coinage, of municipal government and the greatest problem of all, that of the oppression of the individual man by the social combinations to which he belongs, by those to which he does not belong, and by the corporate power of society which may become the greatest tyrant of all. Then let us turn to the politics of Guam and Mindanao, and let our own difficulties settle themselves! Shame on our cowardice! Are the politics of Luzon cleaner than those of New York? We would give our blood to our country, would we not? Then let us give her our brains. More than the blood of heroes she needs the intelligence of men. III. A BLIND MAN'S HOLIDAY. And unregretful, threw us all away LOWELL. III. A BLIND MAN'S HOLIDAY.* I wish to maintain a single proposition. We should withdraw from the Philippine Islands as soon as in dignity we can. It is bad statesmanship to make these alien people our partners; it is a crime to make them our slaves. If we hold their lands there is no middle course. Only a moral question brings a crisis to man or nation. In the presence of a crisis, only righteousness is right and only justice is safe. I ask you to consider with me three questions of the hour. Why do we want the Philippines? What can we do with them? What will they do to us? These questions demand serious consideration, not one at a time but all together. We should know clearly our final intentions as a nation, for it is never easy to retrace false steps. We have made too many of these already. It is time for us to grow serious. Even the most headlong of our people admit that we stand in the presence of a real crisis, while, so far as we can see, there is no hand at the helm. But the problem is vir * Read before the Graduate Club of Leland Stanford Junior University, Feb. 14, 1899: and afterwards (April 3) published for the Club by the courtesy of Mr. John J. Valentine. |