The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1900-09-01
THE ISSUE ALREADY DEAD.
There Remains Little of Interest 10
the People I'm the .Anti-Impe-
rinlism" Screed.

the people next month or month after
next. No man can predict with GER
tainty which way the shifting cur
rents of popular thought may run and
what the political topic may be which
will engross public attention in Octo-
Der.
"Anti-imperialism" has been adver-
tised extensively. 1t has been intro
duced as the paramount issue of the
campaign. But the only persons who
accept IL as such are the trainers OF
the Kansas City platform and the ed
itors who FIJI their columns with eu-
logies of that platform and gold dem
ocrats who are anxious under some
convenient cover to get back into reg
ular standing in the party find in
neutrality-suspicious." an excuse for their
return. II that excuse had not Of
fered itself many of them would have
seized on some other. They have
voted for democratic candidates ex-
cept in 1896. They feel more at home
in that party than in any other. From
it alone do they expect political pre-
ferment.
But while many of the gold demo-
Gratis are passing over this 'anti-im-
perialsm" bridge to Mr.. Bryan, few
republicans of any consequence are
following them. The silver repub-
leans of 1896 are proclaiming that
free silver is dead issue. and are re-
turning in companies and regiments
to the republican camp. The alleged
imperialism of that party does not
deter them. 1t is said, quite correctly,
by a paper which favors neither Nc
Kinley nor Bryan that there are as
yet few evidences that any large
number of votes will be attracted to
Bryan on this ground of anti-imperial-
ism between the Alleghenies and the
Missouri river, while farther west,
where the expansion sentiment has al
ways been strongest, he seems likely
to lose rather than gain by his atti-
tude concerning imperialism"
Nor are the rank and file of the
democratic party itself in the least en-
cited over this paramount issue" of
the party platform. II is not an issue
of their making. They, like other
that this country shall give up terri
tory it has won in fair fight and "en-
small" itself. This hue and cry about
"imperialism' was none of their rails
ing 1t was invented by their leaders,
who have long been in search of some
campaign cry to take the place of
40 to l." Those leaders, unable to
find satisfactory issue among those
which interest the people have manu-
featured one, and have been toiling
thus far without success to interest
the people in it.
Their failure to do so is not surpris-
ing. Their assurances that their Phil
ippine policy is based on the Declare
ton of Independence and the rights OF
man do not conceal the fact that it is
cowardly policy, based on deceit.
Mr.. Bryan contends that Americans
are not so competent to govern Fill
pinos as Filpinos are to govern them
selves, and also the white men living
in the Philippines, and the white
mems city of Manila. But the rule
of action of Mr.. Bryan's party in the
cotton states is that white men are
competent to govern colored citizens
without their consent. Yet the coll
ored men of the south are better quail
flied to govern themselves than are
the Tagals or the members of Other
tribes in the Philippines.
The difference between the repub-
lican Philippine policy and democrat
ic policy as gingerly set forth by
Bryan is so slight that the ordinary
voter is unable to perceive any impor-
tant difference. The administration
is endeavoring to establish good gov
eminent in the Philippines. The nee
essary prerequisites is the suppress
sion of armed resistance to the au-
thority Of the government. The demo-
Gratis object to that as government
without 1.-The consent of the gov
erned." The first thing they propose
30 do, however, is to establish "a
table government" in the Philippines.
They do not say that they have OBJ
tanned or intend to ask for "the con-
sent of the governed" nor do they ex-
plain where they get the right to es-
tablish "a stable government" for Fill
pinos. If the latter claim the right to
do it for themselves it will be neces-
sary for Mr.. Bryan 10 suppress an in
surrection before he can make gov
eminent. As the first thing to be
done, whoever may be elected presi-
dent. will be the suppression Of the
Philippine insurrecton, the general
feeling will be that Mr.. Mckinley
should be allowed to go on and finish
necessary work he has begun.
For these and other reasons the
contemporaries" issue has fallen fiat
thus far The voters do not take
kindly to 1t, nor can it be forced on
them IL they do not wish for it. Poll
ticians may press issues on the vot-
ers, but the latter will accept only
those which attract them. Four years
ago President Mckinley and some of
his advisers strove to make the tariff
"the paramount issue" The voters
would not have it. Free silver alone
Interested them. IL was something
they could understand. This abstract
question of imperialism does not ex.
f..sI - 4 I,.,