Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1900-08-17

al TlSHl TO demand or the republican lead
ers discussion of the future status OF
| the Filipino. Is he TO be a citizen or a
subject? Are We to bring into the body
polite eight or ten million Asiatics. so
dlHerent from us in race history that
amalgamation IS impossible? Are they
to share with us in making the laws and
shaping the destiny of this nation? No
republican of prominence has been bold
enough TO advocate such d proposition.
The McEnery resolution. adopted by the
senate Immediately after the ratification
! OF the treaty. expressly negatives this
idea. The democratic platform describes
the situation when it says that the Fill
pinos cannot be citizens without endan-
gering our civilization. Who will dispute
IT? And what is the alternative? If the
Filipino is not TO be a citizen. shall we
make him a subject? On that question
the democratic platform speaks with
equal emphasis. 1t declares that the Fill
pino cannot be subject without endan-
gering our government. A republic can
have no subjects. A subject is possible
only In government resting upon force;
ne is unknown in a government deriving
its just powers from the consent of the
governed. The republican platform says
that the largest measure of self-gOv-
eminent consistent with their welfare
ana our duties shall be secured to them
the Filipinos) by law" This is a strange
doctrine for a government which owes
Its very existence to the men who offered
their lives a protest against govern
ment without consent and taxation with
out representation. In what respect does
the position of the republican party diner
from the position taken by the English
government in l716? Did not the English
government promise a good government
10 the colonists? What king ever prom
ised a bad government to his people! Did
not the English government promise that
the colonists should have the largest
measure of self-government consistent
with their welfare and English duties
Use to give to the Cubans the largest
measure of self-government consistent
with their welfare and Spanish duties
The whole difference between a mon
archy and a republic may be summed
up in one sentence. In monarchy. the
King gives to the people what he believes
, 10 be good government; in a republic
the people secure for themselves what
The republican party has accepted the
European idea and planted itself upon
the ground taken by George III. and by
every ruler who distrusts the capacity
of the people for government or
denies them a voice in their own affairs.
The republican platform promises that
some measure of self government is to
be. given the Filipinos by law. but even
this pledge is not fulfilled. Nearly six
teen months elapsed after the ratification
of the treaty before the Adjournment of
congress last June and yet no law was
passed dealing with the Philippine situa-
ton. The will of the president has been
the only law in the Philippine islands
wherever the American authority ex-
I hesitate TO legislate upon the Philip
pine question? Because a law would dis
close the radical departure from history
and precedent contemplated by those who
control the republican party. The storm
OF protest which greeted the Porto Rican
bill was an indication of what NAV be
expected when the American people are
brought face To face with legislation
upon this subject. If the Porto Ricans,
who welcomed annexation are to be de-
MED the guarantees of our constitution.
who resisted our authority? If secret
influences could compel a disregard of
our plain duty toward friendly people.
living near our shores. what treatment
unfriendly people 1000 miles away? If,
In this country. where the people have
the right to vote, republican leaders
dare not take the side of the people
against the great monopolies which have
grown up within the last few years how
can they he trusted to protect the Fill
pinos from the corporations which are
waiting to exploit the islands?
Is the sunlight of full citizenship to be
enjoyed by the people of the United
States, and the twilight of semi-citizen-
Rico. while the thick darkness of per
petual vassalage covers the Philippines?
The Porto Rico tariff law asserts the
doctrine that the operation of the con-
stitution is confined to the fort---five
states. The democratic party disputes
this doctrine and denounces il as repug-
nant to both the letter and spirit of our
organic law. There is no place i'm our
system of government for the deposit of
arbitrary and irresponsible power That
the leaders of Il great party should claim
to treat millions of people as mere pos
sessions and deal with them unre-
strained by the constitution of the bill
of rights shows how far have already
and indicates what may be expected If
this nation deliberately enters upon a
career of empire. The territorial form
of government is temporary and prepare
tory. and the chief security citizen of
territory has is found in the fact that
he enjoys the same constitutional guar
antees and is subject to the same gen
eral laws as the citizen of q state. Take
away this security and his rights will
be violated and his interests sacrificed
at the demand of those who have polit-
ica influence. This is the evil of the
colonial system. no matter by what ma
What is our title TO the Philippine
Islands, Do we hold them bv treaty
did we take them? Did we purchase
the people? If not. how did we secure
title to them? Were they thrown in with
inanimate earth has value, but that when
that earth is nodded by the divine hand
and stamped with the likeness of the
with the soil? If governments derive
their just powers from the consent of
the governed. it is impossible to secure
chase. I've could extinguish SPANS title
by treaty. but If we hold title we must
hold it by some method consistent with
our ideas of goyernment When we made
to fight against Spain. We disputed
SPANS title If We buy SPANS title we
are not innocent purchasers. But even
if we had not disputed SPANS title. she
could transfer no greater title than she
had. and her title was based on force
alone. We. cannot defend such title.
but as Spain gave us quit claim deed
we can honorably turn the property over
to the party in possession. Whether any
American official gave TO the Filipinos
formal assurance of independence is not
material There can be no doubt that
we accepted and utilized the services of
the Filipinos. and that when we did so
We had full knowledge that they were
submit history furnishes no example
of turpitude baser than ours if we now
substitute our yoke for the Spanish
Let us consider briefly the reasons
which have been given in support OF an
lmperialistic policy Some say that it is
P Hmt duty mv to % mold ad ahe PniIippIne islands
conclusion. To ascertain what our duty
Is, IN any emergency. We must apply well
settled and generally accepted principles.
1t Is our duty TO avoid stealing, no mat
ter whether the thing to be stolen is of
great or little value. 1t is our duty to
avoid killing human being, no matter
where the human being lives or to what
race or class he belongs. Everyone rec
ogniZes the obligation imposed upon in
dividuals to observe both the human and
the moral law, but as some deny the APP
plication of those laws TO nations, Ii may
not be out of place to quote the opinion
OF others. Jefferson, than whom there is
no higher political authority, said:
/ know of but one code of morality
for men, whether acting singly col
lectively"
Franklin, whose learning, wisdom and
virtue are part of the priceless legacy
bequeathed TO us from the revolutionary