Daily Kennebec journal., 1904-09-12

| Tree delivery, or Tor the INSPECTION n.
meats under the Department of Agri-
culture or for irrigation. But these
new expenditures are Necessary: no
| one would seriously propose to abandon
them; and yet it is idle to declaim
| against the increased expense of the
| Government unless it is intended tc
| cut down the very expenditures which
| cause the increase. The pensions :,
| the veterans OF the Civil War are de.
! manded by every sentiment of regard
and gratitude. The rural free delivery
| is of the greatest use and convenience
to tie farmers, a body of men who live
| under conditions which make them or
dinarily receive little direct return for
what they pay toward the SUPPORT Of
| the Government. The irrigation policv
III the arid and semi-dlld regions of the
West is one fraught withNthe most ba-
neticent and far-reaching good To the
| actual settlers. the home makers
| whose encouragement is a tradition,I
| feature in Americas National nolicv
Do our opponents 5rudge the fifty mil
| lions paid for the Panama CanaIo no
| they intend to cut down on the nom
sions to the veterans of the Civil N.ro
DO they intend to put stop to the j,.,i-
cation policy? or to the permau.n,
| census bureau? or to Immigration in
| SpectiOn? Do they intend to abolish
| rural free delivery? DO they intend tn
cut down the navy? or the Alaskan ,al =
egraph system? DO they intend To dis
| mantle our coast fortitications? Ir
| there is to be a real ana substantial,
| cllttinu Il ;,,
| IT must be in such Matters 80.
| these. The Department of Agricultnrc
mas done service of incalculablc value
TO the farmers of this country in many
different lines. Do our opponents wish
TO cut down the money for this scrvicep
| Ihey can do it only by destyoyill;; the
| usefulness of the service itself.
The public work of the United
| StAteS has never been conducted with
higher degree of honesty and efici-
| cncy than ut the present time: and n
Special need Of praise belongs to those
| officials responsible for the Philinnines
ana Porto Rico, where the administra-
| t!n"S have been models of thuir
| KIND. OF course wrong has occaSionaJ
| ~ occurred, but it has been relentlesslv
| stamped out. w" have known no
| party in dealing with offenders. and
have hunted down without mercy everv
wrong -docr in the service of the M,
| ll"n whom it was possible by the nj
most vigilance to detect; Tor tho n,,b-
nc servant who betrays his trust and
NE private individual who debauches
i'i'i stand as the worst of criminals
| because their crimes are crimes AGAINST
'nc cltIre community. and not only
= H'st this generation but against
me generations that are yet to be. .
'''f opponents promise Independence
- lie Philippine Islands. Here again
we are confronted by the fact that their
iffe1oncilable differences of opinion
among themselves, their proved inabil-
u! 10 create a constructive policy when
~ power, and their readiness. for tho
sake OF momentary political expediency
20 anahdon the principles upon which
'ies nave insisted as essential, con-
npiie 10 puzzle us as to whether they
uo OF 90 not intend in good faith to
carry out this promise if they are givon
control of the Government.
In their platform they declare for in
dependence, apparentIy-for their Ian
suaSe Is little obscure-without ouaIi-
,'c''ioh as TO time: and indeed a qualifica-
.''i DIS 10 tlme is an aDSurdity for we
"''' heither rlght nor power to bind our
successors when it is impossible to fore
'eil the conditions which NAV confront
lhem; while if there is anv princ;ulc in.
vowed In the matter it is iusl as vror,~
10 deny independence for a few wears ,c
10 ueny 1t for an indefinite period 8ur
III ni,n iiaer and equally official utterances bv
our opponents the term scIf-rnvprnn,ony,
was substituted for indcpendenre. the
Noids used being so chosen that in thai,
natural construction they described nre
T1SeE rs me POLICY now being carried on.
ne language of the platform indj a I.d :,
radical change of policy; the laie1 utter.
ances indicated continuance of The nres-
cnt policy. But this caused trouble in
,htir ,h own ranks; and in a still la;er. al
thouSh less formal, utterance. the self
government promise was rpcantrd and
rmo"i,cndtnce r at some future time
was promised in its place. They have
HoIte1 Stiops uithin three :, entirey different po
1r"inlse they really intend to keep?
Ihey do not know their own minds: and
no. i" one . can ,3 tel how long. they would
Keep OF the same mind. should they by
any cniince come to Il working agreement
among themselves If such ambiguity
anr%ted ad,',, only the American people i;
american people can take care OF them
selves. But the Filpiros are in no sucb
condition. ConidCHcn is with thcm n
plant of slow growth. They have heen
taught to trust the word of this Govern
ment because this Government h9s nrom
ised nothing which it did not perform
II promised independence they will ex
p"ct independence; not in :hc remote fu-
ture, for their descendants but immedi-
attly, for themselves. If the promise
thus made is not immediately fultiIlrd
they will regard it as broken. and will not
again trust to American faith and it
would he indeed wicked thing to de-
ceive them in such fashion. Moreover.
effect only In the distant future. the
filipinos would be thrown into confusion
thereby. instead of continuing to en-
dcavor to fit themselves for moral and
material advancement in the present. they
would abandon all effort at progress and
begin fractional intrigueS for future
power
To promise to give them independence
Wh"n II is 'prudent' to do so, or when
they ar" fit for II. of course implies
that they are not fit for it now and that
II would be imprudent to give it to them
now. 1ut we must ourselves he the
Judges as to when they become fit" and
whtn II would he prudent TO keen such
a promise if 1t were made, it neceSsa rily
1oiioWs that to make such n promise now
Filipinos nv
1t may well he that our opponents have
no real intention of putting their promise
lnto effect. If this is the case if in