The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-03-17

past when confronted by new conditions
! think few. VIII now deny, and with the
warning Of these before us IL ,Le-
hooves us 10. move and act cau-
tiously and slowly, and inspired BY the
feeling that what we do now may affect
not only tho present but many genera
tions to come And we should be gov
crncd not by any spirit of partisanship
or party advantage. but only by that
of tho loftiest patriotism and the most
unseltlsh devotion to the principles Of
liberty and humanity.
o.
There Is much talk about a. protector
ate for these islands. To me this would
seem to be the widest and most mex
cusable departure from the settled policy.
upon which we have acted for more than
century. Of minding our own business.
II IS true that We have undertaken
limited. quasi protectoratc as to our
neighbors In this hemisphere going to
the extent of forbidding any European
nation to acquire. and extend the Euro
pcan system to, any part of their terri
tory; but this we have done for our own
protection. not for theirs, and as essential
to our own peace and security. not to
theirs. In other words, the Monroe doc
trtne Is In the strlctest sense a minding
OF our own business. We can find no jus
tihcation or excuse for extending 1t to
the Philippine islands. TO attempt to
do SO would only make us absurd and alb
solutely destroy the tcnability OF that
doctrine. If we attempt to extend to
them protectorate In the real meaning
OF that term, we shall be meddling not
only with their affairs, but with the at
fairs of every other nation with which as
hn independent sovereignty they may be
brought In contact, and thus We shall
be obliged to take practical control of
ftNSxSv fn{ {Ep <I..
ourselves to the danger of being en-
broiled with other nations about matters
which they may justly say are none of
our concern. Surely there can be no
question In tho minds of thoughtful men
that if we are to have the responsibility
Of them, II would be best to have at
once power equal to that responsibility.
But II we make them our own, call them
our own. treat them as our own. they
and all nations will know to whom to
look and with whom to reckon, and what
ever we may do with them or in them or
about them will be our own business and
nobody else'S. We have not yet gone into
the business of actirg as general guard
ian for all the weak and incapable tribes
and peoples of the earth, and I hope We
never shall. But wherever our flas floats
there 1t is the symbol of our protection,
our power, and our responsibility.
o
Holding them as our own, there ought
to be no question amongst reasonable
men as to our duty to their people. The
spirit Of our government, the genius of
our people, point the way and tell us that
we should lead them to civilization and fit
them for self-government; that we should
at the beginning confer upon them such
measure Of self-government as their
character and past and present environ-
ment will admit; that we should grad
ually from time TO time increase that
measure of self government; that in the
years to come we should bring them, If 1t
be possible, to that condition of practical
independence enjoyed by Canada and
Australia with reference to Great Brit
ain; and for my part hope and look for
the day to come when, reserving to our
selves only such points of advantage AS
shall be necessary for the maintenance
of our commercial and International in
terests. we shall grant them actual in
dependence, II they shall desire 1t and
shall prove themselves tit for 1t and able
to maintain 1t. How far of that time
may be no man can now determine. That
they will ever, after they have for a time
enjoyed in the fertile and prolific soil,
and In the soft air and under the brilliant
skies of their beautiful climate. all the
blessings of liberty and law. after they
have found under the flag of this great
republic a safety and security and sweet
ness In life OF which they have never
dreamed before. desire to depart from
its protection and set up an independent
government and flag of their own / do
not believe. But that we should, IL 1t be
possible, guide and lead them to the ca
pacity to do SO. If they shall wish to, is
to my mind our clear duty, as it should
be our unceasing endeavor. Some people
seem to talk about holding these pos
sessions as dependencies or colonies as
though 1t was unworthy Of us and de-
grading to them. They seem to forget
that right upon our northern border. there
are a people. as free and as liberty loving
and brave as We are, who occupy that re.
lation to Great Britain. They seem to
forget that for nearly two centuries we
were In that condition ourselves, and that
but for that apprenticeship we probably
would not have been ht for the task
which we have had to perform. But the
business In hand now Is to govern and
control them as we find them. 1t is for
US to meet our responsibilities and leave
those who come after us to meet theirs.
%
That We shall abide by and enforce
those great principles of liberty and nat
ural justice and right, which are, as it
were, bred In the bone of our race and
inseparably part of our traditions and
OF our habits OF thought and action,
do not think any will deny. unless II be
a rare one here and there who. having
found under our institutions a liberty and
freedom unknown elsewhere. is now en-
gagged In the self-imposed task of teach
ing US how TO preserve them. But that
we shall be obliged in the outset TO estab-
lish In these islands a government in
some respects different from any we have
ever before adopted for any portion of
our territory. I do not doubt. The judi
cial system will probably have to be in
some respects different from our own.
No people can be fit for that participa.
tion In thes administration OF justice to
which under our system every American
Is accustomed, without years, perhaps
generations, Of training i'm the habits OF
freedom and self-restraint and in that
spirit which stands, above everything,
for law and order. and which breads,
above all else, the pollution of the foun-
tains Of justice. The revenue laws and
commercial regulations may have to be
different from our own. There may be
other things as to which we may have to
adopt different principles and policies
from those heretofore pursued by us
Surely at first we will have to govern
with a firm. strong hand. Let us, then,
approach this problS1 from this stand
point and with the objects to which [
have referred In view.
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