Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-09-30
the iND/AN AKD THE FILIPINO.

1t Is luueGu Il pltIdOlS plight III Alt 81
political party finds itself when compel
led to support a waning cause by denying
the condolences OF history. In trying to
maintain its position on the expansion
question, as it applies to the Philippine
islands. the democracy has not only at
tempted to distort the ordinances Of
God and the declaration Of independence,
to prove the brutal and vicious tenden-
cies of the federal government. but it
vitiates history as Well. Anti-expan-
sion advocates betray the inherent weak
ness of their contention when they place
a false Interpretation upon historical
facts, in order I'd make it appear that
present conditions have no parallels in
the past-that for once history is not re-
peating itself. .
When expansionists point to the Loui-
siana purchase as an illustration Of the
expansion tendencies under democratic
rule in the past, they are told that it
merely had to do with contiguous terri
tory, though it has never been shown
wherein contiguity of territory has any
bearing on national morals. In this case
the democrats waive the question of
morals and use the term contiguity as a
synonym for justlfiable expediency. But
when territory lying 5000 miles away
is purchased, they Immediately raise the
hue and cry that the laws Of. God have
been violated and the charter of our lib
critics torn into shreds. The purchase
Titof'y, is excused IN the theory that 1t
is happily located on the same continent
with the original . pluribus unum-hence.
the act of buying it did not offend the
Almighty Trainer of the skies.
The brilliant logic applied to the ques-
tion of purchasing territory, by the anti
expansionists, is equalled only by thei1
magnificent efforts to justify the treat
ment accorded the American Indian
while condemning that which is being
youchsafed the frisky Filipino. 1t has
occurred, even to the mind of a demo-
cratic editor, that some sort Of a dispo-
sition must be made of the great histori,
cal fact that the American people have
practically wiped the red Indians off the
nation guilty of perpetrating something
entirely new in the annals of crime In
drubbing the Asiatic barbarians who
fired upon our flag and shot down our
soldier boys.
Therefore, the argument * made that
the Americans never attempted to re-
never interfered with their laws or ma
tional prerogatives, their practical ex-
termination having been brought about
by the red men themselves getting up
wars in which they unhappily got them
selves more or less shot. Theoretically
this is a beautiful way to look at the
moving down of tribe after tribe, as CIV
ilization swept from the Atlantic sea-
board to the Pacific coast, but it mis-
represents the influences that dominated
this course The fact is, the Indians
We're forced off the lands which they
thought the Great Spirit had given in
fee simple to their forefathers, and which
had become THEN own by the rights of
possession, because white men needed
those lands in their business. Civiliza-
ton was trying to make room for it's
own, n in obedience to a law that was
in force when Abraham was a school
boy, ignorance and savagery had to go
down before Intellectually and moral
discipline.
Organized Cover nment, in the shape of
tribal relations far superior to anything
that yer existed in the Philippine is
lands. was destroyed, and step by step
the course OF empire took its way" to-
ward the setting sun until today the
remnants Of a race which the Pilgrim Fa-
Tiers prayed for, and William Penn SO
honestly treated. are herded on cheap
reservations, gleefully enacting the role
of government paupers. The anti-ex-
pansionist bellies history when he as
sumfes that the spirit Of conquest was
not behind the subjugation Of the red In
eian.