Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1900-08-17

race or races to which they belonged.
Congress. by a practically unanimous
vote, declared that the principles
enunciated in Philadelphia in l776
were still alive and applicable to the
Cubans.
Who will draw line between the
natural rights of the Cubans and the
Filipinos? Who will say that the for
mer have right to liberty and the
latter have no rights which We are
bound to respect?
GOVERNMENT WITHOUT CONSENT.
And if the Filipinos care and OF
right ought to be free and independ.
ent." what right have we to force our
government upon them without their
consent? Before our duty can be as
certained, and when their rights are
once determined, it is as much our
duty to respect these rights as it was
the duty of Spain to respect the rights
of the people of Cuba, or the duty of
England to respect the rights OF the
American colonists. Rights never
conflict; duties never clash. Can it
be our duty to usurp political rights
which belong to others? Can it, be
our duty to kill those who, following
the example of our forefathers, love
liberty we'll enough to fight for its
Some writer has described the terror
which overcame soldier who, in the
midst of battle, discovered that he had
slain his brother. 1t is written:
GAIL ye are brethren. Let us hope
for the coming of the day when hu-
man life-which when once destroyed
cannot be restored-will be so sacred
that it will never be taken except
when necessary to punish crime al.
ready committed or to prevent
crime about to be committed.
Ii it is said that we have assumed
before the world obligations which
make it necessary for us to perma-
nently maintain government in the
Philippine islands, reply, first. that
the highest obligation of this nation
is to be true to itself. No obligation
to any particular nation, or to all ma
tions combined, can require the aban-
donment of our theory of government
and the substitution of doctrines
against which our whole national life
has been a protest. And, second, that
our obligations to the Filipinos who
inhabit the islands are greater than
any obligation which we can owe to
foreigners who have temporary resi-
dence in the Philippines, or desire to
trade there.
QUOTES DEWEY FOR AUTHORITY.
1t is argued by some that the Fill
pinos are incapable OF self-government,
and that, therefore, we owe it to the
world to take control of them. Ad-
miral Dewey, in an official report to
the Navy Department., declared the
Filipinos more capable of self.govern-
ment than the Cubans, and said that
he based his opinion upon knowl-
edge of both races. But 1 will not
rest the case upon the relative ad-
vancement Of the Filipinos. Henry
Clay, in defending the rights of the
people OF South America to self-gov-
ernment, said:
alt is the doctrine of thrones that
man is too ignorant to govern HIM
self. Their partisans assert his inca.
pacity in reference to all nations; if
they cannot command universal assent
to the proposition it is then remanded
to particular nations; and our pride
and our presumption too often make
converts of us. 1 contend that it is to
arraign the disposition of Providence
Himself to suppose that He has Great
ed beings incapable of governing
themselves, and to be trampled on by
kings. Self-government is the natu-
raj government of man."
Clay was right. There are degrees
OF prominency in the art of self.gov-
ernment, but it is reflection upon
the Creator to say that He denied to
any people the capacity OF self.govern-
ment. Once admit that some people
are capable of self-government and
others are not, and that the capable
people have right to seize upon and
govern the incapable, and you make
force-brute force-the only founda.
ton of government and invite the
reign of the despot. / am not willing
to believe that an allwise and ALLOW
ing God created the Filipinos and
then left them thousands of years
helpless until the islands attracted the
attention OF European nations.
MAINTENANCE OF THE FLAG.
Republicans ask:
"Shall we haul down the flag that
floats over our dead in the Philip
pines?"
The same question might have been
asked when the American flag hoated
over Chapultepec and waved over the
dead who fell there; but the tourist
who visits the City of Mexico finds
there y national cemetery owned BY
the United States, and cared for by an
American citizen. Our flag still floats
over our dead, but when the treaty
with Mexico was signed, American au-
thority withdrew to the Rio Grande
and l venture the opinion that during
the last fifty years the people of Mexi.
co have made more progress under the
osihioAuS Vi uuCpcHucIiCc duU sell. gov
ernment than they wouldhave made.
under carpet-bag government held
In place by bayonets. The United
States and Mexico, friendly Republics,
are each stronger and happier than
they would have been had the former
been cursed and the latter crushed by
an imperialistic policy, disguised as
benevolent assimilation"
"Can we not govern colonies?" we
are asked. The question is not what
we can do, but what we ought to do.
This nation can do whatever it desires
to do, but it must accept responsible
ty for what it does. If the constitu.
tion stands in the way the people can
amend the constitution. l repeat, the
nation can do whatever it desires to
do, but it cannot avoid the constitu-
tional and legitimate results of its own
conduct. The young man, upon
reaching his majority, can do what he
plpaspS He can disrauorI tho foo oh