The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1900-09-19
NATIONAL CAMPAIGN ISSUES

1he letter OF w m. Mchlbley. dCCepS-
ing the Republican nomination for the
was given to the public on
the 9th inst. Special prominence is
given in the letter to the currency and
Philippine questions. The financial
planks in the Democratic, Populist
and Silver Republican parties are all
quoted from, and an effort made to
rally all the gold standard forces to
his support, as the only guarantee of
a sound and stable currency. Not
withstanding the gold standard cur
rency law passed by Republican Con-
gress in March, and the fact that the
Republicans will control the Senate
for the next two or four years, the
President affects to believe that Bry-
ans election would result in the imme-
diate restoration of silver to its place
as a money metal, and the debasement
of the currency, to the inestimaole
hurt of the Nations credit and the bus
mess interests of the country general
". In fact, on this point the letter fur
nishes fresh and conspicuous illus
tration of what Mr.. Bryan had already
aptly remarked, that the Republican
leaders, two months after the Phila-
delphia Convention are in joint de-
bate with their own platform.
Nearly three-fourths of the entire
letter is devoted to weak and labored
defense of the Presidents Philippine
policy. He essays review of the
whole Philippine record, and by 1t at
tempts to justify his own official acts
toward this betrayed and outraged
people. The responsibility and obi
CATION assumed to the civilized world
and to the Filipinos themselves by the
destruction of the Spanish fleet in
Manila bay, the present incapaeity OF
the Filipinos for self-government and
their alleged aggressiveness and attack
on the American army of occupation
pending the ratification of the Spanish
treaty, are the principal reasons re-
lied on to justify the war which the
President has waged on the inhabi-
tants of the island for nearly two
years.
AS the fair minded, honest American
citizen proceeds to read this letter in
the light of history, he cannot avoid
repeatedly asking himself why it never
occurred to President Mckinley to
recommend and accord to the Filipi-
nos the same treatment and independ-
ence pledged to the people of Cuba.
Admiral Dewey, who knows both peo-
Piles we'll, is on record as declaring
that the Filipinos are even more capa-
BILE of self-government than the Gu
bans. Mr.. Mckinley is particular in
his long and labored letter neither to
raise nor answer this question, and
we II may he remain silent upon it.
The key to the Presidents entire
Philippine policy is contained in the
following paragraph, found after one
has waded through several columns of
his defense. Note particularly the
words we have italicis6d:
There has been no time since the de-
struction of the enemy's feet when we
could or should have left the Philip
pine archipelago. After the treaty of
peace was ratified no power but Con-
gress could surrender our sovereignty
or ALLEVIATE foot of the territory thus
acquired. The Congress has not seen
fit to do one or the other, and the
President had no authority to do either,
If he had been so inclined, ,chich he ards
not. So long as the sovereignty re-
mains in us it is the duty of the Exec
utive, whoever he may be, to uphold
that sovereignty, and if it be attacked
to suppress its assailants.
When it is remembered that it was
Mr.. Mckinley who dictated the terms
of the treaty, and that he used all the
power and patronage of his Admins
tration to have it ratified and the Ba-
con resolution pledging independence
to the Filipinos defeated, this is tanta-
mount to an avowal Of an original sim
lister purpose to seize and hold the is
lands and cowardly disavowal of per-
sonal responsibility for doing so, all
uttered in the same breath.
Mr.. Bryan will be afforded ample
by this letter for convict
ing Mr.. Mckinley of both inconsist-
ency and insincerity. Its chief value
as campaign document is that it
makes clear the Republican policy on
the paramount issue of the campaign.
This is to permanently hold the Phil
ippine archipelago, though whether it
is the intention to ultimately take the
islands into the American Union or
States and Territories, or hold them as
subject colonies is not yet so clear. TO
this vast population of
mixed and ignorant races into the
body polite cannot be done without
the greatest danger and injury; to
hold them as subject colonies cannot
be done without violence to the De-
claration of independence, the Con-
stitution and all the traditions and
of the Republic. By the
side of this all other questions of the
sink into comparative insig
nificance.