The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-07-11
The Philippine Republic.


Manila advices by way of Hong Kong
tell of the pronunciamento issued by
Emilio Aguinaldo proclaiming the re-
public Of the Philippines with him
self as it's president. This occurs ST.
multaneously with the arrival of the
first detachment of the army under
Gen. Merritt, who, 1t is said, goes out
with commission as governor general
of the Philippines in addition to his
military command. We suspect that
this willy product of Spanish graft
upon Malaysian stock has been fur
nished with copies Of those of our pa
pers which have been pointing out that
this country made no such promise to
keep it's hands off Puerto Rico and
the Philippines that it improvidently
and in burst of fine sentiment made
in regard to Cuba. If so. he probably
scented danger to his own ambitions
and forestalled 1t by setting up gov
eminent of his own, a la the most
approved Spanish mixed methods.
Nor is this movement of the rebel
chieftain to be lightly treated by the
imperialists who have already in an
possession of the islands off the Asiatic
coast and begun to select the deputy
governor generalships for which they
will apply. In connection with this
pronuncamento it is we'll to consider
the other announcement made May "a,
to his beloved "Filipinos," in which
the ground was well leveled and foun-
dationS laid for the one of which we
just have news. He told the Filipinos
that the great North American ma
tion''-of which they have less idea
than they have of the man in the moon
which. parenthet;cally, is 1.-The re-
pository of true liberty, and therefore"
will the imperialists mark the diplo-
macy of this-"the friend of freedom
fer our nation, oppressed and subjugat-
ed by the tyranny and deSpotism of its
rulers" this great, liberty missioned
American nation has come to afford
to its inhabitants Ghe Filipinos) pro-
lection, undoubtedly disinterested''-
mark that. notwithstanding our I'M
fortunate country as possessing suf1i-
Gent civilization and aptitude for self
government" Ard then followed some
fine sentiments advising against cut
ting the threats of captive Spaniards,
very creditable, we admit, considering
the provocations, but immaterial to the
purpose of this writing.
What does all this indicate? What
significance has it to those who are
dreaming of empire in the Orient and
have just planted in mid-Pacific a
stepping-stone towards the new en-
pire? What will be the condition af-
ter Merritt gets there and compelS the
surrender of Augustin-not August
and produces his commission as COVER
nor general and sets up his authority?
What will this president of the repub-
lie Of the Philippines say to him? And
what will the several odd million of
Fflipinos, manumitted from Spanish
slavery, say to it? And, what Is quite
as serious, what will the Powers that
have got foothold in Asia say If they
are not consulted and given hand in
the deal? May they not insist that the
Monroe doctrine is good enough for
them and that if it forbade their in
trusion on the two Western continents
it equally forbids the invasion of the
eastern continent by us? Can we keep
a sober face and insist that the sauce
that is good for the Eastern goose is
not good for the Western gander? And,
what Is also not a quantity o,tbe ig-
nored, how can we brush aside Aguin-
aldo's conception of our purposes? True,
that is mere sentiment, but sentiment
moves the world yet with vastly more
force than does mercenariness. It will
be well to ponder these things before
imperialism breaks its shell.