The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-07-02
A PHILIPPINE FOURTH"

On Friday, July Fourth, the president
will issue an amnesty proclamation to the
people Of the Philippines, based on the
purposes set forth in the Philippine gov
eminent bill, as agreed upon by both
houses in conference.
It will announce state of peace In the
archipelago, except among the Mindlnao
tribes, and the transfer of the govern
ment of the archipelago from the military
to the civil status, and proclaim liberty
and amnesty for all who are arrested and
held for political offenses, that they may
participate in the civil government to be
established.
In the revised and accepted form Of the
government bill, the house yielded to the
senate in the matter of the time when
the insular legislature would be elected,
which is fixed after two years of peace
and good order are recorded. The revised
bill abandons the coinage propositions OF
both senate and house and adjourns the
consideration Of that subject indefinitely,
making provision, however, for subsidiary
silver coins. The disposition thus made
is to be regretted, for it is neglecting
an obvious national duty to provide the
best and most stable currency for the
Filipinos but it must be admitted, that
to defer the coinage matter is far better
than to adopt the senate proposition to
impose the single silver standard upon
| the people of the islands; standard
which in the United States has been re-
| jected, as hostile to sound public finance
and involving reputation and. national
| dishonor. The business element at Ma
| Mia have stoutly opposed the senate
proposition as sure to perpetuate the en-
barrassing fluctuations in exchange.
| It is a subject of congratulation that
the Philippine government bill has been
launched in the face of partizan opposi-
ton Of the most desperate kind. Profess
ing to be the sole protectors and friends
of the Filipinos, the opposition fought
tooth and nail, every proposition for the
uplifting of those people from savagery
semi-savagery and standardization and g
contorted civilization, to the healthfu
atmosphere of American liberty. They
wept over the Filipino insurgents slain il
revolt against our government, ant
gloated over the bolo butchery of oul
soldiers by professed amigos, who hat
pretended to submit to our government
They f1eaped outrageous ISLANDERS upon the
officers and men of our army in the archi.
pelago. They called for the evacuation O.
the islands, either at once, or, as the
Jones proposition put it in the house, II
four years at the longest. - =,
And after all this battling against s
right ous process and policy, after fire.
quent declarations that the Philippine
policy Of the republican party should b.
the primary and dominant issue IL
the congressional campaign this year
and In the national campaign o.
! 1904, what do we find? At thu
democratic house caucus held OF
June 81, the democrats set forth al
the burning issues" upon which the,
propose to fight during the ensuing fou
months, and yet, in their caucus reso1u
tions there is not one word upon tn
have freely admitted that they have no
made and cannot make any political capt
; tai out of the Philippines topic. They fin,
themselves convicted OF. deliberately an
REASONABLY lighting their own govern
ment and siding with the insurrectos
!; They find themselves convicted of bogu
!, philanthropy, which has failed to concea
the reckless and constituencies partizan
J, ship beneath. They have dropped tn
poor Filipino as an issue.
], The will of the American people ha
!, triumphed. They have opened the wa
, for the two great Malayan divisions q
!, the Philippine population, the Tagalo
. and Visayan, and the lesser tribes, to b
II partakers of the benefits OF the highes