River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1900-10-04
THE GREAT SHAM ISSUE.
Truth by a Georgian About the Bry-
ante 'oEey of ImDe-
rfuifsm

Since Mr.. Bryan has been telling
people everywhere that our country
paid $3.50 a head for Filipinos | have
not expected much in the shape of
solid or candid argument from him.
Only few days since, in his own
town of Lincoln. he made in speech
statement which he had made be-
fore, and which he had had time to
repent of. as follows:
THE republican party, which was
not willing that a black man should
be sold for $1,000, now claims that a
Filipino can be bought for $3.50. The
principle is exactly the same"
That statement of Mr.. Bryan's was
based on the payment of $20.000.o00 to
Spain for the Philippine islands by
the treaty of Paris He further said:
This nation had no more right. as
nation, to claim ownership of S,00o,-
600 Filipinos than one man has right
to claim ownership of another man."
This argument of his means that SOW
ereignty, or the right to maintain
law and order. carries with it owner
ship of the persons for whom laws
are made and enforced. Hence it fol-
lows, all people subject to government
are slaves. Mr.. Bryan knows that the
treaty of Paris was not a party meas
ure, for it was favored by two-thirds
of the senate. and he admits he adj
vised its ratification The policy of
this government in dealing with lite
new dependency is the outcome of
the trtaty of Paris. That treaty is
the law of the land. and to enforce
law is the duty of the American peo-
pie, regardless of party. Opposition
to it now means nothing less than dis
credit to American honor and encour-
agement of resistance to American
effort to restore order and establish
law in legally acquired American ter
ritory-territory acquired by treaty,
the ratification of which Mr.. Bryan
went out of his way to advise.
For my part, I do not intend to
agree, in the face of all evidence to
the contrary, that the American peo-
pie, or even any respectable political
party in America, is capable of MAX
ing vassals and slaves of the Filipinos,
or that the American people or any
respectable political party in my coun-
try are aiders or abettors in any
scheme of conquest. / am not apollo
giving for the republican party. The
Philippine policy is not the policy of
the republican party alone; Mr.. Bryan
does that party entirely too much
honor in giving it so much credit.
Yet, on the strength of what has been
done, and well done, and on what is
about to be done, and ought to have
been done in the Philippines, Mr..
BRYAN bases his speech of acceptance,
contending that the whole thing
means conquest, and that this coun-
try is bent on deliberate scheme
tending inevitably toward imperial
ism.
Mr.. Bryan ignores such men as Sem
ator Morgan, and pays so little re-
spect to the intelligent public as to
presume that they will join him in
an unceasing TRADE against expan-
sion, and that he can denominate as
the paramount" question the effort
of America to restore order in its le-
gally acquired possessions by sup
pressing the most groundless insur-
rection known to history. He says
the democratic platform authorizes
him to make this the paramount
question. Yes, but it must be remem-
bered that since 1896 there has been
but one democratic candidate for
president who from the outset has
been making speeches assuming that
this country was on the high road to
imperialism. The masses were indif
ferent, and did not take this as a Sc
rious matter. for they knew that the
tendency all over the world, even in
monarchies, is more liberty for the
people. In our country, where they
vote and make our laws and shape
our policy, they are not troubled
about imperialism. So the whole
thing went by default at Kansas
City, and imperialism, the bogy
Matched from the mares nest discov-
cred by Bryan, was put in the plat
form and is now gravely held up by
him as a thing of terror to brighten
the American people as so many cred
ulous children. Any democrat has a
right to protest against this sense
less issue being thrust on great his
toric party as paramount issue
merely because Mr.. Bryan, at the ex-
pense of the greatest and most glar-
ing personal inconsistency, wishes it
done.
Can it be willfulness in Mr.. Bryan
or is it due to defective reasoning in
him to ignore all evidence and reason
and contend that his country has un-
worthy purposes to make conquest of
islands and vassals of their people =?
In n nightmare of apprehension he
cries out: 81 am not willing that this
nation shall cast aside the omnipotent
weapon of physical warfare!" The
way to find out the truth as to
whether this country is Selling the
| weapon. of physical warfare in the
| Philippines is TO ascertain what wit
nesses who have investigated the
facts and know them say about it..
The most reliable witnesses are the
members of the Philippine commits
sion. That commission was composed
of democrats as well as republicans,
and some of its members were against
expansion. They were all men of
high character, acting under oath
and on honor, and of this war they
said:
"Deplorable as war is, the one in
which we are now engaged was un-
avoidable by us. We were attacked
by bold, adventurous and enthusi-
astic army. No alternative was left
us except ignominious retreat"
This statement is their verdict, and
goes into history as the truth, and
ought not to be ignored by Mr.. Bryan,
who discourses so loudly about the
''omnipotent weapon of truth" A
man having the ear of the people as
Mr.. Bryan has should respect what
Washington Irving said: knowledge
is power, and truth is knowledge;
whoever, therefore, knowingly propa-
gates prejudice willfully saps the
foundation of his country's strength"
Jonesboro. Ga. JOHN J. HUNT.
Atlanta Constitution Dem.).
UHas Mr.. Bryan observed that
what is left of Galveston has been put
under martial law? People are not
allowed to carry their own furniture
through the streets without permit