The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1900-04-12

the republican party. Republicans, 1T is
true today that this nation cannot per.
manently endure half republic and half
empire, half free and half vassal. You
dare not try it, for If we try to make this
nation half republic and half empire it will
soon be an empire. The very fact that
you are willing to make it half empire
shows that YOU have lost more than half
your love Tor the doctrine of self.govern-
ment. Beware. Whenever you are will.
ing that we shall have nation half free
and half vasssl because you are to be
among the free, the time will come when
you will be among the vassals; wnen
some man will think he is better than
you are, as you now think you are better
than the Filipino. You think you can
govern him for his good. Some despot
will govern you for your good, and use
the same principles to do it that you are
using. There are two sources OF govern
ment. and only two. Governments rest
upon force or upon consent. Republics
pires upon force. Is this to be repub-
lie, resting upon consent, or an empire,
resting upon force? Remember that the
moment you leave the doctrine OF con-
sent there is no middle ground between
that and the doctrine of force Then
you will see that the nation that has the
strongest gun is always.right; and when
you say that the nation with the biggest
gun is always right, you say that the
man with the most muscle is always right
in contest with a weaker man. You
adopt the doctrine of force you let it be
known that might and not right is your
rule, and then justice ceases to be re-
atty. Destroy the doctrine of justice
and right as between nations and you inn
pair the nations strength as between in.
dividuals; and, my countrymen, it has
been hard enough to raise your boys
right when you have been able to point
to them examples of men like Washing
ton and Jefferson; when you have been
able to hold up before them as ideals
men OF Revolutionary days-men who
were willing to die for their country and
the rights of men. How much more diff
ficult will it be when you put the picture
of the prize fighter on the wall and pro-
claim this nation braggart and bully.
Make brute force the doctrine of your
nation and brute force will be the ideal
of your sons. You dare not do it unless
your consciences have been deadened by
the thirst for gain. You dare not do 1t
unless your hearts have been frozen by
the chill Of commerciaism You dare
not do it unless in your hearts you feel
contempt for the principles upon which
this government rests. What defense
have you for the doctrine of imperial
ism? The trouble is to get anybody to
defend it. The first man you come to
says it is too late; the treaty is ratified
that settles it. And the next man says
it isn't time; you have to wait until the
Filipinos lay down their arms. One
says you We got past it and the other says
you haven't got to it. This Puerto Rican
bill is the first step we have had. The
president has said nobody wants imper.
ialism. Well, the republican leaders
have gradually made progress toward i'm.
perialism, but they had to deal with
Puerto Rico and they got into bad fix.
If they had free trade with Puerto Rico
it would be a precedent in the Philip
pine islands, and therefore they had to
take this step. They didn't want to do
it, but they had to do something, SO they
brought in bill and that bill announces
the doctrine that the president who holds
Office under the constitution, is not
bound by the constitution, and that the
congress that holds office under the con-
stitution is not governed by the constitu-
ton. That the president and congress
can deal with the people of Puerto Rico
and of the Philippine islands without
any restrictions whatever. That bill as
serts that the president has = power as
unlimited as any despot or tyrant ever
exercised in the history of the world. |
The republican party today asserts in
this doctrine that the president and cop-
gress are absolutely without restriction;
that man must swear allegiance to the
flag or be shot il he refuses, or that if he
swears allegiance to the flag he hangs
upon the mercy of the president and con-
gress, and there ism I one word in the con-
stitution, in the bill Of rights, to protect
his rights, his life, his liberty or his prop
erty. Republicans, is it possible that
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