The leader., 1904-06-25
PLEDGED TO PARKER
Mississippi Democrats Instruct for the Emf
nent New York Jurist.
[PLATFoRM WRITTEN BY JOHN SHARE WILLIAMS
Document Deals Chiefly With National ssues and Meets the
Approval Of the RockRibbed Democrats Of the State.
Most Notable Gathering In Years-Gov. Var
daman's Course In His Endeavor to En-
force the Law Heartily Indorsed.

| nome, ana induced Ly fertile lands
and liberal laws there, are daily flock
Ing to her fields. It is as absurd to
have high protective tariff wall be-
tween the American State of Wash
ington and the Province of British
Columbia as 1t would be to have one
between the States of Vermont and
! New Hampshire, insofar, at least as
mere commercial and industrial re-
suits are concerned
! Seventh-The maintenance Of the
Monroe Doctrine in its full integrity as
conceived by Jefferson, announced by
Monroe and signally executed by
Grant In this connection we think
it our duty to guard against European
oppression and colonization and
superlmposition of monarchial in
situations the countries of the west
ern hemisphere; but we do not think
it our duty, nor did Jefferson, Madison,
Monroe of Jackson imagine it our
duty, under the Monroe Doctrine, as
the acting president Of the United
States seems to conceive 1t to be, to
administer the affairs of Central and
South America.
We believe that the utterances of
the acting president of the United
States in his letter to ex-Secretary
Root upon the second anniversary of
Cuban independence, in which he init
mated that we were, as a govern
ment, in some way Gods yicegerent to
correct and control those who "do not
conduct themselves WE'LL" and those
who "do not pay their obligations"
would have been reckless and unwise,
| oVaY1 If thov had from YaVi-
vate American citizen, but coming
from one acting as chief magistrate
OF the American Republic, they are
reprehensible in yet higher degree.
! His yet more reckless assertion that
we have duty" IN the western hemi-
sphere, which 1--WE can not ignore"
to intervene governmentally wherever
there is brutal wrongdoing, or i'm
potence which results in a general
lcosenipg of the ties of civilized So
ciety, meets with our earnest disappro-
baton. Such position would be in
itself a general loosening" of those
''ties of civilized society which bind
the nations in times of peace, at least
III common brotherhood. We espe-
cially resent the doctrine, which was
not born of Mr.. Monroe, but was born
of Mr.. Roosevelt, that it is, or can be,
the duty of the United States to con-
vert its army and navy into a constab-
ulary for the purpose of collecting
debts due by Central and South Amer
lean nations to European countries, or
even to the citizens of the American
republic. If Imprisonment for indi-
vidual debts be wrong and barbarous,
then surely the bombardment of cities,
inhabited by individuals, for the pur-
pose of collecting government or indi-
vidual debts is still more wrong and
barbarous. Commercialism, when TAX
ing its chance in countries with un-
stable governments, does so with its
eyes open and generally fixes for itself
a profit proportionate to the risk, the
chief risk beng indeed these same
unstable political institutions and ir-
responsible local governments. If it
chooses to make for itself that sort of
bed, let it lie in 1t. When the act
ling president says concerning our
dealings with other nations, "all that
we ask is that they govern themselves
well and be prosperous and orderly.
| Where this is the case they will find
helpfulness from u.s." we answer, that
| VIC al . AOI .InC SudI VI Iut pTUS-
perity and domestic order of other peo-
pies and that so long as they neither
directly, nor indirectly, injure us, nor
by their conduct drag us into interna-
tional entanglements of their own
creating we have no more to do with
the internal administration of their
affairs than they have to do with that
of ours
Eighth-The preservation, insofar
as we can, of an open door for the
worlds commerce in the Orient, with
out unnecessary entanglements in ORR
entail and European affairs, and with
out arbitrary, unlimited, irresponsible
and absolute government anywhere un-
der the Stars and Stripes, or the juris.
diction Of the Union. We oppose, as
fervently as George Washington him.
self did, an indefinite, irresponsible,
discretionary absolutism and policy of
colonial exploitation, no matter where
or by whom invoked or exercised; we
believe with Thomas Jefferson and
John Adams that no government has
a right to make one set of laws for
those "at home" and another and a
different set of laws, absolute in their
character, for those "in the colonies"
fAll men undeN the American flag are
entitled to the protection of the insti-
| buttons whose emblem the flag is; if
they are inherently unfit for these in.
| situations then they are inherently I'M
fit to be members of the American body
polite. Wherever. there may exist a
people incapable of being governed
under American laws, in consonance
with the American Constitution, the
territory of that people ought not to
be part of the American domain. Be-
llieving this, we believe that we ought
to do ultimately for the Filipinos what
we have already done for the Cubans.
The example is there; 1t Is a worthy
one; it constitutes bright page in
the history of our country; it tells the
story of American courage, magma
nimity and justice; the Democracy pro-
lposes To follow that example and it is
| cur intent. as soon as 1t can be done
! wisely and safely for the Filipinos
themselves, and after amicable ar
arrangements with them concerning
naval stations, coaling stations and
| trade relations and upon suitable
guarantees of protection to citizens
and subjects of other powers settled IN
the Philippines to set the Filipino peo-
iple upon their feet-free and indie.
pendent, to work out their destinies
upon the lines of their own race, traits
and tendencies and local conditions,
as God may give, it to them to see their
interests and their destiny. The white
man has no right to superimp0se his
fertilization by force upon the brown
man in the brown mans country. He
will have enough to do to maintain
1.-THE white mans civilization In all
parts Of the white mans country,
which is his inherited and inherent
duty. That the Filipinos can work
out civilization of their own we have
reason to hope from the lesson which
tho kindred races Of the Japanese has
taught the world, and it is no matter
| of ours If their civilization shall not
be like ours; that which they may
evolve for themselves may not be the
best In the world, but it will be the
best for them, and far better than any