The Irish standard., 1899-02-04
AN HISTORICAL RETROSPECT.

tncy dOnt MIND IT,
AN HISTORICAL RETROSPECT.
| The vote on the Spanish-American
| treaty will be taken in the United States
senate next Monday, and from present
indications the administration will have
a sufficient majority to ratify it without
any amendment. By the terms of the
treaty the United States comes into the
sovereignty of the Philippine islands
for a consideration of s20,OOO,OOO to be
/, paid to Spain. The inhabitants of the
, Islands coded by Spain were not con-
sidered in the Paris negotiations, and SO
the ex-subjects of Spain will become
/ the subjects, not the citizens, of the
| United States, peaceably If possible, but
| forcibly II necessary. The Filipinos
were in rebellion against Spain when
| Dewey entered Manila harbor and de-
stroyed the Spanish fleet in May of last
year, and that far-away city of 100000
inhabitants is now held by the American
troops. Not foot of land on the 1,4OO
islands in the archipelago outside of
/ Manila is occupied, by our troops, and
If the Spanish insurgents can prevent it
this country will not extend it's domin-
ion any farther. The Mckinley admin
istration, however, is determined to
| take the islands and govern them by
| military force, as India is governed by
England. Whether the people of the
! Philippines like it or not, they must
accept Anglo-Saxon civilization at the
muzzle Of a gun. OF course, they will
| fight to the death. but they must even
tually succumb to superior force and
wear the American yoke. Hundreds,
boys who enlisted as volunteers to
avenge the Maine and free the Cubans
from Weylerism, may FALL in battle
against the Filipinos, but men are cheap
and the army of 100000 soldiers are or
dered to be raised for home and foreign
service by the representatives of plll-
! tocracy in congress.
| We are not pessimsts or alarmists,
but we tremble for the safety of the
republic in its new departure. We are
consoled, however, by the thought that
the American people are too intelligent
and patriotic to allow their liberties to
be destroyed by the plutocrat element
now in temporary control of the govern
ment. This country has enough to do
to govern it's own people without I'M
dertaking to govern an alien people Of
inferior races against their consent
If the republic is going to enter ON a
policy of imperial sway to subjugata
weak nations, after the manner Of Eu-
ropean monarchies, 1t will soon discover
that an army of 100000 soldiers is en-
tirely Insufficient. 1t will require five
times that number of troops to garrison
the Spanish colonies and maintain au-
thority by military despotism. If we
are to adopt an imperial policy we need
an imperial army.
The senate of the United States Is
the body that will be held responsible
by the people for this policy Of expan-
sion and imperialism. The members of
that chamber no longer represent the
people, and the people in their might
must change the mode of electing them,
If it is possible for them now to do so.
The New York World compares them to
the senators OF the Roman empire be-
fore its fall. and looks backward in the
following style:
In the days Of that splendid and cruel
despotism the Roman constitution made
the legislative body-the senate-su-
preme, and provided for an "imperator, "
who. like our president, was nominally
a mere executive, with advisory duties
as to legislation.
This was the theory, almost exactly
the same as ours in it's essentials. But
in fact, in the Roman practice the i'm
! perator was supreme. and the Roman
senate merely registered his will. 1t
did not act in any important matter.
like the making Of treaty. or the in
crease of disposition of the legions, or
the government of province, until the
imperator had given his advice" Tl.en
it took his advice
Sometimes senators were reluctant
They stood out for brides or for princ-
pie. Then the imperator won over as
many as possible by patronage. office
honors. fat commissionerships. good
places for sons or other relatives, ETC.,
etc. Others the imperator threatened
with loss of patronage, prestige or IA
vor until they weakened. When only a
weak minority remained, it was over
ridden amid shouts of "All who oppose
are traitors, enemies OF the Roman peo-
ple!"
These historical facts, taken from
Tacitus. Suetonus and Cornelius Nepos.
have strangely familiar sound.
| While we are on this very ancient
subject. that Of course has no possible
bearing upon the affairs of this great
and free republic under the consitu-