The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-01
THE PHILIPPINE POLICY OF THE
DEMOCR ATS

| The declaration and resolution adopted
/ by the caucus Of the Democratic member
OF the House on Monday night as to th'
Philippines, state the position of the Demo
| cratic party in respect to the attitude
which the United States should assum,
toward those islands. Il is pretty SAT-
to say that they express the sentiment!
Of the great majority of the American
people. As far as we have been able Il
observe the people Of this country do no
want 10 hold the Philippines permanently
They have not yet been weanet
from the principles set forth
in the Declaration of independence
and upon which our government
is founded. namely, that all govern.
ments derive their just powers from the
consent of the governed, But in what
respect does the position taken by the
Democrats of the House of Representa-
tives differ from that occupied by the Re
publican party as indicated by the acts
and speeches of the President? In his
Home Market Club speech in Bos-
ton the President said that moth
than 40 hold the Philippines as
colonies. In fact, he practically de-
clared that he had no policy in respect to
the islands, that he was simply holding
them subject to any legislation which
Congress might see fit to enact In respect
to them.
If then the President speaks for his
party. the policy which the Democrats
propose for the Philippines differs in no
important particular from that which the
Republicans propose for them. But has
the President expressed the real purpose Of
the Republican party in his speeches?
That is question which Is difficult to
answer 1t is true that the Republicans
manifest extreme reluctance to make a
declaration of their policy in respect to
the islands, Some of them have said that
the time is inopportune for during So
but there are reasons for thinking that
there is strong element in their party
if not a controlling element, which is in
favor of holding the Islands as colonies
and that that is the reason that there has
been no declaration by Congress as to the
intentions of the United States in respect
to the Philippines.
There is no good reason, as far as we
can see, why we should kill tens of thou
sands of the Filipinos before making them
acquainted with the fact that we do not
intend to govern them against their will
that we intend that they shall have their
own government just as soon as they can
establish and maintain a government.
Why not tell them at once? II is not i'm
probable that they would then withdraw
their opposition to our presence in their
country. They might even welcome us
as friends. instead of dealing with us as
enemies. But a declaration such as we
suggest could not make them more hostile
to us than they are. Therefore. by maxi
ing It, we would do our cause no harm
and might do 1t great deal of good.
1t is worthy of notice that the Demo
cratic declaration and resolution say
nothing about Withdrawing from the ISL
ands, and leaving them to their fate. We
take it for granted that there is no con-
siderable number of the people of this
country in favor of doing anything of
that kind. 1t is recognized by both po-
litical parties that we have a duty to
perform in the Philippines duty which
we cannot shirk without loss of self-re-
spect and of the respect of the whole civ
ilized world We destroyed the Spanish
rule in the islands and we must preserve
order there until another rule, capable of
preserving order, is established. If we
should signify our intention of withdraw
ing, the fleets of England, France, Ger
many, Japan and Russia would be in Ma
Mia bay in short order. There are sub
jects of all of these nations in the Phil
ippines, and some of them have large in
terests there. And if they took possession
of the islands their stay would be indeh-
nite-longer probably than England has
been in Egypt. Therefore. the Filipinos
stand a much better chance of getting
their independence If we continue to oc-
cupy their Islands than they would il we
should withdrawn from them.
The issue we are having among our
selves in respect to the islands is not
whether or not we shall withdraw from
them, but as TO our policy in respect to
them. Our policy ought to be announced
at once, and 1t should be practically that
announced by the caucus of the Demo
cratic members of the House.