The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-09-26
FILrpINos WILL BE BENEFITED.
Liberties of individuals Increase I'm
Administering Countries.

And so, my fellow-citizens. the consid-
erations of commerce, of civilization, of
necessity, and of all the elements from
which sound judgment is compounded.
converge upon these words OF destiny:
THE Philippines are ours, and ours for
ever" We cannot surrender them. We
dare not surrender them, We ought not
surrender them Does any man believe
that the mass of the Philippine people will
not be better off under American admins
tration, controlled by that most delicate
national conscience in the world, the con-
science of the American people? Does any
man believe that the Philippine people
will not have freer speech, speedier JUS
tice, more equal rights and more OF al!
the fruits of liberty under the stars and
stripes than under the flag of a Malay oil
garchy? Does any man believe that Amer
lean liberties will be lost because we adj
minister the substance of liberty to those
children? Does any man believe that the
American institution of free schools,
which upholds the four corners OF
the Republic. will be destroyed or
impaired because we want to plant
free schools throughout the Philippines?
Does any man believe that equal rights will
be impaired here, because We establish
equal rights there? The individual rights or
Englishmen have not declined since Eng
land became administrator of external
governments; on the contrary, as England
has extended her colonies, the individual
rights of individual Englshmen have in
creased The rights of the crown have not
enlarged as England's empire has ex-
tended on the contrary. they have dimin-
ished. The period of England's great ac-
tivity in external government mas been pre-
cisely the period of the extension of the
suffrage in England itself, the enactment
of laws for the protection of labor and the
amelioration of all the conditions of life
among the common people of England. The
period of England's most active extension
of empire has not been the period of her
most violent oppression of Ireland; the con-
trary is true. Ireland's bitterest hour was
in Cromwells day and at CromweliS
hands, and yet England had no definite
plan of empire then. Ireland's most pro-
gressive period has been within the last
quarter of a century, when land laws were
enacted by the British Parliament compell-
ing Irish landlords to sell their lands to
Irish tenants. and permitting the tenant to
purchase his landlords land by the pay
ment of his rent at a price fixed. not by
the landlord, but by courts and commits
sions. Ireland's brightest day has been
within the last ten years, in which her
people have deposited more money in saw
ings banks than in a century before. And
yet the last quarter of century has been
England's most imperial period. The last
ten years have witnessed the most system
attic work by England In empire building
in all the history of her dominion. And
England's experience is not isolated in
stance. 1t would not be isolated even IL
ii were confined to England. since her sway
is wide the world. But the expert
ence of her people is the experience of
every other peope who have embarkd upon
the same great voyage