The National tribune., 1899-01-19
SENATOR HOAR's RESOLUTION.


make definite proposition. He i
entitled to that credit. The rest o.
them have confined themselves solely te
protesting against Expansion, without
venturing to make suggestion as tc
what we should do with the territory
taken from Spain, and particularly the
Philippines. This is both cowardly and
stupid. The man who protests against
your continuing your journey by one
road, ought certainly to have knowledge
of another, and be willing to take the
responsibility of advising you to take
it. Senator Hoar proposes that we
shall simply withdraw from the archi.
pelago and leave the people abso-
lutely free to do as they please. This
course has the merits of extreme
simplicity and ease of execution; but it
has the dement's of bad faith, unwisdom,
and an ugly appearance of Sinking
moral responsibility. These are suffi-
Gent to damn it in the eyes of the plai n
Americans, who are exceedingly sensi-
tive about the Nations honor. The
common people are the conscience of
the country, and they have never failed
to decide rightly, though it has fire.
quently been against the strongest pro-
tests of timid, time-serving, short-sighted
or selfish leaders and politicians. In
fact, all the great strides the country
has made have been directly in opposi-
ton TO these men. If the urgent ap-
peals Of the type of Grover Cleveland,
Geo. G. Vest, Carl Schurz and the like
had been followed, we should never
have achieved our independence of
Great Britain, never extended beyond
the Alleganies, never acquired Louisi-
ana, never have resisted the encroach-
ments of slavery, never have annexed
Texas, never have gone to war with
Mexico, never have made California
and Oregon free States, and never have
fought the war for the Union to victory.
The common sense Of the people has
always been superior TO tie wisdom Of
the so-caIled leaders, and has carried
the Nation forward in spite of them.
But to return to Senator Hoar's propo-
sition. We cannot scuttle out of the
Philippines, for the following all-suffi-
cient reasons:
l. We stand pledged to the people
who represent whatever civilization there
is in the islands to protect them in per-
son and property. They believe, and
have every reason for believ-
ing, that without strong outside protec-
ton they will be Immediately sacrificed
to the barbara greed and cruelty of the
hordes which the war has stirred up and
brought together in the hopes of plum
der. This belief is entertained not only
by the resident Spaniards but by the
English, German, and other European
residents. No man Of European or
American birth, familiar with the con-
has expressed the slightest doubt
Of the correctness Of this belief.
2. If We do not give the necessary
protection European powers will have to
DO it, and this will at once precipitate
struggle that will be disastrous to all,
including the Filipinos.
3. The duty of protection naturally
deyolyes on US, and We cannot shirk il
without the greatest National shame
and discredit.
A. The absolute incapacity for Gov
eminent of the faction of the Filipinos
by Aguinaldo is firmly be-
lieved in by every man, without ex-
ception, and without reference to coun-
try or nationality, that has had the
slightest opportunity to inform himself
upon the subject. Admiral Dewey,
Gems Merritt, Otis, and Greene, Con
suls Wildman and Williams, in whose
Judgment We have the most complete
confidence, say so without qualification,
and they are confirmed by every Eng
lishman, German, Frenchman and others
who has spoken on the subject. Aguinal-
do is a man of vicious antecedents, and
absolutely no experience in Government.