The Monte Vista journal., 1899-01-21
COLONEL BRYAN
SPEAKS AT DENVER.
REAT CROWD LISTENS TO HIM.
The Eloquent Nebraskan Takes ~aboths Vineyard" for
Text From Which to Argue Against Retaining the
PhiippineA


according to our code OF morality.
would be criminal aggression" Think
OF 1t, Il year ago forcible annexation
would be criminal aggression, and con-
trary to our code OF morality. l have
good deal Of trouble keeping up with
the President In his changing.
My friends, am opposed to wars OF
conquest. opposed to them not only be-
cause they lnfict injury upon others
but because they intct injury upon
us. because my religion teaches me that
the man who does wrong hurts himself
as much as the man against whom the
wrong is committed. LApplauseJ
"You cannot change the policy OF this
nation on the subject without making
| n great change. II Is not II little mat
ter: II Is no small thing: and before we
| decide to do II, want you to think
what you are doing. Whenever you
advocate wars OF conquest you adopt
the principle OF force instead OF the
principles of reason. We have been
taught to believe that governments
come up from the people. adopt the
idea OF force and you are told that gov
ernments come down to the people
from superior force. Why. they tell us
that this expansion means progress.
| refuse to allow them to call II cNpan-
sion. II Is not expansion. II II imperial
ism, and. my friends. In this contest
we are having the same difficulty we
had in 1s.H about terms.
"Our opponents would not call them
selves advocates Of the gold standard in
1896. but called themselves advocates
OF sound money ,laughter) Why: Be
cause they dare not declare they ad-
vocated the gold standard. and there
fore they hid behind the ambiguous and
cuphonious phrase sound money And
now our opponents hide behind the
term 'eNpansionists. Expansion does
not cover 1t. Expansion applied to the
expansion we have had before, but this
is new kind. Heretofore we have
been getting territory contiguous To us
and getting 1t 10 settle up and make
states out OF 1t. That is what we are
doing now. We are crossing GOO or
1909 miles Of ocean and not trying 10
get lands to settle on. but land already
settled
We are trying 10 get people and
throw the net OF our government over
them and hold them for our good. and
they sometimes say their good. This
Is not expansion. hut Imperialism.
What does Imperialism mennt Why.
AlH ~
nation sets forth the idea of u homco.
gcnous people. speaking tn. same Ian
cuagc and governed by the same laws
but an empire Is based upon the idea
OF diversity Of language. diversity OF
race. ana diversity Of government.
You Know, my friends. We are not
perfect 10y great deal In this country.
DO you expect perfection over there :
No; but. my friends. there il an old
saying, you have probably heard it
i heard IL when | was n boy-somc-
thing about not going into the water
until you learned how to swim. Pco.
pie don't learn to swim that way: YOU
90 Into the water TO learn how To
swim. and. my friends. people become
perfect In the art OF government when
they have become practL,ed In the art
OF government. We could send people
over and govern the Cubans and the
Philippines n Thousand years and they
would not be trained In the art Of .eif.
government; but let them govern them.
selves and suffer the trials and ,rlhu-
lnilons and they viii work thcmsclye,
up TO higher Ideas and higher ideals
The province of this nation Is NOT 10
send ihlriecn-lnch guns to force Ameri-
can dotninlun. but 10 make this nation
80 EoHl ana pure and great that NIL
over the world men viii L.. willing IN
hght 10 establish the same kind OF gov
"rnmcni on their soil ,Applnus.I I
haN" heard people say we owe a r.llr.
ious duty 10 III" Filiplno- thar N. ought
4" go over there and take 10 them IN.
blessings Of our government. and as
-oincun" has well asked. which part OF
u" blessing shall We taxi. them first
Laughter, Shall wc TAX. them n x,m.
pie of n Lcgislntur" that VIII yot, N
hfH-!cnr ifnnchls" 10 a street railway
c"hphns' ,Applaus..i Shall we take
mem Illustrations Of how the franchise.
"f 'h" United States have been b,r.
tered away by corrupt Legislature,
Shall We take them Instances, OF our
hp"il. aldermen who hav. dI.rrncc,,
nearly every iry. city Of this nation I,
W" har" no quarrel with ,hos. who
hin.r from lie, but ! want 10 sion the
war ana not give III" naiion n single
"Ncns" Tor continuing n standing army
'Aprlau-a'., want to deal with II n.
M American question. don't want 10
nav" 10 settle III" Philippines question
Win an adopted nninr that makes m.
conc"nlmcnt of lis III viii. 4 want 10
Il" II 10y the easiest way. instead OF ,h,.
hardest way.
f"u tell me We cant get rid Of IN,
allen. " ". once get them. I wnni In
sny 10 you that n you catch n man
WIN stolen property you may max.
nm tax" II back To the man from
whom be stole II, or you can TAX. IL
from HIN nnd deliver II yourself TO tho
man from whom h. took H. II could
inN" my way ! would hny. had that
commission secure for the PhIlippin.
Islands Just whnt II secured for cubn.
] would hny" put them On III. sam.
footin. aud Insisted That Spain should
release her sovereignty In tn. PhIlip.
pines ns -h" was compelled to do In
cuba; but the commission did not
do II.
The commission took another method
II procured tn. REIMBURSEMENT of
Spanish authority In cuba. and III. ccs.
sion of the Philippines 10 III. United
states. Hut. In my Judgment, Il 1.
easier TO give Ia III. Philippines that
which III. commission ought To have
compelled SIMin TO .iy" them, thnn To
throw this question back Into the hnnds
OF diplomacy nnd send another com.
mission over to treat with them; To do
whnt We can't do ourselves.
You need not inlk to us about the
proiis NJ imperialism. ! tell you, no
matter what the profit. may ic. other
nations must br permitted to enjoy
them. Other nations cnh dream of dis.
tnnt dependencies and government by
forrc. Not 80 with the tss-Dpj~ Of the