Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1899-09-30
Puzzles for Antl'S

/ lnpefl tllSt. lie Is bitter III his
denunciation If the course pursued
by the United States agains. the
Philippine insurgents. lie says it
is shame TO make war on them:
that they are patriots contendng
for liberty. and our government is
acting the part of a cruel and bloody
tyrant and trying to reduce them
to vassalage. There is another
United States senator who bears
the forename of William L 1t is
Chandler, of New Hampshire.
Two or three weeks ago William
l. of New Hampshire, addressed
the following questions to William
f., of illinois, which the latter,
though very wordy, and even
windy, statesman, has not yet
essayed TO answer. And it is safe
prediction that he will not. The
questions go right to the heart of
the subject, and, i'll speaking OF
them, loose defamation will be
impossible. Such questions, put
to any person who is inveighine-
against what he call" imperialism"
in the Philippines, will as COM
pletely silence him as they silenced
Billy Mason, of Illinois. Read
them closely:
rs President Mckinley bound
to maintain the sovereignty lover
the Philippines) in our hands I'M
til otherwise ordered by laws of
congress-
Can any power but congress,
acting by law, make the Philip
pines colony of the United
States?'
Has any power but congress
the right TO surrender our
sovereignty in The Philip pineso"
Has President Mckinley any
right to surrender our sovereignty
in the Philippines"
Has the President any right to
iores'all the action of congress in
either direction toward making the
Philippines colony or surrender
ing them so that they cannot be
made a colony if congress so
decides?"
What is your affirmative
Philippine policy. ifyou have one?"
Since these questions can't be
answered, what is there to COM
plain of in the course pursued by
President Mckinley towards
the Philippine islands, except
that he has not pushed the war
against the insurgentsz-the war
they began upon the United States
with as much vigor as he ought
or might,
Other questions were put to the
senator from Illinois by the sena-
tor from New Hampshire, which
likewise there has beel no attempt
to answer. These;
DO you think the United
States should do anything to pre-
vent the PARTITION of China among
the Continental powers of Europe2"
is not the maintenance of
United States power in the Philip
pines essential to enable MS to aid
in preventing the ACKNOWLEDGMENT
OF China?'
These questions, however, are
not absolute posers to a declaimer,
like the former ones; for there NAV
be difference of opinion as to
whether the United States should
do anything to prevent the parti
ton OF China among the powers of
Europe though there can hardly
be doubt that maintenance OF the
power OF the United States in the
Philippines would be a check upon
the ACKNOWLEDGMENT of China. But
these questions are valuable for
the suggestions they offer as to
problems in the Orient aud our op-
portunities and interests there.
But The first six questions-just
put them to any ranter who calls
himself all anti.imperiaiist, and
ask him to give plain answer TO
them, one by one. He will be
stuck, posed, nonplussed. He
will find words, indeed, aud of
course; but they will be nothing +
TO the purpose. Never will you
get your anti iuperialist, as he
calls himself, to speak directly to
questions like these. He prefers
to talk at large about freedom. " !
consent of the governed"
tyranny and "vassalage. ;" The
iatulent orator is here in his
Element. He is not obliged to
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