The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-09-20

THE AMERICAN people are
asked by our opponents to
Il yield the sovereignty of the
United States in the Philip
pines to a small fraction of the popu-
lation. a single tribe out of eighty or
more inhabiting the archipelago, a fac
tion which wantonly attacked the
American troops in Manila while in
rightful possession under the protocol
with Spain, awaiting the ratification
of the treaty of peace by the senate,
and which has since been in active,
open rebellion against the United
States. We are asked to transfer our
sovereignty to a small minority in the
islands without consulting the majori-
ty and to abandon the largest portion
of the population, which had been
loyal to us, to the cruel ties of the
guerrilla insurgent bands. More than
this, we are asked to protect this min
ority in establishing a government,
and to this end repress all opposition
by the majority. We are required to
set up a stable government in the in
terest of those who have assailed our
sovereignty and fired upon our SOL
diers, and then maintain it at any cost
or sacrifice against its enemies with
in and against those having ambitious
designs from without.
This would require an army and
navy far larger than is now main
tanned in the Philippines and still more
in excess of what will be necessary
with the full recognition of our SOW
ereignty. A military support of auth
ority not our own as thus proposed Is
the very essence of militarism, which
our opponents in their platform op-
pose, but which by their policy would
of necessity be established in it's most
offensive form.
The American people will not make
the murderers of our soldiers the
| agents of the republic to convey the
blessings of liberty and order to the
Philippines. They will not make them
the builders of the new common
| wealth. Such course would be a be-
trayal of our sacred obligations to the
| peaceful Filipinos, and would place at
the mercy of dangerous adventurers
| the lives and property of the natives
and foreigners. 1t would make posi-
| BILE and easy the commission of such
atrocities as were secretly planned to
| be executed on the 22d of February,
| 1S99 in the city of Manila, when only
| the vigilance of our army prevented
| the attempt to assassinate our soldiers
and all foreigners and pillage and des-
| troy the city and it's surroundings.
In short, the proposition ,of those op-
posed to us is to continue all the obli-
cations in the Philippines which now
rest upon the government, only chang
ing the relation from principal, which
now exists, to that of surety. Our
| responsibility is to remain, but our
| power is to be diminished. Our obl-
| cation is to be no less but our title ID
| to be surrendered to another power,
which is without experience or train
ing or the ability to maintain a stable
| government at home and absolutely
helpless to perform it's international
obligations with the rest of the world
| To this we are opposed. We should
not yield our title while our obliga-
tions last. In the language of our
| platform, "Our authority should not
| be less than our responsibility" and
our present responsibility is to estab-
lish our authority in every part of the
islands.