Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1901-01-11


whose executive, whose Judiciary, whose
Legislative powers. whose relation to
other counties, in war and ia peace;
whose trade. / whose commerce, whose
jurisprudence, are at the mercy of an
other aud foreign authority.
There can lie no liberty, there can be
no self-yovernment. there can I've in the
end no political rights, without indie
pendence. Our declaration of the prin-
ciples of liberty, which for 100 years has
been to us as a political Bible is a
Declaration of Independence. No man
is free man who is under guardian
ship, aud no nation and no people are
either free or independent or self-govern-
ing while they are under guardianship.
1t is idle to tell MS that this people is
not fit for freedom. Our naval and
military commanders themselves have
more than once testified to the contrary.
The President in his message says:
The Filipinos are race quick to learn
and to profit by knowledge. He would
be rash who, with the teachings of con-
temporaneous history in view, would fix
limit to the degree of culture and adj
vancement vet within the reach of these
people, if our duty toward them be
faithfully performed.
say Amen! Our duty to them is
lust to let them advance. The way to
teach them to swim is to let them swim.
The way to teach them to be fit for
libery is to set them free. The way to
| help them to their advancement is to let
them advance
The United States will be, in regard
to all these other races than ours, mis-
cradle failure until we learn to let ma
ture and natures God work out these
problems of natural growth in foreign
races in their own way.
There never has been, within my
knowledge, matter of such vast public
concern, in regard to which American
people seem to be utterly without ac-
curate knowledge of the important facts,
as in respect to the war in the Philip
pines. Will any man stand up in the
face of any American audience-will any
senator rise here in his seat and affirm
that, if the inhabitants of the Philippine
islands, or any large number of them, be
people in the sense in which we use
that word, in which it is used in history
in the sense in which we use it in oul
great Declaration of Independence, il
they desire Independence, and if they
are fit for liberty, especially if they de
sire republic and but for us could
establish and maintain twill any man
say, rise and declare that we can right
fully use our vast power to crush then
out, to subject them to our will, anC
Justify or excuse our conduct by talking
about oriental trade or military glory, OF
by declaring that where the flag hal
once gone it must forever stay, right o.
wrong 7?
One gentleman tells the people tina
the Filipinos are race Of savages anc
unfit totally for self-government. Blu
the President of the United States con
tradicts that. Admiral Dewey contra
diets it. He says they are filter for self
government than the Cubans.
We are told in another quarter tina
; the people of the Philippine islands arr
now almost wholly subdued, and tina
only few outlaws and bandits and ad
venturers and criminal aud unscrupu
lous persons are against us. But we ar,
told by returning soldiers and officers
we are told by letters upon letters from
the Philippine islands, that we hold bu
a single railroad, over which militar,
patrol has to be sent before every train
and that there is not place outside o
Manila in the islands where an American
officer dares to cross the street alone, .un
: less heavily armed.
We are told in the Presidents mes
/ sage, as read yesterday, that the oppo
sition is substantially over. | read tn
exact words; and we are told from tn
committee on military affairs, almost II
t the same breath, that the rebellion wa
r never so hot and so pc erful as it is to
} day. \ y y '
Are we reducing a race of orienta
J savages to order or are we crushing on
in the beginning of this new century
people of 100000 or 100000 VIII
have established and can maintain a re
. public with law and peace and justic
| and education and schools and college
/ and libraries? Which is the truth
: should like to ask my friends OF
: this side of the chamber whether the
| think it is unreasonable, in the light O
3 the history Of the great Republican party
{ to have these questions settled before W
: go on to break to pieces this fabric O
Z liberty which, whether fair or beautiful
e or not, in our eyes, is the best fabri
: that the oriental people have yet beel
: able to design?