The Yale expositor., 1900-08-17

The title OF spain DelnB eNlluBulSnoQ,
we were at liberty TO deal with the Fill
| pinos according to American principles.
| The Bacon resolution, introduced month
| before hostilities broke out at Manila,
promised independence TO the Filipinos on
the same terms that II was promised 10
tho Cubans. supported this resolution
breaking out OF hostilities would have
| prevented bloodshed, and that its .adop-
| ton at any subsequent time would have
| ended hostilties.
Defends His Own Course.
II the treaty had been rejected, con-
siderable time would have necessarily
elapsed before a new treaty could have
been agreed upon and ratified, and during
| that time the question would have been
egitating the public mind. II the Bacon
resolution had been adopted by the Sem
atte and carried out by the President,
| either at the time OF the rauhcation OF
| would have taken the question OF imperi-
alism out OF politics and left the Ameri-
| can people free to deal with their domes-
tic problems. But the resolution was de-
feated by the vote of the Republican Vice
| President. and from that time TO this
| Republican Congress has refused 10 take
| any action whatever in the matter.
When hostilities broke out at Manila
| Republican speakers and Republican edi-
| tors at once sought to lay the blame upon
| those who had delayed the ratihcaton OF
the treaty, and, during the progress or the
! war, the same Republicans have accused
| the opponents of Imperialism OF giving
! announcement TO the t1liplnos. ms Is
| cowardly evasion of responsibility.
! If IL is right for the United States to
| hold the Philippine Islands permanently
and initiate European empires IN the gov
| ernment of colonies the Republican party
| Ought to state its position and defend 1t,
| but ii must expect the subject races 10
Protest against such policy and TO re-
| sist TO the extent of their ability. Inc
! tiIipinos do not need any encouragement
| from Americans now living. Our whole
history has been an announcement, not
| only 10 the Filipinos, but 10 all who are
| denied voice in their own government.
! IL the Republicans are prepared 10 CEN
| sure all who have used language calcu-
| lated 10 make the Filipinos hate foreign
| domination, let them condemn the speech
| o. Patrick Henry. When he uttered that
| passionate appeal Give me hperty OF
give me death, he expressed sentiment
! which still echoes in the hearts OF men.
! Let them censure Jefferson; OF all the
| statesmen of history, none have used
words so offensive TO those who would
| hold their fellows in political bondage.
| Let them censure Washington, who de-
| clared that the colonists must choose be-
tween liberty and slavery. OR, II the
| statute of limitations has run against the
! sins of Henry and Jefferson and WASH
| ington, let them censure Lincoln, whose
| Gettysburg speech will be quoted In de-
| Tense of popular government when the
present advocates of force and conquest
are forgotten,
Those who would have this nation enter
upon a career of empire must consider
not only the effect of Imperialism on tho
! 'Filipinos, but they must also calculate
ITS effect upon our own nation; we can
| not repudiate the principle OF self-Sov-
eminent in the Philippines without weak
ening that principle here.
The Boer War.
Even now we are beginning TO see the
| paralyzlng influence OF imperialism.
! Heretofore. this nation has been prompt
J to express its sympathy with those VINO
were lighting for civil liberty. While our
of
the Western Hemisphere, our sympathtes
have not been bounded by the seas We
! world, as well as to those who were
struggling for the right TO govern them
! selves, to proclaim the interest Wnlch
our people have, from the date Of their
! own Independence, felt in every contest
| between human rights and arbitrary
| power. Three-quarterS OF century ago.
| when our nation was small, the struggles
| of Greece aroused our people, ana Web
| ster and Clay gave eloquent expression
| to the universal desire for Grecian indie
| pendence. In 1886 all parties manifested
| CubanS but now when a war Is In prog
| ress In South Africa, which must result
in the extension OF, the monarchial idea
or in the triumph of a Republic, the ad-
vocates of Imperialism in this country
dare not say word in behalf or the
| Beers.
Sympathy for the Beers does not arise
| from any unfriendliness toward England :;
| the American people are not unfriendly
! toward 1.-The people Of any nation. This
| sympathy is due to the fact that, as stat
! ed i'm our platform, we believe in the prin-
! ciple of self-government and reject, as
! did our forefathers, the claims of mon
! archy IL this nation surrenders its belief
Pin the universal application of the prin-
ciples set forth in the Declaration of In
| dependence, ii will lose the prestige and
influence which it has enjoyed among the
nations as an exponent OF popular gov
! eminent.
The Flag I'm the PHILIPPINES.
Our opponents. conscious of the weak
! ness OF their cause, seek TO confuse inn
| peuaism with expansion. and have even
| dared 10 claim Jefferson as supporter
| of their policy. Jefferson spoke so free
~ and used language with such precision
| that no one can be ignorant of his views.
| On one occasion he declared: IF there be
| one principle more deeply rooted than
any other in the mind of every American,
IL is that we should have nothing to do
with conquest" And again he said:
! Conquest is not i'm our principles; Ii is
inconsistent with our government"
a colonial policy means that we shall
send TO the Philippines "A few traders, a
few task masters and a few oiaceholders,
and an army large enough to support the
authority Of small fraction of the people
while they rule the natives.
There is an easy, honest honorable So
luton of the philippine question. 1t is
set forth in the Democratic platform and
it is submitted with confidence to this
American people This plan l unreservod-
| ~ lnOOrSe. III elected, i snail convene
Congress i'm extraordinary session as soon
as l am inaugurated and recommend an
immediate declaration of the nations
purpose, first, to establish a stable form
OF government i'm the PHILIP pine Islands,
just we are now establishing a stable
form of government i'm the island of Gu
ba: second, to give independence to the
Filipnos, just we have promised TO
give independence to the Cubans: third,
to protect the Filipinos from outside in
reference while they work out their des-
tiny. just as we have protected the re-
4 publics of Central and South America and
are, by the Monroe doctrine, pledged to
protect Cuba. An European protectorate
often results in the exploitation of the
ward by the guardian. An American pro-
tectorate gives TO the nation protected
the advantages of our strength, without
making II the victim of our greed For
three-quarters of a century the Monroe
doctrine has been a shield TO neighboring
republics and yet II has imposed no pc
cuniary burden upon us. After the Fill
pInos had aided us in the war against
Spain. we could not honorably turn them
over to their former masters; we could
not leave them to be the victims OF the
ambitious designs OF the European ma
tons, and since we do not desire to make
them n part of us, to hold them az