"Che Conservative.
THIS SPANISH-AMERICAN IM-
JJUOGL1O.
The late war botwoou the United
States and Spain and the postbollum re
lations of the United States to the Cu
bans , and especially to the Filipinos ,
liavo been and are so outside the limi
tations of natural , international , and
American constitutional law , as to offer
problems of vital and momentous inter
est to the statesman , the editor , and
student of social science. To under
stand the questions at issue one must go
back to the beginning. They must be
considered in a cold-blooded , scientific
manner without sympathy for home , or
prejudice to the alien. Justice tempered
by sympathy is no longer justice.
A certain degree of belligerency is
common to animal lifo. It predominates
in males. Man offers no exceptions. It
maybe called the "war-spirit. " This
spirit has been a dormant volcano in the
American people ever since the war of
the revolution. It is known as "the
spirit of ' 70. " The American people
have borne a striking resemblance to the
traditional Irish tailor who was contin
ually "looking for some blawsted Ing-
lishman furl'mmouldorin fur a foight. "
While this feeling has temporarily dis
appeared from the national horizon it
would take but an infinitesimal spark to
set it blazing in full flame. This war-
spirit in America is not limited to Bri
tain. The United States seems to have
a chip on both shoulders. The govern
ment is morbidly anxious to hunch
somebody. While over present there
are times when the war-spirit acquires
cumulative energy. Those who have
commanded armies , ships , or bodies of
men for a considerable period must be
aware of it. It breaks out without ap
parent cause. It loads to uprisings ,
mutinies , revolutions , wars. It isa form
of progressive emotional insanity. The
people of the United States have had a
bad attack of this dangerous malady.
They have not fully recovered.
"Where Cleveland 111 ami tired.
The war-spirit is often marked by
acute exacerbations. Any social stu
dent could have soon that the American
people were undergoing an acute attack
of Fabris belli. Its first public eruption
was manifested by Mr. Cleveland in his
uncalled-for interference between Great
Britain and Venezuela. Fortunately
for both nations the British lion did not
permit himself to bo seriously disturbed
by the buzzing of the American mos
quito. The war-spirit then hovered
about and perched upon the Monroe
doctrine. The war-eagle of the United
States shrieked that no European gov
ernment should make further establish
ment on the American continent. The
proposal was insolvent and audacious.
The earth is man's and the fullness
thereof. He who can takes what he
can. Ho assumes the risks also. Social
ism lessens the risks.
Since the United States has gone into
Pacific waters ( wrongly named ) the
Monroe doctrine is non est. If one fol
lows it to its source this doctrine has
a far different meaning than appears on
its surface. It had its origin in the
"spirit of ' 70. " That spirit was anti-
king. Properly stated the Monroe doc
trine should road , the people of the
United States will not countenance the
extension of monarchisrn from European
to American soil. King-hatred is inbred
in the children of the United States.
The disease is contagious. It has ex
tended over the majority of the later
immigrants and their descendants.
Without a comprehension of those con
ditions it is absolutely impossible to ac
count for the Spanish-American imbrog
lio. The conditions leading to it in the
United States were an acute attack of
the war-spirit , supplementing the
chronic spirit of ' 70 and aggravated by
one of the most dangerous diseases to
which individuals and nations are sub
ject. This terrible infliction is often of
a suicidal nature. It is technically
known as Macro cranialis proijressiva
uhroniua , siue acittinsima. It is a variety
of egotistical insanity. It is not solf-
coufldonce. Solf-coufldonco is the in
telligent ability to do what one under
takes and not to undertake that which
one cannot do. This big-head insanity
undertakes anything. It is quixotic in
its nature. It charges windmills re
gardless of their size or the velocity of
the wind. There is nothing equal to its
momentous conceit. It appears in its
most aggravated form when it assumes
to dethrone the Omnipotent and audaci
ously assorts itself to bo doing "God's
work. " Omnipotence needs no deputy.
A peculiarity of the big-head is its
boomerang proclivities. While terribly
destructive to others in its insane career
it is no less dangerous to the one pos
sessed. Nothing but the most alarming
experience can over cast this demon out
of those possessed.
The American people being thus af
flicted it was not a difficult task for the
government to precipitate the country
into an absolutely safe war with an ef
fete monarchy like Spain. Another im
portant factor is not without interest.
It is a now one in American political
conditions. In Europe governments
have found it necessary to go to war , or
to keep up a very aggressive war-spirit in
the people , in order to save them the
governments from internal dissensions.
The republican party was and is under
the same exploiting necessity in the
United States. The boomerang which
it set in motion , to the destruction of
Spain's pelagic possessions , will react in
the formation of an American party "to
form a more perfect union" on the basis
of , ? io sacrifice of life ; no taxation except
according to the constitution. That is ,
for the protection and welfare of the
people of the United States.
The Doctrine of Fatultum.
This brings us to the humanitarian or
altruistic arguments that have been
brought forward in defense of this un
justifiable war. Individuals may sacri
fice themselves when they have none de
pendent on them. Those entrusted with
the welfare of public lifo and property
have no rights over either only in so far
as it pertains to the defense of the lives
and property of those disputing the
authority. Taken as a whole the people
of the United States have boon strik
ingly apathetic in regard to those affairs.
There is a terrible fatalism paralyzing
the people in political matters. "It is
as it is and cannot be made any bettor"
seems to bo common opinion. Under
snch conditions the weeds of despotism
take root and flourish.
There was what may bo called a spasmodic
medic flurry of patriotic irritation over
the suspicious nature of the Maine inci
dent. Acting as a jury the sober com
mon sense of the people gives Spain the
benefit of the Scotqh verdict "not
proven. " Neither before , during nor
since the war has there boon any uni
versal sympathy for Cubans or Filipi
nos. The most marked fooling is one of
silent dread that the government has
woven a skein of foreign entanglements
out of which it cannot bo relieved save
at the cost of valued lives and wasted
treasure. Slowly but surely the heads
of the people are shrinking to normal
size. On the contrary that of the gov
ernment is still expanding. The condi
tion is dangerous ! The suspicion is
growing that the war was entirely un
called-for , the sacrifice of lifo unjustifi
able , and the expense scandalous. The
humanitarianism in the government for
the Cubans and Filipinos is about as
strong as the ton-thousandth dilution of
a homeopathic tincture. So far as the
people are concerned it is a vacuum.
Even the government cannot coin it at
. A illustrates
10-to-l. personal experience
trates it. An enthusiastic humanitarian
friend of Cuba and the Filipinos , and a
great sympathizer with unfortunates
living under a king , was holding forth
before a local baud of admirers on the
glories of being an American and the
great work America is doing for human
ity. On being told that an organization
had been formed for raising funds to
clothe and educate the poorest among
the children in Cuba and asked to con
tribute five dollars his sympathies dis
appeared like fog before a rising sun.
All ho said was , "the government is do
ing that business , I have nothing to do
with it. " That man is typical of Amer
icans who love the Cubans and the cause
of liberty among aliens.
ISiiKltind mid America.
These sympathizers , like the govern
ment , are extravagantly generous with
other people's lives and property and
equally economical with their own.
National vanity fluttered feebly at the
few slight victories of an overpowering
force over an inferior. In point of fact ,
the people have not been exceptionally
