Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-09-29

ocrat, shall vote for Mckinley in No.
vember. 1t is because of the dominant
issue by the campaign as made by the
nomination of Mr.. Bryan and the reas-
sertion of his silver policy. Now let me
refer to other measures upon which he
Is aging stress, with the special pur-
pose of forcing us gold democrats into
supporting him in spite of his silverism.
They are imperialism and the
trusts
"Anti-imperialism" is a fine-sounding
word. 1t is sonorous. and to many may
thus have an effective force as the
paramount issue. To fully compre-
bend it's significance and meaning, it
may be well to recall to mind a few
facts of recent history.
The war with Spain was largely due to
the efforts of the democratic minority
in congress in the fall of 1897 and the
early part of 1898. The suggestion has
been made that, with some honorable
exceptions. the democratic congressman
We're animated rather by the desire of
putting Mckinley in a hole" than by
n honest purpose of rescuing bleed
ing Cuba from Spanish tyrrany. This
country was not at all prepared for
fighting. The disastrous conclusion of
a war prematurely brought about would
have damned the administration and
furnished the democrats with a para
mount ISSUE" A refusal to carry the
matter to the last extremity would have
been ascribed to the cowardice of Nc
kinley, and the paramount issue might
thus ave been the rescue from the
clutches of Spain. The zeal with which
most of the democrats in ongress de-
voted themselves to the hampering of
the government in it's conduct of the
war gives some support to the foregoing
suggestion.
At all events war was declared, and as
one of the necessary moves, the Span
ish fleet in the Pacific ocean was ami
hilated at Manila. This practically
broke the power of Spain in the Philip
pines, and planted the seed out of which
a paramount issue was to grow.
There We're obviously two courses
open to Admiral Dewey. He might have
coaled his vessels and sailed away,
leaving the Spanish population and their
associates and adherents on the islands
to such a fate as they would probably
have met with at the hands of Aguinaldo
and his Tagalos, or, impressed with the
duty of conserving such civilization as
existed in those islands, he might have
remained at Manila. To the credit of
his country. he stayed. 1 am not a
Roman Catholic, but that church has
rights n valuable rights in the Phil
ippine islands and there is no doubt but
that all that conserved those rights was
the fact that the Americans did not run
away. and our present position is all
that maintains those rights today. Ma
Mia was then occupied by the Americans
In force and it was so held till Spain,
by treaty, of which Mr.. Bryan approved.
"a LIN q oAAN w - lhC l
States her authority over the stands.
Meanwhile, a Spanish half-breed,
named Aguinaldo who had previously
sold out his compatriots to Spain for
some $500, 900, came to Manila, where he
conspired with certain other Meztizos
and chiefs of the Tagal tribe to supplant
the Spanish tyrrany with one of their
own. With this object they gathered to-
gether an army, in character much like
that of the Boxers in China. and held
together by the delectable prospect of
putting to the sword all the men among
the Europeans on the island. looting all
their property, and ravishing their
women.
To put their precious plans into execu-
ton, they impatiently awaited the evac-
uation of Manila by the American forces,
but, finally, losing patience. they tried
to expedite and compel our departure by
a treacherOus attack, which was met by
forcible and continued resistance.
Now, as l understand, Mr.. Bryan and
Senator Hale and the other "anti-impe-
rialists,' including Tammany hall.
fully sympathiZes with Aguinaldo and
his precious crew in all their purposes
except, perhaps, their intentions regard
mig the women. Their claim is that it
Is contrary to the spirit of our %institu-
tons, contrary to our Declaration of
Independence, to deprive Aguinaldo and
his Tagals of the freest liberty in the
Philippines, regardless of the rights and
wishes of the other inhabitants thereof;
lldl III refusing Sucn license TO ASu1-
naldo, the administration has shown a
desire to establish an imperial power
founded upon such a military power as
would endanger our own liberties:
Such is the paramount issue" that
the Bryanites present to Americans!
1t is an insult to my Americanism. We
lave in the Philippine islands today a
commission of careful, conservative,
honorable men, of such character that
their selection reflects the highest credit
Dnnn Mr. Mckinley clothed with fnlI
authority to ascertain the facts of the
situation. Their duty is to determine
what course is best and wisest for this
country to pursue in it's just treatment
of this great question, which has been
thrust upon us as one of the results OF
the war.
One of the duties Of government, ac-
cording to the Declaration of Independ-
ence, is to assure to every individual
living under it a right to life, liberty and
pursuit of happiness. Liberty, however,
as understood by Washington. Jefferson,
Franklin, the AdamseS and their asso-
ciates, was not free license to loot, raw
lsh and Cypress, but was always cir
cumscribed by the equal rights of the
community. We destroyed the rule of
Spain in the Philippines. 1t has become
our hard and difficult duty-but it is
Dur duty-to give to those d such
a government as will insure, SO far as
human fraiIty will permit, to every one
of them those rights which our fathers
AScribed to all men.
This, as fairly shown by the selection
of it's commissioners. is now the pur-
pose of the administration.
1t is true that government should exist
by the consent of the governed. Our
fathers recognized. however, the neces-
sity of a capacity to consent, and insist
ed upon proofs thereof by those who
wished to vote. Before we u over the
government of those islands to Agui-
naldo and his followers or to anyone
alec ~ ,o,,c he with tho infa11i0onf nC.
sent of his fellow islanders. If the pre-
vailing intelligence among them is moi
yet sufficient to admit of their being
heard, it is our duty to ourselves an6
to the civilization in the benefits, OF
which we share to hold their govern.
ment in trust Until they shall AVE be-
come qualified to relieve us of the bur
den.