Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-08-24
Des Moines Leader of the Party
4 Cannot Support the Platform.
BELIEVES PARTY MADE A MISTAKE
Claims Its Record is for Expansion
and Not Against It-Has Been
Prominent Democrat for
Seventy Years.

Moines Gazette, who was chairman of
the recent Polk county democratic
conventions:
Des Moines. Aug. 10.-Editor Des
Molnes Gazette: am proud of being
democrat for seventy years, and
camped With my vote in the woods but
once, When the southern politicians
forced on the democratic party, rs its
candidate for president, a kind-hearted
Old gentleman whose apparent qualifi-
cataon for that office was that he sign
ed the bond of Jefferson Davis. | am
again brought up standing in the face
OF what sincerely believe is a great,
a fatal democratic mistake.
In the Polk county democratic con-
yention held last Saturday, in which
honors We're reciprocal by electing you
Its chairman, that convention in one
paragraph of its resolutions opposed
the governments retention Of the
philippine islands. j am opposed to
that part of the resolutions, and de-
sire to state some of my reasons for
such opposition.
II is true that j was present as a
delegate and did not vote for or
against the resolution. / raised no OBJ
lection at the time, as the hour and
the business of the convention preclud-
ed full explanation of my views.
1. | believe that the government is
paramount TO all parties.
2. party should not do wrong be-
cause in SO doing it would tend to Grip
pie or defeat its. adversary.
3. l do no violence to truth when /
say that for the last fifty years the
democratic party, north and south, has
favored the annexation of the island of
Cuba.
4. The acquisition of Florida and
Louisiana had the touch of the demo-
cratic hand.
s.. Expansion was plainly visible in
the acquisition from Mexico. when the
democrats were opposed by the Wings.
This, it seems to me. would tend to
prove that expansion was democratic
doctrine
7 8. Alaska is not adjacent territory,
and find no democrat willing to turn
over that gold region, with its sea.
ports, islands and fisheries, to Canada
or England.
4 We have the rich Hawaiian is
lands, and find no democrat willing
to give them up to Germany. Surely
they are not contiguous islands.
S. We have Porto Rico. 1t is not
contiguous No democrat wants to
turn it back 10 Spain OF give it to
I Great Britain.
We own one of the Samoan is
lands and aresinterested in others, and
they ale, not contiguous. Who will
give them IN Germany?
If this doesn't make democrats ex-
pansionists, / am-at a lass to see what
would accomplish that feat. If the
peerless William Jennings Bryan,
whom we all love and respect for his
unmistakable judgment, candor, hon
esty, and craftsmanship, We're elected
president in 1900, which, if any. of
those islands or territories would he
turn over to an alien flag? / assert
without fear of respectable contradic-.
tion. that such a thought would never
enter his mind.
Now Mr.. Editor, please tell your
readers where the imaginary line in
the great Pacific ocean between the
United States as thus constituted and
the Philippine archipelago is to be
drawn iniordel to make that resolution
of which ] complain good democratic
doctrine, or even good common sense.
No other democratic convention is will
ing to thus throw distractions in the
track of the democratic candidate for
president in 1900. Such resolution,
it seems to me, is more factious than
useful. 1t seems so inconsistent and
hurtful. when we recall that Mr.. Bry-
an, with the hearty approval of all
democrats, as private citizen, boldly
invaded the United States senate and
urged every democratic senator to help
ratify the Paris treaty, whereby we
bought and took over from Spain the
whole Philippine archipelago for $780,
100000. which this silly resolution
says we should not keep. Tt makes an
old democrat feel like praying, Lord,
deliver MS from our friends"
There never was any recognized gov
eminent in those islands but the Span
ish government. 1t is weak and super
huous to contend otherwise. We
should look this question in the face
as sensible men; as honest democrats
we can't afford to bubble. The United
States under the lawful treaty making
power purchased from Spain and took
legal possession of all the islands in the
archinelago. The ratification of that
treaty made the United States respon-
siole to every nation ON earth for the
VI LuG lives anu property OI
their respective citizens doing business,
residing or sojourning in those islands.
CONGRESS- made no disposition of or
government for those islands. They
were OF necessity under the military
arm OF this government until congress
decided otherwise. There was and is
nothing that the president, as com
mander and chief of the army, could or
can do phI 10 demand. and enforce
Obedience to existing law, and to re-
store And Keep order in the islands.
~ As understand The reading OF that
Objectionable resolution, it declares the
democratic party of Polk county to be
opposed TO the acquisition of all terri
tory or islands not confined 10 the
American continent in our own waters
Our own waters can have but one
meaning, viz, waters which belong to
us or under our control. The old law,
II believe, fixed the range of the COM
mon shot at three miles. 1t is now,
believe, eight miles. Now this resolu-
ton precludes Uncle Sam from even
buying coaling station outside of the
eight mile limit. 1t opposes the ac-
uuisition OF islands or territory outside