The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923, March 08, 1901, Page 6, Image 6
? ", 'r" grpty ir T 4 tflMiw MfAmw -"-- isrg igjgwryjajj IMMMMUMMPMaiwyFimm-WW " " VM " imif"'''!! -" v" ' PV The Love of Liberty. The letter written by Sixto Lopez, the' repre sentative of the Filipinos, and addressed to Robert Treat Paine, was a dignified protest in behalf of a people struggling for liberty. In that lcttor Sonor Lopez says: Wc plead for peace, but tho pica is in the interests of thoso who suffer and die hy sword and starvation; not because of fear. We can fight long, even if we have to suffer much, for wc are fighting for hearth and home, and in a righteous cause. We are ready for peace; we hold out the olive branch. But on that branch is written, with the blood of brave men, the word "liberty." For that we are willing to suffer; for that wo arc prepared to die. But we will never submit to have liberty conferred upon Ufa by the 'charity" or "benevolence" of any man or nation; it Is ours by right and not by bounty. For ono hundred and twenty-five years Ameri can school children have been taught to stand uncovered in tho presence of just such sentiments as these. Every school book designed for the purpose of imparting a desirable lesson, as well as of giving tho child practice in the art of reading, has been filled with sentiments similar to thoso uttered by this representative of tho Filipino peo ple. "No other country than ours has so carefully treasured sentiments of liberty or been more partial to the history of men who wcro willing to die for freedom. How does it happen then that this lofty senti ment uttored by the representative of an unfortu nate people has met with sneors in this country today? It was our own Jefferson who declared: "The God who gave us life gave us liberty at tho same time." And tho Americans of Jefferson's period subscribed to that sentiment in a solemn declara tion of independence. For more than one hun dred years, tho people of this country have acted in tho belief that tho men of Jefferson's time wroto tho truth. The men who have written our books, tho orators who have sought to stir up tho best im pulses in tHo American heart, the poets. who have courted the muse for our instruction and enter tainment have acted on tho theory that tho way to make tho American heart beat faster, tho way to arouse American enthusiasm to its depths was to play upon the harp of liberty. Every song that may lay claim to being a national hymn em phasizes this fact, and contains the same sentiment to which this humble Filipino gave utterance. How often has the American heart been stirred by these words from Hail Columbia: Let independence bo your boast, Ever mindful -what it cost, Ever grateful for the prize, Let its altar reach the skies. How often has the American pulse quickened at the words from our national hymn: Oh thus be it ever when freemen shall stand," Betweeu their loved homes and war's desolation, Blest with victory and peace: may the Heaven rescued land Praise the power that liath made and preserved us a nation. How often have American school boys recited Webster's speech wherein ho declared, "God grants liberty to thoso who love it and are always ready to guard and defend it." The Commoner. IIow often have they repeated those lines from Pope: Give me again my hollow tree, A crust of bread and liberty. How often have they been told of the story of Nathan Hale, that American patriot, who went to his death declaring, "My only regret is that I have but one life to give for my country." How often have they read the words of Pat rick Henry, -who exclaimed, "Give mo liberty or give me death." Uow often have they listened to the song of the Greeks: Again to tho battle Achaians! Our hearts bid the tyrants defiance! Our land, the first guardian of Liberty's tree, It has been and shall yet be the land, of the free. Nor is there a school boy in tho land who has not been thrillec by the heroism of Arnold Winkclried. "There sounds not to the trump of fame, tho echo of a nobler name," than that of Arnold Winkclried. Make way for liberty he cried; The keen points met from side to side; He bowed amongst them like a tree, And thus made way for liberty. For more than a hundred years in this nation of freemen, these stories have been told, and these songs have been sung, and the song and the story have inspired the little men and women of America to that reverence for free institutions upon which tho permanency of free government must depend. "In liberty's unclouded blaze" the children of America have learned of the sacrifices of the pio neers in liberty's cause. The sentiments they have applauded arc identically the sentiments ex pressed by this -brown man of tho Orient in bei half of the people whom we are now seeking to subjugate; and yet today some have nothing but sneers for this sentiment when it comes l'ronl a representative of this people. Can it be ' "tie that for more than a hundred years the children of America have been .taught to reverence falsehood? Can it bo true that the cardinal principle of all their lessons has been a lie? Can it be true that for more- than a century in our Declaration of Independence, in our Con stitution, in our laws, in our histories, in our story and in our song we have been saying hom age to false gods? Some one has said, "Let me make the songs of a nation and I care not who mako3 its laws." This was on the theory that men are dominated more by their ballads than by their laws. The fact is that tho ballads are the index to tho sentiments of the nation. Our ballads indicate our devotion to liberty, our admiration for .sacrifices in liberty's behalf, wherever, or by whom thoso sacrifices, may bo made. But if such sentiments as were uttered by Sixto Lopez are to bo met by sneers simply because that sentiment is uttored in protest against our own crimes against liberty, then our ballads must be rewritten, our stories must bo expurgated, our songs must be remodeled. Let any American citizen devote a few hours to tho preparation of a page by which he will be brought to realize the present situation. In one column let him put down tho laws, tho patriotic songs, tho stories and the orations that have made and kept this nation free; lot him re cord tho many instances in tho world's history where men have fought and died in freedom's holy cause incidents which we have treasured as sacredly as any occuring in our own national life. In another column let him set down a few laws, speeches and songs consistent with an em pire, with wars of conquest and with a blood bought commerce. Let him compare the two columns and then ask himself whether this nation can afford to revolutionize its policy and its ideals whether it can afford to pay tho price of Buch a change. An Indefensible Appropriation. Although Congressman Richardson, of Ten nessee, exposed the iniquity of theproposed appro priation for the Standard' Oil Bank in New York city, that appropriation was made by the Repub lican House. Tho vote on tho proposed appro priation was evenly divided, standing- 92 for and 92 against. Under tho rules of the house, the appropriation was passed by this vote. It will be remembered that after Congressman Richard son had made his statement to the House, Con gressman Moody, a republican member of the appropriation committee, stated that he appreci ated the force of Mr. Richardson's statement and that he would not attempt to reply to it. In spito of the fact that the proposed appropriation was indefensible, and admitted by republican leaders to be indefensible, still it was made. It was made in response to the suggestion of tho bank that the large contributions this bank had made to the llanna slush fund, de served some recompense. A. TVlan's a Me For V That. By Robert Burns. Is there for honest poverty, -yf-: That lianas his head, and a' that? "iA- The coward slave, we pass liira by, Wc dare be poor for a' that! For a' that, and a' that, . , & Our toil's obscure, and a' that; The rank is but tho guinea's stamp, The man's the gowd for a' that. , What though on hamely fare we dine, Wear hoddin gray, and a' that? Gi'e fools their silks, and knaves their wine, A man's a man for a' that; ' For a' that, and a' that, Their tinsel show, and a' that . . The honest man, though e'er sae poor, . Is king o' men for a' that. j . - Ye see yon birkie, ca'd a lord, - ' Wha struts, and stares, and a' that; Though hundreds worship at his word, . He's but a coof for a' that; For a' that, and a' that, His riband, star, and a' that The man of independent mind, Ho looks and lautrhs n.t. n' flmf. A prince can male' a belted knight, "4 ' A marquis, duke and a' that, - Hut an honest man's aboon his might1- ' . Quid faith, ho mauna fa' that! For a' that, and a' that, V Their dignities, and a' that, '.. The pith o' sense and pride o' worth Are higher ranks than a' that. Then let us pray that come it may f As como it will for a' that That sense and worth, o'er a' the carthf May bear the gree and a' that. ' For a' that, and a' that, It's cotnin' yet, for a' that That man to man, the warld o'er, Shall brothers bo for a' that: ' J- " iia