The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-09-18

the argument that II II needed because Of
our foreign policy and want to ask you
whether you have decided to adopt for
eign policy, that requires this increase In
the standing army? The American peo-
pie have not declared In favor OF inn
periaiism. when the president was elect
ed four years ago. there was no such is
sue before the country; and when con-
gress was elected two years ago this issue
was not before the country 90 back to
the campaign OF 1893 Read the arguments
made; and you will find that in that cam
paign the Republican leaders did not
declare that we were to have o colonial
policy. You will fnd in that campaign
there was no policy. The only argument
made by the Republicans was Hold up
the hands Of the president until the war
10 over; do not discredit him while the
treaty Is being agreed upon" There was
no issue Of imperialism then. There was
the danger of II, and some cried out that
there was danger but the Republican party
had not declared its policy. It's president
had not Congress had not. The cabinet
had not. The Republican newspapers had
not. The Republican speakers had not.
Therefore this question has not been
passed upon by the American people. You
now for the first time are going to have
chance to sit in Judgment on this subject
and when you come to act on the question
Of imperialism want you to consider sew
eral propositions which are involved In this
issue, =, -.-.
Title TO the Filipino.
First, what Is your title to the Fill
pino? II we are going to keep the Fill
ipino, we ought to be able to know how we
got him. (Great applause.) We did not
have him four years ago. II he has come
into our possession since, there must have
been time, and there must have been q
title pass from somebody to us. You
would not buy horse without looking up
the title. You would not buy an acre OF
land without getting an abstract. Are you
going to buy eight million Filipinos with
out looking into their titlef What Is your
title to the Filipino? Did we buy him
from Spain? II SO, want to ask you,
when did this nation ever assert the doc
trine that you could buy people? When
was that doctrine asserted In this coun-
try? And IL the Republican party asserts
that doctrine now, let 1t show how long
since 1t accepted that doctrine. (Great
applause.)
Can't Buy People.
II the Declaration Of Independence Is
true you cannot buy people. II govern
ments derive their Just powers from the
consent Of the governed then you cannot
buy the right to govern people, and
charge that the Republican party cannot
defend title based on purchase without
asserting that the Declaration OF 1nde-
pendence is false, when 1t asserts that
the people are the source Of power.
(Great applause.)
But sometimes the Republicans try to
avoid 1t by saying that we bought the
land. Well, II we Just bought the land
| and did not buy the people, how did we
get the people? (Applause.) Were they
thrown in with the land. (Renewed ap-
| plause.)
Mother used to buy dress goods and get
the buttons and thread thrown In. Can
we buy land and get people thrown In?
Why, my friends, we not only have no
| right to buy people but when We bought
from Spain we knew that she did not
have any right to SELL You ask me how
know? know because we ourselves
| armed her people to fight against her
| authority, and when we recognized the
| right Of the Filipino to throw off the
| Spanish yoke, when We furnished arms to
the Filipino to fight against the Spanish
authority, we then threw discredit upon
that very title and we are not innocent
purchasers. You know there is a rule in
law that sometimes man stands in the
position Of an innocent purchaser and
while the title may not be good, or would
not be good, IL he had known of the de-
| feet, 1t is good because he did not know
Of the defect We are not innocent pur-
| chasers, because we knew of the defect In
Spain's title. (Applause.)
How are you to defend the title? II
you defend it on the ground OF purchase
you have got to annihilate the principles
hao n,t
suppose you defend 1t on the ground of
force? Is that any better? Are you 60
ing to say that we own them because we
can whip them? You dare not assert that
doctrine. Are you going to say that big
man can go out and thrash little man
and own him? (Applause.) And II big
man cannot secure titre to little man by
whipping him, how could big nation Sc
cure title to little nation by whipping
that nation! (Applause.)
deny that we can secure title by force.
II governments derive their Just powers
from the consent Of the governed you can
not acquire title to people by force.
Ratification Of Peace Treaty.
But we have treaty and the treaty
was ratified, and l want to talk to.
day for little while about the ratifica-
tion Of the treaty; but I want to say now
that the ratification of that treaty did not
change the principles OF our government
We could secure from Spain a quit claim
deed. We could exclude Spain from the
controversy, and when we got Spain out
then we had to deal with the Filipinos
according to our own principles and not
according to European principles. (En-
thusiastic applause and cheering.)
When Spain's title was purchased, or
secured by force-which ever you want to
call it-you simply got Spain out You
did not settle the Philippine question. A
president cannot change our principles OF
government; cabinet cannot change our
principles OF government; q congress can
not change our principles Of government
Applause and q voice calling, mark
Hanna can"). and according to our idea
those principles forbid either purchase or
force as the title to people.
A voice: That is what Mark Hanna