The Tucson citizen., 1902-06-07
The DEMOCRATIC POLICY.

Morgan of Alabama and Spooner Of
Wisconsin. express themselves on any
subject of general concern in disagree
ment with the accepted views and pol !
fcies of their party. individual citizens
are naturally puzzled. In the debate
in the Senate on the amendments to
the Philippine government bill these
two gentlemen showed that they en-
tertained views differing materially /
from the accepted policy OF the parties
II which trey are respectively at |
IA he'd
There is really no room for CONFUSION j
on the subject of the attitude of the
parties on the Philippines Nothing
that Senator Spooner or any other
Republican statesman will say can
divest the administration and the
party it represents of responsibility
for the state of affairs prevailing in
the Islands nor for the attitude which
the United States is made to occupy OF
seeking to establish colonial control
over people which refused to accept
such relation toward Spain, and
whose demand for self government
thus far has been responded 70 only
b, the crack of a rife.
There are Democrats who insist that
we should at once clear out. bag and
baggage, from the Philippines, and
leave the islanders in control of their
the party policy. In the prosecution
Of the war for Cuban independence we
were obliged to send troops to occupy
Manila When the real history OF the
events which followed our occupation
of Mslia, and which Immediately pre-
ceded the conflict between the Ameri-
can ant Filipino forces, comes to be
written 1t will be found that the blood
shed that followed could have been
avoided by the exercise of forbearance
and coed sense on the part of our rep
resentatives, and that peaceful ad-
jnstment could have been made which
would place the responsible govern
ment of the islands in our control
without disregarding our national obli-
cations, until such time as we could
withdraw. leaving the Filipinos in
charge of the agencies of their own
government
When Senator SpOoner declared
against making terms with the man
who holds loaded pistol at his breast,
he simply talks nonsense. When
Senator Morgan tells his colleagues
that the Filipinos are not lighting for
liberty but doing the bidding of a
Hong Kong junta. he not only talks
nonsense, but he talks in opposition to
the settled convictions of his party.
Neither of these statements has the
slightest bearing on what should be
done in the present emergency.
Senator Spooner declared that he
would not have this country exercise
territorial dominion at the cost Of any
mans liberty, and that he is not in
favor of our continuance in the Philip
pines In so declaring himself he Is
placed squarely in the ranks of the
opposition to the administration policy
in the Philippines. Senator Morgan
declares that II Admiral Dewey had
entered into an agreement with Aguin-
aldo, he would have been guilty of Civ
ing aid and comfort to the enemies Of
the United States. In so declaring he
showed that he is to be ranked as an
administration adherent on all meas
ures relating to the archipelago.
Whatever doubt there may be con-
cerning the opinions of the leading pol
iticians of the two parties concerning
our attitude toward the natives of the
Philippines, there is none as to the
convictions of the intelligent masses
of the United States. They desire to
see the United States government with
draw from the Philippines as quickly
as possible. leaving the natives in con-
troll of their own affairs, the with
NFd"dl not lO thhe pldct, HOWeNtE, ul-
I'll stable government is established.
under native control either under the
protection of the United States or 9TH
erwise, nor to be effected until we
have taken whatever action in the way
of the ownership of naval stations as
may be necessary in order to protect
our commercial rights and interests in
the Orient. To this doctrine the Dem
ocratic party is committed and its pol
icies will be directed toward its en-
forcement at the earliest practicable
moment.