The Teton peak. [volume] (St. Anthony, Idaho) 1899-1904, 1904-09-29
THE PHILIPPINE ISSUE.
Marked Modification Of Judge Parksr'a
Position.

MsrksA Modification Of Judge Parksr's
Position.
Nothing in the conduct Of the Demo
cratic party 10 more conducive to the
public veal than the ease with which
it abandons untenabls issues after plsdg.
ing eternal fealty to them.
For eight years it was lndissolubly
welded to the free and unlimited coin
age Of silver at an arbitrary ratio-only.
at the telegra phic behest Of its candidate,
to accept the gold standard a. firmly
, and irrevocably established" by the Re-
publican party.
From time beyond the memory Of the
oldest voter the Democracy has been full.
minating against 'protectionism ~ Z
robbery'-only to have David B. Hill
waive the tariff issue into the back yard
and abysm of time, because it is a ques-
ton on which very few Of us Demo
crats) agree"
Nothing could have been more beau
tifu to see" than the sham frenzy with
which Democrats and "anti-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 canal-ex-
cept the avidity with which the Demo-
cratic convention swallowed all its vo-
| ciferous scruples and resolved that,
when entrusted with power it will con-
struct the Panama canal speedily, hon.
estly and economically" No wonder the
hooking echo, when entrusted with
power" rsvsrberated through the repub-
ic
And now comes Alton B. Parker and
draws the pen Of ante-election expediency
through the Philippine plank Of his par
ty. I'VE insist" reads that sibillant doc
ument, that we ought to do for the Fill
pinos what we have done already for
the Cubans, and it 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 Ameri-
can justice, liberty and security for Span
ish cruelty, extOrtion and oppression in
the Philippines. he modified the NOW"
in the above quotation 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
biIty which thus came to US, but that
responsibility will be best subserved BY
preparing the islanders as rapidly as pos
sible for self-government and giving to
them assurances that it will come as
soon as they are reasonably prepared
for it,
When Intercepted by John G. Mil
burn OF Buffalo as to whether the Del
phlc phrase, "self-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
Democratic platform which advocates
treating the Filipinos precisely as we did
the Cubans; and l also favor making
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
ise, and Democratic promise at that,
now, and redeem it "as soon as It can
prudently be done"
Was there ever a more fragrant case Of
that juggling with words that gives the
word Of promise to the ear, but puts its
fulhllment beyond the pale of living
hope! Why promise now what in the
cxpediency and wisdom of the future it
may never be prudent to fulfill?
No wonder the Democratic New York
Times scornfully declares that 1.-THE only
perceptibls difference between the Demo
cratic position and the Republican posi-
ton IL that Judge Parker would tell the
Filipinos now what IL in store for them.
and President Roosevelt would not. 80
There Is nothing either in his speech or
in his letter to Mr.. Milburn which would
in any other than a needless anti-impe-
rialist mind lead to the conclusions that
were he in the White House he would
pursue toward our possessions in the far
East 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 Immediately granting independence to
the Philippines, they would vote the
proposition down ten to one. perha ps
twenty to one, certainly by an exemplary
majority. They would vote it down be-
cause they are not insane and because
they are not heartless. II they were
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 a mere question of expe- |
diency."
A promise now to do something which |
it may be prudent to do fifty or two hum |
dred years hence, possibly never, would |
seem to almost reach the unscalable |
heights OF Democratic folly. Certainly
Judge Parker's promise now with its "as
soon as it can prudently be done" condi-
ton. eliminates the Philippine issue from
the Democratic category OF Republican
1mperialis m Of Steel
Whan tho oroaf iron on1 zx.>v