Willmar tribune., 1900-10-20

ul'1ous, dnu let US nave men IN power
who are honestly determined to accom-
plish that end, and the difficulties will
rapidly diminish. OF course, the Phil
.ippines will not have an ideal repub-
lican government. We have not, for
that matter. But let US honestly try
together, and they can get an inde-
pendent government as good as that
OF Mexico, and better than those of
most of the South American republics.
They would probably have such a
government now had we not perfdi-
ously drowned it in blood.
The fine pretense that we must sub
jugate them in order to teach and
secure to them honest government is
perhaps not as proudly Insisted upon
today as it was a month ago. It is
not too much to say that the recent
disclosures in Cuba have advertised
our disgrace in that respect to the
whole world more glaring1y than it
had ever been advertised before Nor
can we flatter ourselves with the be-
lief that the Cuban instance is an iso-
lated one. Some time ago General
Otis issued an order against evil prac-
tlces in our administration of things
in the Philippines which clearly indi-
Gated that our service there was hon
eycombed with corruption.
Neither is this surprising. My off,
cial experience in the conduct of
Indian affairs, as secretary of the
interior, taught me some pertinent
lessons. Why is it 80 especially diff
cult to prevent corrupt practices in
the Indian agencies? For two reasons:
First, because these officers are COM
paratively far removed from the OBJ
servation of the government and of
the public; and secondly, because a
good many of our people have very
little regard for the rights and inter-
ests of so-called inferior races, and
consider cheating and robbing such
races as a privilege of the superior
being.
TO such men the Philippine islander
is only a ''nigger, and the Cuban
and Porto Rican but little better: and
finding themselves in the transmarine
dependencies, much farther away from
governmental and public observation
than even an Indian agent is, they
will always be apt to regard these de-
Tendencies as fair fields for plunder-
ing operations. The idea that our
colonial service will become SEM
mary of political virtue is, therefore,
a highly grotesque one. Most of the
rascalities practiced there we shall.
on account of the distance. never
know. But in all probability enough
will become known to produce an in
conceivably mischievous effect upon
the natives, and to expose this repub-
lie to the ridicule and contempt of
mankind.
It would require the strictest kind of
civil service system, covering all po-
sltlons, and most rigorous enforce
ment of it, to counteract such tenden-
cles and temptations. How much OF
such system we may expect from an
administration which, in spite of the
solemn pledges and protestations of
it's party and of the president himself,
has so much demoralized the system
which already exists by opening all
sorts OF facilities in it to the invasion
of spoils politics, I leave you to
Judge.
On the whole, that pharisaical can,
which was used to envelop this wicked
and wantOn war Of terminal aggres-
sion" against the Filipinos in the
guise of humanitarian purpose has
very much subsided. 1t could no,
stand against the facts in the case.
The declaration of the administration
leader in the house of representatives
that we want to make all the money we
can out of the Philippines, and the
equally brutal appeals of greed pu
forth by the Denbys and Beveridges
are by this time generally taken to re-
veal the true spirit of the enterprise
Now, I am myself very much il
favor OF the very largest possible ex.
pansion Of our commerce by legiti
mate means. But must we to lat enc
repudiate the high principles, ideals
and traditions Of the great American
republic, and commit the yillainy o
betraying our allies, and slaughter
untold thousands of innocent people
who only stand up for the principles
: to which we ourselves owe our ma
> tional existence?
[ have time and again publicly cha
lenged the imperialists to deny tn
fact that we might have had in tn,
Philippines for the mere asking al
: the coaling stations and commercial
facilities, and all the civ]izing agen
cies, and all the so-called "footholds
for our Asiatic trade we may reasona
: bly, desire, if we had treated the Phil
innino iSlan1ors ino%11y m he;