Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1900-08-10

uion to secure favors from the govern
ment.
Policy in the Philippines.
In taking up the Philippine question
Mr.. Bryan denied the assertion :of Re,
publican leaders that the Qpppsitio,,
WAS wrong AZ nritici1ing the president
during the Ia existence of war and
charged them With not meeting the
issue squarely. Referring to the ratif3.
cation Of the treaty with Spain he said:
!. was among the number Of those who
believed it better to ratify the treaty and
eud the war, release the volunteers, re-
move tho excuse for war expenditures,
and then giv~ to the Philippines the inde-
pendence whioh might be forced from
Spain by - new treaty. In view Of the
criticism which my action aroused In
some quarters take this occasion to
restate the reasons given at that time. 1
thought it safer to trust the American
people to give independence to the Fill
pinos than to trust the accomplishment
of that purpose to diplomacy with an un-
friendly nation. The title Of Spain being
extinguished we were ut liberty to deal
with the Filipinos according to American
principles. The Bacon resolution, intro
auced IL month before hostilities broke
out ut Manila, promised Independence to
tho Filipinos on the Same terms that 1t
was promised to the Cubans. supported
this resolution and believe that its adop-
tion prior to the breaking out of hostil-
tiles would have prevented bloodshed,
and that it's adoption ut ANY subsequent
time would have ended hostilities. .
Must Expect Filipinos to Revolt.
If it ia right for the United States to
hold the Philippine islands permanently
and initiate European empires In the gov
crnment of colonies the Republican party
ought to state it's position and defend it,
but it must expect tho subject races to
protest against such u policy and to resist
to the extent Of their ability. The Fill
pinos do not need any encouragement
from Americans now living. Our whole
history has been an encouragement, not
only to the Fi!ipinos but to all who are
denied a voice in their own government.
If it were possible to obliterate every
word written or spoken in defense Of the
principles set forth in the Declaration of
Independence war Of conquest would
still leave it's legacy Of perpetual hatred,
for it was God himself who placed in
every human heart the love Of hbarty.
He never made u race Of people so low In
the scale of civilization or intelligence
that it would welcome foreign master.
Mr.. Bryan charged the Republicans
with seeking to confuse expansion with
imperialism and quoted Jefferson to
show that conquest is un-American.
What the Democratic party objected to
was the Selling Of distant territory and
the large standing army necessary to
support an imperial policy.
Future status OF the Filipino.
Mr.. Bryan said the Republican plat
form assumed that the Philippine
islands will be retained under Ameri.
can sovereignty and the people had a
right to demand whether the Filipino
was to be citizen or a subject. The
Democratic platform, he said, held that
the Flipinos could not become citizens
without endangering our civilization
and that they could not be made SUBJ
jects without endangering our form OF
government. Continuing, he said:
The Republican platform says that
''the largest measure Of self-government
consistent with their welfare and our du-
ties shall be secured to them (the Filipi-
nos) by law" This is q strange doctrine
for . government which owes its very ex-
istence to tho men who offered their lives
~ . protest against government without
aonaont and tAJeet30n without TenreSoDtas