The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-09-11

LAYING full peace in the archipelago and
the establishment of civil governments,
and has influenced many OF the 1nsur-
gents against accepting the liberal terms
of amnesty offered by General Macarthur
under my direction. But for these false
homes a considerable reduction could
have been had in military establishment
in the Philippines, and the realization of
a stable government would be already
at hand.
NO IDEA OF GIVING THEM UP.
The American people are asked by our
opponents to yield the sovereignty of the
United States in the Philippines to
small fraction of the population, single
tribe out Of eighty or more inhabiting the
archipelago, a fraction which wantonly
attacked the American troops in Manila
while in rightful possession under the
protocol with SPAIN awaiting the ratifl-
cation Of the treaty of peace by the Sen
ate, and which has since been inactive,
open rebellion against the United States.
We are asked to transfer our sovereignty
to small minority in the islands with
out consulting the majority and to aban-
don the largest portion of the popula-
ti0n, which has been loyal to us, to the
cruelties of the guerilla insurgent bands.
More than this, we are asked to protect
this minority in establishing a govern
ment and to this end repress all opposi-
rtion Of the majority. We are required to
set up a stable government in the inter
est of those who have assailed our SOW
ereignty and fired upon our soldiers, and
then maintain it at any cost or sacrifice
against it's enemies within and against
those having ambitious designs from
without
This would require an army and navy
far larger than is now maintaining the
Philippines and still more in excess of
what will be necessary with the full rec
ognition of our sovereignty. A military
support of authority not our own as thus
proposed is the very essence of miltar-
ism, which our opponents in their plat
form oppose, but which by their policy,
would of necessity be established IN Its
most offensive form.
The American people will not make the
murderers of our soldiers the agents OF
the Republic to convey the blessings o.
liberty and order to the Philippines. They
will not make them the builders of the
new commonwealth. Such a course would
be a betrayal 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 possible and
easy the commission of such atrocities az
were secretly planned, to be executed on
the 22nd of February, 1899, in the city Of
Manila, when only the vigilance Of our
army prevented the attempt tC) assassi-
nate our soldiers and all foreigners and
pillage and destroy the city and it's sur
roundings. In short, the proposition of
those opposed to us is to continue all the
obligations in the Philippines which now
rest upon the Government, only changing
the relation from principal, which now
exists, to that of surety. Our responsible
ity is to remain, but our power is to be
diminished. Our obligation is to be no
less, but our title is to be surrendered to
another power, which is without exper-
fence or training, or the ability to main
tain a stable government at home and
absolutely helpless to perform its inter
national obligations with the rest of the
world. To this we are opposed We
should not yield our title while our obi
cations last In the language of our
platform, "Our authority should not be
less than our responsibility" and our
present responsibility is to establish our
authority in every part of the islands.
OPPOSED TO A PROTECTORATE.
No government can so certainly pre-
serve the peace, restore public order,
establish law, justice and stable condi-
lions as ours. Neither Congress nor the
Executive can establish stable govern
ment in these islands except under our
right of sovereignty our authority, and
our flag. And this we are doing.
We could not do it as a protectorate
power so completely or so successfully
as we are doing it now. AS the sover-
eign power we can initiate action and
shape means to ends, and guide the Fill
pinos to self-development and self-gov-
eminent. AS a protectorate power we
could not initiate action, but would be
compelled to allow and uphold a people
with no capacity yet to go alone. In the
one case we can protect both ourselves
and the Filipinos from being involved in
dangerous complications: in the other we
could not protect even the Filipinos until
after their trouble had come Besides, if
we cannot establish any government of
ours without the consent of the governed.
as our opponents contend, we could not
establish a stable government for them
like consent, and neither the majority
of the people nor minority of the peo-
pie have invited us to assume it. We
could not maintain a protectorate even
with the consent of the governed with