The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-08-27
Ratification of the Paris Treaty Urged
to Create an Issue on which to
Marshal the OppOsitiOns
COWARDICE OF HIS COURSE
ONLY LESS THAN UNPATRIOTIC Ma
TURE OF HIS MOTIVE.
sterling Qualities of the Presidents
Policies and Methods in Treat
mcnt of the Philippines.

The Hon. Charles DENLY, of Evansville.
all his life Democrat. and for many years
minister to China, and member of the first
Philippine commission. has made public the
following resume. of his views on Mr.
Bryan's attitude toward the Philippines:
In his speech of April II. i'm the Senate,
Mr.. Hoar said that he could not forget
that Mr.. Bryan, unless he is much mis-
represented, used all his power and IN
f1uence with those of his friends who are
ready TO listen to his counsels to secure
the ratification of the treaty., meaning the
Paris treaty.
There were seventeen Democratic sena-
tors who voted for the ratification. A two
thirds majority was necessary. The treaty
was ratified by one vote, Mr.. Bryan has
squarely assumed the responsibility of the
ratification.
In his speech of acceptance Mr.. Bryan
meets this question i'm the only way that
he could have met IL. His language Is:
II among the number of those who
believed it better TO ratify the treaty..
Thus Mr.. Bryan indorses the doc
trine that a politician has the right to do
evil in order that good may come. The
end justifies the means. In morals this
position is unsound.
In December. 1898, Spain had made treaty
ceding the islands to us. We had occupied
them until Feb. 5, 1899. On that day Aguin-
aldo made war us. Our soldiers had
to fight for their lives The treaty was
ratified on Feb. T. 1899. Mr.. Bryan advised
his friends in the Senate to vote to ratify
the treaty after the battle of Feb. 5 had
been fought He knew that war had begun.
He might readily have foreseen what COM
plications might possibly occur out OF the
existing conditions. Then was the time to
have talked about the consent Of the gov
erned." and not now, when every speech
he makes adds ten names to the roll of
our dead, and one hundred to the Filipino
dead.
If Mr.. Bryans plea were filed in the
courts the judges would hold 1t bad, on the
doctrine of estoppel If a man fails to
Ii, and the position of another person
would be injuriously affected by permitting
him to tell thereafter what he alleges to
be true, his mouth is sealed by the law.
For instance If you stand by an auction
SALE and see another person buy your
horse, and pay for it without disclosing
your title, you are estopped to claim the
horse though your title to il might have
BEEN good If you had asserted 1T at the
proper time.
Mr. Bryan having the undoubted power to
prevent the ratification of the treaty,
actually. by his own confession, advised its
ratification. Neither in law nor in morals
can he be permitted now to secure political
advantage from renouncing a course OF
conduct which he himself advised
Surely, If great political leader goes
before the country and counsels that a
certain law be passed, or solemn treaty
be ratified, an indignant public will not lis
ten to him patiently when he afterwards
denounces the adoption of the line of policy
in love and war, but no public man has
openly avowed that all is fair in politics
However violent the presumption may be-
il is still presumed prima facie that po-
litical battles are waged on principle, and
not on fraud and trickery.
do not accuse Mr.. Bryan with favoring
the adoption of the treaty of Paris for the
sake of securing a political advantage
but If he really believed the treaty was
bad, because it conveyed to us the title
to the Philippines, surely the palmer and
,oroh hnr1 r-ah 10 haU holfl
have opposed its ratification. What he
says to his reasons for his conduct is
Il thought it safer TO trust the American
people TO give independence TO the Ffipinos
than TO trust the accomplishment of that
purpose to diplomacy with an unfriendly
nation"
1T SOUNDS WELL.
This sounds very well, indeed. and puts
Mr. Bryan in the attitude of desiring in
dependence for the Philippines very ar
IDENTIFY. What are the Filpinos to him, or
he to them? Why should he so ardently de-
sire that they should be spared the disgrace
of becoming citizens of our great Republic?
Why become so suddenly imbued with an
tagonism to the Democratic principle of ex-
pansion as exemplified by all Democratic
statesman from Jefferson to Voorhees,? II
he could stand the annexation of Hawaii.
why balk at the acquisition of the Philip
pines?
Mr.. Bryan is not slow in giving us in
his own words the reason for his conduct.
He does not wait long to show the cloyen
foot. His own explanation is as follows:
II believe that we are now in a better
position TO wage successful contest
against imperialism than We would have
been had the treaty been rejected
Here, then, We have the real reason for
this strange parody of Jekyll and Hyde.
He wanted to create the bogy of .'im-
perialism' i'm order that he might fight
and overcome the monster. If the treaty
had not been ratified. there would have
been no imperialism" and Mr. BRYAN
would have failed to secure an antagonist
worthy of his splendid oratory. How sim
pie il all seems, now that he has explained
it, If Mr.. Bryan had opposed the ratifica-
ton OF the treaty the F1lipinos would have
gone their way, either into the arms of
Spain, or of Germany, or into discordant
and warning petty states. AT all events
he would have been done with them. This
would not have suited at all, because Mr..
Bryan wanted to wage successful con-
test against imperialism.
AS Hawaii had already come peacefully
under our rule no imperialism could be
predicated on her accession. 1t was neces-
sary that the two-headed giant should be
created before Jack the Giant Killer
could overcome him: and so Imperialism
was born, and its actual father was VIII
liam Jennings Bryant He is now endeayor-
ing TO destroy his own child.
Mr.. Bryan favors the right kind of ex-
pansion.' but he does not favor the acoui-
sition of the Philippines. Why, in the name
of common honesty, did he not say so when
the Senate was discussing the ratification
of the treaty? Then was the time for him
TO speak. or TO forever after hold his peace
Let il be remembered that this extraordi-
nary dread of "imperialistic rule comes
from gentleman who has accepted the
nomination of the fusion Popuists' or Peo-
Piles party Ii is presumed that he Is
bound in honor TO carry out the principles
Of each one of the three parties of which he
Is the nominee. The Populist platform de-
mands that "the country should own and
operate the railroads in the interest of
the people. Is not that imperialism?
IL Imperialism means that our own lib