The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1899-1900, 1899-10-18
POTTER'S MISTAKES.
His Contributions to Aguinal-
doism Analysed.
his DISREGARD OF POTENT FACTS


iOa In the Philippines-Peace Is the
First Requisite to Government.
Bishop Henry G. Potter of the Prot
estant Episcopal church has entered
the political arena to tell the American
citizen his views of the political aspect
Of the Philippine question.
The Democratic party is using his
utterances as a campaign weapon
against the administration policy in
the Philippines.
The 'prelate delivered an address at
the opening Of the nineteenth congress
of the Protestant Episcopal church at
St. Paul on last Tuesday. 1t was not
discussion of church doctrine, OF
church government, or the life of the
church, but a discussion of the topic,
Does National Expansion Involve I'M
perialism?"
AS doctor Of divinity the lessons
Of the bishop in matters pertaining to
the religious life have the weight of
authority. But Bishop Potter is not
a statesman any more than Secretary
Hay is a bishop.
An examination of the speech al
legged to have been made by him and
being used by the Democrats as cam
paign document, leads to the suspicion
that the bishop has not fully consid-
cred the Philippine question.
In his treatment of the subject he
does not present the facts involved in
the'case, and then give the conclusions
deducible from them. He simply Of
fers his opinions in a general way.
There is no doubt that he holds
Views Similar to Those of Atkinson,
the Boston leader Of the anti-expan-
sionist copperheads. He believes that
this country has already entered upon
policy Of imperialism. He defined
imperialism as a principle which
takes away universal suffrage and re-
mits the government to the will of an
individual. If this be a correct defini-
talon of imperialism then this country
has not entered upon it. The future
government Of the Philippines is not
in the hands Of one man, but in the
hands of congress. This country has
never had absolute universal suffrage.
The inhabitants of our territories have
never enjoyed the privilege of suf-
frage; neither do the Indians, who
have been so long with us. But these,
who do not enjoy the suffrage of a
vote, are not governed by one man,
but by congress. Nor Is there any
probability that t-ere will ever be a
constitutional amendment to take this
power from congress for the purpose
of giving it to one man. AS the case
stands at present, the United States
accepted the Philippines from Spain,
and the president of the United States
is simply
Performing His Obligation
in endeavoring to preserve peace and
order in the new possessions brought
to us by the legislative act of the
treaty making power of the nation,
viz: the United States senate.
The bishop also believes that this
nation did not act automatically when
we first went to the Philippines. He
said:
Now 1t would seem at least reasonable
that the cOnquerlng or purchasing republic
SHOULD lnaugurate its relations to its new
possession by some conference with its
dominant peoples. But no. It's first word
is subjection, its first demand surrender. Its
first and second conditions are: I'VE will
recognize nobody, we will treat with Ro-
body, we alone will dictate all the terms"
The policy does not work happily. These
pestiferOus wards Of the nation will not lay
down their arms, and these alien cOmmu-
mites, instead Of hailing the stars and
stripes with wild delight, are actually In
solent enough to intimate that they would
rather salute flag Of their own.
1t is observed that Bishop Potter
does not suggest how such a confer
ence could be held with the dominant |
peoples. To confer with self-consti-
tuted leaders would be an encourage
ment to militarism and despotism. An |
election of representatives of the dom
inant peoples would have to take place
before conference could be held, and |
pace and order are absolutely neces-
sary to such an election. When peace
is established in the islands, then rep
resentative government will and can |
follow. The bishop overlooks the fact,
however, that peace is the first requi-
site.
The bishop has surely forgotten that
our government made a proclamation
10 the people promising them the
most beneficent form of government
designable byour liberty-loving states
men.
There is tinge Of sarcasm in his
statement: These pestiferous wards
Of the nation will not lay down their
arms, and these alien communities, in
stead OF hailing the stars and stripes
with delight, are actually insolent
enough to imagine that they would
rather salute flag Of their own"
There is no doubt that our Indian
wards, or the fighting chiefs of those
wards, would rather salute their
own flag than the stars and stripes.
But is it imperialism to suppress the
Indian uprisings? If so this nation
has been imperialistic from its foun-