The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-09-28
DEMOCRATIC DlsLoYAlTY.


the United states for the independence
Z of the FiIipinos, is the fact that its
: effect is to promote bloodshed- The
s question of the final disposition to be
made of the Philippine archipelago
whether it shall be permanently incor-
porated onto our national territory or
+ placed on an independent footing in
analogy to cuba, is necessarily post
poned during the present transitional
tperiod. This question is not political,
and on its solution, apart from party
the American people are divided. A
large number of Democrats and
large number of Republicans are
ranged on each side. Perhaps it might
be fairly inferred that the balance of
public opinion inciines either way, ac-
cording to the prepossession of each
Icitizen by whom the inference is
drawn.
But there is one point on which in
telligent Americans are united, and
that is that the Government of the
United States is not partisan and that
lit is disloyal and treacherous to use
political campaign to foment discord
and massacres in our temporary Asia.
tic possessions. Judge Parker, in his
tspeech of acceptance, distinctly ac-
knowledged that the acquisition OF the
Philippines resulted from the accident
of war, and that, there as everywhere
else, our national response bilities
should be fully met. He argued that
| it was a plain duty to prepare the
Filipinos for government, which
is true in any event. The Democratic
platform, however, with utter disre-
gard of the differences in conditions,
had insisted that they should be treat
ed on the same plan as the Cubans,
and made free and independent Now
Judge Parker explains that he did not
mean that the islands should be pre-
pared for self-governrnent under the
American flag, but that the mandate
of the platform should be carried into
effect. Thus the attitude of the DEM
ocratic party is that the final DISPOSE
ton of the Philippines is an issue in
the present campaign, and that the
vote for President is to determine,
now and when no such question is be-
fore the people, what the destiny OF
the Filipinos is to be.
This attitude, probably forced by the |
utter lack of any ground of attack up |
on President Roosevelt's administra- |
ton, is disloyaI and contemplate. 1t |
is also mischievous and inhuman, be- |
cause in the Philippines, as in Hawaii, |
there are treacherous politicians, to
whom elections are merely opportun-
tiles for grating, and, to whom, in our
Asiatic possessions, rebellion and the
sacrifice of life are uninportant when
with the lust for office and
for pelf The Filipinos, who have
among them incompetent, avaricious
and reckless leaders, on a par with
a small fraction of the Hawaiian par
tisans, do not understand American
party struggles. Years ago, when the
same cry that the Democratic party
has now fornlalized was raised, it was
followed by small rebeIlions against
American rule in the Philippines. Every
American soldier who lost his life or
was manned in those petty wars,
which had and could have had but one
end, was victim to palpable disloyal-
ty, and party exigency. then as now,
enacted the role of murder. 1t was not
the native Filipinos who were to be
condemned, but the unpatriotic Incl
tiers to bloodshed at home, who thus
sacrificed their brave eountrymen
abroad.
1t is deeply to be regretted that
Judge Parker, who in many respects,
as for instance in his condemnation
of groundless- personalities, has main
tanned an American. character, should
have allowed himself TO be dragooned
into the approval of partisan expedi-
ents, which are well calculated to in
cite discord and transformations. The
Republican party must, reluctantly, ac-
cept the situation. Any attempted in
surrections in the Philippines Will be
rapidly and effectively suppressed But
every American life that may be lost
will be directly chargeable to the
Democratic organization, not to the
mass of the Democratic party. The
body of American voters, without dis
tinction of party affiliations may be
fully relied upon to clap an election ex-
tinguisher upon such political incen-
diarism.
The time will come, after the mag /
nihcent policy inaugurated by secre-
tary Taft has worked out it's logical
results when the fate Of tho phi1in !