Rocky Ford enterprise., 1900-09-07
A poc,r,ss Pushed to E.,rsmss.

ernment goes Infinitely further than
the states rights doctrines entertained
by the most extreme OF the Calhoun
and Jefferson Davis school before the
war. For Mr. Bryan's dotcrine would
allow any group Of men. whether IN
county. In town. or In school DISTRICT
TO set themselves up as an independent
government. The states rights men
least understood the fact that sover-
eighty had To reside somewhere. II
there was to bc any government NJ All:
and they went no farther back In their
analysis than the states which were
the constituent members OF the Fed
eral Union. II does not seem TO us nee
essary to attempt TO set the American
people into contcpdlng camps over the
mere metaphysics OF the Inherent
rights OF man. When one takes indi-
yI,irnls and crpss.cxamlncs them, one
finds that there Is not u shade OF dif'
ference between Republicans ana Dem
ocrais on the theoretical question OF
the dcsirabiiIty OF Intelligent sclf.sov-
crnmcnt everywhere. II just happens.
however, that mt the present moment
Mr.. Brynn's friends throughout the
South arc ngngcd In the practical task
Of dcprivIng OF self. government nearly
half Of the entire Southern population.
OH the ground that participation In gov.
ernmcnt IL not. In fact, an Inherent
human right. but TINT the object OF
government Is the high and true well
fare OF the community. and that only
those people should participate In the
tasks Of government who arc suiii'
cIcntiy Intelligent and responsible. II
does not seem to us that the real q'ics-
tlon at stake In the Philippines Il met.
or even approached. by eloquent expo
sitIons based upon gllttcrinI general
tiles about the inalicnablc rights OF
man.
A. To G~ttinx y rhiiipp,ar tssr'snr
The real and practical question Is.
What Is best to do. for everybody con.
ccrncd, In n serious and critical situa.
tion? Mr.. Bryan dcvo,cs many col.
umns to abstract and lofty argument.
with impressive quotations from Amer
lean statesmen OF mn earlier day and
from tho holy Scriptures. He gives
only a few lines to 'cllin. us what he
would really have done In the Philip.
pine matter II he had been In author
ity. In the first place. he says: "A
harbor and coaling station In the Phil
ippincs would answer every trade and
military necessity: and such conccs.
sion could have been secured. at any
time. without difficulty" This could
hardly mean anything except the har-
bor Of Manila. the one important cen.
ter OF Philippine trade. II We could.
"without difficulty" have secured this
from the Fiiipinos. It surely would not
have been because the Filipinos were
Mt heart willing to give away their
best possession. II they were to be
allowed n real freedom Of action rs nn
independent government. who Is there
that supposcs for moment that they
would have given us the harbor OF
Manila? Mr.. Bryan in this speech. as
well ns In others, constantly likcns the
attitude OF the American people to-
ward the Filipinos to that OF a high
wayman committing robbery with vio-
lcnce. But his descent from the ideal
to the practical is not altogether fclicit-
Gus, His suggestion Is, to quote his
exact words. that "a war of conquest
IL IL, rh.,
unwisdom lies in the fact that we do
not need the whole thing. and that we
might have got the valuable harbor.
which Is all we need for commercial
and naval purposes. without entering
upon n war of conquest. In other
words, the wise highwayman would
make n gcntlcmanly compromise with
his grateful victim by accepting his
gold watch as n present, and would al
low the traveller to pass on with his
horse. his pockctbook and his loose
change. If Mr.. Bryan's suggestion
means anything at all. 1t would seem to
mean this and nothing else.
Mr.. Bryan's solution.
IOWHTu tHe cHu VI MS Spcc'H "i.
Bryan comes to what he calls IAN easy,
honest, honorable solution Of the Phil
ippine question" 1t involves three
points:
First. to establish n stable form Of
government In the Philippine islands.
Second, to give independence to the
Filipinos.
"Third. to protect the Filipinos from
outside Interference while they work
out their destiny
The first of these propositions goes
fatty counter to the elaborate theorct-
ical argument which occupies nearly all
the space of Mr. Bryans speech. IT.,
indeed. the Filipinos possess, as he af-
firms. the absolute right to govern