The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1904-09-15

, Fi0us showed a small decrease.
: ~ expenditures have been managed i
q npiit o. economy, consistent with ef
iicleHcy. The prime reason why expense
ave increased is that the people nav
usehlcu It wise to have certain new form
,i,h MIX ior tue public undertaken by tn,
pepuc' as rural free delivery, inspection
ol meats. or irrigation. But these ar,
m%csSsatE. DO our opponents grudgc tn,
f T1,gpV;o" paid for the canal? DO they in
tciiu 20 cur down on pensions? Dc they
intend to stop irrigation? or the perm,
ncnt census bureau? immigration inspec
t,oh: or rural free delivery? to cut dowy
m" navy: or the Alaskan telegraph sys.
tom DO they intend to dismantIc gu!
coast f~ortificatious%
The public work has never been con.
anGtea with a higher degree of honesty
N dealing with offenders, and have hunted
d0Wn every wroiig-doer whom 1t was pos
sloie by the utmost vigilance to detect.
The Philippines.
our opponents promise independence IT,
nc Philippines. Again thc:r irreconcilable
oifefGnces Of opinion among themselves,
ana their readiness to abandon prinCiplos
upon which they have insisted, pug3le Ms
as to whether they mean to carry out this
promise In their platform they declare
ioI Independence approximation their
language IS ohscurc-without qualification
as to time and Indeed a Qualification
as 70 time Is an absurdity. for we have
lie.tief right nor power to bind our sue
- 49, l 10 III pbSSltlt u .IbItLtll
conditions: while it is as wrong to deny
:ndepenGence for a few years as to deny
1t for an indefinite period. But in later
ana equally official uttcrances by our OPP
ponents the term, ''sclf-govcrnmcnt' was
substituted for ''indcpendence:" and the
words described precisely the policy now
nnl!lS carried on. The language Of the
platform indicated 4 change Of policy;
tue later utterances indicate q cont.Du-
ahce OF the present policy. But this
a aadsef in tpo" stii, n T., their own ronks;
formal. u~tteraucc. the self-rovernment
promise was rccanted, and Independence
at some future tim promised. They have
within fifty days. Which is the promise
they really intend to keep?
II it IS morally tndefcnsible to hold the
whole archipelago it is morally indefensi-
bic to hold any part of it. In such case
what right have we to a coaling station?
What right TO control the Moro peoples?
what right to protect the Igorrotes?
friends of America in the islands from
treachery, robbery ard murder? Yet TO
abandon the islands completely, would
mean to abandon our position in conn
petition for the trade of the Orient, and
irrcnarahlo damage to those who have
BECOME the wards of The nation.
We have given them more S~clf-govern-
ment than they ever before had; we are
taking steps to increase it by providing
them an elected legislative tsscmbly; and
sur9ly we had better await the results
- ! wv is'f piS4IA'
iscs which we might be forced to break.
Nowhere else in recent years has there
been as fine an example Of constructive
statesmanship and wise administration as
given by the authorities in the Philippines.
What Has Eeen Given.
So far from having Slapped the foun-
cations of froe popular government at
home by the course taken in the Ph,lip-
pines we, nave heen spreading its knoWl-
edge, and teaching its practice. Our ac-
non TpDTpSpn1S y T-p1 + yEy-jIA Dr"I-a ri IN
spreading tho principles of orderly liberty
throughout the word. We have treated
the power we have gained as a solemn
obligation in the interest OF mankind; and
the peoples OF the world, especially the
weaker peoples, are better OFF.
-Four Years ago: in his speech of acccp-
we have been moving in untricd pats,
but our steps have been guided by honor
and duty. There will be no turning aside,
no wavertng, no retreat. No blow has
been struck except for liberty and human
iky. and none viii be. We will perform
without fear every national and inter-
national ohl2aUOn. The Republican party
was dedicated to freedom forty-four years
ago. 1t has been the party of liberty and
emancipation from that hour; not of pro-
fession, but OF performance. 1t broke the
sS4aclIles Of four million slaves, and made
item free, and to the party of Lincoln
mas come another supreme opportunity
which 1t has bravely met in the liberation
Of ten millions of the human family from
the yoke Of imperialism. In its solution
of great problems, In its performance Of
high duties, Il has had the support of
members Of all parties in the past, and it
confidently invokes their cooperation in
the future"
This is as true now as four years ago.
We did not take the Philippines at win.
and we cannot put them aside at will.
Any abandonment of the policy which we
have steadily pursued in the stands would
and to such aishonor and disaster / do not
believe that the American people VIII con-
sent.
Issues Above Partisanship.
Our appeal is made to all good citizens
who hold the honor and the interest OF
issues are more than partisan issues. In
der conditions as they are, good Amer
should refuse to change policy. We,
and legislation under which this country
during the last seven years, has grown SO
in Well-beins at home and honor
able repute among the nations. treat the
record of the past as Indictment to do
better i'll future. We believe the pro-
greSs we have made may measure the
progress we shall continue to make. We
terlal Weu-being, of just and fearless deal
ing toward all other peoples, In the inter-
est not merely Of this country, but of
mankind. There is not a policy, foreign
or domestic, which we are now carrying
out, which it would not be disastrous to
reverse or abandon. If our opponents
Siouid cOiIS III anu S0OuIO not reverse
our policies, then they would be branded
with the brand of broken faith, of fa.se
promise of insincerity in word and deed;
and no man can work to the advantage
or the nation with such a brand clinging
to him. If, on the other hand they should
come In and reverse any or all of our poll
cies, by just SO much would the nation
as a whole be damaged. Alike as law-
maker and as administrators Of the law
we have endeavored to do our duty in
interest of the people as a whole.
make our appeal to no class and to no
section, but to all good citizens, in what
part of the land they dwell, and
may be their occupation or
worldly condition. We have striven both
civic righteousness and for national
and we nave faith to believe
that our hands will be upheld by all who
feel love Of country and trust in the up
lifting Of mankind. We stand for enforce
of the law and for obedience to the
our government is a government of
orderly liberty equally alien to granny
and to anarchy; and its foundation stone
Is the observance OF the law, alike by the
and by the public servants. We
hold ever before us as the all-important
end Of policy and administration the reign
Of peace at home and throughout the
Of peace, which comes only by do
lng justice. Faithfully yours.
Theodore Roosevelt.