Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1904-09-29
THE PHILIPPINE ISSUE.
Marked Modification of Judge Parker's
Position.

it abandons untcnable issues after pledg-
ing eternal featy to them.
For eight years it was indissolubly
welded to the free and unlimited coin.
! age Of silver at an arbitrary ratio-only
at the tclegraphic behest of its candidate,
to accept the gold standard as 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 as a
| rObbery" to have David b. Hill
waive the tariff issue into the back yard
| and abysm Of time, because it is n ques-
| ton on which very few OF us Demo
Gratis agree"
Nothing could have been more beau
| tiCul to see" than the sham frenzy with
which Democrats and contemporaries"
| 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
| cferOus scruples and resolved that,
| when entrusted with power it will con-
struct the Panama canal speedily, hon
cstly and economically" No wonder the
mocking echo "when entrusted with
power" reverberated through the repub-
lie.
And now comes Alton B. Parker and
draws the pen of ante-electon expediency
through the Philippine plank of his par
| ty. 1--WE 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
blity which thus came to us, but that
responsibility will be best subserved by
preparing the islanders as rapidly as pos
sible for self-govcrnment 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
phic 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 Filpinos precisely as we did
the Cubans; and l also favor making
the promise to them NOW to take such
action AS SOON AS IT GAN PRU-
IDENTIFY BE DONE"
Aye there's the rub Give. the prom
Use, and a Democratic promise at that,
now, and redeem it "as soon as it can
prudently be done"
Was there ever Il more fragrant case of
that juggling with words that gives the
word of promise to the ear, but puts its
fulillment 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 "the only
perceptibe difference between the Demo
cratic position and the Republican posi-
: ton is that Judge Parker would tell the
= Filipinos now what is in store for them
and President Roosevelt would not. =
| mere IL hblIllilS tllltl III Sptetl Vi
q in his letter to Mr.. Milburn which would
/. in any other than a Needless anti-impe
+ riaist mind lead to the conclusions that
h were he in the White House he woult
, pursue toward our possessions in the fal
i East policy different from that pursued
y by President Roosevelt"
i The Times further expresses the opn
( ion that IF the American people wer,
O. asked to vote to-day upon the question
n of Immediately granting independence t.
the Philippines, they would vote TIT
proposition down ten to one, perhaps
twenty to one, certainly by an exemplar.
10 majority. They would vote it down be
y cause they are not insane and becaus
W they are not hcartless. If they ,wer
& asked to vote upon the question whethe
K, we should make the promise now the.
o. would laugh in the faces of those VIII
,t asked them to take the trouble to expires
IN their will upon mere question of eXpe
Of dicncy."
,s A promise now to do something whic
& it may be prudent to do fifty or two hun
re dred years hence possibly never, woul
I'm seem to almost reach the unscaabl
heights of Democratic folly. Certainl
Judge Parker'S promise now with its "a
soon as it can prudently be done" cond
re ton. eliminates the Philippine issue fror
lis the Democratic. category of Republica