Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1901-10-10
AN uNpRoFIrABLH DEAL.

The disaster in the Philippines
OF last week brings home the fact
that the Philippine war is not
over; that political expansion be-
yond seas is still an experiment,
and that thousands of lives and
millions of dollars must still be
spent in an attempt to bring the
races of those islands under
American dominion. Whether it
was the hand of fate or a desire
for territorial conquest that gave
US the Philippines does not matter
now. We have them: They have
cost US dear. The people, animat-
ed by the spirit of commercialism,
ratified the action of the admins
tration in its course toward Spain
and it's latter course toward the
Philippines. But they have be-
come somewhat wiser during the
last two years. We have learned
that the United States cannot
absorb alien races over the seas
and assimilate them under the
constitution. We have awakened
to the fact that the civilization of
race cannot be accomplished in
a day by spreading over it the
mantle of our institutions and our
laws. All these things We might
have known had we stopped to
think. But we did not stop to
think. The dream of being, an
empire on which the sun would
never set, was too dazzeling to
allow the brain to work in it's
regular channels of reasonable
conservatism. Every thinking
man, whether he be an imperiallst,
an expansionist, or what not, now
realizes that we have q white
elephant on our hands in the pos
session of the Philippines. If
absolute peace reigned, those
islands would still be a govern
mental burden-a charge upon us
"a tax upon our nationality. Tie
advocates of territorial expansion
declared that the Filipinos were
not fit for self government.
Granted. If they are not fit for
self-government We have no use
for them within the constitutional
nest of the republic. We can
hold them only as serfs, and that
cannot be done so long as We are
what we are. But, says the terri
torial expansionist, We have them
and we must keep them even if we
have to sacrifice our constitution.
Not so. What we want is the
trade of the Orient, including the
Philippine Islands. That we can
secure without carrying the flag
to mountain or jungle over the
sea. ....
It has been said we took the
Philippines to prevent them from
falling into the hands of the
European nations. Well and
good. We will sell them, but no,
to England, nor to German, mol
France, nor Russia. This would
disturb the balance of power in
the far east. Let us offer them te
the only nation which can develop
the material resources Of the isl
ands and civilize the inhabitants
Let US sell them to Japan. By sc
doing, we will help to adjust the
balance of power of the world. II
return we can secure commercial
control Of the eastern coast of the
Pacific, recoup ourselves for oul
loss in treasure during the las
two years, revive the Monroe
doctrine and once more take oul
place as purely American ma.
tion. It Is consummation de.
voutely to be wished. With the
transfer of tie Philippines t.
Japan, naval and coaling stations
could be retained and a commerce.
al treaty negotiated, as a part con.
sideration, which would give to
the United States a practical con.
troll of the commerce of the ISL