The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1902-03-04
A DEMOCRATIC MISTAKE.
Not Read the Right Dope on the
Philippine Question.

The Nashville American, one Of the
prominent democratic newspapers of
the country, has no decisions as to
the Philippine question. Abiding to
the situation as developed at Wash
ington, where certain democratic
senator's and representatives have as
sumed an attitude of hostility to the
administrations policy in the islands,
the American remarks: eff the ques-
ton of surrendering the Philippines
is not made the leading or a leading
issue in the next national campaign,
it will not be the fault of some of
the senators of the democratic mi
nority. 1t seems to be the misfor-
tune of the democratic party that it
has fallen into a condition in which
it is possible for those to assume to
be leaders, and to be so recognized,
| who, in better and drawer days of
the party would have been among
the last to be selected as material
for leadership" And then it adds:
"If such leadership, if it is leadership, is
| to continue and is to be followed, the party
will be finally forced to put up its shutters
| and go out of business, or else continue as
| the sad remnant and enfeebed ghost OF a
once great and powerful party. The mis-
| takes and blunderS of the last two cam
paigns seem to have taught nothing to
some of those who aspire to be leaders OF
who assume to speak for the party. Is II
because they are incapable of learning? Or
| is it because they prefer personally to pur-
sue a cheap and easy course which re.
quires neither ability nor courage and
which has brought them into some noto-
riety, as the wave of populism brought OBJ
| scure men temporarily to the front? These
| seem to be able to view with some degree
| of complacency continued national defeat
| SO long as they are permitted to parade as
party leaders and patriots during the cam
| paigns, and to occupy the few best offices
which the comparatively few democratic
states and districts still have at their dis
posal-such as governor, senator and con-
gresham. But while this situation may
be largely satisfactory to then, 1t is rather
rough on the party as whole.
"If any democratic leader, so-called
thinks that the American voters will rally
| to the standard of any party on the propo
| sition to surrender the Philippine islands
which are as much the property Of the
United States as the District of Columbia
he Is ineNcusably ignorant of the temper
and spirit of the American people. The
noisy few who are clamoring for a policy
of surrender may deceive a few individuals
but if any party allows itself to be de,
ceived and misled as to their numbers by
| their noise it will not fail to meet with {
rude awakening
That is talk straight from tho
shoulder, says the Troy Times, ant
it reflects the opinion of great many
earnest and honest democratic news
papers. 1t would seem, from thu
course most of the democrats il
congress are pursuing that the onl,
periodical they read is the Com
moner, published at Lincoln, Neb. l
would pay them to glance now AM
then over other of their party pa
pers, or if they haven't time for thai
get in connection with a wideawall
clipping bureau. The Democrat
statesman who thinks he is maxim.
himself popular by proposing COW
ardly abandonment of the Philip
pines doesn't interpret Alright tn
signs of the times or understand tn
temper of the American people.