The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-11-01
IMPERIALISM IN 1865 AND NOW
Views of an Anti-Expansion Repub-
Iican on the Philippine Question.

Iican on the Philippine Question.
To the Editor OF the Indianapolis Journal:
When, in 1865, the rebellion was put down
and the question arose. what shall we
do with the seceeded States, the Demo-
Gratis raised the same kind of a bubble
as the Imperialism of 1900 They said,
This is an indissoluble Union of indie
structible States and claimed that the
unanswerable result was that none of the
slave States had ever got out of the union,
for they could not. Hence" said they.
these same States have a constitutional
right to come back to Washington by
senators and representatives. lust as IL no
war had happened" Logically this was
correct enough. but the people of the
united states were not to be tricked by
any such arguments into allowing secession
to accomplish by legislation what it failed
10 accomplish by armies. Now imperial
ism has just about as much merit in 1t as
this claim made in 1868. 1t is like some
or our yellow news-dispatches-"Im Important
IL true. If there was the slightest dis
position attempt by Mckinley to gov
ern the Philippines by imperial. instead of
constitutional measures, these virtuous
spasms In David b. Hill, Bourke Cochran
and lesser-light Bryan orators would cease
to be laughable. The treaty of Paris ex-
pressly provides that 1.-THE civil and DO
litfcal status of the native inhabitants Of
the territories (the Philippines and Porto
Rfco) hereby coded to- the United States
shall he determined by Congress- and up
10 date Congress has done nothing but
left the islands in the hands of the
PRESIDENTS military power. as a serious re-
bellion is still raging in their midst In
his various instructions to General Otis
and other officers the President has di-
rected them in the most explicit terms
to treat the Filipinos just as we'll if
they were citizens of the United States,
and no complaint has ever reached us to
the contrary. That the Constitution does
not follow the flag Except in the matter
of the inhibition against slavery.
by virtue of the peculiar language of the
thirteenth amendment is apparent from
the history of all our territorial acquisi-
tons. in each of which, the treaty by
virtue OF which they were acquired con-
tains special provisions determining the
rights of the native inhabitants, or left it
to future congressional legislation
1t sounds patriotic to talk about "Citi-
zens and subjects" "Erapire grated upon
our Republic but the urecedent was set
by Thomas Jefferson, tile founder of the
Democratic party. After the Louisiana
purchase, he, pending tie action of Con-
gress, treated the Spanish, French and
Indians exactly as Mckinley is now treat
ing the Philippines And this talk about
an empire is exactly like the talk about
"Ceasarism," when, in 1880, Grant was
candidate for President for a third term
We have always had native races upou
our NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. in the past, and
now Indians, Aleuts and an infusion of
Chinese, all of whom have just the rights
and no more, which Congress sees fit to
give them. There is not q case on record
OF jury trial being awarded to a nom
naturalized Indian. Neither are Aleuts.
Indians of Chinese citizens any more than
Filipinos. And among the wild Indian tribes
polygamy exists exactly among the
In a IN M ar l0h M mt - tlA c..1.
islands. Ii is tribal and religious custom
which at present 1t is not wise to forbid
by law, any more than to stir up relig-
ious war among the Mahammedans upon
Asiatic territory.
When Ex-Governor Hill speaks he al
ways says the last and best word upon the
subject under discussion. In speech a
few days ago he cited, by volume and
page, a decision of the United States Su-
preme Court, that there was no power
given Congress by the Constitution TO ac-
Quire territory TO be held a colony and
governed by its will and pleasure" but ne
failed to cite the next clause, which reads:
But 1T may acquire territory which at the
time has not population which fits II 10
become State, and may govern it as a
Territory until 1t has population which.
In the Judgment of Congress, entities il
to be admitted as a State" Neither did
Mr.. Hill mention that this is the cele-
brated Died Scott decision. Under the
doctrine of that case, upon which ex-Gov-
ernor Hill relies, Congress could not legis-
late Imperialism into the Philippines even
IL so disposed. Any legislation for a Ter
ritory contrary to the Constitution of the
United States would be void, according
to the bred Scott decision, even though
the Filipinos We're not citizens.
Personally, / am an anti-expansionist
A visit last December to Manila and
Luzon convinced me that we did not want
any Asiatic question or territory in ours.
'One world ar time. Ii seemed to me
that our African problem and the new
world was all we could handle safely, and
that Malay addition of ten million helf
civilized men and women was more than
our just share of the white mans bur-
Gen." 1 still think so. But the mistake
has been made. and never would have been
made without Bryan's help at Washington
for the Democrats In the Senate, but for
him, would have defeated the treaty OF
Paris. Both parties have brought upon us
the Philippine trouble and it being an
accomplished fact, the question is what
shall We do about it? Shall we retain
them and make the best OF them and trust
to time and good management TO reim-
burse us for the $50. 900 900 we have already
invested in them, or shall we, as Bryan
says, turn them over TO Aguinaldo and the
small fraction of Filipinos he represents
in the meantime maintaining a protector
ate over them, as We do now over the
South American republics until good luck
shall relieve us OF them. As a matter OF
common sense and sound business 4,
seems TO me that Mckinley's plan is far
more preferable; we must make the most
and best of bad bargain, in which Bry-
an is as deep In the mud as Mckinley is
I'm the mire.
At Hong-Kong / met with such facts
concerning Aguinaldo as made me doubt
whether he is a second Washington and in
Luzon I found that he only represented a
fraction of the Filiptnos. Ii would GER
tainly be rash. even II we were under an
obligation to awe these islands their liber-
", and 1t was poor craftsmanship TO keen
Them 10 turn them over at this time Ia
the insurgents. Upon the whole. the wis
est thing TO do IL seems to me, is what
is now being done, namely, restoring puo-
lie order and studying the facts with
malice toward none and with charity for
all" and resolve Ito do the right as God
gives us TO see the right"
ID. p. BALDWIN
Logansport. Ind, Oct. 30.
The Journals Reduction I'm Price