The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-03-02
What TO Do Wifh
Uncle Sans Burden.

From a Recent Speech by Whitelaw Reid.
N DISTINGUISHED and patriotic
I'm citizen said to me the other day.
IN in Western city, You might
y have avoided this trouble by re-
fusing title in the Philippines, exactly
as in Cuba and simply enforcing re-
nunCiation of Spanish sovereignty.
Why didn't you do it?" The question is
important, and the reason ought to be
understood. But at the outset it should
be clearly realized that the circum-
stances which made it possible to take
that course as to Cuba were altogether
exceptional. For three quarters of
century we had asserted a special in
terest and right of Interference there
as against any other nation. 1t is di-
rectly on our coast, and no one doubted
that at least as much order as in the
past would be preserved there, even If
we had to do it ourselves. There was
also the positive action of congress,
which on the one hand gave us excuse
for refusing a sovereignty our highest
legislative authority had discaimed
and on the other formally cast the
shield of our responsibility over the
or sovereignty. Besides there was a
people there, advanced enough, suff-
cicntly compact and homogeneous in re-
ligion, race and language, sufficiently
used already to the methods of govern
ment. to warrant our republican claim
that the sovereignty was not being left
in the air;-that it was only left where
in the last analysis and in a civilized
community it must always reside, in
the people themselves.
And yet, under all these conditions
the most difficult task your Peace Com
missioners had at Paris was to main
tain and defend the demand for a re-
nunciation of sovereignty without any,
body's acceptance of the sovereignty
this renounced. International law has
not been so taught or practised abroad
and 1t may be frankly confessed that
the Spanish arguments on this point
were learned, acute, sustained by the
general judgment of Europe, and not
easy to refute. A similar demand con-
cerning the Philippines neither could
| nor ought to have been acuuiesced in
by the civilized world. Here were ten
millions of people on a great highway
of commerce, some semi-ciVilized, some
harbarous, others mere pagan savages.
but nothing like a majority or even a
respectable minority of them accus-
toned to self f-gOVernment or believed
| to be capable of 1t. Sovereignty over
| such conglomOration and in such a
place could not be left in the air The
! civilized world would not recognize its
transfer, unless transferred to some
! body. Remuneration under such cir
| cumstances would have been equivalent
! in international law to Abandonment
ana that would have been equivalent TO
! anarchy and race for seizure among
the nations that could get here quick
est. We could, of course, have refused
| to accept the obligations of a civilized
| responsible nation. After breaking
down government in those commercial
centres, we could have refused TO set
up anything in it's stead, and simpIv
| washed our hands of the whole busi-
| ness; but to do that would have been 10
show ourselves more insensible to
moral obligations than if we had re.
stored them outright to Spain.
O.
Well, If the elephant must be on our
hands, what are we going 10 do with
| ItE That is the next question. 1 ven
| ture TO answer that first we must put
| down the riot. The lives and proDertv
Of German and British merchants must
| be at least as safe in Manila as they
were under Spanish rule before we are
| ready for any other step Whatever
! Next ought we not try to diagnose our