The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1900-09-19
led under washington and the eide,

slavery into the territories.
The parallel between what Jefferson
did with Louisiana and what is now be-
ing done in the Philippines is exact.
Jefferson, the author of the Declara-
tion of Independence. and Of the con
sent Of the governed" doctrine, saw no
incongruity between this and the estab-
lishment of a government on common
sense grounds in the new territory;
and he rallied at the sticklers for an i'm
possible application of his principle,
saying, in language which at the pre-
sent day applies to the situation in the
Philippines without the change of a
word, though it is acknowledged that
our new fellow citizens are as yet in
capable of government as children,
yet some can not bring themselves to
suspend its principles for a single mo-
ment." He intended that ultimately
self-government should be introduced
throughout the territory, but only as
the different parts became fit for it,
and no sooner. This is just the policy
that has been pursued. In no part of
the Louisiana purchase was complete
government introduced for a num-
Der of years; in one part of it, the Ind
Ian territory, 1t has not not yet been
introduced. although nearly a century
has elapsed. over enormous tracts Of
1t, including the various Indian reser-
vations, with a territory in the aggre-
gate as large as that of the Philippines,
the constitution has never yet followed
the flag" the army officer and the
civilian agent still exercise authority,
without asking the consent of the gov
erned." We must proceed in the Phil
ippines with the same wise caution,
taking each successive step as it be-
comes desirable, and accommodating
the details of our policy to the peculiar
needs of the situation. But as soon as
the present revolt is put down and order
established, it will undoubtedly be pos
sible to give to the islands a larger
measure of lf-government than JEFF
ferson originally gave Louisiana.
Seminuies Like FiIipinos.
The next step in expansion was the
acquisition of Florida. This was partly
acquired by conquest and partly by
purchase, Andrew Jackson being the
most prominent figure in the acquisi-
tion. AS in the case of the Philippines,
Florida was acquired by purchase from
Spain, and in Florida the Seminoles,
who had not been consulted in the sale,
rebelled and waged war exactly as
some of the Tagals have rebelled and
waged war in the Philippines. The
Seminole war lasted for many years,
but Presidents Monroe, Adams and
Jackson declined for moment to con-
slider the question of abandoning Flor
ida to the Seminoles, or to treat their
non-consent to the government of the
United States as a valid reason for
turning over the territory to them
Our next acquisition of territory was
that of Texas, secured by treaty after
1t had been wrested from the Mexicans
by the Texans themselves. Then came
the acquisition of California, New Mex
ico Arizona, Nevada and parts of Col
orado and Utah as the result of the
Mexican war, supplemented five years
later by the Gadsden purchase.
The next acquisition was that of
Alaska, secured from Russia by treaty
and purchase, nearly thirty years pass
ed before the next instance of eXpan-
sion occurred, which was over the ISL
and of Hawaii. An effort was made at
the end of President Harrisons admin
istration to secure the annexation of
Hawaii The effort was unsuccessful.
Hawaii has now been annexed and her
delegates have sat in the national con-
ventions of the two great parties.
Properly speaking, the question is
now not whether we shall expand,-for
we have already expanded, - but
whether we shall contract. The Philip
pines are now part of American terri
tory. To surrender them would be to
surrender American territory. They
must, of course, be governed primarily
In the interests of their own citizens.
Our first care must be for the people
Of the islands which have come under
our guardianship as a result of the
most righteous foreign war that has
been waged within the memory of the
present generation. They must be ad-
ministered in the interests of their in
habitants, and that necessarily means
that any question of personal or par
tisan politics in their administration
must be entirely eliminated.
IncapaDIe SeII-uovernment.
1t must be remembered always that
governing these islands in the interest
Of the inhabitants may not necessarily
be to govern them as the inhabitants at
the moment prefer To grant self-gov-
ernment to Luzon under Aguinaldo
would be like granting self-government
to an Apache reservation under some
local chief; and this is no more altered
by the fact that the Filipinos fought
the Spaniards, than it would be by the
fact that Apaches have long been
trained and employed in the United
States army and have rendered signal
service therein; just as the Pawnees
did under the administration of Presi-
dent Grant; just as the Stockbrldge
Indians did in the days of General
Washington, and the friendly tribes of
the Six Nations in the days of Presi-
dent Madison.
There is every reason why as rapidly
as an Indian, or any body of Indians,
becomes fit for self-government ne or
it should be granted the fullest equality
with the whites; but there would be no
justification whatever in treating this
fact as a reason for abandoning the
wild tribes to work out their own des-
struction. Exactly the same reason ap-
plies to the case of the Philippines.
To turn over the islands to Aguinaldo
and his followers would not be to give
self-government to the islanders; under
no circumstances would the majority
thus gain self-gOvernment. They would
simply be put at the mercy of syndi-
cate of Chinese half-breeds, under
whom corruption would flourish far
more freely than ever 1t hourished un-
hn,. Tt,.nnl u.hiln tNra nninal nntarnc.I...