The Saint Paul globe., 1899-08-02
BURROWS is RIGHT
so SAYS NATIONAL COMMITTEE,
MAN O'BRIEN CONCERNING THE
SENATOR'S VIEWS
WHAT HAS MIR. M'KINLEY Done?
PEOPLE HAVE THE RIGHT, AND
WILL ASK THIS CUES
TION
FILIPINO WAR MUST CEASE


1t Will Not Do to Say That a Com
dtt1On COnfronts Us That Mus+ M
Fought Out to the Bitter End,
and That While War Lasts Moth
ing Can Be Said as to PrOpriety OF
the Acts of the Administration.
To National Democratic Committeeman
l. u. OBrien was referred the startling
statements of Senator J. c. Burrows. of
Mlch1gan, concerning the attitude of the
administration in the Philippine war. a
full account Of which appeared in yester-
day mornings G b e. Mr. O'Brien was
asked by the Globe to express his
views upon the subject, and he said:
Senator Burrows interview published
in the Clio e this morning is interest
ing as showing that the Republicans are
beginning to realize that President Nc
Kinley's administration must stand or
fall by the record it has made during the
war with Spain and the questions grow
ing out of 1t. The supporters of the ad-
ministration have evidently discovered
that the test which will be applied to Mr..
Mckinley in 1866 viii be what he has done
since he has been president, rather than
what a Democratic president might nave
done If he had been elected And while
no Democrat so far as know has
changed his views since the campaign of
1856, 1 believe that they as well as all
the citizens of America realize that the
questions which are now pressing for i'm
mediate settlement are either entirely
new, as are those growing out of the
war, or have become greatly intensified,
as have those connected with the fOrma-
ton of the so-called trusts. Mr. Bur-
rows is right, too, when he says that the
war i'll the Philippines must be brought
TO a speedy conclusion. It will not do
to reply to any suggestions which are
made as to the propriety of the begin
ming or ending of that war to say that
a condition confr0nts us or in simply cry
ing that while the war lasts nothing can
be said as to the propriety of the acts
of the administration This is simply
hiding ones head in the sand. The peo-
pie have q right first to inquire how the
war came about and next has any true
American method been resorted to to
end the war?
WHERE RESPONSIBILITY RESTS.
For myself I believe that the RESPONSE
biIity fer the Philippine war rests first
upon the peace commission, which COM
mitted this government to a policy which
is entirely opposed to all the traditions
of America, and next to the bad man
agement of the representatives of this
government who came into direct contact
with the inhabitants of the island of
Luzon.
1.-The Democrats Will not dispute Sena-
tor Burrows proposition that the w.lr
must be ended upon terms which are
honorable to the United States No true
American citizen desires the defeat OF
the American army in the Philippines or
in any other part of the world, but 1 be-
lieve the rank and file of the American
people do believe that the inhabitants
Of the Philippine islands have as much
right to govern their country as we have
to govern ours. The average American
is honest when he says he wishes to bene-
fit those people, and not to either OK
terminate or subjugate them, and they
believe that the administration could, If
I
people with whom we are now at war
of the good will of the American people,
and by such method terminate the war in
a manner far more creditable to the spirit
and genius of the American people than
it would be to do so by mere brute
force Let every right and interest Of
the United States be fully safeguarded,
let the dignity of the country be fully
protected, but all this can be done,
believe, without protracting the distress
ing struggle now taking place in the
Philippine islands.
SEEK ABSOLUTE SUBJECTION.
"For my part have believed for n
long time, and still believe, that the men
who are directing the present national
administration will not be satisfied with
anything short of the absolute ownership
of the archipelago. For some reason or
another, either for their own political
and personal aggrandizement, as they
imagine, or because they are acting in the
interest of some European power, prob
ably England those persons have deter
| mined that the United States must own
| the Philippines; that we must take part
in the dismemberment Of China; our navy
must be kept occupied, and our army in
creased.
Senator Burrows interview indicates
that at least some of the players are be-
ginning to realize that the game is a
dangerous one, and L doubt that the ad-
ministratfon VIII escape the condemna-
ton of the american people even If it
| does succeed III bringing the present war
| to speedy determination, for the people
have still to exercise their judgment upon
the propriety of the purchase made by
| the Paris commission by which the
United States assumed to become the
owner of 10,000000 human beings and the
land that they inhabited.