The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-26
THE FLAG AND TUE PHILIPPINES.

THE FLAG AND TUE PHILIPPINES.
There is no cheaper kind of patriotism
than the ION to Richmond" and "On to Ha-
vana" kind. 1t requires no thinking or ar
gument, yet it is noisy and aggressive and
has no trouble in overriding reason and
common sense and making them look very
small in comparison with patriotism
which ignores such trivialities. The ION to
Havana patriots were much in evidence
during the war. though. fortunately, they
did not succeed in forcing the government
to send an army of raw volunteers to at
tack MORO Castle and die of yellow fever
in Havana. The war being ended and terms
Of peace being under discussion, they have
changed their cry. Now it is, Where the
American flag has been raised it must
never be hauled down." and Having cap
tured the Philippines, we must never sur
render them" There is no more argument
in such declaration than there is in col
lege class yell, yet by force of iteration it is
made to appear like powerful appeal to
reason. 1t is simply the ION to Havana"
cry in another form. Assuming that we
have captured the Philippines outright, or,
as they put it. that Dewey has mailed our
flag to the islands" they insist that it must
continue to float over the entire group for
ever.
1t is not likely that President Mckinley
will be any more influenced by this noisy
protest against hauling down the flag and
surrendering the Philippines than he was
by the ION to Havana clamor, or that the
United States peace commissioners will be
permitted to assert any claim in regard to
the islands that is not justified by the facts,
the terms of the Manila surrender and the
principles of international law. No Amer
lean would consent to see the flag forcibly
hauled down when it had been rightfully
raised, but we should be careful not to bring
it into ridicue or contempt by setting up
claims that cannot be maintained. The
hauling down of the flag may be, according
to circumstances as much a patriotic duty
as the raising of it. 1t will be so at San
tiago and other points in Cuba where it
floats of right now but where it will have
to come down when the island is pacified
and local government securely established.
1t should always be hauled down when the
rights or the interests of the United States
do not require it to be maintained-hauled
down by its friends as a duty to the flag it.
self, though by it's enemies never.
AS for the Philippine islands, the plain
truth is that we have not captured them.
We have captured the principal city of the
main island, or. as the terms of surrender to
General Merritt put it, 1.-The city and de-
lenses of Manila and it's suburbs" and that
lie all tba
should instruct the United States peace
commissioners not to claim anything more
than the harbor and city of Manila and it's
suburbs, there would be no hauling down OF
the American flag because it does not float
anywhere in the islands except at Manila,
and there would be no surrender of the
islands themselves, because we do not hold
them. 1t is true that the power that holds
Manila dominates the Philippines CONNER
cially, and in a military sense WELL but
that does not imply that our conquest of
the islands is complete. On the contrary, it
is an argument against asserting our claim
to anything more than the territory which
we actually hold and over which the flag
now floats, namely, the city and defenses of
Manila and it's suburbs. Those who insist
that the peace commissioners should have
no discretion but to assert the claim of the
United States to the entire group of islands
forget that we waived that right by the
protocol. If we had intended to dictate that
as one of the terms of peace it should have
been done in the protocol. Instead of that,
it was distinctly left an open question, to
be determined by the commission. The
United States will get all it is fairly en-
titled to in the Philippines, and probably all
it should for if it holds the harbor and
city of Manila. That would give us an ex-
cellent coaling station, point of CONNER
cial advantage and "a good resting place."
and why should we desire more?