The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-01-31
AN EMBARRASSING PROPOSITION.

THE Republicans dare not read the
Declaration of Independence to the Filipi-
nos, was the remark Of the irritable Sena-
tor Teller. who seems to be in a chronic
state of unhappiness since he became
Democrat for the sake Of IS TO l. He and
others seem to think that there is argu-
ment in such declarations. The same
thing might have been said to Senator
Teller when he was among the lead
ers of those who assumed that the
American Indian must be treated as IN
capable of seIf-government and made a
ward; and yet a large part of the In
dams are better qualified for the manage
ment of Independent government than the
majority of the natives of the Philippines.
When a controlling element of the natives
of the Philippines shall have reached that
degree Of intelligence and experience that
they understand the Declaration of
independence Republicans will. no doubt,
be quite as willing to devote their time to
instructing the Filipinos in the contents of
that document as will be the associates of
Mr.. Teller.
If il is the reading of the Declaration of
independence that is TO be made the proof
of a party's devotion to the principles of
human freedom. the Journal would sug
gest to the irritable and fearful statesman
from Colorado that he organize a crusade
to go through the South reading the Dec
laration to the hundreds of thousands of
negroes that have been deprived of citizen
ship within the past few years. In all OF
the Southern States. except Arkansas,
Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee, Demo
Ocratic constitutional conventions have
deprived tens of thousands of colored citi-
zens of the right TO vote. This has been
done the ground of race, and, there
fore, in defiance of the theory that 'all
men are created equal and have certain
inalienable rights, among which are life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness" The
party to which Mr. Teller has attached
himself in the section where 1t has power
has deprived a large majority of the col
ored voters of the right to vote. which is
equivalent TO depriving them of their citi-
zenship. These colored men, If not partici-
eminent, have been familiar with it's
methods generation after generation. The
Democrats of the South declare that they
are not qualified for participation in popa
lar government, really because they are
not white men. Now, these same Demo
Gratis, or rather those of the Teller stripe,
are in tears of Indignation because the
doctrines of the Declaration of Independ-
Philippines that have never known sem
blance of decent government, who are to-
tally ignorant of the rights of human be-
ings or of the powers of free government
a few leaders talk OF popular government
but they have no idea of anything but ar
bitrary rule for the mass of people, i'm
which the powers of ordinary justice are
denied.
If it is the consensus of opinion on the
part of the Democrats who are of impor-
lance in the affairs of the Nation that the
colored man, who has been familiar with
the forms of popular government for
generations. is unfit to be given the in
aIienable rights" of the Declaration of In
dependence. it is a glaring inconsistency
for any member of that party to assume
that any considerable portion Of the Filipi-
nos are so intelligent and so well expert
enced in government that free self-govern-
ment is their one need. They are putting
themselves in a very equivocal position.