The Lamar register., 1900-09-12

ing ambitious designs Wuhoul.
"This would require an army and
navy far larger than Is now main.
tained in the Philippines and still
more in excess Of what VIII be neces-
sary with the full recognition of our
A military support of au-
thority not our own, as thus proposed.
is the very essence of militarism,
which our opponents, in their platform.
oppose, but which by their policy
would of necessity be established In Its
most offensive form.
"Neither Congress nor the executive
can establish stable government Ill
these islands except under our right
of sovereignty and under our authority
and our flag This we are doing. We
could not do it AS IL protectorhte power
so completely or so successfully as we
are doing it now. As the sovereign
power we can initiate action and shape
means to ends, and guide the filipinos
to acknowledgment and self-soVerh-
ment AS a protectorate power we
could not initiate action. but would be
compelled to follow and uphold peo-
pie with no capacity yet to go 1t alone.
In the one case we prevent both our
selves and the Filipinos from being i'll
yolyed in dangerous complications: i'll
the other we could not protect even the
Filimnos until after their trouble had
come Besides. If we callnoi establish
any government OF our own without
the consent of the governed, as our op-
ponents contend, then we could not es-
tablish stable government Tor them
or make ours protectorht" without
the like consent. and neither the major
ity of the people nor II minority have in
vited us to assume 1t. We could not
maintain Il protectorate even Win the
consent of the governed without giving
provocation for conflicts and possibly
costly wars. Our rights in the Philip
pines are now free from outside inter
ference and will continue so in our
present relation. They would not be
thus free in any other relation. We
will now give up our own to guarantee
another sovereignty. Our title is Eoou
Our peace commissioners believed they
were receiving Il good title when tnty
concluded the treaty. l'ne executive
believed 1t was Il good title when ne
submitted II to the Senate OF the Unit
ed States for its ratification. The Sell
ate believed 1t was n god title when II
gave 1t their constitutional assent ana
the Congress seems not to nave doup-
ed its completeness when they appro-
priated S2OOOO,OOO provided by the
treaty. If any who favored its rntiii-
cation believed it gave lis n bad the.
they were not sincere. Our title is
practically identical with that under
which we hold our territory acquired
since the beginning of the government
and under which we have exercised
full sovereignty and established gov
ernment for the Inhabitants.
"Those who profess to distrust the
liberal and honorable purpose of the
administration In its treatment OF the
Philippines are not justified. Imperial
ism has no place in its creed or con
duct. Freedom is the rock upon which
the Republican party was builded anu
now rests. Liberty is the great lsepuh-
lican doctrine for which the peopie
went to war, and for which 1,OOo,oOo
lives were offered and billions OF dol
lars expended to make 1t the lawful
legacy OF all without the consent OF
the master or slave. There Is strain
of ill-concealed hypocrisy in the nnX-
iety to extend the constitutional guar
antees to the people of the Philippines,
while their notification Is openly ad-
vocated at home. Our opponents may
distf1Ist themselves, but they have no
right to discrcdit the good faith and
patriotism of the majority of the peo-
ple who are opposed to them; they may
fear the worst form OF imperialism
with the helpless Filipinos in their
hands; but If they do, it Is because
they have parted with the spirit ana
faith of the fathers and have lost the
virility OF the founders Of the party
which they profess TO represent.
"The Republican party does not have
to assert its devotion to the declar;i.
ton of independence. That immortal
instrument OF the fathers remained un-
executed until the people under the
lead of the Republican party In the
awful clash OF battle turned its prom
ises into fulfillment. 1t wrote into the
constitution the amendments guaran-
teeing political equality to American
citizens, and 1t has never broken them
or counselled others in breaking them.
1t will not be guided in It's conduct by
one set of principles at home and an
other set in the new territory belonging
to the United States.
"If our opponents would only prac-
tice as well as preach the doctrines OF
Abraham Lincoln there would be no
fear for the safety of our institutions
Mt home or their rightful influence in
any territory over which our flag
floats.
Empire has been expelled from Por-
to Rico and the Philippines by Ameri-
can freemen. The flag of the Republic
now floats over these islands as an en-
blem of rightful sovereignty. Will the
Republic stay and dispense to their in
bo hitoptS tho blessings of liberty, ell-