The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1899-09-02
EMISSIONS BY BRYAN.
The Main Issues Are Covered Up
with Meaningless Gem
eraIities.

War democrats and silver republic
ans who expected to find satisfactory
reference to the Philippines in Mr..
Bryan's speech at the Auditorium were
sorely disappointed. Mr.. Bryan, know
ing that some of his most enthusiastic
followers in 1896 expected him to say
whether he would withdraw the Amer
lean army from the Philippines, wheth-
er he would haul down the flag before
! good order was established, and sur
| render all that the American navy and
| American army had fought for, said
| nothing.
Afraid to commit the party to the pol
! icy of surrender, he evaded the main
issue in meaningless generaGties. Had
he been man of courage, like Henry
Watterson or Senator Morgan, and hum
dreds of other prominent democrats, he
would have said. however men may diff
fer as to the final disposition of the Phil
| ippine islands, the government must be
supported in its efforts to put down re-
1 bellion. But he did not say it. Instead
he declared that the FiliIinos should be
| independent. He repeated the argu-
ments of Hoar, Atkinson and other anti
imperialists. He said that if the doc
trine set forth in the declaration of in
Philippines; that if the doctrine of the
declaration of independence is sound
we cannot rightfully purchase 100000
people at two dollars apiece from an alien
monarch, and he represented that the
main argument of those in favor of an
nexation was that if we were to give
these people their independence other
nations of Europe would laugh at us.
If these utteranoes represent the spir-
| it and conviction of the democratic par
| ty, then it never can make another ma
tional campaign. They are so paltry,
SO evasive, SO cowardly, that no demo-
crat or silver republican who sympa-
thized with the purpose of the govern
ment in the war with Spain can train
with the party. If Mr.. Bryan cares to
put the acquisition of the philippines
in the light of bargain in which the
| government paid two dollars head for
100000 people, what will ne say of
Thomas Jefferson, who, as president,
paid more than two dollars head for
the people of Louisiana and Florida ?
Jefferson purchased outsight these ter
ritories from an alien monarch, and
they are now standing illustration OF
the logic of the expansion policy.
James K. Polk, another democrat, au-
thorized the purchase of Mexican terri
tory that came to us through conquest,
and on Mr.. Bryan's theory of anneXa-
ton paid more than two dollars head
for the inhabitants thereof. But Mr.
Bryan's utterances on this question
must be SO irritating to patriotic Amer
leans as to carry the antidote for their
own poison.
| The questions that Mr.. Bryan must
answer are: Would you haul down the
i flag in the Philippines Would you sur
render the islands to the Tagals now in
rebellion, representing not one-twen-
tieth Of the population? Would you
withdraw the army and navy from the
islands and waters of the archipelago?
Would you surrender the islands to an
archy or to some European govern.
ment? Would you sacrifice American
interests to forward the interests OF
some European power? Do you APP.
prove or not the proposition submitted
by the president to the Filipinos
through the peace commissioners? Do
you regard that proposition as d resort
to European methods or the Inaugural
ton of American methods, to be dis
cussed on its merits? Are you in favor
of general policy of surrender of the
territory conquered from Spain? Would
you retire from Porto Rico? Would you
annul the Hawaiian annexation act ?
Would you maintain military govern
meHt in Cuba, or would you leave the
island to the war of the factions?
The people are asking these questions
of Mr.. Bryan, and if he is to be the NOM
inee of the democratic party he must
answer them. Democrats are asking
these questions, and if Mr.. Bryan docs
not answer them he will not be the NOM
inee of the party. 1t has been demon
strated time and time again that the
American people have no use for cow
ard. Certainly the silver republicans OF
the west who favor the administration
policy in the Philippines, and who did
their full part in sustaining the govern
ment in the war with Spain, cannot
longer support man who juggles with
words to conceal his sympathy with the
copperheads of the day.
This is not time for spectacular dust
throwing. The people are asking men
those who aspire to leadership, as
well as those in the ranks-to show
their colors. Mr.. Bryan, it would seem
has no colors to show. He would have
the democratic party repeat in 1900 the
great blunders of 1S64.-Chicago Inter