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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (July 13, 1899)
Conservative * exist on the northoru frontier , that it is their purpose to violate the laws of their country by making military and lawless incursions into the territories of a power with which the United States are at peace , now , therefore , I , John Tyler , president of the United States , do issue this , my proclamation admonishing all sunh ovil-miuded persons of the condign punishment which is sure to overtake them : and that , if in any lawless incur sions into Canada they fall into the hands of the British authorities , they will not bo reclaimed as American citi zens , nor any interference made by this government in their behalf. ' " "A striking contrast , " continues Mr. Boutwoll , "to the conduct of the United States during the insurrection in Cuba , when American citizens who had en gaged in war against a nation with which the United States was at peace wore reclaimed under a throat of war. " Our Unlawful Iiiturfcronuo. According to international law Spain had as much right to defend her title to Cuba , against rebels , or an alien nation , as a farmer has to defend his title to his laud against his sons , or neighbors , who might say the sons had a right to it and wore helping them to got possession. American law upholds no such highway robbery though the government prac tices it abroad as "God's law. " Sup pose the farmer woefully abuses his sous , does that affect his title to the laud , or warrant others in taking it from him or interfering with his man agement ? These are supposed to be civilized and not barbaric conditions. The civil law protects the sons. Inter national law should have protected Spain. If Spain's conduct was inhuman that was a case for the nations , but not one nation , to interfere. The United States did not call a council of the na tions. She did not want to. Her pur pose was not to protect the Cubans , un less incidentally , but to drive mouaroh- ial Spain out of American waters. Great Britain stood by and saw unfair play. The other nations kept quiet out of policy. Britannia provided the baud , Columbia danced to the music. "Who will pay the piper ? Was the cause of the United States disinterested , sincere , honest ? Was it for humanity ? Where is the evidence ? But some one says , "you have said 'might is right' and certainly the United States had the might on their side ? ' Certainly , might is right. Might is right when it so acts as to maintain itself. When it acts to its own injury or de struction it is no more might and hence is not Bright. The ability to do a thing is always right BO far as the ability is concerned. The ability not to do a thing liable to be injurious to self is the greatest possible display of might especially when it promises present ben oflts. Self-preservation is the inevitable iccossity , but the fundamental force to iving is the might to support life. The lighost ethical might is not the ability ; o self-preservation as brute force , but ; ho might to so control that force and rob it of its brutishuoss that no act is iablo to cause a reaction dangerous to or limiting the self-maintaining ability of the actor. This is cosmic ethics. This is that vital force which Mr. Hux- ey said did not exist in the Kosmos in lis notorious essay on "Evolution nnd Ethics. " Instinctively animals and man act on it. But few men realize the na- ; uro of their actions and , hence , are not intelligently ethical. Whatever moral ity there is is based on this cosmic ethical necessity. The United States have no conception of the expensive reactions iablo to follow on their ignoring the cosmic law of ethics. A Klltloll'H UlltlUH. The people are slowly learning this natural law of ethics denies altruistic self-sacrifice as an ethical principle or moral necessity. Intelligent self-preser vation is the necessity of individual ex istence. No nation , no individual , has any other obligation than to live intelli gently according to the fundamental necessity of self-preservation. Aggres sive warfare as a necessity to self-preser vation is ethical when the aggressor has the might to succeed , otherwise not. The highest possible ethical development between individuals or nations is that degree of reciprocal usefulness which is mutually self-preserving. Commerce is the great peace preserver. Such a "brotherhood" will stand so long as both parties are reciprocally useful. En tangling alliances of whatever name or nature are not self-preserving and should bo strictly avoided. The United States had no call for such until she weakened her self-maintaining might by this ag gressive \iucalled-for war. She ad mits her newly acquired weakness when she looks to Britain as a possible ally. A factor not without importance in the late war and inspiring the occupation of the lauds acquired thereby is the specu lative interest which makes money , or hopes to , out of all such political vol- oanio eruptions. That such a thing ex ists , that its influences are entirely cor rupting needs no discussion. Such is a very unpleasant influence in American politics , not omitting village and town government. It is that form of solf- preservativeuess which is selfish. Self ishness is that overt use of might for self which entirely overlooks the possi bility of reactions liable , or certain , to interfere with one's self-maintaining ability. Murder is the extreme degree of selfishness. The attack of the United States on Spain and its later course in Cuba and the Philippines are selfish. The government of the United States is dan gerously selfish when it causes the rnur der of its citizens and expends money without cause and in ways injurious to iho people. It challenges revolution. Church MllltimtlHm. Wo come now to another most in- ioresting phase of selfishness which seems to have entirely escaped writers on the causation factors in the late war and which is influencing the present course in the Philippines. It has a large eye on Cuba. In its unscrupulous selfish - less this influence is less considerate of luman life or public funds than the speculator who hopes to make money out of war , or the politician who hopes to benefit thereby. It can only be com pared to a Napoleon whose ambition is not even limited by the destruction of lis dupes or victims. This factor is church militautism. Protestant mission - aryisin vs. Romnnisin. An especial commissioner of the American Bible Society to the Philippines reports : ' 'The people have nothing but the outward form of religion. They know nothing of its inward , spiritual grace. Roman ism has not purified their lives. Every Spanish priest should bo banished from the islands. " What was said of "in ward spiritual grace. " The Filipinos are to bo commisserated. Never was true sympathy more justified. Hitherto they had only to decide be tween their traditional ritual and that o f Romanism. Romanism is best suited to this work because the first intellectual top out of heathen fetishism. Think of this invasion of the sex ! Think of the resonant claims of Baptist and Methodist , Presbyterian and Episcopa lian , Adventists and Christian Scientists , Universalists and Unitarians , Hixite , Campbellite , and "tho People of God" ( variety unlimited pervading the United States ) , each pulling the poor Filipinos hither and thither like a lot of boarding house runners fighting over a sailor ; each shaking tracts in his face and screaming in his ears , ' 'come to us , you poor heathen , we alone have the key to thy soul's salvation and everlasting hap piness in immortality ; those other fel lows are good , but yon cannot under stand it they are not just sound on the 4,999 articles. We , and we only , have the true spirit that will save thy dear lost soul and pass thee into the arms of God. " Poor heathen ! He will be in some such confusion as a novice trying to select the winner out of a field of 20 or 80 starters , none of which he knows any more about than he does of racing. If the government of the United States is really interested in the spiritual wel fare of the Filipinos , and desires peace among them , it will discourage all protestant - testant invasion and encourage the intro duction of that religion which knows no sword and is better suited to their nature Buddhism. To church mili tautism in general , and to protestantism in this instance , is due the idea that war is God's work and that "the United States is performing God's special mis-
