The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-07-18
ROOSEVELT OPENS
THE CAMPAIGN

concluded from Page IL
essentially absurd that mathematicians hold their
statement 10 be equivalent to their reiutation.
So II is with this proposition. II 1t were worth
while | would point out its dishonesty and IN
sincerity. But fragrant though these are, its
absurdity is so much more nagrant that nothing
need be said. So It is with their cant about
'militarism" and Intimidation and oppression
at home" as following what they are pleased
to call conquest abroad" We cannot argue
with them on this proposition, because no se'
rious man thinks for one moment that they
believe what they assert. During the great
civil war there were many preachers OF the gospel
OF disloyalty among the so-called Copperheads
OF the North, and these men, like their repre-
scntatives among our opponents today, prophe'
sled the subversion of the country when the
great armies OF Grant and Sherman should come
back from the war; but the great armies OF
Grant and Sherman returned to civil life and
were swallowed up among their fellow citizens
without a ripple. considerable army was
kept for a year or two on the Indian frontier
and in some Of the Southern states; but 1t never
entered the head Of human being to attempt
what the Copperhead prophets of disaster had
frantically foretcld. In OS or 30 you your
selves saw regiments and brigades and divisions
return from Cuba, Porto Rico and the Philip
pines to be dsbanded and swallowed up in the
| mass Of the people, il volunteers, and If regu-
| lars, to resume their ordinary work in fort and
cantonment and after greeting them on the day
| they returned, the bulk Of people would never
| have been able to tell except by the newspapers
| whether they had come back or not. OF all idle
chatter the talk Of danger Of miltarism is the
| idlest. The army we have now is relatively TO
the population Of the country less in size than 1t
| has been again and again during the last cen
| tury and a quarter, in times when we had only
| our own Indians to guard against. In wash
| ingtons administration. General Wayne spent
some three years in Ohio warning against the
| Tagals Of that day, with under him an army
| larger in proportion TO the then population OF
the nation than all our present national forces,
regulars and volunteers combined and there is
Just as little danger from the evils OF miliarism
| now there then. It is as utter folly TO
| talk Of our liberties being menaced by the ex.
| istcnce Of a force capable Of keping order in
our outlying possessions as ii would have
been to talk Of their being menaced In the sev.
cntics by the soldiers who followed Custer and
his fellows against the Comanche, Apache and
Sioux
No. our opponents mean nothing, and know
that they mean nothing, when they prate about
| "mitarism," and attempt to say that they
| favor expansion but are against imperialism.
| They used precisely the same arguments six
| years ago against taking Hawaii that they
now use against our taking the Philippines. They
pulled down our Tag in Hawaii just as they now
wish to pull it down in the Philippines We
had to undo their work in Hawaii just as, in the
end, but at an infinite cost Of boodshcd and woe
we would have to do in the Philippines, should
they be successful in this election. Yet not
one Of them now would dream Of saying that we
were not right about Hawaii; in fact they would
not do So when, by a strange irony, the Kansas
City convention had to rely upon the vote o.
| Iaf. -att1 10 Nynu IN Il
financial system Of our country
Policy Proposed.
As regards the Philippines even the Kansa
City convention felt that they had to propose
some policy, and what they propose is that w
should first give them a stable form OF govern
ment; second, independence, and third, protec
tion from outside interference. BY the ordc
in which they put these propositions they SHOWED
their estimate of their importance. Well, wha
we are doing now is precisely and exactly t
try and secure a stable form Of government il
the Philippines, and the chief obstacle in OIL
way is the support given to the bloody Aguinal
dian oligarchy by their sympathizers anon
the people who were represented in the kansa
| City convention. Moreover, now We actual
are seeing that no outside nation interieres i
the island. After we have secured a stable gov
ernment, we intend to give them selfgover1
ment as rapidly as they are fitted for it. Gu
opponents say that they wish now to give ther
} independence To give independence no'
: would be precisely like giving independence
; the widest tribe of Apaches in Arizona"
would mean the turning over of the most peace
full, law.abiding and prosperous part Of the popl
! lation to be plundered by the banditu who al
following Aguinaldo.
In China we see at this moment the awfl
tragedy that is following just exactly such
movement as that which the so-called antiln
perialists have championed in the Philippine
{ The Boxers in China are the precise analogue
e and representatives of the Aguinaldian rebels
I the Philippines. Had we adopted the "poliC
= Of scuttle" in the Philippines, the policy whic
= | our political opponents now champion, Il
= streets Of Manila would have witnessed sue
r scenes as those of the streets Of Pekin. To a
low the Filipino rebels TO establish their ow
k socalled government and then to protect the
y against other civilized nations would be exact
n as if we now sided with the Boxers in Chin
t demanded for them the "liberty" to BUTCH
e their ncghbors allowed them to establish the
o own 'indepcndent government" and then agrCC
+ to protect them from the wrath of civiliz'
= mankind more wicked absurdity than Il
C Kansas City proposition for dealing with Il
v Philippines was never enunciated by the repr
t sentatives OF political party.
+ General Lawton's Letter.
i | would ask those VINO Dy thelr Woru nave z
II couraged the Fiipinos against us to recall Il
e letter of General Lawton, written just befo
e his death, in which he pointed out that 4
e blood of his soldiers Redeemed the hands OF &
y men at home who encouraged our foes abroa
k Some years ago when certain easterners we
clamoring in the name Of humanity against I
army officers who warred TO protect the weste
settlers from the Indians General sherid
wrote: 'I do not know how far these human
tarians should be accused on account Of the
ignorance; but surely it is the only excuse tn
- can give a shadow of justification for aiding al
: abetting such horrid crimes" The schem
;. politicians at Kansas City have not even the c
cuse of ignorance when they incite the insl
. gents to fresh warfare against our soldiers wi
n the base hope that thereby they may furth
: their own political adyancements, There al
doubtless, many worthy and amiable gentlem
!, of humanitarian tendencies, especially in
v northeast, who oppose expansion now as ma
% like them have always opposed expansion.
"a 1911 when Louisiana was on the point OF bel
20 admitted to the Union and the country beyo
"A the Mssissippi-the country now carved into
great states from which so many Of my hear'
:. come--was being governed territorlally, a prot
10 type OF the modern anti'imperialists, the He
"a Josiah Quincy, addressed the house Of represC
. tatiYes in language that with very slight var
"a ton might be used by his successors today
n. a speech that would be quite in place at
10 Kansas City convention, or in any anti'exp'
n | sionst meeting of today, he stated that his an
"A ETY. and distress of mind were wholly unpre
II dented, for with the admission Of the ira
A Mississippi territory into the Union the libert
n, and the rights OF the whole people of the Unit
States were completely upset as to justify