New-York tribune., 1901-04-14
all branches Of government The original hopes
OF the e1pansionists were evidently not entirely
"THE BLESSINGS OF LIBERTY"

Talk is still heard about the obligation OF
this country "to confer the blessings OF Hb-
erty" upon the peoples of its insular possessions
There can be no question as to that oDhgatlon.
1t is solemn and supreme. But In the current
reminders OF it It Is a greyous error TO lay all
the emphasis upon liberty" as though that
were the sole thing to be bestowed The pre-
amble to the constitution, from which the
quoted phrase is taken, says nothing about con-
ferring liberty upon this nation Ihat was
taken for granted as already an accomplished
fact and matter OF course. Inc opJect OF
that instrument was and is Ito secure the
blessings of liberty to the people for all time
Between the two there is a distinction with a
difference A people may have liberty without
the blessings of liberty. just as man may have
life without the blessings which should apper-
tain to life The communist mobS of Paris had
so-called liberty. The savage tribes of the
African forests have liberty. But the less said
about its blessings to them the better.
Now the constitution does not altogether
vaguely speak of the blessings of liberty In
the same paragraph it indicates tersely but I'M
mistakably what those blessings. or the chief
of them. are The establishment Of justice, the
assurance of domestic tranquility. provision
for defence against alien assault, and promo
tion of the general welfare-these are blessings
of liberty" and it is for their maintenance that
the constitution exists. Liberty itself was won
in 1888. But under the confederation its bene-
fits were not secured or We're not fully enjoyed.
1t remained for the constitution of 1897 to
garner the harvest and TO complete the work
Precisely analogous is the present case The
war of 1898 and the consequent Treaty of Paris
secured the liberty of fhe islands beyond all
doubt Thereafter there could be no question
of their liberty It was a matter Of course, an
ACCOMPLISHED fact. What remained was TO
secure the blessings of that liberty to the peo-
pie of the islands,
We cannot persuade ourselves that the latter
purpose would have been fulfilled by simple
abandonment of the islands to their own de-
vices. In stabbing beheading or burying alive
all political dissenters the government OF
Agunaldo did not give promise Of the estab
lishment of justice. In the feuds between
Tacals and MacabebeS there was no fore
shadowing of domestic tranquility. In the en-
tire lack of naval forces and foriiications there
was little hope of defence against alien foes. In
practical anarchy the general welfare was not
likely to be promoted. 1t was one thing to con-
fer liberty 1t is another thing to secure per
manently to the people the blessings and bene-
fits of that liberty in the fullest possible degree
The latter is the task in which this nation is
now earnestly and conscientiously engaged. 1t
is of auspicious omen that Aguinaldo himself
now realizes the fact. We trust we are not too
optimistic in hoping that some day the fact
may be recognized even by the members of the
Anti -Imperialist League.