Woodruff County news., 1901-06-20
MILITARY DESPoTISM.
OstensibIe Civil Government Resting Upon Half Concealed BayOnets
 for the Philippines.

Secretary Root, in an interview, ,ets forth clearly and distinctly the fact that the presidents reliance for authority in the Philippines is solely upon the military power. Secretary Roots interview, which may be copied as the official interpretation of the presidents present policy in the Philippines, says:
 "In the Philippines the president has an- nounced a distinct policy of governing the Islands under his power as commander in chief of the army, with a constant regard for the rights of the people and with the determination, as rapidly as conditions | would allow, to diminish the use of mili- tary agencies and increase the employment of civil representatives of his power. This policy will be adhered to, and will be ex- tended, as occasion requires. to every branch of government in the islands, The matter no less than the man ner of this announcement is startling. The president relies upon his military power-"his" power, not the power of a constitutional popular govern ment, nor even the power of congress as enlarged by Justice Browns deci- sion-but upon "his" power as a mill itary dictator. The poor makeshift of the Spooner amendment, where by congress attempted to abdicate it's powers, is contemptuously brushed aside. The president will continue to rule as the man on horseback, with the bayonet as his symbol and the Mauser rife as his prime min l ister.
 Of course, all will be done "with a constant regard for the rights of the people," and with the determina- tion to diminish the use of military agencies and increase the employ ment of civil representatives of his power" That goes without saying. George III. never intended to rely l permanently upon the Hessians to carry out his plans for "the rights of the people" in the colonies; his 'increase the employment of civil representative of his power" In fact, he did employ the civil repre- sentatives of his power until the peo- pie unreasonably demanded that their power be recognized, when he was obliged to resort to the military. It was the custom of Julius Caesar and of the Roman emperors, as soon as they had benevolently assimiiated a conquered nation, to give it some form of civil government, subject to the power and caprice of the Roman ruler.
 | There is little to be chosen between a military despotisIo, pure and sim pie, and an ostensible civil govern ment resting upon half-concealed bay onets, such as the empire of the third Napoleon, for instance-and, of the two, the military despotism, plain and undisguised, is the honester and in the end less destructive of liberty.
 Could the secretary of war in any cabinet prior to President McKin- ley's have uttered such language as is attributed to Secretary Root without causing an instant investigation by congress, and, in case the president sanctioned these words, impeachment proceedings against the president as an intending usurper and subverter of our form of government? What is the matter with congress? Has pat ronage hopelessly corrupted the rep resentatives of the people? Whither are we drifting ?-Albany Argus.