The Forrest City times., 1899-07-28
attorney general to recommend Tn amend

as the trusts furnish the money to keep the republican party in power-tapplausel- that the administration has it In it's power to extinguish the trusts. if it so desires.
 When we come to the Philippine ques- tion again they say: What can the ad- ministration dol? There were two months between the signing of the treaty ard the breaking out of hostilities-two morths lacking six days-and when we asked them what they were going to do, they said they hadn't had time to decide what to do- not time to decide what to do. Why, there are but two sources of government. force and consent. Monarchies are founded upon force, republics upon consent. Our declar- ation of independence declares that gov ernments derive their just powers fforn the consent of the governed. Is that doc- Urine true or is it false? If it is false how long ought it to take us to decide what to do in the Philippines? We recognized the truth of that declaration when we went to war with Spain. We said the people of Cuba are and of right ought to be free. Why' Because they live near us? No. Because they are part Spanish? No. They were and of right ought to be free because they wanted to be free. and governments come up from the people .lApplause.l If they were and of right ought to be free, who can draw line between them and the people of the Philippines? Where is the philosophy that entities one to liberty and
  know what to do? [Applause.l If you find pocketbook. and on it the name of the owner. do you have to count the money in the pocketbook before you know what to do with the pocketbook?
 1.-the doctrine set forth in the declaration of independence is sound. then we cannot rightfully acquire title by conquest. If the doctrine set forth in the declaration of independence is sound, we cannot right fully purchase S,000000 of people at g apiece from an alien monarch, whose re- bellious subjects we ourselves armed to nght against their monarch. There Is principle involved. and when the principle is once understood its application is not difficult and If the people of the Philippine islands are and of right ought to be free. then this nation should without one moments delay announce to those people that we are there as friends and not as enemies to establish government, which shall be their government and not our government when 1t is established. Not only ought we to do that now we ought to have done 1t in the beginning. and if the promise made to Cuba had been made to the Filipinos not one drop of blood would have been shed in the Philippine islands. And we would be sending school teachers to Manila to teach them instead of sol diers to tell them that the declaration was lie. The Filipinos came into our hands by accident of war. and, coming into our hands, they must be dealt with according to American principles and not according to European principles.
 They say that if we were to give those people their independence other nations of Europe would laugh at us. Are we afraid to be laughed at? Why, more than a hun dred years ago, when there were but three millions of people in this country, our fore fathers dared to give to the world declar- alton at which the people of the old world ned hs far l. hs1l. When the framers of the declaration of in- dependence wrote among the seif-evident truths that all men are created equal, endowed with inalienable rights, that gov ernments are instituted among men to se- cure these rights, deriving their just pow CTS from the consent of the governed. the people of the old world laughed. But they didn't laugh long, because our forefathers maintained their declaration, and for more than century this republic has been the most potent factor in all the world in in- huencing the destiny of the human race Applause Shall we be ashamed to admit now that We believe in the declaration of independence? l repeat that We must deal With these people according to American principles. They desire their independ- ence. Let us say to them, as we said to Cuba, stand up, be free, and then to all the world say hands off, and let every re- public live.
 
 All We have to do is to read our nations history, to watch the nation as 1t travelled the pathway to lead from the little name of might to the lofty name of right and then you can tell what this nation must dc IT II IS true to its past You have in your city poet who has written the best poem on the Philippine question. Dr. Taylor has crowded into single verse more philos- ophy as well as poetry more philosophy than you will find in whole speech on the slde Of imperialism, and if he never does anything else he has done enough in that writing Of this one poem to give him a claim 10 the consideration of his fellow men. This nation has not wasted it's sub- stance in riotous living This nation is not reaoy to turn back and with trembling voice ask to be classed among the hired servants Of royalty. This nation has not slnhed against heaven. and God grant that the crowned heads of the old world may never have occasion to kill the fatted calf to celebrate the return of this republic rom independence back 10 the creed of Cain What should the democratic party doE Why. there is but one thing it can do. sometimes hear the people say if the party IS not careful about this question of imperialism 1t is going to lose votes My friends, when the declaration of independ- ence IS repealed there will never more be democratic party in this country or need Tor one. Our faith Is built upon it, anu we cannot turn our backs upon the teachings of the fathers. Every wrong to De righted finds its inspiration in that doc ument We cannot ask for a single re- form without showing that all we ask conforms to the principles of the deciara- uon Of independence. And so the demo- cratic party must be true 10 the fourdatlon principles of this government. It believes m the independence of the individual in industrial life. and says to the trust: You snail not crush up the life of the struggling manhood of this country It believes in the lhdependence Of the financial world and says to the foreign financier: You cannot make the policy for 70 eco. .OO0 of American citizens It believes in the doe trlne of liberty and independence every where, and when We plead for the right of people 10 govern themselves, although they dlHer from us in color and in race and in history. we are pleading for them We are pleading for the safety of our own institu- uons. Lincoln said that the safety of this nation was not in its army or it's navy put m the spirit of liberty. in the spirit thai prizes liberty as the heritage of all men III all lands everywhere. and he said that 1T We destroy this spirit of liberty we plant the seeds Of despotism at our own doors
 You ask me why the democratic uartv A