The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-02-05
SENATOR DAVIS, ASSURANCE.


treaty has been accomplished only after
the country had succeeded in forcing
from the lips Of the imperiaist admin
istration the disavowal of all imperiaiistic
purposes in the accomplishment of the
undertaking involved.
Senator Davis was the spokesman Of the
administration on the occasion His Ian
guage plainly indicates two things: that,
strong an imperialist as he has appeared
to be since his connection with the Paris
treaty, he fully realizes the suspicion with
which the imperialist policy is regarded,
and that it would be a wholly unpleasant
task for him to make a similar announce
ment with some other of our new pos
sessions"
OF course Senator Davis does not offer
any solution Of the riddle as to why, IL
the unspeakable savages Of the island OF
Tutuila are proper subjects of a govern
ment of their own-a government which,
to Use the senator's language, is there,
and which belongs to the people of the
island and is of their own nlaking'-the
slightly less unspeakable savages of the
corresponding government. 81 assure the
senators there is no change in the status
of the island or the people, and there Is
no intention to annex the island" says
Senator Davis.
This is well. Coming from the senior
senator from Minnesota, who is not
known to have as yet become inoeulated
by the virus of dallying with the truth
for the deception of the American people
which courses so joyously through the
veins of the ordinary henchman of i'm
as offered in good faith There is some
times difference in point of the CREDIBLE
ity of a given statement according to the
personality of the spokesman. If, for in
stance, the president Of the United States
had himself given the assurance, plain
people would have to be pardoned, in
view of his criminal aggression" refer
ence, if they needed some salt to make
the flavor of its truth apparent.
The riddle Of imperialist policy which
Senator Davis assurance suggests still
Tutuila, in the Samoan group any better
fitted for self-government, for instance,
than the natives of the island of Luzon,
in the Philippine group? Is there any
larger proportion of them who know any
thing about free government than there
is, for instance, according to Senator Bev-
eridge, of the natives of the Philippines?
1t has taken an expenditure of something
like soc, 00o, 900 to verify the statements of
Senator Beverage and other oracles of
imperialism regarding the Philippines,
and the indications all are that, if we
keep on in our present course, it will take
many hundred millions additional to test
the question effectual1y.
1t is gratifying, of course to learn that
we have gotten out of an ugly snarl in
the Samoan islands which we got into bv
ignoring Washingtons old-fogy notions of
entangling alliances. And the way out
which has been shown us through this
Samoan incident is Of considerable value
If we but heed it. What we have secured
in the island OF Tutuila is in principle all
that we need in the Philippines, for the
promotion of our commerce with the
Orient. and for the convenience of our
ships of war in the East. But 1t will very
evidently require more convincing argu-
! ments than have yet been brought home
to the promoters at Washington before
they can be made to see the wisdom Of
such view.