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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 30, 1904)
"wr The Commoner. WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PUBLISHER. Vol. 4. No. 50.. Lincoln, Nebraska, December 3o, 1904. Whole Number 206 THE RELIGIOUS ARGUflENT The Penticostal Herald, of Louisville, Ky., re prints an editorial on the Philippine question writ ten by Doctor Winston, editor of the Nashville Christian Herald. It so ably presents the "re ligious" argument used by the imperialists that it is reproduced on another page in order that the reader may the better understand the answer thereto. The text of Doctor Winston's editorial is to bo found in the sentence: "But should not the mean ing of the present situation be sought not in what we need but rather in what they need?" This puts the United States in the attitude of a benevolent" parent dealing with a child and gen erously considering the interest of the child rather than the interest of the parent. Before this posi tion is accepted as the true one, it is well to re member that it is the attitude of all who have engaged in persecution. Every individual or group of individuals guilty of forcing any form of re ligion upon non-Christians or upon Christians holding to a cifferent creed has done it under the firm conviction that he persons persecuted -were being benefitted- Persecution has always been de fended, when defended at all, on the ground that the tortures employed Were really employed for the spiritual welfare of the persons tortured. If the victim died before his reformation was com plete it did not alter the theory or disturb the complacency of those who were putting the theory into practice. Those who believe that they can beat blessings into their fellows are never dis turbed by so trivial a thing as the death of the person to be benefitted,-because could not the per son escape death by accepting the blessings of fered or by adopting the opinion suggested? Not only has Doctor Winston's theory been employed by those who have persecuted in the . name of the Almighty, but it has been employed by those who have claimed to rule by divine right. Every king, czar or emperor who has forced arbi trary government upon his subjects or upon col onies against their will has done it on the the ory that he was regarding the good of his subjects rather than the good of himself. The annals of despotism are full of protestations of unselfishness and benevolence made by rulers who were forc ing unsought blessings on their suffering subjects and exacting a high price therefor. To come down to our own country, every argument made in behalf of slavery was based upon the theory that slavery was for the good of the slave, and no one acquainted with the -slaveholder or with the history 6f slave-holding can doubt that in most, if not in all cases the slave holder conscientiously believed that the system of slavery was best for the 3layo. The Bible was quoted in support of slavery as an institution, and Lincoln complained bitterly that he had the sup port of so few of the ministers of his own city in his efforts to prevent the extension of slavery. Reference is made to persecution, to monarchy and to slavery only to shov that the position which Doctor Winston takes is not a new one. but has been the position occupied by those who have attempted to force their opinions or their guar dianship upon others. If any one points to the fact that nations made formally Christian by the sword have afterwards become devout supporters of that religion, or to the fact that kings have sometimes benefitted their subjects or to the fact that slavery brought much of. good to people carried away from Africa by force, it is a sufficient answer to say that a different test must be applied. The question i3 not whether some good may not have followed a "wrong course, hut whether greater good might not .. have followed a better course. It is a-mistake com monly made to credit a bad system with good that may follow, whereas we should rather consider the greater good that might have followed wiser action. To say that a cruel and unkind parent may confer some benefit upon his child may bo true, and yet a wise and kind parent might confer a far greater benefit. Doctor Winston quotes Bomo one (namo not given) as saying "I went to the Philippine Islands convinced that our retention of them was an international crime. I left them convinced that any other course than that wo aro pursuing would bo a breach of international humanity, comparable to leaving a helpless Infant to perish in the 3torm. When they will bo ready for self government is an interesting question, but at present it is academic. It is a fact that they aro not ready or capable for it." This is the opinion of one individual, name un known; but even if his namo were known and It were a name familiar to all. it would still bo tho opinion of one man. Tho fact that ho changed his opinion after visiting tho Philippines does not add greatly to tho weight of his testimony. If Doctor Winston tlesired to prove that the American people are incapable of self-government he would find men in this country who would take the stand and testify to their belief that froo govornmont is a failure, but such testimony ought not to havo any weight with those who bolievo in free institu tions. Tho moment wo assert that some people aro capable of self-government and some people in capable, that moment wo not only destroy tho foun dation upon which free government rests, but wo question the wisdom and benevolence of the Cre ator. Henry Clay, fifty years ago, in discussing tho rights of tho people of South America, said: It 13 not, therefore, true, that the imputed ignorance exists; but if it do, I repeat, I dispute the inference. It is the doctrine of thrones, that man is too ignorant to govern himself. Their partisans assert his incapacity, In ref erence to all nations; If they can not command universal assent to the proposition, it is then demanded to particular nations; and our prido and our presumption too often make converts of us. I contend, that it Is to arraign the dis positions of Providence himself, to suppose that he has created beings incapable of gov erning themselves, and to be trampled on by kings. Self-government Is the natural govern ment of man. And so it may bo said today, that it would bo a reflection upon tho Almighty to say that ho made Filipinos and left them for thousands of years incapable of self-governmcnt-that is to say, helpless-until Spain found them, governed them nrainst their will for three centuries and then sold us the privilege of continuing an alien govern- mG1 The doctrine that Doctor Winston presents is bad enough where there is no admixture of selfish interest A man who conscientiously believes that ?te his Christian duty to force his authority ii'non another is dangerous enough when he is SffJatod Bololy by conscience, but he is still moro dfngerodUsf there is added a pecuniary motive The president in his letter of acceptance dwe t unon our duty to the Filipinos but he also inti mated that we would find it advantageous to otir sdves to hold tho Philippine islands Senator Lodge four years ago in his speech as chairman of the republican national convention, assured tho wuntr? that we were not forgetting ourselves en tire? Where money and morals are mixed it is iSlt, if not impossible to tell where greed leaves off and conscience begins. , It must alBo bo remembered that a largo ma jority of tho Filipinos belong to ono branch of tho Christian church and if we nro to defond a colonial policy on religious groundB wc are npt to find some clashing between tho denominations. Tho missionary spirit has been appealed to to somo extent, and somo havo convinced themselves that a colonial system In tho Philippines la In the Inter est of Protestantism. Words need not be multi plied to convince tho readers of Tho Commoner that a governmental policy Intended to holp ono branch of tho Christian church as against an othor branch, or to help tho Christian church as a wholo against another religious faith is entirely inconsistent with our theory of government as well as with tho spirit of our religion. If, as Doctor Winston Biiggosts, tho only ques tion is whether a colonial policy administered by us would bo best for tho Filipinos, The Commoner would answor In tho negative. This country can help the Filipinos more by setting them an cx amplo than It can by sending them carpet-bag of ficials. It can holp them infinitely more, and do it at far less expense, by educating their young men and young women and sending them back to spread tho light of our civilization and tho bloaa ings of our Institutions. Tho Filipinos will nat urally trust tho people of their own raco more than tbey will trust foreigners. Tho American colon ists, in order to secure their independence, were willing to fight members of their own race, com municants of their own church and thouo who spoke their own language. Can anyono doubt that tho Filipinos will resent as bitterly our attempt to govern them, differing as wo do from them in both language and race? It is safe to say that a colonial policy In tho Philippines will cost the American people at least a hundred millions a year. If wo take Into con sideration the Increase in the army and the navy an Increase defended on the ground of our colonial policy. Ten per cent of that money apent In tho education of Filipinos in American colleges would in a few generations bring more benefit to tho Filipinos than we could bring in a thousand years by a colonial system. Doctor Winston overlooks entirely the enlight ening Influence of self-government and the de grading and demoralizing Influence of an alien gov ernment such as we aro now administering, but the question which Doctor Winston puts Is not tho controlling question In this matter. Our country has a great work to do and It could not afford to give up that work, even if it could bo shown that by so doing we would help the Filipinos. Our na tion has been for a hundred years the exponent of the doctrine of self-government. It has brought untold good to the world by presenting a new national ideal to mankind. So long as this na tion administers a colonial policy it is impotent to holp the cause of human liberty. If our na tion endorses tho doctrine set forth by Doctor Winston's unnamed visitor namely, that the F11I Iplnos aro Incapablo of self-government It denies the doctrine of the Declaration of Independence and places a limitation upon the truths given to tho world in 1770. The moment this country announce to tho world that it has amended tho Declara tion of Indepenoence, the moment that it de clares that governments can In some instances de rive their just powers from some other source than the consent of tho governed, It ceases to be th champion of tho doctrine of self-government and the injury that would bo done to the world by a modification of its position must bo weighed against any gcl, real or Imaginary, that we could confer upon tho Filipinos. Not only must wo calculate the harm which ar 1 vtS