The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-08-09

| OF reaching the human heart A mis-
sionary recently told me that the Stars
and Stripes once saved his life because
| his assallant recognized our flag as a
flag that had no blood upon it. Let it be
known that our missionaries are seek
| ing souls instead of sovereignty: let ii
be known that instead of being the adj
vance guard of conquering armies. they
are going forth to help and to uplift.
having their loins grit about with truth
and their feet shod with the preparation
of the Gospel of Peace; wearing the
breast-plate of righteousness, and car
rving the sword of the Spirit; let it be
known that they are the citizens of a ma
! ton which respects the rights of the citi-
zens of other nations as carefully as it
protects the rights of it's own citizens,
| and the welcome given to our mission
aries will be more cordial than the well
| come extended to the missionaries of any
other nation.
The argument made by some, that it
was unfortunate for the nation that it
had anything to do with the Philippine
| Islands but that the naval victory at
| Manila made the permanent acquisition
of those islands necessary, is also un-
sound. We won a naval victory at San
| tiago but that did not compel us to hold
| Cuba. The shedding of American blood
| in the Philippine Islands does not make
If imperative that we should retain pos
| session forever: American blood was shed
at San Juan Hill and Ell Caney, and yet
the President has promised the Cubans
| independence. The fact that the Amer
| lean flag floats over Manila does not COM
| mel us to exercise perpetual sovereignty
| over the islands; that flag waves over
| Havana today, but the President has
| nromised to haul it down when the flag
| of the Cuban republic is ready to rise in
| its place. Better a thousand times that
| our flag in the Orient give way to flag
representing the idea of self-govern-
ment than that the flag of this republic
| should become the flag CT an empire.
HONEST SOLUTION OF THE QUESTION
There is an easy, honest, honorable
solution of the Philippine question. 1t is
set forth in the Democratic platform
and it is submitted with confidence to
| the American people. This plan | unre-
| servedly indorse. If elected, l shall con-
vene Congress in extraordinary session
! as soon as l am inaugurated, and re-
commend an immediate declaration OF
the nations purpose, first, to establish
| a stable form of government in the Phil
| ippine Islands. just as we are now es-
tablishing a stable form of government
| in the island of Cuba; second, to give
independence to the Filipinos, just as we
| have promised to give independence to
| the Cubans third, to protect the Fill
| pinos from outside interfeIiaDce while
| they work out their destiny, just as we
have protected the republics of Central
| and South America, and are, by the Mon
roe doctrine, pledged to protect CUBA.
/ An European protectorate often results
| in the exploitation of the ward by the
| guardian An American protectorate
| gives to the nation protected the advant-
| age of our strength. without making II
the victim of cur greed. For three-quar-
| ters of a century the Monroe doctrine
| has been a shield to neighboring repub-
| lies and yet it has imposed no pecunlary
| burden upon us. After the Flipinos had
| aided us in the war against Spain, we
could not honoraby turn them over TO
l their former masters; we could not leave
| them 10 be the victims of the ambitious
! designs of the European nations, and
since we do nc. desire to make them
mart of us. or to hold them as subjects,
we propose that as the only alternative,
namely, to give them independence and
guard them against molestation from
| without.
THE DEFINITION OF DESTINY"
When our opponents are unable to de-
fend their position by argument they fall
back uron the assertion that it is des-
tiny and insist that we must submit to
| it. no matter how much it violates moral
precepts and our principles of govern
ment. This is a complacent philosophy.
It CELEBRATES the distinction between
right and wrong and makes individuals
and nations the helpless victims of cir
| cumstanceS.
| Destiny is the subterfuge of the IN
vertebrate. who. lacking the courage to
| oppose error, seeks some plausible eX-
cuse for supporting it. washington said
that the destiny of the republican form
CT government was deeply, if not finally
staked on the experiment entrusted 10
the American people. How different
| Washington's definition Of destiny from
the Republican definition. The Republi-
cans say that this nation is in the hands
of destiny: Washington believed that not
|
the destiny of the republican form OF
government throughout the world was
entrusted to American hands. Washing
ton was right. The destiny of this re-
public is in the hands of its own people.
Upon the success of the experiment here
rests the hope of humanity. No exterior
force can disturb this republic, and no
foreign influence should be permitted TO
change its course. What the future has
in store for this nation no one has au-
thority to declare but each individual
has his own idea of the nations mission
and he owes it to his country as we'll as
to himself to contribute as best he may
to the fulfillment of that mission.
Mr.. Chairman, and Gentlemen of the
Committee: l can never fully discharge
the debt of gratitude l owe to my coun-
trymen for the honors which they have
so generously bestowed upon me; but,
sirs, whether it be my lot to occupy the
high office for which the convention has
named me, or to spend the remainder
CT my days in private life, it shall be my
constant ambition and my controlling
purpose to aid in realizing the high ideals