The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-08-08
men FIRST.
Col. IngersOll FavOrs Terrific
rial Expansion.
Says He Takes More Interest
In People
THAN CONSTITUTIONS.
Plenty of Ink and Paper and
Writers
To Make New Constitutions if
Necessary.
THAN CONSTITUTIONS.

ms position on the question of terri
torial expansion as follows:
As understand it, the United States
went into this war against Spain in the
cause Of freedom. For three years
Spain had been endeavoring to conquer
these people. The means employed
were savage Hundreds of thousands
were starved. Yet the Cubans. with
great herOism, were continuing the
struggle. In spite of their burned
homes, their wasted fields, their dead
comrades, the CubanS were not cOh-
quered and still waged war Under
those circumstances we said to SPAIN
You must withdraw from the western
world. The Cubans have the right to
be freel''
1t was understood and declared at
the time that we were not Waging war
for the sake of territory, that we were
not trying to annex Cuba, but that we
were moved by cOmpassiOn-a compass
sion that became as stern as Justice.
did not think at the time there would
be war. L supposed that the Spanish
people had some sense. that they knew
their own condition and the condition
of this republic. But the improbable
happened, and now, after the successes
we have had, the end of the war ap-
pears to be in sight, and the question
arises: What shall we do with the
Spanish islands that we have taken
already, or that we may take before
peace comes 2'
Trying ourselves and committing the
greatest of crimes, hand back Cuba to
Spain. But to do that would be no
more criminal, no more infamous. than
to hand back the Philippines. In those
islands there are from 5000, 900 to TO-
100000 Of people, and they have been
robbed and enSlaVed by Spanish Off
GERS and soldiers. Undoubtedly they
dOubtedly they are worse now than
when discovered - more barbarous.
They wouldn't make very good citizens
OF the United States: they are prOba bly,
incapable of seIf-gOvernment but no
people can be ignorant enough to be
justly robbed or savage enough to be
rightly enslaved. think that we
should keep the islands, not for our own
sake, but for the sake Of these people.
As far as the Philippines are con-
cerned, I think that we should endeaVOr
to civilize them. and to do this we should
send teachers, not preachers. We should
not endeavOr to give them our super
stitiOn in place Of Spanish superstition.
They have had superstition enough.
They don't need churches, they need
schools. We should teach them our
arts; how to cultivate the soil, how to
manufacture the things they need. In
other words, We should deal honestly
with them, and try our best to make
them a self-suppOrting and a seIf-gOv-
erning people. The eagle should spread
ats wings over those islands for that
and for no other purpose. We can not
to throw fragments of them to the wild
beasts of Europe. We can not say to
Russia, ''Yo on may have part" and to
Germany, You may have a share"
and to France, you take something"
and so divide out these people as thieves
divide plumber. That we will never do.
There is, moreover, a little sentiment
mixed with this matter in my mind
Manila Bay has been filled with Ameri-
can glory. There was won one of our
greatest triumphs, one of the greatest
naval victories of the WOrld-won by
American courage and genius. We can
not allow any other nation to become
the owner of the stage on which this
American drama was played. 1 know
that we can be of great assistance to
the inhabitants of the Philippines 1
know that we can be an unmixed bless |
ing to them, and that is the only am
bitiOn I have in regard to those islands.
would no more think of handing them
back to Spain than I would of butcher
ing the entire population in cold blood. |
Spain is unfit to govern. Spain has al |
ways been a rObber. She has never |
made an effort to civilize a human be-
ing. The history of Spain. think. is
the darkest page in the history Of the |
world.
At the same time I have a kind of
pity for the Spanish people. I feel that |
they have been victims-victims of su- |
perstition. Their blood has been suck |
ed, their energies have been wasted |
and misdirected, and they excite my |
palIl6S. I'll course, there are many
good Spaniards, good men, good women |
Cervera appears to be a civilized man, |
a gentleman, and I feel obliged to him /
for his treatment of HObsOn. The great |
mass of the Spaniards, however, must |
be exceedingly ignorant. Their So |
called leaders dare not tell them the |
truth about the progress of this war. |
They seem to be afraid to state the I
facts. They always commence with a I
lie, then change it a little, then change /
it a little more, and maybe at last tell /
the truth. They never seem to dare |
tell the truth at first, if the truth is |
bad. They put me in mind of the story |
of man telegraphing to a wife about |
the condition of her husband The first /
dispatch was, Your husband is well, /
never better The second was, Your |
husband is sick, but not very" The !
third was, Your husband is much /
worse, but we still have hope" The |
fourth was, You may as well know the |
truth-We buried your husband yester- /
day" That is about the way the Span /
Ssh people get their war news.
The argument has been advanced in !
the national senate and elsewhere that /
the federal constitution makes no pro- /
vision for the holding of colonies or
such as the Philippines
would be; that we can only acquire T
them as territories, and eventually /
must take them in as states with their :
population of mixed and inferior races
That is hardly an effective argument /
When this country was an infant, still
child some very good advice; told him to
beware of entangling alliances, to stay at ]
home and attend to his own business |
Under the circumstances this was all very
well and good. But the infant has been
growing. and the republic is one of
the most powerful nations in the world, |
and yet, from its infant days until now, |
good, conservative people have been re-
peaung the advice of Washington. 1t |
was repeated again and again when we |
were talking about purchasing Louisiana, /
and many senators and congressman be- |
came hysterical and predicted the fall of |
the republic if that was done. The same /
thing took D12ca ma