The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-17
WHAT NEXTY'
BY William Jennings Bryan in the San
Francisco Examiner
New York Fab 10 What next2n

1mperialists seek to create impression
that the ratification Of the treaty has
| terminated the controversy in regard
| to the future of the Philippines, but
| there is no ground whatever for such
conclusion. The president has not as
yet outlined his policy and congress has
SO lar tailed to make any declaration
upon the subject. Several admlnistra-
| ton senator's have expressly denied
that ratification commits the United
| states to the permanent annexation of
the Philippine islands,
| The treaty extingushes Spanish Sow
ereignty, but it does not determine our
nations foreign dealing with the Phil
| 1ppines. In the opinion of many (and
l am among the number,, the fat1f1ca-
ton of the treaty, instead of closing the
door to Independent. really makes
easier the establishment of such gov
| ernment in the Philippine Islands. The
| matter is now entirely within control Of
congress, and there is no legal obstacle
to prevent the immediate passage Of
resolution promising self-government
to the Philippines and pledglng the
United States to protect their govern
ment from outside interference. II we
have right to acquire land we have a
right to part with it.
If the power to part with the ISLANDS
is admitted, the only question remain
| ing for discussion is whether the United
states should permanently hold the
ASlatlc territory acquired from spain.
| For two months the sentiment against
| imperialism has been constantly grow
ing and there is nothing in the ratifica-
| ton of the treaty to make such policy
more desirable.
| Until Dewey's victory no one thought
| us under obligation to extend our SOW
ereignty over the Filipnos. If subse-
| Cl1 rs cd enc a n oh
| legation upon the United States, it is
| worth while to inquire as to its nature
| and extent.
Is it political in its character?
Must we make subjects OF the Fill
pinos now, because we made allies Of
them in the war with Spain?
Are we compelled to civlize the Fill
pinos by force because we interfered
with Spain's efforts to accomplish the
| same end by the same means? Are We
| in duty bound to conquer and to gov
ern, when We can find a pretext for do
| ing so, every nation which is weaker
than ours and whose civilization is be-
low our standard? Does history justify
us in believing that we can improve the
condition of the Filipinos and advance
them in civilization by governing them
without their consent and taxing them
without representation?
England has tried that plan in India
| for hundred and fifty years, and yet
Japan has made more progress in the
| last 80 years than India has made in
| the hundred and fifty. Government Is
an evolution and it's administration is
always susceptible of Improvement
| The capacity for self government is de-
veloped by responsibility. We must not
| expect the Filipinos to establish and
maintain as good a government as ours,
and it is vain forlus to expect that we
would maintain there, at long range,
as good a government as we have
| here. ah''
The government is, as it were COM
| posite photograph of the people, re-
| Election of their average virtue and in
| telligence. Some say that our duty to
the foreign residents in the Philippines
requires us to annex the islands. If we
| admit this argument, we not only exalt
the interests of the foreigners above the
interests of natives, but place higher
estimate upon the wishes of foreigners
residing in Manila than upon the well
fare of our own people. The people are
face to face with a grave public prob
lem. They have not acted upon it yet,
and they will not be frightened away
from the calm consideration of it by
the repetition of unsupported prophe-
cies. The battle of Manila, which
brought loss to us and disaster to the
Filipinos, has not rendered 'forcible
annexation" less repugnant to our ma
ton. The ''code of morality" if it has
any effect at all, it ought to emphasize
the dangers attendant upon if l may
be permitted to quote from the presi-
dent again) original aggression" The
ignorance. They thought that they
could prevent ratification of the
treaty by an attack upon the Ameri-
can lines, but no act of theirs can
determine the permanent policy of the
United States.
Whether imperialism is desirable is
too large question to be stilled by
battle. Battles are to be expected I'M
| der such policy. England had been
the dominant power in India for CEN
fury when the Sepoy mutiny took place,
| and England rules there even now by
fear rather than by love.
Force and reason rest upon different
| foundations and employ different forms
of logic. No one doubts that the United
States army and navy are able to whip
into subsection all the Filipinos who
are not exterminated by the process,
but is it worth the cost?
MilitariSm is only one item of the
cost, but it alone will far outweigh all
the advantages which are expected to
flow from colonial policy. Militarism
| is so necessary companion of imper-
| itlisiil llltil the preSlueIll dShS lCf an
| increase of 200 per cent in the standing
army, even before the people at large
have passed upon the question of an
| neXation. If the peace commissioners
had demanded a harbor and coaling
station in the Philippines and had re-
CURED Spain to surrender the rest of
the islands to the Filipinos as she sur
rendered Cuba to the Cubans, we would
| not now be considering how to let go
| of the islands. If the sum of $40 900, 900
has been necessary to secure SPANS
| release, the payment of the amount by
| the Filipinos might have been guaran-
| teed by the United States. But the
failure of the peace commission to Sc
cure for the Filipinos the same rights
| that were obtained for the Cubans
could have been easily remedied by a
| resolution declaring the nations pur-
pose to establish a stable and independ-
| ent government.
1t is still possible for the senate alone
| or for the senate and house together
to adopt such a resolution. The pur-
| pose of the anneXationists. so far as
that purpose can be discovered, is to