The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1900-08-17
that the Filipinos "are and of right
ought to be free and independent. ;"
As to the obligation" alleged To-

i
Ought to be free and independent. >
As to the obligation" alleged tc
have been put upon us by our con.
quest Of Spain, Mr.. Bryan replies
First, that the highest obligation
| of this nation is to be true t. itself
No obligation to any particular ma
tion, or to all nations combined, car
require the abandonment OF our the.
Ioly of government and the substi-
tuition OF doctrines against which
our whole national life has been q
protest. And, second, that our OBJ
legations to the Filipinos who in.
habit the islands are greater than
any obligation which we can owe to
foreigners, who have a temporary
residence in the Philippines or de-
sire to trade there.
Is there any escape from this ar
gument? Could there be anything
more essentially American than this
logic?
The assumption that the Filipinos
are not capable Of self government
lis mercilessly riddled. Quoting
Henry Clay, that cit is the doctrine
of thrones that man is too ignorant
to govern himself" Mr.. Bryan says
Once admit that some people are
capable of self-government and that
others are not, and that the capable
people a have right to seize upon
and govern the incapable, and you
make force-brute force-the only
foundation of government and in
vite the reign OF the despot. / am
not willing to believe that an all.
wise and all-loving God created the
Filipinos and then left them thous-
ands Of years helpless until thu is
lands attracted the attention OF Eu-
ropean nations.
The flimsy plea that we cannot
"haul down the flag where it has
once waved" is contemptuously
brushed aside by the speaker with
conclusive historic precedents.
The commercial argument as BADLY
put by Senator Wolcott, is met by
the assertion that "a war OF con-
quest is as unwise as it is unright-
eous," aud by the happy epigram
that cit is not necessary to own
people in orderto trade with them. y
Mr.. Bryan's citation of trade facts
abundantly fortifies his ethical argu.
ment.
Himself somewhat of a religious
zealot, Mr.. Bryan reminds those
who attempt to make Providence
the leader in criminal aggression"
that "majority of the Filipinos are
now members Of one branch Of the
Christian church," and he asks for
any warrant in that system to "civ-
iiize with dynamite and proselyte
with the sword"
The plan "unreservedly indors-
ed" b. Mr.. Bryan for settling the
Philippine question is given in this
pledge:
If elected l shall convene Con-
gress in extraordinary session as
soon as | am inaugurated, and rec !.
ommend an immediate declaration
of the nations purpose, first to es
tablish a stable form Of government
in the Philippine Islands, just as
we are now establishing a stable
form of government in the island Of
Cuba; second, to give independence
to the Filipinos, just as we have
promised to give independence to
the Cubans; third to protect the
Filipinos from outside interference
while they work out their destiny,
lust as we have protected the repub-
lies Of Central and South America,
and are by the Monroe doctrine
pledged to protect Cuba.
This is the logical conclusion Of
an unanswerable argument. 1t en-
bodies the Democratic policy for
settling in an honorable, practical,
American way "The paramount is
sue" of the presidential campaign.
N. Y. World.