The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1900-10-05

| OWN HE is LESS ELUSIVE. LESS
STARTLING, AND APPROACHES
REPUBLICAN GROUND NEARER
THAN HE APPREHENDS.
In his Philippine program he would.
first, establish a stable form OF gov
eminent. That is exactly what the
Republican party aims to do. But
this implies that there is no such gov
eminent there now, not even Agui-
naldo's government. What Mr.. Bryan
admits by implication we assert
as a positive fact, and we further as
sert that the first step in the establish
ment of stable form of government
is to suppress the existing insurrec-
ton and insurrectionary government,
and that stable form of government
can not we'll be established before
this is done.
Different In Case of Cuba.
Even this Mr. Bryan admits by
implication, for he says we should do
as we have done in Cuba. And what
have we done there? When our forces
went to Cuba there was Cuban re-
public and a Cuban army. There was
no Filipino government nor Filipino
army when Dewey entered Manila bay.
In Cuba, through our efforts, and aid
ed by the good sense of Gomez and his
chiefs, the Cuban republic has been
permitted to expire and the Cuban
army has long ago been disbanded,
and by the aid and cooperation of the
Cubans we are engaged in the effort
of establishing de novo stable gov
eminent there. Had Aguinaldo and
his chiefs followed the example of
Gomez and his chiefs we should before
this have been long on the way to-
wards establishing a stable govern
ment in the Philippines. Under the
circumstances we have not. as Mr..
Bryan contends, been dilatory in es-
tablishing such government. In
1916 our armed forces took possession
of California, and continued to hold it
pending the Mexican war, the ratifica-
ton of the treaty of peace, and until
it became state in 1850. California
never had territorial form of gov
eminent, but remained under the COM
troll of the amy from 1916 until it be-
came a state. There was no insurrec-
ton in California,and yet, for upwards
of two years after the treaty of peace,
1t was governed through the military
department of the government, and
this was held by our supreme court
to be valid and constitutional gov
eminent, nor were we accused of be-
ing dilatory in giving California a
state government. But it is asserted |
that the Filipinos are entitled to abso-
lutte independence, and that we have
no right to govern them without their
consent.
Our Duty q Sacred One.
If this is true, what right have we |
to impose any form of government |
upon them?
They may insist that they have the
right to establish just such form OF |
government as they see fit and that |
it is not our business to establish any |
form for them. What then? Are we
to abandon the scheme or are we to
watch, wait and pray for their con-
sent, or are we to go on regardless OF
it. And in case We do go on to estab-
lish a stable government without their
and they see fit to resist and
to go into an insurrection-as they
are now doing-against our present
efforts to establish a stable govern
ment. and we resort to arms to repress
such resistance and insurrection-as
they are now doing-against our pres
ent efforts to establish stable gov
eminent, and we resort to arms to
repress such resistance and insurrec-
ton and insist upon establishing a
stable government at the point of the
bayonet, will not this bring us back
into the slough of imperialism with
the ghost of a standing army in the
There is only one sure
escape from such a gloomy outcome.
1t is to leave it to the Filipinos to say
what constitutes a stable form of gov
L. Dul IL VIC w tiihI eASAS AZ
really no occasion for our giving any
at all to their form
Of government. There is no need OF
giving them any form of government
at all. That should be left wholly to
themselves.
As to Protectorae.
Having given the Filipinos stable
form of government, Mr.. Bryan would
give them their absolute independence
and then protect them from the inter-
ference of other nations. If 1t is our
duty to establish stable form OF gov
eminent, it follows that it is our
duty to see that such a form of gov
eminent is maintained, for without
t. we cannot afford them adequate
protection against other nations. II
we assume a protectorate over the
islands, foreign governments would
expect and require, and would have a
right to expect and require that we
maintain stable government there.
. -.oyorruant that would protect the