La Junta tribune., 1904-10-01
THE PHILIPPINE ISSUE.
MashsA AoAIaessie. sfJsAss reskss's
Poatttou,

| 1--WE bSSOee
| MashsA NeAiaessse. sfysAss Psshss's
Posttiou.
Nothing In the conduct Of the Demo
cratic party II more conducive to ths
! public veal than the ease with which
II abandons untenabls Issues aftss plsdg-
ing eternal fealty to them
| For eight years II was tndlssolubly
welded to the free and unlimited coin
age of silver at an arbitrary ratio-only.
1t the telexraphic behest Of its candidate.
to accept the gold standard ~ ''frmly
and irreyoca bly, established" b the Re
| publican party.
| From time beyond the memory Of the
oldest voter the Democracy has been ful-
minatinE against "protectionisn ~ .
robbery'-only to have David B. Hill
waive the tariff issue into the back yard
| and abysm OF time. because IL 10 qnes-
ton ON which very few Of = Demo
crats) agree"
| Nothing could have been more beau
tifuI to see" than the sham frenzy with
which Democrats and "anfi-imperialists"
denounced the prompt action By which
the United States seized the opportunity
and became possessed of the authority to
dig and control the Isthmian eanaEex-
cept the avidity with which the Demo
cratic convention swallowed all It's vo-
ciferous scrupler and resolved that,
when entrusted with power II will con-
sfruct the Panama canal speedily, hon
esfly and economically" No wonder the
| mocking echo. when entrusted with
| power" reyerberated through the repub-
| lie.
And now comes Alton B. Parker and
draws the pen of ante-election expediency
through the Philippine plank of his par
| ty. 1--WE insist" reads that sibiliant doc
| ument, that we ought to do for the Fill
pinos what we have done already for
/ the Cubans. and IL is our duty TO make
that promise NOW"
AT the first opportunity Judge Parker
| was given to unburden his soul over the
wrong perpetrated In substituting Aneri-
can justice. liberty and security for Span
| ish cruelty, extortion and oppression in
the Philippines. he modified the now"
In the above Quotaiio with these ESQ
pean words:
The accident Of war brought the Phil
ippines Into our possession and we are
not at liberty to disregard the response
hility which thus came to Us. but that
responsibility will be best subserved by
preparing the islanders as rapidly as pos
slble for self-government and giving TO
them assurances that II will come as
soon as they are reasonably prepared
for It."
When Intercepted BY john q. NIL
burn OF Buffalo Ms to whether the Del
phic phrase, "se.f-government." In the
foregoing sentence was to be construed
as identical with independence political
and territorial" he replied: II am In
hearty accord with that plank In the
Ia. ~. t.f,
treating the Filipinos precisely as We did
the promise to them NOW to take such
action AS SOON AS 1T CAN PRU-
IDENTIFY BE DONE"
Aye. there's the rub. Give the prom
isc. and q Democratic promise st that.
now. and redeem IL "as soon - II can
prudently be done"
Was there ever q more ha grant case OF
that juggling with words that gives the
word o; promise to the ear. but puts its
suldllment beyond the pale Of living
hopef Why promise now what In the
expedicncy aud wisdom OF the future II
may never be prudent to fulhlI7
No wonder the Democratic New York
Times scornfully declares that "ths only
perceptible difference between the Demo
cratic position and the Republican posi-
tipu ~ tu3t Juus~ Iifkef WDuI1 tell tne
Filipinos now what is in store for them.
and President Roosevelt would not . .
There Is nothing either In his speech or
in his letter 90 Mr.. Milburn which would
in any other than q needless anti-impe-
rialist mind lead 10 the conclusions that
were he in the White House he would
pursue toward onr possessions in the far
East a policy different from that pursued
by President Roosevelt"
The Times further expresses the opin-
ion that IF the American people were
asked To vote to-day upon the question
OF immedistely granting Independents to
the Philippines. they would vote tAs
proposition down ten to one. perhaps
twenty to one. certainly by an exemplary
ma ajority. They would vote II down b.
cause they are Hot insane and because
they are not heartless II they Uere
asked to vote upon the question whether
We should make the promise now they
would laugh In the faces Of those Who
asked them TO take the trouble to express
their will upon . mere question Of sxps-
diency."
A promise now to do something which
II may be prudent to do fifty or two hun
dred years hence, possibly never. would
seem to almost reach the unscalabis
heights Of Democratic folly. Certainly
Judge Parker's promise now with its 'as
soon ~ II can prudentiy he done" coudi-
ton. eliminates the Philippine issue from,
the Democratic category Of Republlcan
transgressions.
1apsptaitsa 81 Steel
A. - A.