The Elk Mountain pilot., 1900-09-11

The political ghosts and hobgoblins
erected by the feverish Imagination of
Mr.. Bryan are the natural result of
oyerwork and exhaustion. His rawlings
at imaginary imperialism-which does
not eXist-are very much ike the an
tics of California horse which has
eaten weed that grows in that coun-
try called the loco weed. When an at
tempt is made to lead horse thus af
fiicted over II string in the road, he
VIII rear. plunge and refuse to step
over what undoubtedly seems to him
monster or a mountain. 1t is evident
that Mir. Bryan's political vision is
equally exaggerated with that of the
poor brute which has eaten the fatal
weed
The facts which Mr. Bryan's haiiuci-
nation distort into imperial monsters
are simply these: The United States
went to war with Spain, urged on by
the Democratic party. The popularity
of the war was such that Mr.. Bryan
joined the army aS IL patriotic duty.
and possibly to elevate himself in the
estimation of the country. The war
was successful. n treaty of pence was
entered into whereby the United States
agreed to pay S2O.Wo.OOo ana accept
the sovereignty and public property of
There was opposition to the ratification
of the treaty. AIr. Bryan came to
Washington and persuaded his Demo
cratic friends to vote for the treaty.
and il was through his influence that
the treaty WAS finally ratified. 1t then
became the duty of the United States
to maintain law and order, and protect
the lives and property of all residents
of the islands. whether native or for
eign born. The United States, at the
time of the ratification of the treaty,
held military possession of Manila. and
Immediately after such ratification as
sumed the sovereignty of the Islands.
The people of the United States, and
came entitled to the vast commerce of
the Pacific ocean. of which the Phil
lppines furnish the key.
One Aguinaldo. whose political des-
tiny is the leading factor in the Bryan
campaign. had raised II rebellion in
Ilzon against Spain before the COM
mencement of the Spanish war with
the United States. This adventurer had
sold out or settled his rebellion wi.l
Spain for S4OO.OOo before Dewey set
sail irr Manila and as Il part of the
bargain with Spain Aguinaldo had
agreed to leave the islands and never
return. Dewey took the wiley agitator
back to the Islands. supposing. as II
matter of course. that Aguinaldo would
naturally be an enemy of Spain and "A
friend to the United States. In this
Admiral Dewey was mistaken. Aguin-
aldo, as soon as he landed on his ma
tive soil. organized rebellion against
the United States, which would have
been of little consequence If he had not
been able to obtain aid and comfort In
this country. An organization was
formed in the United States called the
Anti-Imperialist League, which has
for the last two years-co-operated
with Agunaldo's Tagal junta, with
Headquarters at Hong Kong, to supply
literature and materials for war for
Aguinaldo. President Mckinley had no
authority to buy out Agunaldo's re
bellion against the United States, but
was bound by the treaty (Which was
the supreme law of the land) to main
tain law and order and protect life and
property in the islands. 1t required Il
large army and the expenditure of hun
dretle of millions of dollars to put down
Aguinaldo's rebellion.
The assistance and encouragement he
received from the ti-lmperialist
League and the enemies of the United
States, both mt home and abroad. made
his barbarous and irregular war bloody
and expensive. Congress, however,
made all necessary appropriations, pro
yiding the executive with men ana
money to maintain the authority of the
United States in the Philippines. The
so-called Anti-Imperialists declared
that the policy pursued by the govern
nent to put down rebellion and main
tain law and order in all the territories
of the United States. without regard to
the time when such territories were ac-
ouired, was imperialism" and that
any use of the army to maintain law
and order-however necessary-as
.'militarism." although aid and COM
fort to rebels in arms against the Unit
cd States was maintaining the prin-
ciples of the Declaration of lndepend-
euce."
Mr.. Bryan's unparalleled campaign
for the principles of the Chicago plat
form, and his insistence upon the adop-
ton Of that pla tform ut Kansas CITY,
induced the people to suppose the cam