The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-01-22
THE ADMINISTRATION POLICY.

has been inferred to be the purpose of the Presi
| dent to retain the Philippines and assert our
sovereignty Nlere by conquest, if the assent of the
Fipinos cannot be had peacefully This inference
arose in some expressions made by the President dur
ing his recent tour in the South ~
The first indication that it was not warrantable was
i'll the speech by Senator Foraker Though Foraker
is exactly thick and thin supporter Of the, adj
inistraton, and added his voice and infuenee.to the
scheme OF forcing the Presidents hand in the Spanish
war, yet there is ground for the belief that he
would seek to embarrass the administration in a
proper settlement OF the various and vexatious issues
left by that Since he and Senator Mason
delivered their very conservative speeches other Signs
have appeared that the President was taken to in
tend than he in the oratorica1 expressions
which seemed to the country to be statement of his
policy
The Chicago Times Herald, which is perhaps more
pronounced its character as an organ of the Presi
dental purpose than any other paper in the Union in
a recent carefully phrased editorial chdes Senator'S
Hoar and Hale for fighting a policy that in
tends to adopt 1t says in terms that the adinistra
ton has never intended the permanent occupation Of
the Philippines, and that to fight such policy is to
offer battle to windmills
If this be so, it might we'll be announced in some
other form than fault finding with Senator Hoar and
those who stand with him. The people have done
homage to the supposed wish of the President, and
by far the greatest support obtained by the imperial
lists has come from the popular confidence in the adj
ministration and desire to express it The people
not supposed to be able to devote the time and
research necessary to grasp the whole question: and
have been willing to trust and accept the conclusions
OF the President
Europe may be included in the Times Heralds crti-
ciSn1 Of Senators HOar Hale T, a,er,, fora;or
capital it has been understood to be the Presidents
purpose to hold the Philippines. That this was es-
oecially the understanding in London was shown by
the surprise expressed there the tone of Foraker
speech
Ii IS the general European understanding that if we
refrain in the of the Philippines we indicate
purpose to avoid invasion of Old World interna-
tional politics. If we hold the Philippines such in
vasion inevitably goes with that policy
Last week Representative Berry OF Kentucky while
discussing the naval appropriation took occasion to
indicate our power and purpose to whip Germany as
we have Spain Such fool talk has heretofore been
common in Congress, and Europe has understood
that 1t was merely to impress gaping and guble con-
stituents in Podunk Bowling Green. We were
not in European politics. and a Congressmans talk
of that sort excited attention there than in
the moon. But this time it was different The e>-
pectation that by holding the Philippines we meet
the other robber nations in the East to cut and hack
and parcel out countries regardless of the wish of
their inhabitants, made Mr. Berry's bloviation an inn
portant matter 1t assumed the same standing as the
recent remarks of the British ambassador to Paris
and Germany very properly wanted to know what
meant
1t is idle, therefore, to attack Senators Hear aud
Hale for assuming what the rest OF the world has be-
lieved to be true
The Berry incident is useful as foretaste of what
will happen il we enter upon imperial and military
policy and brings into plain relief the inadapation of
our form of government to such policy: Heretofore
the diplomacy needed in the maintenance of our rela-
tons with the rest of the world has been in the hands
OF the executive and has proceeded quite successfully
independent OF the talk in Congress- The settlement
OF the Oregon boundary with Great Brtain,s an IL
lustration While Senator Ned Hannegan was shout
ing, "Fifty-four forty fight" and Allen of Ohio
and others breathing slaughter and reprisal in
his support Polk was quietly making a treaty with
Great Britain rclnquishing the parallel of ty-four
degrees and forty minutes north latitude as our north
boundary, and his diplomacy settled the issue
without any fight.
II we are to change our position and put finger in
the pie OF other countries we must change our system
OF government for then every word and act in Con-
gress will have the import of diplomatic expression
and the country will peace until padlocks
put the mouths OF Congressman.