The labor world., 1899-10-14
Us the Republic 0verthroWn?
Did the United States Become an Empire
at the Moment She Refused to Promise
Self Government to the Filipinos?
\ EORGE H. SHELLEY discusses
r the Philippine question in the cur

rent numDeT OIL Cne AIeHd III d
most interesting manner. He says that
these facts are not disputed: 1 The
United States purchased from Spain
the legal title to the Philippine Islands
and the legal right to hold the citizens
of those islands as subjects; and ~
the United States has refused to prom
Use to said citizens that they shall re-
ceive self-government when they es-
tablishing such a government.
Does this make the United States an
Empire? In other words, is the repub-
lie overthrown and an empire arisen!
"Cnapire'' is derived from "imperi-
um," which means command; control;
domination. Where the sovereign
power of any given territory Ahas do
minion over the people of any portion
of it's territory, with no promises to
them of self -government,athe form Of
the state is that Of an empire. In 9TH
er words, whenever the sovereign power
(the state)wils that the people of a
given territory shall b. its subjects
with no promise of self-government,
and establishes a legal title to such
territory, at that moment the state be-
comes an empire. The United States
became an empire at the moment she
refused to promise lfgovernment to
the people in the Philippine Islands.
The form of government through
which the sovereign will acts may be
monarchical, aristocratic, or republi-
cam: that is to say. the state makes
eligible to office one, a few. or the
mass of the population. Great Britain
is usually termed a monarchical en-
pire; the United States Of America is
Republican Empire. The fact that the
United States is attempting to hold in
subjection the people OF the Philippine
islands, and with no promise of self
government, is evidence that the form
of the state is an empire, while the
form of the government through which
the state acts as it has been-namely,
republican. At the moment that the
United States refused to promise ulti-
mate governmental (hon,e rile)to the
people of the Philippine Archipelago,
the form of the state changed from
that of republic to an empire. In
other words, the sovereign will chang
ed from that which recognized self
government as the true basis of gov
crnment to that which refused to rec
ognize this principle. Previous to that
time we We're a republic; for, when the
Louisiana purchase was made. 1T was
deliberately declared that the people
in the newly acquired territory were
to have self-government; and such was
the case in the Florida purchase and
the requirement Of Mexican territory.
AS to Alaska, the question of empire
nm fN~ 6a.
termination; but if it had, our people
would have stood by the principle OF
self government and would not have
changed our ideal to that of conqueror
and subject.
that of a state in which the people in
Empire has other meanings than
some portions of it's territory are held
as subjects. For example, German
Empire" is term applied to, the state
that resulted when several of the Ger
man kingdoms and lesser states were
united. In this case a broader term
than Kingdom" was required, and
"empire" was adopted. Republic did
not describe the aggregation Of, Ger
man commemorative, for self-govern-
ment was absent-there existed gov
ernment of the many oy the few: :"gov-
crnment by Others" Empire Is also
used to describe a broad expanse OF
territory, regardless of where the SOW
ereigntv resides; for example, Ihe
Empire State'-New York.
The way that our republicHwas over
thrown was through usurpation. The
officers of the government, when they
took the oath Of office, assumed the
solemn and high obligation of uphold
ing the Constitution of the United
States That constitution has as it's
cornerstone the establishment and
continuance of the republic; yet the
off;.crs in control Of the government
hive leiibera tely refused to dclare
that the people of the Philippine Arch
ipelago shall have self-rule when they
shall have established a stable govern
ment. The administration land its
upholders attempt to evade this CEN
trail point in the Philippine question.
Examples of the way in which the
question is sought to be evaded are as
follows:
1t is said to be a question of expan-
sion; whereas every one is in favor OF
expansion VI LloNS, Pio'ANSN VN''GA ----
portant principles are upheld. and
MANY are in favor of territorial expan-
sion who are not in favor of the meth
Cd here being pursued.
1t is said that what we are doing in
pursuance of a duty we owe to civil
ization: that it is 1.-The white mans
burden We reply. there is no doubt
that we owe a duty to civilization.
The point is. in what does the duty
consist? Shall the United States re-
fuse to promise hOme-rule when sta
BILE government is formed, or shall we
promise it? The difference marks the
boundary between despotism and self
government. between empire ana re-
public The representatives OF the SOW
e.rcign power in the United States have
usurpud the authority of their princl-
pals and have refused and are refusing
to promise the people Of the Philippines
ultimate self-government. and as Il re-
suit we have war on our hands: but
far worse than war is the desertiOn
OF the princi ole of self-government and
the adoption of principle that is the
exact opposite. The people. however.
have the power to force the usurpers OF
sovereignty to right-abOut-face, for the
elections are nearing. 1t therefore be-
luoves the citizens of this country tt
note carefully the arguments In this
Philippine question.
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