The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1899-06-07

we retain them. Shell we be republic
in America and monarchy in the Phil
lipines-a republic in the Occident and
an empire in the Orient? Shall our
chief executive have an addition to his
title and be known as the President Of
the United States and Emperor of the
Phi lipnesi Is not the trend toward
the disintegration OF the republic and
the establishment OF centralized gov
eminent, call it what you mayP Will
the Filipinos be cit z,ns or seif,2 One
or the other they must be. If they are
capable OF self government they should
be free. II they are not capable Of self
government it is contrary to good policy
and dangerous in the extreme to clothe
them with cit z.nship, and they must
perforce be held in subsection and sub
jugation. Have we the rights it right
TO shell them into subsection and to
refuse them freedom or citizenship, and
make them our subjects, serfs, or serv-
antsP Shall not every one who owns
allegiance to our government be SOW
ereign? If not ft to be ciuzens they
cannot be pre- filable as citzsns. There
fore We must make them pr, ftable as
servants, unless indeed we make them
our wards. and take up the White
Mans Burden" We are not called upon
to do this by their proximity to us. N by
should we do it? Our experience with
our wards, the Indians, who havs been
refused citizenship, and our citizens, the
Negroes, who perhaps, should have been
refused citizenship, is not such as to
cause US to make haste to bear the re-
sponsibilitY.
A century of experience with our
wards, and three decades OF experience
with these later citizens, even with them
at our doors and among US, does not
presage success with the Filipinos with
the wide ocean between us. Why
should we retain the Philippines? The
constilutionalily is doubtful; II it is not
certainly violation of the instrument it
is in opposition to the spirit of our insti-
tntions. We ask Europe to supplant
mouarchies with republics and boast of
our spirit of liberty and freedom, and
vet we are asked to retain people who
are not fit for citizenship or freedom,
and in effect to change the flag Of the
free to the AAe Of tho serf when planted
on PHILIPPINE shores. 1t is not eSonomy
to retain them. read in the newspap-
eIs that it is no place for a poor man,
and that both there and in Cuba and
Porto Rico, the poor are plenty and the
laborers are unemployed.
1t is not economy to add these hordes
to our own hordes of the idle and assume
their care and keeping. 1t was once
said "the harvest is plenty and the lab
orers are few" but we must now remem-
Der that the harvest is small and the
laborers are many. II We cannot send
our laborers there we had better not
have the additional territory. If we re-
tain the islands shall we keep these peo-
pie on the islands or are we to open our
doors to them? Better Chinese immi-
grafton than this. They will be subjects
perhaps, but suIly subjects, perhaps dan
ReIous; and would require the strong
arm of the military to control them.
Surely the prospect is not inviting
What and who demands that we shall
keep them? The god of Mammon only,
who relies upon the single gold standard
to sustain his throne here, asks the mill
taIy to be his Prime Minister there.
Under the pseudonym of Commerce he
seeks to beguile the unwaIy, and spread
his dominion and strengthen his strong
hold.
The Gold Standard and Imperialism
are hand maidens, or rather twin giants,
going hand in hand to the end that the
power, glitter, dazzle of money shall be
supreme and secure, and that all things
shall work together for the good Of
Mammon. The laborer must give his
toll, the parens his child, and the young
man his blood that these men may sit at
the festal board and drink the wine cup
OF power, pleasure, and plenty.
Shall we retain the Philippines perma-
nently? l answer no! l answer in
memory OF the Fathers of the Republic.
answer for the patriots of rs and ~.
/ answer in an effort TO keep alive the
spirit of liberty and freedom in this
land. 1 answer in behalf of struggling
people everywhere. answer in behalf
Of the toiling and lowly. l answer in
opposition to the tendency to the CEN
tralization of power. answer in oppos-
ition to Mammon. l answer in the hope
that this country of ours, and every
inch of its territory, shall remain and
continue to be "the land OF the free and
the home of the brave"
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NH