The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-06-11
twenty, but he acts with the accuracy
and elthuoiesxn o. howitzer.
Getting Ready to Spread.

There is no question Of the earnest
ness of the administration in annexing
Hawaii. Grosvenor's action in the house
indicates it's seriousness, for it was an
open defiance of the speaker Reed, on
the other hand, is committed to the
policy of restriction; but he is not pres
ident. only a possibility. If the Phil
adelphia Press. whose owner is now
postmaster general, speaks for him. the
purpose Of the administration is to go
still further into the Pacific in it's policy
of attaching territory. Recently the
Press said: The United States will
keep the Philippines until it sees some
thing better to do with them. Be
American. Have confidence in Ameri-
ca. The Philippines canrot go back to
Spain. Perish the man who would
dare suggest that these islands go back
to the corrupt and cruel tyranny from
which Dewey's guns have freed them"
Which. considering that Dewey's fleet
possesses only Manila bay; that no foot
of ground is yet taken: that there are
some two thousand of these islands, is
all premature, but indicative of pur-
pose.
Again we are told. with something
more Of probability than is most of our
Washington news. that the state de-
partment Is engaged in drafting form
of government for Cuba. Porto Rico
and the Phiappines.i with the command
ing generals In each acting as military
governors general. This, again. Is rath-
er premature. ais there is. to date. no
credible assurance that the foot of an
American soldier yet treads others
soil. although runrors Of landings are
plenty enough. But. again. 1t is indica-
tive of purpose. Why should there be
a code Of Lawson rules rather. for
congress only enacts laws-framed for
Cuba, especially when there is a gov
eminent there already. with its consti-
tuition and full set of officers and. we
believe. a peripatetic congress following
Gomez about? Anyway, Palma and
Quesada assert there is. And then what
becomes Of that humanitarian purpose
of the war if governors general are to
be set up in business and rule by mill
tary law framed by secretary of state
and authenticated by presidential or
der? What, indeed, if some pretext is
not being brewed for setting aside that
disavowal of any purpose of annexa-
ton?
And here comes from the Pacific
coast the plausible story that the
Charleston and City Of Picking will dis
embark our troops on one of the
Ladrore islands and hoist Old Glory on
1t and take possession in the name of
the land of freedom, as a halfway
coaling station between Honolulu and
Manila. If we are to annex Hawaii
aud hold the Philippines, we want the
Ladrones and all the other thousands
OF volcanic rocks heaved up out of the
bed of the Pacific and included in the
oceanic possessions of Spain. Each ISL
and or group Of them will make place
Tor another governor general and his
understrappers, and there is an awfully
hungry lot of fellows who have been
peering through the bars of the civil
service act whom these places will Just
MT. True, we are a trifle tardy in
swinging out into annexation and COL
onization. All that is left are these ISL
ands. We dallied until Africa is all
gobbled up and China is pretty well
partftioned. We missed our chance
when we refused to go into the Niger
protectorate. But then the party of
progress, reform and humanity had not
walked up to it's manifest destiny then.
But now, we'll it is sufficiently wide
awake.