Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1900-08-16

trines against Wnlcn our whole national
life has been protest. And. second, thar
our obligations to the Filipinos. who in
habit the islands, are greater than any
obligation which we can owe to foreign
ers who have temporary residence in
the Philippines or desire to trade there.
1t is argued by some that the Filipinos
are incapable Of self-government and
that, therefore, we owe it to the world to-:
take control of them Admiral Dewey, in
all official report to the navy department.
declared the Filipinos more capable Of
self-government than the Cuoans. and
said that he based his opinion upoE
knowledge Of both races. Eu: will rest
the case upon the relative advancement
Of the Filiptnos. Henry Clay, in defend
ing the rights Of the people of South
America to self-government, said:
ut is the doctrine of thrones that man
is too ignorant to govern himself. Their
partisans assert his incapacity in refer
ence to all nations; if they cannot COM
mand universal assent to the proposition,
it is then remanded to particular nations;
and our pride and our presumption too
often make converts of us. 1 contend
that it is to arraign the disposition of
Providence himself to suppose that he has
created beings incapable of governing
themselves. and to be trampled on by
kings Self-government is the natural
| government of man"
| Clay was right. There are degrees of
| proficiency in the art of government,
but it is a reflection upon the Creator to
| say that he denied to any people the
capacity of self-government. I am not
willing to believe that an all-wise and
all-loving God created the F'ilipinos and
| Yea 81 I,al,,-
less until the islands attracted the atten-
| ton Of European nations.
Republicans ask: SHALL we haul down
| the flag that floats over our dead in the
Philippines?" The same question might
have been asked when the American flag
floated over Chapultepec and waved over
the dead who fell there; but the tourist
who visits the City of Mexico finds there
| a national cemetery owned by the United
| States and cared for by an American
| citizen.
"Can we not govern colonies?" are
asked. The question is not what we can
do, but what we ought to do. This nation
| can do whatever it desires to do, but it
must accept responsibility for what it
| does. If the. Constitution stands in the
way, the people can amend the Constitu-
| ton I repeat, the nation can do wlat-
| ever it desires to do, but it cannot avoid
the natural and legitimate results of its
own conduct.
Would we tread in the paths of tyranny,
Nor reckon the tyrants cost?
Who taketh another's liberty
| His freedom is also lost.
| Would we win as the strong have ever won,
Make ready to pay the debt.
For the God who reigned Babylon
| Is the God who is regnng yet
Some argue that American rule in the
Philippine islands will result in the bet
ter education of the Filipinos. Be not
| deceived If We expect to maintain a
| colonial policy we shall not find it to our
| advantage to educate the people. The ed
| ucated FiipinoS are now in revolt against
us, and the most ignorant ones have made
| the least resistance to our domination.
The principal arguments, however, adj
vanced by those who enter upon de-
Tense of Imperialism are:
| First-That we must improve the pres
| ent opportunity to become a world power
and enter into International politics.
| Second-That our commercial interests
in the Philippine islands and in the OH
ent make it necessary for US to hold the
| islands permanently.
Third-That the spread of the Christian
| religion will be facilitated by a colonial
policy.
Fourth-That there is no honorable re-
treat from the position which the nation
| has taken.
| The first argument is addressed to the
| nations pride, and the second to the ma
TONS pocketbook. The third is intended
for the church member and the fourth for
the partisan
Already World Power.
1t is a sufficient answer to the first
argument to say that for more than a
century this nation has been a world
power. For ten decades it has been the
most potent influence in the world. Not
only has it been a world power, but it
has done more to affect the politics of the
human race than all the other nations
of the world combined Because our Dec
laration of Independence was promulga-
ted, others have been promulgated; be-
cause the patriots Of 1776 fought for lib
erty, others have fought for it; because
our Constitution was adopted, other con-
situations have been adopted. The
growth of the principle Of self-sovern-
ment, planted on American soil, has been
the overshado wing political fact of the
chairman of the last Republican national
ment in all its badness, when he said:
eve make no hypocritical pretense of
being interested in the Philippines sole
ly on account of others. While we re-
gard the welfare of those people as
sacred trust, we regard the welfare of the
American people first. We see our duty
to ourselves as we'll as to others. We
believe in trade expansion. BY every le-
Ultimate means within the province of
the government and the Constitution we
mean to stimulate the expansion OF cur
trade and open new markets"
This is the commercial argument 1t
is based upon the theory that war can
be rightly waged for pecuniary ad-
vantage, and that it is profitable to pur-
chase trade by force and violence Frank
lin denied both of those propositions.
1 place the philosophy of Franklin
against the sordid doctrine of those who
would put a price upon the head of an
American soldier and justify a war of
conquest upon the ground that it will
pay. The Democratic party is in favor