The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-09-26
THE PHILIPPINES.
Mr.. Bryan's Plan of Government Dis
sected and Found to BE Detective.

THE PHILIPPINES.
Mr.. Bryan's Plan of Government Dis
sectcd and Found to BE Defective.
Consider. now. the opposition's proposed
method of procedure in the Philippines: 1t
is TO establish a stable government there.
turn that government over TO the Filipinos.
and protect them and their government
from molestation by any other nation. 1t
is thus admitted that we must establish
a stable government" If we establish
stable government we must see that that
stable government is maintained. For IL
we are not going to take care that this
stable government, which the opposition
says we must establish. is kept stable, why
should we establish it? If the government
we establish ceases TO be stable and after
We turn it over to the Filpinos, how can
we prevent interference by other nations.
the lives and properties of whose citizens
would be imperiled and destroyed unless
we re-enter and restore the governments
stability? Establish government Why
should We? Have the Filipinos asked us TO
| establish government" for them? How
does Mr.. Bryan know that the filipinos
will let us establish government Tor
them? Has he information on this subject
which the American people have not?
Suppose the opposition'S plan in opera
ton. Suppose satisfactory government Is
established, turned over to the Ftlipinos
and American troops Withdrawn. The new
government would experience feuds, fac
tons and revolution. This is the history or
every new government 1t was so even
with the American people. Witness Shays
rebellion against the national government,
almost shaking its foundations; witness the
whisky rebellion in Pennsylvania, which
required the first exercise of armed national
power to maintain order with state OF
the Union. And we were OF a self-govern-
Ing race-at that period we were almost
wholly Anglo-Saxon. How can we expect
the Philippine Malays TO escape this COM
mon fate of all new governments?
If the American government has been on
the point of dissolution by reason OF In
ternal disturbance, how dare We conclude
that the Filipinos. those children of sedi-
ton, schooled in the practices of revolution
against authority. would not resist and
rend in pieces their own government? Re-
member that they are Malays. Remem-
Der inst, as a race, they have not that
civil cohesion which binds a people into
nation. RemSmber that every island is en-
vious of every other one; and that in each
island every officer is a general, jealous or
his dignity, intriguing for advancement.
How long would this stable government.
which the opposition asks us to establish,
remain stable, If we withdraw our forces!
And If resistance broke out in the Visayas,
If revolt sprang into flame among the
murderous Moros, what would be our duty
1t would be TO re-enter where we had
withdrawn and restore the stability of the
government which the opposition declares
that We shall establish before we with
draw. And SO the opposition programme
constantly defeats itself and compcis us
to do over and over again the work which
we must perform at the beginning And all
this without benefit to the Philippine peo-
pie, without Improvement to their lands
and with unreasonable loss to ourselves
recouped not from single source of profit.
| But the American flag floating there Tor
| ever means not only established liberty,
but permanent stability.
PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT BONDS.
| If you deny the probability of the dis
| ruption by the Filipinos themselves of this
| stable government which the opposition
| says we must establish and hand over to
| them, you dispute the uniform testimony
| of history. And if you dispute history, con-
| slider examples of our own time. Govern
ments must have money. That is their first
| necessity; money for salaries. money for
| the army, money for public buildings
money for improvements. Before the rev.
| enues are established, the government
| must have money. If the revenues are in
| adequate, nevertheless the government
| must have money. Therefore, all govern
| ments are borrowers. Even the govern
| nient of the American people-the richest
people of history-is a borrower; and under
| William Mckinley its bonds have become
| the most sought for securities in the world.
| Even the government of the British peo-
pie, who for centuries have been accumu-
/ lating wealth. must borrow; its bonds are
| In our own bank vaults. Much more. then.
must little governments borrow money. III,
then, we establish stable government"
| as the opposition demands, and turn that
government over to the Filipinos, they must
also borrow money.
| But suppose the Philippine government
| cannot pay its debt when it falls due, as
| has been the case in many instances on our
| own continent within the last quarter of
| century; as is the case to-day with one
of the governments of Central America.
| If that loan is an English loan, England
would seize the revenues of the Philip
| pines for the payment of her debt as she
| has uone before and Is doing now. So
would France or Germany or whoever was
| the creditor nation. Would we have a
right to interfere? OF course not, unless
| We were willing to guarantee the Philip
| pine debt. If, then, the first purpose of
| the opposition candidate is carried out,
| we must: Keep stable government which
| we first establish, or the very purpose of
4 the esta Adjustment of that government Is
| defeated. If the second proposition OF the
opposition is performed, we must: First,
| control the finances of the Philippines per-
petually; or, second, guarantee the loans
| the Philippines government makes with
| other nations; or, third, go TO war with
| those nations to defeat their collection Of
| their just debts.
| Is this sound policy? Is it profitable?
| Is it moral? Is it just to the Fiipinos, to
| the world, to ourselves? Is IL humane TO
| the masses of those children who need
1 first of all, and more than ALL order, law
| and peace? Is it prudent, wise, far-seeing
| craftsmanship? And does the adoption of
/ similar course in Cuba justify il in the
| Philippines? Here is the programme of
/ reason and righteousness, and time and
| events will make it the programme of the
| Republic:
| First-We have given Porto Rico such a
| civil government as her situation demands,
| under the stars and stripes
| Second-We will put down the rebellion
| and then give the Philippines such civil
| government as the situation demands un-
| der the stars and stripes.
| Third-We are regenerating Cuba, and
| when our preparatory work is done, we
| should have given Cuba such civil gov
/ eminent as her situation may demand,
| under the stars and stripes.
The sovereignty of the stars and stripes
| can be nothing but blessing to any peo-
1 pie and TO any land.