Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1903-09-17
and malt liquors.

and malt liquors.
l find of that amount that nearly all
of it was transported in English ves-
sells That even all the intoxicants
were not carried in American vessels,
and l turn to the remaining side and
l find there has been imported into
our country from the Philippine Isl
ands nearly eleven million dollars of
goods of which ten million was Ma
Mia Irvine, and nearly all this carried
in foreign vessels.
This is not all; if we are the owners
of this country as we'll as the people
why do we not have its entire trade?
| find for the same period OF time that
the foreign countries obtained from
these islands over eighteen million
dollars of trade. l find that over elgnl
million was carried to England in
English ships, and they have not a
dollar invested in the islands. We
are the possesscr of the country, and
with our army and our flag we are
unable to command one half the for
egn trade of these islands. say to
you, sir. that the time is opportune
and ripe that the American congress
should announce to the Philippine peo-
pie that we wish a republic organized
and maintained in the Pacific ocean
to be kown as the philippine Repub-
4 g 10
have organized and declared consti-
tuition then the American flag will de-
part in love and peace and harmony,
and the American soldiery will be I'M
known
Constitution asd Flag.
You hear that where the American
flag goes up it must never come down.
This is but the statement of men who
are themselves the originators and
formuators and eXploiters of subjuga-
ton and of trusts. When Senator
Beveridge uttered in the senate of the
United States that the Philippine ISL
ands were ours, and ours forever, he
certainly did not realize what the
great American heart desired. that
such was not wanted. We wish the
trade of the world but we wish it as
| friends, not as enemies. We wish our
flag to enter every port, but we wish
il to be welcomed. not driven at the
mouth of the cannon or maintained at
the point of the bayonet.
The correspondence had with sol
diers as well as civilians from the
) Philippine islands has demonstrated
beyond dispute that these people are
able to govern themselves. They had
churches and colleges prior to the day
OF our entrance. They may not have
the American civilization. they may
/, not have the attributes we have for
| government. but such as thcy have
\ they are better and more able to gov
ern themselves than any foreigner is
to govern them. We contrast our
government with the Philippine isl
ands. We do not contrast our
government with any other nation on
earth, because we are superior to all,
and yet these people in the Philippine
| islands, that may not have the advant-
ages that our great people have had,
are compared with us to their conden-
nation.
To my mind it is preposterous to
announce such proposition. The pay
master of the army in a written re-
port to the secretary of war stated in
the year 1900 that he travelled through
a great portion of the islands accom-
panied by but single individual and
at no time or place was moested in
| life or property.
The constitution formed bv the
Philippine people for their own gov
eminent is one worthy of tribute and
respect. They are able, ready and
willing to govern themselves. The
American Republic must protect its
/ institutions first and therefore cannot
| become an imperial government 1t is
not a question what we will do with
| the Philippine islands. The supreme
question is what will become of the
American Republic, il the imperial
policy now inaugurated is maintained.
The constitution of my. country says
] to me that every man is protected in
his life, his liberty ard his property.
1. grants to him the right of a trial by
jury. freedom of speech and press; tho
right at all times and places to petit
ton his government for wrongs that
! he believes exist.
Today we observe that a people