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The Commoner
Vol. i. No. 12.
VUUHeim J. Bryan,
Editor and Proprietor.
Two Oaths of Allegiance.
General HacArthur lias notified the War
Department that Aguinaldo has taken the
"oath of allegiance." The oath to which he
has subscribed is as follows:
"I hereby renounce all allegiance to any and
all so-called revolutionary governments in the
Philippine islands and recognize and accept the
supreme authority of the United States of Ameri
ca; I do solemnly swear that I will hear true faith
and allegiance to thatgovernment; that I will at
all times conduct myself as a faithful and law
abiding citizen of the said islands, and will not,
either directly or indirectly hold correspondence
with or give intelligence to an enemy of the
United States, nor will I abet, harbor or protect
such enemy; that I impose upon myself these vol
untary obligations without any mental reserva
tions or purpose of evasion, so help me God."
It will bo observed that this oath provides
that the subscriber shall conduct himself as
a faithful andlaw-ahiding citil5eliOffeth?Ehii
ippine Islands, hut he also swears that he will
"hear true faith and allegiance to the United
States government."
Allegiance is not a one-sided affair. No
less an authority than Blackstone has de
scribed it as "The tic that binds the subject to
the sovereign in return for that protection
which the sovereign affords the subject."
If Aguinaldo shall fulfill this oath and "bear
true faith and allegiance" to the United States
government, what will be his political status?
In the McEnery resolution, the United
States Senate disclaimed any intention of mak
ing the Philippines an integral part of the
union, or of- making the inhabitants of those
islands, citizens of the United States. And it
is "the generally recognized policy of the ad
ministration that the spirit of the McEnery reso
lution shall he carried out.
So while we require Aguinaldo to make
oath that he will "bear true faith and alle
giance" to the United States government, we,
in fact, prohibit him from actually fulfilling
that oath; "because no individual can "bear true
faith and allegiance" to a government which
denies to him the privileges of citizenship,
which prohibits him, in fact, from "bearing
true faith and allegiance" to the government.
The trappings of empire seem strange to
American eyes. None are more novel, how
ever, than a go-called "oath of allegiance,"
wherein a man swears allegiance to the greatest
republic on earth, in the face of the fact that
that republic will not accept his allegiance in
the full meaning of the term.
Lincoln, Nebraska, April 12, 1901.
$1.00 a Year
And, speaking of oaths, it is worth while
to compare the oath of allegiance above given T"e Young Han's Chan CCS.
with the following oath formerly administered. The million dollar salary voted to Mr.
It reads: Schwab by the steel trust-caused numerous re-
OATH OP ALLEGIANCE publican editors to write enthusiastic articles
FOR on the opportunities offered to young men by
NATIVE INHABITANTS OF THE PHILIPPINE the great corporations. The subject has now
Manila ISLANDS been taken up by debating societies and the
Philippino'lslands, 8 school boys are investigating the matter for
I, , do solemnly swear (or afllrm) themselves. That Mr. Schwab's rise to fame
that I am a native inhabitant of the Philippine an;i fn,.fllno i,ou iinrt nn:,i !, : ,i -u.
islands, and I do further swear (or afllrm) that I . l01tune nas "ccn rpid there is no doubt,
'will support and defend the constitution of tho neither is there any doubt that his present po-
United States against all enemies, foreign and sition is aUnptivn fn minv it tbn WTO font
domestic; that I will bear true faith and al- B1W0"1S at" active to man), but the very fact
legiance to tho same; that I take this obligation that his case has attracted so much attention is
PoTelyofaevarion.OUt " meDtal reservatIon or pur" conclusive proof that it is extraordinary. lie
has won the capital prize in the industrial lot-
....S.W?!"?, befo meS.UbSCribed tery t where a system of monopoly offers
', such an opportunity to one man it closes the
Form, 45. Collector of Customs. a00r of opportunity to thousands of others
It will be noticed that the Filipino is no equally able and deserving,
longer required to swear that he "will support When all the great industries are controlled
and defend the Constitution of the United by trusts, there will be a few big salaried of-
States against all enemies." This change is hVials and the remainder of tho employees will
eminently proper for, since the republican be condemned to perpetual clerkships with no
party has shown itself to be an enemy to the possibility of independence in 'the business
Constitution, the original oath might require world.
the Filipino 'to resist republican attacks upon If the prcseh't' tendency toWard consolida-
the Constitution. The republican party dis- tion becomes permanent it is only a question
carded the Constitution in fact some months of time when the principal positions in the
ago; it seems now to have discarded it in form. corporations will go to relatives and favorites,
w - and descend from generation to generation.
rx t s - . Competition puts a premium on brains; monop-
Denmark's Good Example. oly put8 a premium on blood.
The London Daily News is authority for the Young men, and old men for that matter,
publication of the conditions to be imposed by will find that industrial independence will give
Denmark upon the United States in the case of a sufficient opportunity to a large number of
a transfer of tho Danish West Indies. Its people while the trusts will give an unusual op
Copenhagen correspondent says: portunity to a small number of people.
"I am enabled to state, on the very best au- yy
thority, that Denmark has communicated to the a r
United States the following conditions for the A Disastrous Victory.
sale of the Danish West Indies: In the election of Mr. Wells as mayor of
"1. Four million dollars to be paid to Den- gt. Louis, the re-organizers have scored a tri-
mar!m m, 1 i, x , . , t umph. The democrats of St. Louis and Mis-
"2. The population to decide by vote whether x . . . ,. -i .. .,,',.-.
to remain Danish or to be transferred to the Unit- soun. will, however, find it worth their while to
ed States. calculate the cost of the victory and to prepare
"3. If the vote is favorable to the United for the struggle that awaits them.
States, then the inhabitants to become immediate- In November, 1900, the republican national
ly not only American subjects, but American citi- ticket received C0,008 votes in St. Louis, and
ZOnL Products of the Island to be admitted to tlie democratic national ticket, which Mr. Wells
the United States free of duty. refused to support, received 59,941. At the
"It is supposed here that Washington will not , recent city election Miv Wells received 43,012
readily accept the third and fourth conditions." votes nearly seventeen thousand less than the
' A few years ago it would not have been con- - democratic vote of last fall, while Mr. Parker, the
sidered necessary for any nation to insist upon republican candidate for mayor, received 34,840
such conditions for our nation would have sug- votes about twenty-six thousand less than the
gested them, but recent events have made it republican vote of last fall. Mr. Mcrriwether,
necessary for nations dealing with us to pro- a democrat in national politics running upon a
vide for the future welfare of their subjects. municipal ownership platform. -received J30,508
Denmark sets a good example but it is humili- votes and Mr. Filley, a repubjican running on an
ating for this nation to be compelled to accept independent ticket, received 2,008 votes. It will
instructions in liberty. - be seen that the total, vote cast for mayor was
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