La Junta tribune., 1900-09-15
His Arguments IN !. Platform and Speech
Taken up in Light Of Reason.
THEY ARE FULL OF SELF. CONTRADICTION
An Able and Exhaustive Analysis Of Democratic Proposals
and Policies by the Conservative Editor Of The Amer>
Monthly Review Of Reviews.

lsianus. IL Is our opinion, from All we
can learn. that there has been even II
little too much eagcrnes. TO thrust
home rule upon the Filipino commune
ties in advance of their preparation 10
govern themselves efficiently. After all.
government Is as much n means as II Is
an end In itself Safety. good order.
Justice between man and man. the OPP
portunity to worship In ones own way:
the right and the chance 10 give suit
able education TO ones children: free
dom TO work and To enjoy, without fear
or danger, the fruits Of ones toll
these are the things that government
ought to accomplish. Where races OF
men have capacity for progress. there
must come q time in their evolution
when the best government for them Is
essentially popular and Democratic.
But when communities, for reasons
either temporary or of more pcrma
neDt nnture. could not possibly manage
successfully to gain for themselves the
true ends OF government by democratic
means. IL would be both stupid and
cruel to turn them loos,. upon them
selves. Thus Mr.. Bryan is right iii his
first proposition that II is somebody
clse's business. and not that OF the
Filipinos, at the outset, To stabiish i'll
the Philippine islands n stable form OF
government. This Is exactly what every
practical statesman. If In power. would
feel that he was compelled 10 attempt: !:
and Mr.. Bryan. in power, would doubt
less act like u practical STATESMAN. But
all his preambles as to the right OF the
Filipinos TO stablish their own kind OF
government. stable or unstable, good.
bad or Indifferent. would have gone
glimnering.
what Does Pbiiippine Independence Mean.
Mr.. Brynn's second proposition is TO
give Independence To the Filipinos.
But this does not really mean any
thing. because 1t Is sandwiehcd in be-
tween two other propositions. both of
which are of the nature of radical lin
itations upon Independence. To begin
with. Mr.. Bryan's Independence is not
TO be accorded until stable govern
nent has been created. He preScribes
no time for the accomplishment OF this
tnsk. and there Is no reason To suppose
that he could possibly achieve 1t In II
four years term. He would. therefore.
have TO turn II over to his successor IN
office; ana thus the realization of Phil
ippine Independence might be indcfin-
iteiy postponed. like the English evuc-
uation OF Egypt. The second and great
est limitation upon Philippine indie
pendence. however. lies In Mr.. Bryan's
third practical proposal: namely. ito
protect the Filipinos from outside in-
reference while they work ont their
destiny" This, Of course. means n per-
petunl protectorate. and II means the
assumption by us of entire RESPONSE
bility for good government In the
Philippine islands toward all other ma
tioDs of the world. For the Philippines
are open to international commerce,
and to the residence OF we'll behaved
foreigners. and we should. 10y MIR.
Bryan's program, be held responsible
under all circumstances for the con-
duct OF people whom. paradoxically.
we ourselves had recognized as an In
dependent and sovereign member of
the family OF nations. MIR. Bryan's
program, then. would have us take a
coaling station TO keep for our own.
with the understanding that stable
government that we ourselves had es-
tablished there-presumably by force,
for In no other way would an outside
nation establish stable government
in those islands would, under moral
duress. consent to the permanent loss
of an important harbor.
some Logical Conciasion..
permanent government in the Philip
pines. 1t obviously devolves upon us to
decide what constitutes such govern
ment, and the right to establish II un-
questlonabIy would involve the right
OF subsequent interference for its
maintenance. This right OF subsequent
Interference, moreover. Is unquestion-
ably involved In the duty we should
assume to protect the Philippines
against all outside interfernce: for II
protracted misgOvernment or anarchical
conditions should prevail In the Islands
than which nothing could be more
likely under Mr.. Bryanis program-the
moral sentiment of the whole civilized
world would compel us to interfere
and restore order. or else to abandon
our pretense OF protecting the Philip
pines from the interference of others.
In short, by Mr.. Bryan's program. our
policy In the Philippines IL the mainte-
nance on our part OF perpetual respon-
sibility toward the world at large. The
Republicans. on the other hand. would
say that we have TO deal only with the
present and early future. In the pres
ent they are doing JUST what Mr.. Bry-
an advocates; namely, trying their hest
to establish stable government. As
for the second proposition. which Mr..
Bryan calls the granting Of indepcnd-
ence. the Republicans would claim that
they are aiming to give the Filipinos
local autonomy. or self-government, in
their own affairs, without endeavoring
to set the islands adrift without chart
or compass as a new ship OF state.
soms Close Dlstinetsooa.
It Is hard to see what difference there
is, for really practical purposes, be-
tween that higher authority over the
Philippines that Mr.. Bryan would ex-
ercise under the guise OF a protectorate
and that responsibility which We
should more openly and directly as
sovereignty OF the Philippines and ad-
jacent waters was under the stars and