New Iberia enterprise. (New Iberia, La.) 1885-1902, 1900-10-20

the American people should not
by their votes, approve the wrong
, full acts by keeping those who have
, done them in the name of the re.
} public in places of power, thus en-.
couraging them to 60 on, but should
, stamp the wrong done and the
, wrongdOers with the most emphatic
vote of condemnation. We should
put in their places others that re-
cognize the wrong done and are
willing to repair it. The American
: people should then insist that the
government of this republic should
do all in its power, instead of slaugh-
tering those who fight for their
freedom and independence, to assist
them in forming an independent
government of their own, and take
such measures to protect them
against foreign interference as may
be required. In one word, we should
simply do for them what we have
promised to do for the people of
Cuba. This is what the plain duty
of the American people demand-a
duty of honor and of patriotism.
1t is said that this sort of protec-
tOrate would involve us in enormous
responsibilities which it would re-
quire tremendous army and navy
to sustain President Mckinley is
quite pathetic on this point. Why,
he seems not to be aware that I'M
der the Monroe doctrine we have
for more than half century ex-
ercised just that sort of protectorate
over our southern neighbors, simply
letting the old world powers know
that while we are not responsible
for any internal troubles, or any
international obligations Of those
neighbors, and foreign powers may
enforce such obligations by all pro-
per means, we insist that in doing
so they must stop short of infring
ing on our neighbors' territorial
integrity or independence. Has that
sort of protectorate ever burdened
us with heavy and complicated re-
sponsibilities requiring an enorm-
GUS army or navy' And why should
the application of the same rule to
the Philippines be more burden
some' 1t is a childish pretense.
1t is said that before all things
we must establish ORDER What
kind of order are we seeking to
establishl It is our sovereignty,
our arbitrary rule under the name
of order, for which we have already
killed more human beings than the
bloody Spaniards killed there in
all the instructions of this century.
It is the kind of order that Louis
Napoleon established in Paris when
he shot down those who resisted
him in destroying the constitution
of the French republic, and in
transforming the republic into an
empire. The speediest and surest
way to establish order is to give
full assurance to the Philippine
islanders that their right to indie
pendence will be recognized. There
is no reason for doubling that the |
fighting will quickly cease and that
the Philippines and our troops will
then heartily cooperate in quelling
disturbances, if, indeed, any should
arise, and that the same conditions
of peace and order would prevail
there which we now, under the
same assurance, witness in Cuba.
Lastly, it is said that if we volnn-
tarily give up the subjugation of
the Philippines we shall lose our
prestige in the world. All, yes
We shall, indeed, lose our prestige
with the land robbers; our prestige
with the oppressors of weak peo-
pies; our prestige with the swash-
bucklers who are constantly spoil
ing for fight; our prestige with |
the scoffers at democratic institu-
tions our prestige with the devotees
of despotic rule. Yes, with them
our prestige will be irretrievably |
gone. We shall even be in danger
of being regarded the world over
as an honest people; as just,
generous, noble and liberty-loving
people; as a people Of such moral
greatness that in spite of the in
toxicating seductiveness of victory
it may be counted on always to
listen to its conscience, and to over
come all false pride in repairing a
wrong done, and in vindicating its
high principle; people so truthful
that its word can always be be-
lieved; people SO upright that the
powers of the world will feel in
stinctively inclined to trust it as
the safest general arbiter in the
peaceful adjustment Of their diff
ferences. Here are the two kinds
OF prestige, one Of which we may
lose, and the other Of which we may
win Americans nrOud Of vOur