Arizona republican., 1900-07-31
POLITICAL STATEMENT
Made by Representative Little
 field in an interview
There Can Be No Such Thing as Im- perialism- Both Parties Equally Responsible for the Treaty of Paris.

prepared statement of the political outlook appears in an evening paper as an intervi=w with Representative Littlefield of Maine, tonight. MT. Lit tlefield is the leader of the Maine dele gation in the house by virtue of the surprising defense he uttered for Rob- erts, the Utah member-elect. MT. Lit tlefield's argument was a masterful pres entation of the legal phases of that perpleXing case, and the Maine mem Der leaped at once into the front rank of great debaters in that body. His position on the Porto Rican tariff added to his reputation for courage and forensic strength. His argument on the Ray trust bill was pronounced masterpiece of logic and legal re- search. While Littlefield does not pro- fsss to be a politician and knows Htt'e and cares even less for the arts of the average seeker for public favor h. is q shrewd judge of great popular move ments.
 While he is not in accord with Presi- dent Mckinley on the Porto Rican tar fir qu stion, his views on the expansion policy of the republican party are nona inc less important. Upon this ques- ton of expansion MT. Li.tlefield says:
 "I do not see how the question of em- pire or imperialism can be an issue in this campaign. While the democratic platform loudly proclaims against em- pire and imp5 rialism. and proposes to make il paramount I find nothing in the republican platform that commits il to the iGla of empire or imperialism or that justifies the inference that il has any such purpose. On the con- trary, it failed to specifically endors4 the congressional action that could lc- ultimately be held to give rise to that inference.
 '"rhe republican party proposes that the republic shall fearl ssly, faithfully and properly discharge the duties and responsibilities devOlved upon it by the treaty of Paris. More than this is not required or proposed by the party in its platform. The treaty of Paris is not only an accomplished fact. but the fact that it could not have been Tati- fled without ;ne aid of seventeen dem ocratic votes and the personal influence of MT. Bryan leaves the democratic party and its candidates equally re- sponsible with the republican party for it's existence. It is now the supreme law of the land, and as such must be obeyed and sustained by both eXecu- tive and people.
 "The establishment Of law and order, the protection of persons. life and prop erty in the Philippine archipelago against insurrection or violence from all quarters. is the constitutional duty of the president. and in it's discharge lie must be sustained by all right think ing people. The authority to which the people of the archipelago had the right to look for this protection prior to the treaty was Spain. We have driven Spain out, and in so doing have assumed her duties and respOnsibili- ties. and We must manfully accept and discharge the responsibility. This is not imperialism or empire; 1t is simply an exelnplification of the fundamental proposition upon which our institu- tions rest. that ours is a government of laws and not of men,
 "The turning oyer of the people of this archipelago to the tender m5rcies of AguinaldO and his co-dictators and assassins would result in atrocities and horrors paralleled only by the infa- mics nov being perpetrated in China upon Christians by infuriated Chinese barbarians. The bitter, unrel=nting hatred of the Aguinaldeans for the friars of the Catholic church is well known. Aguinaldos ultimatum always has been that the friars must be either turned over to him or driven out o1 the country. and substantially that the property which they hold be con- fiscated. We could not with honor ad- init such a proposition.
 While many rambling suggestions were made, and there was great deal of carping and fault finding by demo- cratic representative during the last session of congress it is to be noticed that no democratic representative or senator undertook to formulate any measure. even a tentative one, for the disposition of the Philippine archipel- ago. They apparently preferred to leave the subject to the inocuous method of a declaration in national pIatform. The republican party, wise lv recognizing the pUerility of declar- ine. for any definite plan before all the conditions to be met with are fully as certained and maturely considered, pro noses to give them the highest degree of self government consistent with their welfare and our duty, and to se- cure it to them by law.
 ..I think the gold democrats, with this persistent iteration of the 16 to 1 idea. are now, more than ever, in- clined to vote directly for Mckinley as the only means of effectively inter- ring that fallacy. The reafIirmation of the Chicago platform, with the spec iaI prominence given to the 16 to 1 fetish, strengthens the republicans here. Silver on that basis does not ap- peal to the conservative element of the democratic party. It has been decided against them once, and the fact that Bryan SD dominated the convention as to compel insistence upon it dfscloses a dangerous tendency to perpetuate< an exploded theory, no matter how q
 turbing and injurious the agitation
 disastrous the results might be to
 business interests of the country.
 are a constant menace to stable