Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1900-09-20
authority to do either. If he had pe.a


as the sovereignty remains in us 1t is
the duty of the executive, whoever he
may be. to uphold that sovereignty, and
if 1T be attacked to suppress It's aSsall-
| ants. " Ould our political adversarles do
less?
We are in agreement with all of those
who supported the war with SPAN, and
also with those who counseled the rati-
fcation of the treaty of peace. Upon
these two great essential steps there can
be no issue, and out of these come al OF
our responsibilities. If others would shirk
| the obligations imposed by the war and
| the treaty we must decline TO act lui-
| ther with them. and here the issue Is
made. 1t is our purpose to estabIlsh IN
| the Philippines government spltanie
| to the wants and conditions of the IN
| habitants, and to prepare them Tor sell
| government when they are ready tor IT,
| That | am aiming to do under my consu-
| tuuonal authority, and VIII continue 10
| do until congress shall determine the po-
| litical status of the inhabitants OF the
| archipelago.
| Are our opponents against the treaty?
| If so. they must be reminded that II could
not have been ratified in the senate but
| ratified the treaty and the congress which
| added its sanction by large appropria-
! ton comprised senators and representa-
| tives of the people of all parties
| Would our opponents surrender TO the
| insurgents abandon our sovereignty or
| cede it to them? If that be not their pur-
pose then it should be promptly dis
| claimed for only evil can result from the
! hopes raised by our opponents in the
|
| success at the polls in November there
will be withdrawal of our army and OF
| American sovereignty over the arcnlpei-
| ago. the completeg independence OF the
| Tagalog people recognized and the pow
ers of government over all the other
parties OF the archipelago conferred upon
! the Tagaog leaders.
| The effect of a belief in the minds OF
| the insurgents that this will be done has
| already prolonged the rebellion and in
creases the necessity for the CONTINUANCE
| of a large army. 1t is now delaying fun
| peace in the archipelago and the estab-
| lishment of civil governments, and mas
| Influenced many of the insurgents against
| accepting the liberal terms of amnesty
| offered by Gen. Macarthur under f1y di-
| rectiOn. But for these false hopes,
| considerable reduction could have been
had in our military establishment In the
Philippines. and the realization OF q
! stable government would be already at
| hand.
The American people are asked by our
| opponents to yield the sovereignty of the
United States in the Philippines to a small
| fraction of the population, a single tribe
out of so or more inha biting the archi-
| pelago, q fraction which wantoniy at
! tackled the American troops in Manila
while in rghtful possession under the
protocol with Spain, awaiting the rattti-
! cation of the treaty of peace by the sem
| ate, and which has since been in active,
| open rebellion against the United States.
! We are asked to transfer our sovereignty
| to a small minority in the islands with
| out consulting the majority and to aban-
| don the largest portion of the population,
| which has been loyal to us, TO lne cruel
| ties of the guerrilla insurgcnt bands. More
| than this, we asked to protect this
| minority in establishing a government.
| and to this end represS all opposition of
| the ma aiority. We are required to set up
| a stable government in the interest of
| those who have assailed our sovereignty
| and fired upon our soldiers, and then
| maintain 1t at any cost or sacrlhce
| against it's enemies within and against
! those having ambitious designs from
This would require an army and navy
| far larger than is now maintained in the
| Philippines and still more in excess Of
what will be necessary with the fun rec
| ognition of our sovereignty a military
| support of authority not our own, as thus
| proposed is the very essence of militar-
| ism, which our opponents in their plat
| form oppose, but which by their policy
would of necessity be established in its
| most offensive form.
| The American people will not make the
| murderers of our soldiers the agents OF
! the republic to convey the blessings of
! liberty and order 10 the Philippines. They
| will not make them the builders of the
| new commonwealth. Such course would
| to the peaceful FilipinOs, and would place
| at the mercy of dangerous adventurers
| the lives and property of the natives and
In short, the proposition of those op-
! posed to us is to continue all the obliga-
! lions in the Philippines which now rest
| upon the government, only changing the
| relation from principal, which now ex-
! lists, to that of surety. Our responsibility
! Is TO remain, DuI our power is 10 DO
! diminished. Our obligation is to be no
| less, but our title is to be surrendered
| to another power, which is without eX-
| perence or training, or the ability to
! maintain stable government at home
| and absolutely helpless to perform its
| international obligations with the rest
| of the world. To this we are opposed.
| We should not yield our title while our
| obligations last. In the language of our
| platform, "Our authority should not be
| less than our responsibility" and our
| present responsibility is to establish our
| authority in every part of the island.
our rights in the Philippines are now
| free from outside interference and will
| continue so in our present relation. They
| would not be thus free in any other rela-
| ton. We will not give up our own to
| guarantee another sovereignty.
| Those who profess to distrust the liberal
| and honorable purposes of the administra
| tion in its treatment of the Philippines are
not justified. Imperialism has no place in
its creed or conduct. Freedom is the
rock upon which the republican party
| was builded and now rests. Liberty is
| the great republican doctrine for which
| the people went to war and for which
a million lives were offered and billions of
| dollars expended to make it the lawful
legacy of all without the consent of mas
| ter or slave. There lis a strain of ill-con-
| cealed hypocrisy in the anxiety to extend
| the constitutional guarantees to the people
| of the Philippines, while their nullifca-
| ton is openly advocated at home. Our OPP
| ponents may distrust themselves, but they
| have no right to discredit the good faith
| and patriotism of the majority of the peo-
| pie, 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 spirit and faith of the fathers and
| have lost the virility of the founders of
the party which they profess to represent.
The Declaration of Independence.
| The republican party does not have to
| assert its devotion to the declaration of
| independence. That immortal instrument
| of the fathers remained unexecuted until
| the people under the lead of the republican
| party in the awful flash of battle turned
| it's promises into fulfillment 1t wrote into
| the constitution the amendments guaran-
| teeing political equality to American citi-
| zenship and 1t has never broken them or
| counseed others in breaking them. 1t will
not be guided in its conduct by one set
of principles at home and another set in
the new territory belonging to the United
| States.
| Empire has been expelled from Porto
| Rico and the Philippines by American
freemen. The flag of the republic now
| floats over these islands as an emblem
| of rightful sovereignty VIII the repub-
| lie stay and dispense to their inhabitants