Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-11-05
Confusing the Real Question.

The suDerstructure of eloquence in Bry-
ans Indianapolis speech and in subsequent
feryid ant-imperialsm oratory is built
upon "A defective foundation. 1t is based
upon the assumption that the national pol
icy toward The Philippines is novel. start
ling. violating all American precedents and
principles and a result threatening the
overthrow of the republic and the substitu-
ton OF the empire in it's place.
If the issue were that of the practical
worldly wisdom of the annexation of the
Philippines the embarrassment and difficult
ties Of attempting to administer from
Washington the affairs of several millions
of Asiatics on the other side of the world
would be entitled to the fullest and most
thoughtful consideration. But on the i'm
perialism issue they have nothing to do
with the case.
The distance Of the Philippines is not to
be viewed as a trademark of unaccuStomed
Imperialism after the annexation of vast,
non-contiguous Alaska, stretching far
nearer to the Asiatic mainland than the
Philippines. Louisiana in 1903 was not as
near in point of time to Washington as the
Philippines today. Senator White in 1904
spoke OF our new acquisitions as removed
to the immense distance of two to three
thousand miles from the capital of the
Union where they will scarcely ever feel
the rays of the general government"
The number OF the Filipinos is irrelevant
| when a principle is at stake. To buy hum
bred men like cattle and govern them with
out their consent is az offensive In principle
as to treat similarly a thousand or a mil
lion men.
Distance from the mainland of insular
territory belonging to the United States and
density of dark-skinned population residing
thereon render more difficult and expensive
| the task OF giving good and stable govern
ment TO these islands, and strengthen the
negative side of the argument upon the
sordid question: "Win expansion pay?"
| These items of loss and expense are to be
| compared with and balanced against the
| profits to American commerce in expanded
Asiatic trade enjoyed by the cotton-grow-
| ing area of the south, the kerosene produc-
| ing and manufacturing east, the wheat
! growing. four-grinding and silver-produc-
| ing west and the Pacific coast with its vast
| ly enlarged markets for general supplies
| But this is not the sort Of issue which can
be declared paramount to free silver and
| free trade. To push into the background
these issues, 80 fun Of promise, or of menace,
according to the point of view, some burn
Ing. vital question must appear. which shall
| put the man far above the dollar
whether gold or silver, that the latter may
| be ignored. and which by menacing the ma
| tional life shall justify the dropping of all
| other business to dispose Of it. as men
| leave their work. however important, with
| out hesitation. when their house Is afire
in order TO extinguish the flames. In re-
| Spouse TO this need of the hour there Is
| ey olved the issue of imperialism! 1t is no
| longer merely question of the practical
| wisdom of constructing certain annex for
the national house. The whole structure is
afire; the Constitution and the Declaration
| Of Independence are in flames: the republic
| is about to be d Astroyed! Awake We sleep
| ers. and turn or. the hose of Organism or
your most precious possessions, your liber-
ties and perhaps your lives, will be lost!
| The question obscured in the anti-im-
| perialism cloud, which really troubles many
Americans, is. as already indicated. that of
the wisdom of lis particular expansion:
| whether the practical difficulties and the
cost of regulating numerous and distant
Asiatics residing In the tropics will permit
this task to be performed by comparatively
| inexperienced Americans with a net profit
to us In the development given to our own
| foreign trade and in the greater security of
our Asiatic missionaries and the increased
effectiveness Of their labors.
| II 1t is conceivable that q decision Of this
practical business question might in the
end favor abandonment Of the islands, the