounds , but
before we undertake this philanthropic
enterprise may it not be judicious to
count the cost ? I do not mean the
money cost and the necessity which has
lately been made very plain of adding
new taxes even to the war revenues
now being collected. That burden we
can bear if we must. The greater cost
will be the conniption of the blood
through the infection of every force
that will be annually called out to main
tain our rule.
It may be well to ask all who are im
bued with this missionary sympathy ,
how many young men of our own brother
hood are you willing to sacrifice for
each convert ? How many of your own
sons will you expose to sure infection
and degeneration in the conduct of your
philanthropic purpose ? Or will you sat
isfy your own consciences by consenting
to the necessary conscription of other
people's sons when it presently becomes
impossible to maintain our armed forces
in these islands without a draft ?
I know that this is a very unsavory
subject and that I am using terms which
are not commonly spoken aloud , but it
happens that in the course of my social
studies my attention has been called to
this social evil , and I think I should bo
wanting in my duty if I did not call
public attention to the dangers in the
plainest possible way.
To that end I lately addressed a letter
to President McKinley , of which the fol
lowing is a slightly condensed copy :
"PiiKsiDENT WILLIAM MCKINLKY :
Sir : I venture to present a protesl
against any longer occupation of the
Philippine islands , of Cuba , and oi
Porto Rico , or the use of any larger
forces than are needed to enable the people
ple of these islands to frame and fonn
a method of government under which
personal liberty and individual rights
nay be established , and to enter upon
his undertaking. Whether or not they
ire capable of maintaining such gov-
rmnents after their being enabled to dose
so by the removal of the Spanish rule islet
lot a matter with which we have any
permanent concern.
"I present this case , as hereinafter
stated , in my personal capacity , pending
; he organization of what will probably
jecome a great national Anti-Imperialist
Jeague , founded on the principles of
Washington's Farewell address , for
which the preparations are being made
and the consultations are being had
hroughout the country.
"To the extent named the burden of
; emporary occupation must be assumed ;
bej'ond that , any exercise of dominion
or sovereignty would be as unwarranted
.11 principle and as inconsistent with the
naintenance of our republican institu-
: ions as it would be dangerous to the
irmed forces required.
"The political wrong of assuming
sovereignty by force over any part of
: hese islands after a war undertaken in
; he name of humanity has becnsoforce-
'ully stated by yourself that no words
of mine could bring out the iniquity of
such a course more plainly , but it is
feared that your hand may be forced
again , as it was apparently , into a pre
mature declaration of war by the acts
of senators whose apparent judicial re
ports of what they thought they saw in
uba were disproved a week later by
one of the constituents of the one who
liad the most influence who followed
after him , and has since been fully dis
proved by the facts of the case. It is
therefore now the right and duty of
every true and patriotic citizen to sup
port you in resistance to these evil in
fluences by bringing out in the plainest
terms the physical and social dan
gers and evils which must and will en
sue if large armed forces are kept upon
land for any length of time upon any
of these islands and from which naval
forces can only be protected by keeping
them off the land.
"Tho greatest and most unavoidable
danger to which these forces will be ex
posed will bo neither fevers nor malaria ;
it will bo venereal diseases in their
worst and most malignant form. It is
this which has reduced the population
of Hawaii to a degenerated remnant ,
four per cent , of whom arc isolated
under sentence of death from leprosy ;
a disease of a similar type , perhaps not
from the same cause , which gives evi
dence of the utter degeneracy of these
poor people. It is fortunate , on the
testimony of one of the highest judicial 1
officers of the Sandwich Islands lately
in Boston , that no largo armed force
will be required in Hawaii , admitting
that none such could be sustained with
out infection. His view is that one
hundred and fifty to two hundred mid
dle aged men of established character
would suffice for all the exhibition of
force that may bo needed to maintain
order.
"The records of the British army in
[ ndia and China , and the condition of
: he English troops in Hong Kong , lately
reported to me by an English gentleman
tvho has been studying social conditions
: hroughout the world , are horrible in
; he extreme. He stated that fifty per
; ent of the English troops in Hong
Kong were infected with venereal dis
ease every year. It is well known that
while there may be an apparent euro
; his disease works corruption of the
jlood to the third and fourth generation ,
ending in degeneracy.
"The records of the medical depart
ment and the testimony of visitors to
our own camps in this country , coupled
with the observations of members of
congress with whom I have consulted ,
prove that this phase of the hell of war
liad taken firm hold of our troops even
before they had been exposed to the
greater hazard at their points of des-
; ination in Cuba , Porto Rico , and
Manila.
"The precautions reported to me by
: ommercial men who are thoroughly
familiar with the conditions of these
places , especially Manila , made neces
sary even on the part of private persons
lest the infection should bo carried from
lavatories and the like , indicate the
utterly corrupt condition of all the prin
cipal cities in these islands.
' 'It is no time to mince words or to
forbear plain speech under a false sense
of delicacy. These words must be
spoken. This danger must bo publicly
named and those facts must bo widely
known , and the exposure to the
corruption of the young blood
of this nation must be stopped.
It is not a pleasant duty , but I shall as
sume this duty. The final responsibility
will rest upon yourself and all who have
authority. Unless you would invite the
execration of the mothers of our land
and cause your administration to stand
recorded in history with utter condem
nation you cannot ignore or slight these
facts and tin's danger , which is an evil
worse than death , worse than war ;
to try to ignore it and not to provide
against it in every possible manner by
avoiding the inclusion of these islands
in our domain will bo to the disgrace of
those who shall bring this danger of
corruption of the blood upon our coun
try a greater disgrace than all other
losses of honor combined.
"Measures are being taken to bring
conclusivo'evideuce of the facts which I
have stated before congress at the earliest
possible dote. I have sent to England for
the medical records. I trust that you will
order the commission now engaged in
the investigation of the war to deal
with this subject.
"I pledge to you the support of every
right-minded man and woman in your
effort to carry out your declared pur
pose of limiting the exercise of force by
