Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1899-12-01

not so strongly prejudiced against his
Malay and Chinese children. and will
look at the condition of their hearts
rather than the color of their hands?
Having said thus much by way of
definition and explanation, let us con-
slider just few of the more prominent
objections to the policy of imperialism
which seems to commend itself to the
favor of so many of our statesmen at the
present time.
In the first place, it involves repudia-
ton of those lofty moral principles
which inspired the American people to
take up arms against Spain. In the
joint resolution adopted by congress on
the 18th of April, 1898, resolution
which was really declaration of war,
there was an express disclaimer Of "any
disposition or intention to exercise
sovereignty, jurisdiction, or control over
sthe island of Cuba except for its paciIica-
ton and an explicit promise "to leave
the government and control Of the is
land to its people," Down to the pres
ent hour, neither the president nor any
member of congress has attempted to
show why the FilipInos are not entitled
to the same treatment as Cubans at the
hands of the American people.
Even as early as December, 1897 in
his first annual message to congress,
! President Mckinley, in an exhaustive
discussion of our relations with Cuba,
declared; 81 speak not of forcble an
] fn hat ha thnn,fht of
That, by our code of morality, would be
criminal aggression" When we entered
upon that contest with Spain, we sought
in every way to make it clear to tie
world that we are not engaging in a war
of conquest. that we were actuatCd
solely by humane and unseIfish motives.
We fought with Spain to free brave
people from oppression. 10 what did
that oppression consist? Simply in
SPANS refusal to accord political indie.
pendence to the Cubans. The inhabit-
ants of the island rebelled at being held
as subject people, compelled to pay
enormous taxes for the support of the
HON, government and denied voice in
the management of public affairs. They
took up arms against the government in
what seems clearly to have been a
righteous cause. 1t was precisely the
same kind of cause in which our fathers
fought at Concord and Lexington, yea,
on this very hilltop whore you sit to-
night 1t was the same cause in which
the Flipinos are fighting today, and it
does not affect the principle involved to
say that the purpose and policy of the
United States government toward the
FIlipinos are more enlightened and
humane than were the motives and
methods of Spain toward the Cubans, or
of Great Britain toward the American
colonists. TO establish our sovereignty
in the Philippines we are carrying on
the same kind of warfare which seemed
so terrible to US on the part of Spain.
Again, | say, that we cannot maintain
permanent sovereignty In the Philippines
except by out and out annexation
without proving recreant to the funda-
mental principles of republican govern
ment, as they are laid down in the
Declaration of Independence and the
Constitution of the United States
Thomas b Reed, when asked his opinion
of the war in the Philippines, replied 4:
81 still believe in the ID ,cl ration OF In
dependence" If that great man, firm as
the hills of his native state, were in the
presidential chair today, we should not
he drifting, rudderless, on the turbulent
sea of imperialism.
II we hold the Philippine archipelago
as mere colonial possession, with no
intention of raising it to the fun dignity
Of statehood, we make its inhabitants
political slaves. Year after year they
will be compelled to obey laws which
they have had no voice in framing; they
will be taxed to defray the expenses of a
government in which they have no fair
representation. Some l3S years ago
James Otis declared that taxation with.
out representation is TYRANNY" and the
American people have been applauding
the sentiment ever since. Is there one
standard of political morality for the
United States, and another for the
Philippine Islands?
What spectacle will be presented to
the world when this great republic,
founded on the principles of human
equality and political freedom, is seen
maintaining military government in
the Philippines, ruling millions of sub.
ject people at the point of the sword
should like to be in Manila some
Fourth of July morning and listen to the
reading Of the Declaration of Independ-
ence by the new emperor of the Philip.
pines, William Mckinley | should like
to study the brown faces of the natives
when they hear from their rulers lips
that sail men are created equal" that
governments derive their just powers
from the consent of the governed"
At Evanston, H., on the 18th of last
month, President Mckinley said, "Peace
first, then government afterward, giving