The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1900-03-27


if by strong military effort the
Philippine war be stopped, every
thing will be right and no more
question about it. No, the Ameri-
can trouble of conscience will not
be appeased, and the question
will be as big and virulent as
ever, unless the close of the war
be promptly followed by an as
surance to the islanders of their
freedom and independence, which
assurance, if given now, would
surely end the war without more
fighting.
We propose, therefore, that il
be given now. Let there be at
once an armistice between our
forces and the Filipinos. Let the
islanders at the same time be
told that the American speople
will be glad to see them establish
an independent government, and
to aid them in that task as far as
may be necessary; that, if the
different tribes composing the
population of the islands are dis
posed, as at least most of them,
if not all, are likely to be, to at
tach themselves in some way to
the government already existing
under the presidency of Aguin-
aldo, we shall cheerfuly accept
that solution of the question, and
even, if required, lend our good
offices to bring it about; and that
meanwhile we shall deem it our
duty to protect them against lin
reference from other foreign
powers-in other words, that
with regard to them we mean
honestly to live up to the right
eous principles with the profess
sion of which we commended to
the world our Spanish wal.
And then let us have in these
islands, TO carry out this pro-
gram, not a small politician, nor
a meddlesome martinez, but a
statesman of large mind and gen
uine sympathy, who will not
merely deal in sanctimonious
cant and oily promises with a
string to them, but who will
prove by his acts that he and we
are honest;who will keep in mind
that their government is not
merely to suit us, but to suit
them; that it should not be meas
ured by standards which we our
selves have not been able to
reach, but be a government OF
their own, adapted to their own
conditions and notions-whether
it be a true republic, like ours, OF
better, or dictatorship like that
of Diaz, in Mexico, or an oligar-
chy like the one maintained by
US in Hawaii, or even something
like the boss rule we are tolerat-
ing in New York and Pennsyl-
vania.
Those who talk so much about
fitting a people for self-govern
ment" often forget that no peo-
pie we're ever made eft" for self
government by being kept in the
leading strings of a foreign pow
er. You learn to walk by doing
your own crawling and stumb-
ling. Self-government is learn
ed only by exercising it upon
ones own responsibility. OF
course there will be mistakes,
and troubles and disorders. We
have had and now have these,
too-at the beginning our pers-
ecution of the Tories, our found
ering before the Constitution was
formed, our Shay's rebellion, our
whiskey war, and various failur-
es and NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. them
q civil war that cost us loss of
life and treasure horrible to think
of, and the murder of two Presi-
dents. But who will say that on
account of these things some for
eign power should have kept the
American people in leading
strings to teach them to govern
themselves If the Philippine
Islanders do as we'll as the Mexi.