Imperialism and the Army’s Honor
Apropos of the passing of the death sentence recently upon two American soldiers in Manila for assaulting native women, an exchange says, "It is necessary that an example be made, and it can not be made any too soon, lest the reputation of the American army suffer." But why the American army only? Is it only the army that suffers when an unprincipled soldier practises his brutality upon a defenseless native woman? Is there no occasion for the bestowal of sympathy upon the victim of such a soldier's action? Even so soon is public interest in the reputation of the army overshadowing public interest in the protection of the most vital rights of the individual. It is one of the first straws whose leeward bend indicates the tornado of approaching imperialism which will swallow up the individual in its crushing swirl. France has had her lesson in supporting the "honor of the army," and America is planning for herself a similar curriculum. s.