The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-08-12
BDMUNDS POINTS TO PERIL
The ex-senator Sees Dangers in
Americas Colonial System.

Predicts Corruption in Porto Rico
and the PhiIippineS-WOrd Broken
To Cuba, But That Country Not "A
Serious Ncnucc-Thc Trust Problem
JEFFERSON, y H. Aug. I2.-Ex-Uuited
States Senator George r. Edmunds be-
Hevcs that the Administrations course in
regard To Cuba has been wrong and that
the premises to Cuba have not been kept.
He declares that Porto Rico will be filled
with corruption and bring great danger
TO this country Mr.. Edmunds also con
siders that the Philippines win be a scene
of corruption and that imperialism will
continue 20 be an issue in this country.
81 have been a Republican so long that
/ think there will always be a Republ-
can party, said he, and / have never
been able To ind much good in the Dem
ocrauC party. However. ] think the
Governments course in regard TO Cuba
has been wrong and unnecessary We
have not made good our promises TO
Cuba. and there was nothing TO prevent
US from doing so. We promised to give
the Cuhans their freedom. and we would
have stood much better In the eyes Of
the world and in our own estimation if
We had done so.
II do not know enough about the Gu
bans TO say whether they are capable Of
self-Eovcrumcut. but our action in allow
ing them To set up a Government of their
own under certain restrictions in regard
To foreign affairs is an admission on our
part that they are capable. My plan
would have been 10 give them complete
independence, as we promised; let them
set up their Government, then some time
al in h..
they had time TO get into any foreign
entanglements or contract any debts. We
could have gone To them and explained
our position i'm the matter.
I'VE could have called attention 20 the
Monroe Doctrine. told them that in order
to protect ourselves we must have some
|. arrange ment by which they could not
make any alliances with other nations
without the Government Of the United
States being consulted; that We had set
( them free and il was necessary for US
TO see To il that our rights were pro-
/ tcCted. We could deal with them as a
! republic and have something IN the ma
/ turo of treaty that would insure us an
| the protection necessary II Lhey refused
| TO enter into. any such arrangement it
[ would be necessary aad right for US to
/ insist upon it. so tell them firmly that
/ they must agree TO il OF take the couse-
! qusnces. That would have been my idea
| of it. instead of refusing 10 fuIhu our
/ promises and not giving them an oppor-
I tUnity to say whether OF not we should
/ control heir foreign relations.
I In my opinion we have more 70 fear
/ from Porto Rico than from Cuba Porto
| Rico is a part of the United States. and
/ il viii probably not DE long before IL Is
| flooded with ambitions lawyers and 9th
ar carUstbaggers. who viii soon Doe in
control OF its affairs % greater or less
/ extent Then there VIII come a time
/ when the political parties viii have to
I consider the question Of admitting Porto
Rico into the Union. The carretba ggers
and others viii Dee i'm control. and 1 think
you will find the conditions worse than
/ we ever had with any Of the Rocky Noun
tain Territories that have become States.
We will have much woEse people 10 deal
/ with than the PoDUIists Of the West
/ I'm the Philippines we viii probably
1 have to maintain an armed force for a
number Of years. Ther- viii always De
more or less guerrilla warfare going ON.
and we wiz De in s1meW hat the same po-
sition thaJ England is in India where she
I is always finding it necessary to suppress
/ an uprising 0f one sort or another.
'Do yYu think the trusts viii become
/ more important issue than Imperialism '
I was asked.
-l lu trusts VIII work out the problem
/ thsmselFes ll manner. was the reply
They VIII 20 through the same trans
formation that the RAILROADS did Few
years ago I think experience has shown
| that ia AN bis combinations ~ this kind
I ID iS found that they are TrDsug rpus Tor
I "a rirl-. an the start. then they begin 10
! fan behind. and finally they so Jo pieces
You do not think The trusts Viii Dee an
important issue
no. I viii not say that. One cannot
tel what may happen, and Eal Enpgy chat
/ everybody who is not IN LIf trust is
against IT, and when we consider now
| comparatively few people there are who
/ hold stock IN these great C8ll..liDs Dr. is
{ evident that the opposition against them
| Is strong. If the Democratic party could
suggest something that wound appeal To-
I Tho people r- "a remedy ] dom think IT,
would have much difficulty iu winning asa
| election. but d 10 afraid cannot look 20
/ the DsMtN--at- for that