Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1901-12-12

anu liitcIeetS. iNcltIlcT are tIcy WIlllIlS
to declare that the Filipinos are to be
kept subjects forever for this would be
plainly inconsistent with our form of
government, our traditions and the we'll
nigh universal sentiment of our people.
When one understands that we must
put the Filipinos into training for ulti-
mate citizenship or condemn them to
perpetual servitude under colonial
system; when one understands that we
must neither hold before, the Filipnos
the hope Of full participation in our gov.
eminent or doom them to despair
when one understands this alternative
he readily sees why the republicans re-
fuse to divulge their purpose.
The democratic plan for the settle
ment of the Filipino question is iden
tical with the plan proposed by the re-
publicans for the settlement of the
Cuban question, and the republicans
cannot reject the democratic plan with
out showing some essential difference
between the rights of the Cnbans and
of the Filipinos. First, Il stable form OF
government must be established in the
place OF one overthrow by us, but it
will be easy to established this stable
government when the Filipinos know
that tits to be their government. There
would be instruction now in Cuba if we
had treated the Cubans as we have
treated the Filipinos there would now
be peace in the PHILIPPINES if we had
treated the Filipinos as we treated the
Cubans. We have not scrupulously OBJ
served the promise made to the Cubans,
and yet the confidence which the
Cubans have felt in ultimate indepen-
dence has led them to submit even
when our demands have seemed UNI
reasonable and unjust.
Independence is the desire and the
right vi the Filipinos. If we denied
them independence and gave them full
citizenship in our government it might
possibly be satisfactory to them. al
though it would be dangerous to us, but
the FER s4iean leaders do not promise
them citizenship in this government as a
substitL,. for an independent govern
ment of their own. The Filipinos are
not enjoying the guarantees of our con-
sttuton; they are enduring carpet
bag government such as the American
people would not submit to. We are not
giving the Filipinos American liberty,
American institutions or an American
constitution. We are giving them an
arbitrary and despotic government, for
a government imposed by force and adj
minstered according to foreign ideas is
always despotic, no matter how benevo-
lent may be the purpose of those who
administer it.
In proposing protection from outside
interference the democrats offer to the
Philippine republic the same guardian
| ship which has been given to the re-
pubics of Central and South America, a
guardianship which has been given to
the smaller republics the protection OF
our strength without making them the
victims OF our greed. For seventy five
years the Monroe doctrine has been a
bulwark to the independent governments
which have sprung up to the south of
us. 1t has not involved us in any con-
siderable expense, but it has been inn
mensely valuable both to the wards and
to the guardian. When England re-
Gently asserted the right to fix arbitrarily
the boundry line between her South
American possessions and Venezuela, it
only required firm, but friendly warm
ing from the United States to prevent a
conflict and secure equity and justice
for Venezuela.
No nation in Europe would wage war
against the United States in order to Sc
cure the Philippine islands, and it is
doubtful if any OF the leading nations of
Europe would be willing to allow any
other nation to own the Philippine ISL
ands.
The republicans said that it would
cost us an enormous sum OF money to
extend the Monroe Doctrine TO the
Philippine islands. 1t has already cost
us an immense sum to attempt to assert
Against the republican prophecy we
ungrounded fear of expense we place
/ tic iutIlNN NAtVI'N's W i'Ni' w
try to govern the Filipinos against their
will and tax them without representa-
ton, they fight us. and we have found
that they are able to force us to vast cX-
pcnditures. IT, on the other hand, we
protect them from outside interference,
they fight the nation which attacks
them instead OF fighting us, and ii they
can give other nations as much trouble
as they have given MS they will not
require much help from us To maintain
their independence.
rhc democratic position is not only
sound, but it is unass,ilable; it rests
upon the Declaration of Independence !:
it is in harmony with the constitution
and the bill of rights. Now that the
party can choose the battle ground, let
it challenge the republicans to attack
the conscience and the mora, sentiment
of the people as we'll as the principles of
free government. Ii the democrats will
present a united front on this issue AN
issue upon which the Kansas City con-
vention was Neutrality-suspicious. is hope
Of victory that will not only reinstate
the democratic party but restore the
government to its old foundations and
the nation to that high position among
the nations to which its ideas and it,