The record-union., 1899-02-08
OF FREEDOM AND CONTROL OF
THE PHILIPPINES.


tionists about "the consent of the gov
erred'' and the Limitations Of the Con-
Etitution,' as related to our occupancy
of foreign. possessions. 1t seems to be
lost sight of that we governed some
millions of peoples for a century or
more without their consent, and that,
too, under the selfsame Constitution,
through the elasticity Of which they
were finally made free.
There is forgetfulness of the fact that
we have never asked the consent of the
people of the Territories as to the gov
ernment We exercise over them, nor
have we given them representation in
our Governmental system for which the
obstructionists now clamor in behalf
of the Malays. What sense is there in
chattering about the decline of self
government and representation and the
principles of liberty among people
who have known by contact no better
system than that of the Spanish crown?
These people for whom SO much SYM
pathy is expended by the obstruction
lists have no true conception of liberty.
Vide Agoncillos sneer against the
Canadians when he told them: "You
have not got freedom; you are not like
the Filipinos. The simple truth is that
the principles of liberty, the forms of
elf-government, the basic stones of
such a government, for, by and of the
people, as we have, are not compre-
pines. They have no true conception
OF the principles upon which such a
Government as they ask for must be
founded to be successful. Their ideas
those preached by the anarchist, but
lack the subtitle reasons with which the
scientific anarchist fortifies his argu-
nents for unrestrained liberty of the
individual.
An enlightened nation such as ours,
which has tested freedom in all its
forms, has been tried in the fires of
revolution against tyranny in the
furnace of rebellion and the heat of
many peaceful upheaval, is better
adapted to Judge of what Is best for
the Filipinos- No others can define our
duty toward these people as we can.
We released them from the sovereignty
of Spain, but did not do so to commit
them to the worse condition of anar-
chy and semi-savage domination.
They themselves. despite the iteration
of Aguinaldo and his chiefs concerning
freedom, have no true liberty among
themselves where they are in complete
control. Most of their islands have
had for centuries petty tyrants ruling
over them; chiefs and sultans, with
absolute power of disposition over life
and property, and unlimited power to
tax the people at whim or fanciful sug-
gestion. The "Oregonian'' we'll says
that as well offer to the savage al treat
1se of logarithms, or of the binominal
theorem and its applications, OF dis
course on foreknowledge and free will,
and expect them to resolve the involved
problems and fashion a thesis on such
basis as to expect of them intelligent
and capable discharge of the functions
OF representative free government of
which they have no true conception.
Mentally and morally. says our contem-
porary, these people are "still in their
childhood" which is exceedingly happy
expression of true condition. Our
contemporary sensibly adds upon the
subject in hand:
Our ancestors were Invaders" of the
regions that now form the States of
Senators Hoar, Bacon and Vest, and
we ourselves carried the Invasion
across the continent to the regions
which now constitute these States of
the Pacific Coast of America. None of
us, either our ancestors or ourselves.
tried to get the consent of those
whom we found here. Liberty and self
government had larger mission. We
pursued realities, not theories. Know
ing what liberty was, We set out to- pre-
pare the land for it. and we did the
work OF the original inhabitants.
those who could not or would not yield
to what President Mckinley, in speak
ing of the Philippine Islands, happily
calls benevolent assimilation" disap-
peared. So it will be in the Philippine
Islands. The world is not for its infe-
rior creatures, but for those who can
use it for the highest purposes and best
ends.
From pursuit of these ends we have
not been, nor shall we be, restrained by
phrases picked from our Declaration of
Independence, or from the Constitution
of the United States. There
are no phrases or maxims of liberty,
Independence and government which
can have rigid application to all cases.
Everything of the kind depends on cir
cunastances. Maxims of politics true in
the abstract, may be false in the appli-
cation; and often it may be necessary
to violate their letter in order to en-
force and preserve their spirit Large
AFFAIRS like those our country is now
dealing with never can be reduced to
the rule of phrases or maxims. The sci
ence of government being practical in
itself, is intended for practical pur-
poses; and a people always must first
be fit for political liberty and self-gov-
eminent before the maxims of political
liberty and self government can be fit
Tor them. Our orators of the United
States Senate, who spout apothegms
from the Declaration of Independence
and assert that this country is about to
play the tyrant over the Philippine