The Saint Paul globe., 1899-08-15
DEMOCRACY AND IMPERIALISM.

1t does not matter how one chooses to
regard Mr.. Cro1er's change of views on
the subject of the Philippines, the avow-
al of his present opinion is at once in
teresting and Instructive
To man whose entire life has been
spent in active political work, with a
large share of the responsibility for the
fortunes of great political organization
resting on his judgment and perception of
the tendency of public sentiment, we can
not always look for entire sincerity in the
opinions which he expresses In a given
situation. Croker has not been very
much in touch with American public sem
timent for a good while past. He spends
too much of his time out of the country
to be able to gauge American public
opinion accurately except at second
hand. Whether he is at heart less of an
imperialist than he was when he last
sailed for Europe we are permitted to
question as much as we please. That he
declares that he is not at all an i'm
perialist, and that he was wrong in his
original opinion, Is a circumstance of de-
cided gravity in determining the impor-
tance of the anti-imperialistic attitude
from the political standpoint.
1t did not need that Mr. Croker should
go to Europe to learn how the people of
the United States feel on this issue, nor to
inform himself as to the ultimate effect
upon the political institutions of Amer
lea of the prevailing Philippine policy, or
to arrive at an understanding that the
rascais that surround Mckinley and own
him are working the Philippine scheme
for every dollar there is in it for them
selves, presently in military contracts,
and prospectively in valuable conces-
sions of one kind or another
1t speaks Ill of the political perspicacity
of such clever and shrewd politician as
Richard Croker that it has taken him all
this time to make up his mind on this
subject. Imperialism, as represented by
the mission of the Mckinley satellites
in the Philippine islands, is destined to
be one Of the first, if not the first. no.
hticaI issues of the coming presidential
election. Its Importance can never be
minimized so long as the present plum
dering, murderous policy is maintained.
The Democratic attitude on this sub
ject has not as yet been clearly formu-
lated. Having had forced on us, either
through the blunders of our military
representatives or through the cupiditv
Of our Republican politicians. it matter.
not, the necessity of restoring order bv
resort to force, we should do so as o1Iiclx-
ly and as effectively as possible. Any
sentiment urged to the contrary in the
name of the Democracy is wrong and
should not be tolerated. But that we
should hold for all time the island Of
Luzon' or any other of the Philippines,
cannot, of course, ever be made tenets
of Democratic faith The PHILIPPINES
should be pacifed and then a Trnited
States commission should set about
helping the people of the Oriental bunch
of islands to formulate a constitution
The Ffiipinos should be made a free Dao-
pie under an Independent government
The only thing that this country sbou1a
ask of them is that they pay the $40 OOO-
600 it paid Spain and, perhaps, eventually.
the millions which it has cost to wage
war against Aguinaldo. Uncle Sam can
trade with an independent nation quite
as well as with 100000 people held in
condition of serfdom little better than
that of the slaves of the South prior to
1863.