Cañon City record., 1900-09-13
some INCONSISTENCIES OF THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE

world when We ratified the peace
treaty that Mr.. Bryan himself declared
we ought to ratify? II Mr.. Mckinley
should take this alternative course.
and give up the campaign early in
November-thus in the only practical
way connecting independence to the
Fiiipfnos-by what means would Mr.
Bryan break his way again into those
islands In order to establish the "sta-
BILE government" which he says it
would be his first task to set up?
The Only Practical Way to Grant Inde-
Pendence.
Is 1t not time to come down out of
the clouds of theoretical reasoning
about the inalienable rights of man, in
order TO look plainly at the actual sit
uation! We have been fighting III the
Philippines for a year and a half; and
we must deal with the situation as we
ind 1t In the end. rather than at the
beginning OF that period. In contests
OF this kind, it is customary for one
side or the other 10 win. We can ad-
NIT ourselves worn out, and therefore
practically defeated by the Filipino
insurgents, and in pursuance OF such
confession We can acknowledge their
Independence and withdraw exactly
as the British withdrew from this
country In 1883. In that case. nothing
could be more absurd than to make the
condition that we should stay by. es-
tablish stable form of government,
withdraw when we saw fit, keep. per-
manent possession of the principal har-
Dor. and then maintain permanent
protectorate George Washington did
not deal with the British on any such
basis as that If, indeed, we have
a m faE In he
pines, and II we have no right or bust
ness to be there. and IL AguInaldo is
another George Washington, and IL the
Fslipiuos are eminently capable of self
government. then Mr.. Bryan reasons to
a most unsuitable conclusion. We
should acknowledge our position in the
philippines TO be morally and physical
ly incapable of maintenance. and
should make a treaty of peace under
which we should withdraw complete
ly. acknowledging the Independence of
the Ffiipinos, giving them as their due
and proper right the public property
that re took from Spain. and claiming
nothing whatever from them in return
We should leave the Philippines as
Spain has left the West Indies.
The Proprsette. Of the Case.
Under those circumstances. to ask
thEth ~ Eitt us u IlaIDtr anu coming
station would be as impertinent as it
would be for them to ask us to give
them Honolulu And Ii would be still
more impertinent for us, after our be-
havior to them and our ingiorious at
tempt to defeat them on their own soil,
/ to oder TO be their sponsor and pro-
tector In the face OF the world at large.
The English fought us In the Revolu-
tionary War until they thought the
game was no longer worth the candle,
and then they acknowledged our indie
pendence. They had their grave doubts
about our ability to form a stable gov
ernment; and they looked on while we
noundered through our wretched ex-
pertinent with the articles of confeder-
alton before we established our sound
and stable framework OF government
under the constitution OF l1S9. But
they did not propose to establish our
government for us while acknowle,ig-
ing our Independence. nor yet to exer-
else n pro,ectorafe over us in perpet-
uity. Let us have the manliness to do
the one thing or the other in the Phil
ippines II the Filipinos have won
their independence and deserve IL. let
us escbew metaphysics. recognize facts
and come home. II they have a moral
title to their Independence hacked up
by military prowess and the evidence
OF political capacity. then 1t follows
that we are the last people in the
whole world to have right TO take
from them a port or coallng station
And IL would be ridiculous in the ex-
treme for us TO Introduce the new sister
into the international family.
The Other Alternative
That is one straightforward alterna-
tive. and we for our part should ad-
rocate with all our might IL we
tiisucht the facts justified 1t. But we
do not believe Aguinaldo is George
Washington. or that there exists any
such thing ms great and promising
Filipino nation moved by the spirit OF
political progress and fighting intelli-
gently for independence and place in
the family OF nations What we do be-
lieve is that there Is a large population
in the Philippine islands that needs
peace and order: and that. as matters
now stand. the only outlook they can
possible have for those ordinary condi-
tions that make life worth living lies
in the suppression of the warfare main
tained by guerrilla bands of Tagals.
and n chance for American administra-
tion to show what il can do. We have
gone SO far In this effort that true
economy OF human blood. effort. and
treasure lies In our going little farth-
er and completing our work. Tho best
way out OF the woods is 10 press
straight on to the other border. which
does not seem so very far distant II
there ever Is TO be an independent and
sovereign Philippine nation. il can rest
only upon the basis OF considerable
historical period of experience in self
government with limited sovereignty
under strict American auspices. Two
or three centuries OF Spanish colonial
methods have not fitted the Philippine
islands for Immediate emcrgence as a
sovereign political entity. Perhaps fif-
ty or n hundred years of American .us
telage may complete the work Gf evolu-
tion-and. In that ease, II win be en-
tirely safe to trust the Americans who
will be Oh hand fifty or hundred
years hence 10 deal with the question
OF Philippine Independence as the facts
.,t,. faf -