The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-15
SHOULD ABANDON
THE PHILIPPINES
Dr.Jordan Discusses the
Nations Crisis.
BUT ONE COURSE IS OPEN
IMPERIAL POLICY LEADS TO
DISASTER:
"Half the Energy Spent in Getting
Into Trouble Will Take Us
Honorably Out
of It.n
BUT. ONE COURSE IS OPEN
IMPERIAL POLICY LEADS TO
DISASTER.
Special Dispatch to The call.

STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Feb. IA.
President Jordan delivered a lecture to-
night on the question of the Philip
pines. Opening his address he. said:1
. i wish tonight to maintain single
proposition. It is our plain duty TO with
draw from the Philippine Islands as soon.
as in dignity we can. 1 ask you to con-
slider with me three questions of the hour:
Why do we want the Philippines? What
can, we do with them? What Will they
do: to us? ~. f. T.:
These questions demand serious con-
sideratfon-not one at time, but all to,
gether.: We should know clearly our final
intentions as nation, for it is never easy
many of these already. It is time for us
to grow serious. Even the most headlong-
of our people admit that we stand in the:
presence Of a real crisis. But the prob
lem is virtually solved when we Know
what our true interests are. Halt: the
energy we have spent In. getting INTO
trouble, will take: us honorably out OF IT.
once convinced that we do not want the
Philippines, 1t will be easy: to abandon
them The difficulty is that we do not
vet know what we want, and we. are
afraid that II we once: let these people go
we will never catch them again II.
Summing up his discourse he said: i:
AS to the true American policy of to-.
day give the fullest Endorsement TO the
words of Professor James, which are in
substance as follows: ':.-..-.
First-It is our, duty to carry out the
solemn pledge made to the world with
respect to Cuba and retain military pos
session only long enough to enable the.
Cubans to organize g. Government or their
own A few months at most should wit
ness the complete REIMBURSEMENT OF CUBA
into the hands of it's own citizens. After.
that it should remain absolutely free and
independent. We have no. right TO insist
that our own or any particular form OF
government shall be adopted by the
Cubans OF to impose qualifications of cit
izehship on them. The present noble COY
eminent of Mexico. by which; in Diaz'
own words 1t has become the germ of a
great nation" would have been tmposSt-
Bile under our own dtctation or under the.
disastrous Imperialism Of Napoleon and
Macmillan. The same rule should be
adopted in regard to Porto Rico:
Second-No Inhabited country should be
acquired by THIS Government which can
not be made seif-goYerning and ultimate
ly be received into the family Of States;
If In the future the people Of Cuba and
Porto Rico agree with those of the United:
States that annexation is mutually desir-:
able they may be joined to our body
Our policy in the Philippines should be
exactly the same. Let them fit their gov
eminent to-. their own needs, with the
interference. But under no circumstances
should the Philippines or any distant ter
ritory inhabited by an alien igaa ana semi n9r-
manent possession of the United States.
The greatness of a nation lies not in its
bfgneSS, but IN :1tS JuStlCS, IN the WlSuoIH
and virtue of it's people and in the pros
perity of their individual affairs; The
nation exists for its men, never the men
for the nation.
1T cannot help thinking of you as you
deserve said Thoreau, 20, We Govern
ments." The only Government that ] rec
ognlze-and it matters not how few are at
the head Of 1t or how small is its army
is that which establishes justice in the
land never that which establishes in
Justice. The will of free men to be just
toward one another IS our final guarantee
that government of the people. for. the
people, by the people shall not perish from
he ~ -