Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1900-01-12
TIM ADMINISTRATIONS DEFENSE.


chosen spokeman, young Beveridge, Of
Indiana, who carefully prepared his
oration, submitted to the president and
members of the cabinet and rehearsed
it in private before trying it on the
senate. The Beveridge defense may be
accepted as the belt that the admins
tration can present. If so the cause is
What will most impress the reader
of Beveride's grafton in defense of the
administration is that he makes no
mention whatever Of the events lead
ing up to the determination of the ad-
ministration to seize the islands of the
Philippine archipelago and thus pre-
cipitate war. Star ting out with an
assertion that "theptimes call for can
DOR he indulges in flow Of rhetorical
insincerity worthy of the best efforts
of the president himself. He deals in
platitudes only, in meaningless gener-
alities, in hypocritical assumptions and
downright Misrepresentation of pat
riotic American soldiers and civilians
The administration defense is first
that the Philippine archipelago ought
to be ours because it is to be our profit
to have the islands. But Beveridge
does not claim that the islands are of
themselves valuable. Just beyond the
Philippines are China's illimitable
markets." says Beveridge. 1.-The Pa
citic is our ocean. Where shall we
turn for consumers of our surplus?
Geography answers the question.
China is our natural consumer" So it
is for trade that we have purchased
an acknowledgement trade with the
millions of the ocean republic, but
trade with continental empire thou
sand miles removed therefrom.
Here is the voice of Imperialism un-
bridled:
And the Pacific is the ocean of the
commerce of the future. Most future
wars will be conflicts for commerce.
The power that rules the Pacific there
fore is the power that rules the world,
and, with the Philippines, that power
is and will forever be the American
republic. .:
All, that is the dream of empire that
the administration hopes to hold be-
fore the people to dazzle their eyes and:
befudGle their brains! We will rule
the world! Ours will be the greatest
power the world has ever known!
Some day president will sigh be-
cause there are no more worlds to con-
quer. Happy dream-greatness, world
power, oceans and continents ac-
knowledglng our sway. Glory, glory,
glory! .-:
Aud how is this 10 be done. Bev-
eridge tells the administrator view
of the matter. The military campaign,
be said, has been as perfect as possible
with the force at hand, but
A lasting peace can be secured only
by overwhelming forces in ceasaless
action until universal and absolutely
final defeat is infected on the enemy.
Our mistake has not been cruelty; it
has been kindness. 1t has been the ap-
DDS appropriate to New England.
In short, the administration plan
is to do just what Lieut.. Gilmore says
must be done before there can be
peace, annihilate the Filipino people.
Beveridge confesses for the admins
tration a failure, and declares that fail
ure was due to the fact that we did not
have sufh cient army to slaughter all
the people aspiring to independence.
Our weakness, then, not their courage,
has prolonged the war. What does he
suggest. Simply that there shall be
more bloodshed, more slaughter, the
armies of the republic aping the meth
DDS Of imperial forces. The admins
tration wants the peace of the grave
for those whose only crime is love of
liberty
Mr.. Beveridge, forgetful of the fact
that more than a year throughout
paractically the entire archipelago the
natives maintainee q government of
their own, brands the Filipinos as
'.chil6ren," and utterly incapable of
self government" and so our govern
ment there must be simple and strong.
"You cannot teach the Filipino by pre-
cept," he declared. IAN object lesson
is the only lesson he comprehends.
There must be no promise whatever of
the franchise until the people have been
prepared for it,
How prepared? By crushing out
their hopes, their aspirations, their in
dependence, denying to them the fruits
of their glorious victory over their old
time enemy, and refusing to give them
even beggarly share in the self gov
ernment we have proclaimed to be the
right of all men.
The remainder of Beveridse's ora
tion is given up to trying to make i,
appear that the American people are
''chosen of God" to regenerate the
world, and that God has "made us