The Springfield herald., 1904-09-30
THE PHILIPPINE ISSUE.


EonhiOns
Nothing in the conduct of the Demo-
cratic party Is more conducive to the
public veal than the ease with which
it abandons untenablc issues after plsdg.
Ing eternal fealty to them.
For eight years it was indissolubly
welded to the free and unlimited coin.
age Of silver nt an arbitrary ratio-only.
at the telegraphic 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"-only to have David B. Hill
waive the tariff issue into the back yard
and abysm of time, because it is a ques-
tion on which very few of US Demo
crats) agree"
Nothing could have been more beau
tiful 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
mocking echo, "when entrusted with
power" reverberated through the repub-
lie.
And now comes Alton B. Parker and
draws the pen of ante-election eNpediency
through the Philippine plank of his par
ty. Eve insist" reads that sibilant 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
bility 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 rs they are reasonably prepared
for it"
When interrogated 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: 81 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 IT CAN PRU-
IDENTIFY BE DONE"
Aye, there's the rub! Give the prom
Use, and n Democratic promise at that,
now, and redeem it ''us soon as it can
prudently be done"
Was there ever n more fragrant case of
that juggling with words that gives the
word of promise to the ear, but puts its
fulfllment beyond the pale of living
hope2 Why promise now what in the
cNpediency and wisdom of the future it
may never be prudent to fulfill?
No wonder the Democratic New York
Times scornfully declares that "the only
perceptible 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.
anu IfeSluent Roosevelt would not.
There is nothing either in his speech or
in his letter to Mr.. Milburn which would
in any other than needless nnti-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, perhaps
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. If 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 n mere question of expe-
diency."
A promise now to do something which
it may be prudent to do fifty or two hun
dred years hence, possibly never, would
seem to almost reach the unscalabe
heights of Democratic folly. Certainly
Judge Parker's promise now with its "as
soon as it can prudcntly be done" condi-
ton, eliminates the Philippine issue from
the Democratic category of Republican
transgressions.