The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1898-12-08
CRIMINAL AGGRESSION
Mckinley Has Turned Another
OF His Flip FlOps.
WHAT HE SAID A YEAR AGO.

How 10 Could be Applied Now In the Case
Of the philippines The Territorial
Expansion Plan seems to Have
Taken Complete Possession.
Pittsburg, Dec. i.-(speoial. The
Post, which was silent so long as any
question existed about the peace nosotia-
tions, bas the following excellent
editorial concerning the expansion idea
that is 30 cordially opposed by great
portion Of the business interests Of the
courtry.
Now shat we have acquired the Philip.
pine islands the vital question Of the
whole business Coufronts us. There was
never any doubt that we could compel
Spain to relinquish sovereignty there, ss
in Cuba ard Porto Rico. The real ques-
tion is, What shall we do with them, now
that they Are in oar keeping 10 do with
as we please within certain limitsP There
are About 200 Of these islands; they
have trritrial area as great as the
| states Of New York, Pennsy lvsnia and
Ohio; n population Of about 10, 900, 600
are distnlt from the PGOiao ooast 200
miles, and extend north and south in an
narrow strip through IS degrees Of
10 atitude.
Opposition TO Ins acquisition Of the
Philippines has been influenced and kept
down by the sem i-hostile conditions exist.
i ng between this country 0nd Spain, and
the possibility of open war breaki ag oli
again. This has made most people timid,
declaring themselves In the face Of peo.
pies that nothing be done 30 impede the
administration in It's negotiations. This
is all changed Tho question is now an
American one, What ave the relations Of
these islands to to TO tie United State si
They have been snnezed without direct
or indirect authorization by the people OF
congress, and in the faos II the most
solemn pledges that the war was for
cis siliZatiCn and humanity, and not 70 r
the acquisition Of territory. II is ijle 70
talk Rbout the annexation not being
! forcible. 1t was Che eannon's moRth.
Yet President Mckinley in his message
Of year ago, speaking Of the aoquisiti n
Of Spanish territory, said II speak not
of f1Tcible annexation, for that cannot be
thought OF. That by our code OF
morality would be crimiUal aggression. "
As late as Apri! Lost the President
quoted and resfirmed tsis language
Naturally there Is curiousity TO hear
/ from hiu in his message due on Monday
next
The treaty, there Is little doubt, will
be ratified by cymplaisant senate. Ths
Pre- sident has so managed his criminal
aggression that il will appear 10 many
senators es after Of necessity Tint the
treaty should be accepted Others have
been persul ded by patronage and Others
will be cnerced by partisan Eeeds. The
house Of representatives, controlled by
tho sane influences, will vote the sg0,-
600, 600 necessary to carry out the treaty.
The job is fixed.
But the vital question remains Of far
greater import than the twenty millions
TO Spain. What shall we do with the
PhilippiOesH That is a question Pres
ident Mckinley must answer, and we
suppose it will be attempted in his usua al
wabLling way in his forthcoming mes
sage.
Whether ss military pose seion, or as
military colonies, or as a Philippine re-
public under an American protectorate,
or as a territory with civil guvernme ent
and prospective admission as a st1te,
there is trouble ana discord ahead, with
a certainty Of entang lements with for
eign nations and great possibility cf
future wars. The administration has
discarded the teachings Of the Fathers Of
the Republic, the principles Of the
Declaration Of Independence, the con-
stitutiCnsl basis Of our form Ct govern
ment, knocked the Monore doctrine cut
Of sight and the whole boiy Of sonstltu-
tional literature from the days Of Wash
ington to the days Of Mckinley. Now
what hos it got as substitute. Lst the
fountains Of wisdom open and hanna