The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1898-11-12
VOL. VI
- SPINS OPPOR TULII ZY

If it be true that Spain positively
refuses to relinquish the Philippine
Archipelago to the United States, she
is not possessed Of the sagacity with
which she has hitherto been credited.
Spain for a number of centuries,
has been the highes. and most rep
resentative type Of .despotism. She
has long since been shorn Of the
mighty power she possessed under
Charles v and Philip II. But steadi-
ly and unfalterinGly she has main
tanned in her government the p:'ncl-
Dles and practices of autocracy, and
now, even in her dying hours, she
has preserved her hostility to and
her hatred of free government; ana
almost in the throes os death, when
she has the opportunity to admins
ter a deadly chaiice 20 the lips OF
constitutional government and thus
destroy the last and only republican
government on earth, the thirst OF
power and territory o"eSrides the
spirit Of revenge and sac refuses t"
administer ;:c deadly poison that
the foolish victim IS seeking 20 wre
from her grasp.
Her day OF empire is ended. She
may vet liuger for a time a poor,
impoverishe ed, deCrepit aeiiIlcant
among tue nations, tsn,I anc ma, t"e
chance to do this TO close her exist
ence by plugging the dagger in her
last gasp into the heart Of hated
constitutional liberty.
The requirement. OF the i'hil' >plnes
by the United States means the
speedy death of free govcrn.nent-
Why then does not Spain slSnailze
her traditional hatred Of frcIttom
and love of dc5pot,s!u by promptly
sIrrende ring these islands, np!Iu'ilud
with savases utterly uIit Tor free
government 10 the Land stealing add
,nin,stration now in power in this
country? PaleV, very able ph't"s-
Opher, enuru crates the several kinds
of governments. their characteristics,
their weak anc! their strong points.
TO Monarchy he attributes strength,
unity or concentration nf power aud
action: 10 Republics, weakness, con-
fusion of councils and corruption.
In this classification MOatcsqu1eu
follows him, and Charles Pinckney,
one OF the fathers Of the Ameri can
Constitution, reiterated in the South
Carolina convention precisely the
same classification.
Now, whatever cOmOina:lr.is MAY
be made Of these different systems
of government. it Is obvious that
there can be no such ElO"Grcl gov
ernE4ents as q StatoCracy aud d re
public in one nag IN. The fo!'ns,
the prin cipies. the methods, the
genius Of these Two are not 'on'y
essentially different; they are ire
concialably antaS ~nistiC. They are
as fire and watCr. Now no man
will deny that Statocracy or
military Gespotjsa IS stronger
government than Rel uo'lc. The
history Of the whole world proves
this. 1t is a fact that the universal
course o, a Republic is drift to
despoiis,n, and thai every Republic
has finally been transformed into a
despo1ism. Ihis is the nature OF
things. n Republic is the highest
type Of government; because in re-
quires in those over whom it pre-
walls education and virtue; hence
the larger the population and Its
wealth, the stronger and more
rapid is the drift to despotism.
That is because the larger the pop
ulation, the larger must be the ele-
ment OF ignorance, vice and crime.
Notwithstanding these lnduOlta-
BILE facts, the expansionists call upon
us to seize or steal the Philippines,
together with Hawaii, Cuba and
Porto Rico, and thus make part OF
~. far YoY n