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

peace. Trade follows the flag" cry
the men who are cTazed with the greed
for gold. But we have nig In this
country which has stood for something
more precious than commercial su.
premacy it has stood as the symbol of
human freedom and equality. God
grant that the day may never come when
it cannot Justly be the boast of the Amer
lean citizen that Liberty follows the
flag"
IL Is said by our imperialist friends
that certain duties and responsibilities
rest upon us In the government of the
philippines from which we cannot
honorably escape. In the first place,
they say, the Fliplnos are incapable of
self-goverment and we must continue
for an indefinite period to act as their
guides and instructors. There is no
time this evening to discuss the broad
question of the Filiplnos' capacity for
self-government, a question about which
the ablest men disagree. From the tes-
tlmony of those who have made a care
full study of the character and traits of
The natives. | am personally satisfied
that they are not inferior TO the inhab.
itants of the South American republics.
with whose governments we have not
yet interfered that they are the peers of
the Mexican people. who seem to be
making steady progress in civilization
despite occasional revolutionary out
breaks.
This we do know, that the American
congress has solemnlv declared that "the
people of the island of Cuba are, and of
right ought TO be, free and independents"
and Admiral Dewey, with many other
careful students of the question, assures
Us that the Filipnos are better fitted for
lf-gOvernment than than the Cubans.
| President Schurman of the Philippine
/ commission. has spoken of "the marked
Intellectual capacity of the Filinnos and
their admirable domestic and personal
virtues But neither Admiral Dewey
nor President Schurman is willing to
give these excellent people a chance to
manage their own affairs. and | suspect
the Cubans will find later on that the
promises of self government made to
them have been transformed into Dead
Sea apples.
Today, with her eyes dazzled with
the glitter of diamonds and her heart
corrupted with the greed for gold. Eng
land protests that the Beers are not
capable of self-goverment, and she sends
her mighty armies to make graveyard
of the Transvaal. American lips that
ought to he ringing with denunciation of
the British war In South Africa war
so wicked that even the mules at Lady
smith we're ashamed to serve in such a
cause and stampeded to the enemy
those lips are silent, for every word of
criticism we frame for British tyranny
is an indictment of President Mckinley
for his course in the Philippines.
A few weeks hence congress will as
semble, and the policy of our government
toward the newly acquired territory will
no longer rest in the hands OF one man.
What will be the action of our national
legislators, no man is wise enough now
to fOresee. That congressman will be
greatly Influenced by the sentiment and
opinions of their constituents, it is i'm
possible to doubt. If so, then 1t be.
hOOves every man and woman who has
the welfare Of the country at heart to
study carefully every aspect of this
momentous question and bodily to take
stand on one side or the other.
VIII you take your stand with Gen.
Funston, and say that the best way to
deal with the Filipinos sis to give them a
firm, stiff-necked colonial government:
viii you take your stand with Gen.
Shafter, who declared: "My plan
would be to disarm the natives in the
Philippine islands, even if we xiii half of
them in doing it. Then | would treat
the rest of them with perfect Justice?
This means, of course, that he would kill
the other half if they refused to be dis
armed. VIII you take your stand with
United States Senator Carter of Montana,
who has reminded us that: This is a
practical age. We are going to deal with
the question on the basis of dollars and
cents. Neither religion nor sentiment
will have much influence in determining
the verdict. The great question will be,
will it pay? If we can show the country
that it will, as | think we can, the
American flag will never come down
from the Philippines? win you take
your stand with MIR. DENLY, the most in
:
Philippine commission, who told Us last
February: "The cold, hard, practical
question remains: win the possession
Of these islands benefit us as nation?
If it will not, set them free to morrow,
and let their people, if they please, cut
each others Threats, or play what pranks
they please
Well, my friends, if you are willing to
see this magnificent republic stand before
the world ms the exponent of the bloody
doctrine of force and the cruel creed of
selflsLness, am not. | shall take my
stand with George Washington, who
said: "There exists in the economy of
nature an indlssouhe union between
duty and advantage. The smiles of
heaven can never be expected on ma
tiOn that diSrppards the eternal rulps Of