West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1900-08-23
ouR TITLE TO rnr ISLANDS.
Nero the People Thrown In with the orr.
entail Real lcStNtns

"crc the People Thrown Ia with the orr
entail Real EStates
what Is our title TO the Philippine
islands! Do we hold them by treaty
or by conquestI DID we buy them or
ala we take themg Did we purchase
the peoplsy III not. how did we secure
title TO theml Were they thrown I'm
with the land? VIII the Republicans
say that inanimate earth has value.
and when that earth Is nodded by the
Divine Hand and stamped with the
nkeness OF the Creator IL becomes a
hNture and passes with the sollY III
governments derive their just powers
from the consent of the governed it is
Impossible To secure title TO people.
either by force or by purchase. we
could eXtlnguish Spain's title by treaty.
but II we hold title we must hold il
ny sousc method consistent with our
lucas OF government. When we made
ailleS OF the filipinos aud armed them
To buy SPANS title we are not nno-
cent purchasers. But even IL we had
not disputed Spain's title she could
transfer no greater title than she had,
ana her title was based ON force alone.
We cannot defend such title, but ms
SPAN gave us n quit claim deed we
can honorably turn the property over
any American official gave the Fiji
pinos formal assurance OF lndepen-
dence ls not material. There can be
no doubt that we accepted and utilized
the services OF the Fillpinos. and that
When we did so we had full knowledge
that they were lighting for their own
independence, and | submit that his
tory furnishes no example OF turpitudc
paser than ours " we now substitute
our yoke for the Spanish yoke.
Let us consider briefly, the reasons
Which nave been given In support OF
an imperialLstic policy. Some say that
II is our duty to hold the Philippine
Islands. But duty III not an argument;
IL Is conclusion. TO ascertain what
our duty Is i'm any emergency we must
apply well settled and generally ac-
cepted principles. It Is our duty 10
avoid stealing, no matter whether the
thing to he stolen is OF great or little
value. Every one recognizes the obllgn-
ton imposed upon individuals to OBJ
serve Doth the human and moral law:
nut as some deny the application or
those laws to nations II may not be out
OF place To quote the opinion of 9th
ers. Jefferson, than whom there is no
higher political authority, said: II
KNOW OF but one code OF morality for
men, whether acting singly or col
lectlNely. Franklin, whose learning.
wisdom and virtue are part OF the
priceless legacy bcqueathed 10 us from
the revolutionary days, expressed the
same idea I'm even stronger language
when he said: Justice ls as strictly
due between ncighbor nations as be-
tween ncighbor citizens 80
Force can defend n right, but force
has never yet created n right. IL IL
was true. as declared In the resolu-
tions Of intervention, that the Cubans
are and of right ought TO be free and
independent Qanguage taken from the
Declarntion Of Independence. IL is
equally true that the Filipinos 'are
ana OF right ought to be free and lnde-
pendent Who VIII draw
line between the natural rights of the
Cubans and the l'illpinos? Who Will
say that the former has n right 10 lib
erty and that the latter has no rights
which we are bound TO respect? And
II the Filiplnos "arc and OF right ought
to he free and independent" what right
have we TO force our government upon
them without their consent?