New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-23
AGTrINALUO.S "REPrBLIC."

Aguinaldo's proclamation Of dictatorship over
the whole Of the Philippine Islands Is an e1-
preston Of aspiration rather than nm assertion
Of power. In that light 1t must be viewed by
US In considering not only what FOR our own
purposes VIC desire to do in the Philippines hut
also what the future interests Of the people OF
those islands may require. The Manila CORE
spondcnt OF "The London Daily MaiT' says:
Each local chief desires 10 become the supreme
ruler OF his island" and 1t Is the undoubcd
truth OF that statement which will puncture the
inflated vanity Of Agunado's philippine Re
public." and compel the United States 10 assert
its paramount rights as the successor by con
quest to Spanish sovereignty simply as the
guardian Of the territory against disin'cgration
and anarchy entirely apart from questions Of
American trade interests or imperial ambitions
Tint Spain hae hitherto been the legal owner
Of the Philippines there can be no doubt ana
II rs n result Of n war with Spain her rights
are transferred 10 us our sovereignty there viii
be as indspu,ablc as II was in New Mexico ana
California after the Treaty Of Guadaloupe Hi
dago We conh no more concedc the right or a
TaQalOg TO revolt against our authority than we
would have conceded the right OF n creole OF
New Orleans IN 1903 or Of San Gabriel Indian
I'm 1S4S or than we did concedc the right or
rebellion 10 the inha btnnts Of New-McXico who
TONED the COnfederates in the Civil War; nnd
the New MpXIcans, be Il noted, were the subject
populntlon Of a territory acquired by conquest.
who had no voice In the Government against
which some of them took up arms. The demo
cratic principles OF the United States do not
imply that It's sovereignty may be thrown Off
by any community under It's sway. Such
1octripo womb he the utter destruction OF ma
tlonality and the paralysis Of the power of gov
eminent to maintain itself anywhere The
fothers who made our Constitution and pro-
mulcated our theories Of liberty did not even
know universal suffrage much less did they
contemplate making a republic synonyme for
either individual or territorial anarchy and rob
bling the country they formed OF the rights OF
a nation under international law.
After the war we shnll hold an ncontestable
position ms sovereign in the Philippines or else
we shall not be there at al and they will still
be Spalns. for her to dcnl with What we take
we take. and what we leave we leave, and we
shall not llnger ms tutor partner or assistant
Of either native or European sovereigns. But
putting aside the question Of our own title. and
looking Mt the future on the basis Of the Philip
pines for the Philippines. we are met with a
confirmation Of THE Daily Mails" report OF
the centrifugal tendency by other intelligent OBJ
servers. In the current Contemporary Re-
view" for instance. Mr.. John Foreman. who has
evidently an intimate acquaintance with the
islands and their people shows the utter impos
sbty Of philippine Republic" 1t Is not TO
be forgotten that the unity OF this archipelago
IL conventional and not natural. Spain has
brought under one nominal authority great