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-
