Idaho Springs siftings., 1904-10-01
THE PHILIPPINE ISSUE.
Marked Modification Of udGs Rarksr's
Position.

! cratlc party Is more conducive AD Ia.e
pablo veal than the ease with whics
il abandons antenab4 issues after pisss-
Ing eternal feaIty to them
For eight years |, was indissolnbly
welded 10 the free and unlimited eo.a-
age OF silver at an arbitrary ratio-only.
at the telegrs phic behes, OF Its eandidate,
to accept the gold standard A. firmly
and irrevoea bly, established" By shs Re
publican party.
From time beyond the memory Of the
oldest voter the Democracy has been faI-
uinating ssains: "proteetionism as
ro5bery"-only 10 have David B. Hi
waive the tariff issue into the back yard
and abys Of time. because it is a eues-
tioa on which very few Of ~ Deno-
cratsl agree"
Nothing could have been more bes u
tifnl to see" than the sham frenzy WITH
which Democrats snd "snti-imperialisfs"
Denounced the prompt sction by which
the United States seized the opportunity
snd became possessed of the authority 70
dig and control the isthmian canaI-ss-
eept the svidity sith which the Demo
cratic convention swallowed all its 70
elferous scrupies and resolved that.
when entrusted with power II will COZ
struct the Panama canal speedily, boa
estly snd economically" No wonder the
mockins echo. when entrusted with
power" rsyerberstsi through the repab-
lie
And now comes Alton b. Parker and
draws the pen OF ante-election eIp~diency
through the Philippine plank Of his par
~. I'VE insist resds that sibillanf doc
ament. that we ought 10 do for the Fill
pinos what We have done already for
the Cubans, and il is our duty TO make
that promise NOW"
At the first opportunity Judge Parker
was given to uHbunden his soul over the
wrong perpetrated in substituting Amer
can justice. liberty and security for span
ish cruelty. ertortion and oppression Ia
the Philippines. he modified the now
In the above quotation with these ESQ
pean words:
The sccident o. war brought the Pail
ippines into our possession and We srs
uot at liberty 10 disregard the responss-
hiiity which thus came TO Us. but that
responsibility viii be best sabseryed By
preparing the ISLANDERS as rapidly a. pos
sible for selfgoverumeut and tivinx to
them assurances that IL will come as
soon as they are reasonably prepared
for H."
when Intercepted by John c. Mi
burn OF Buffalo 70 whether the Del
phic phrase. self government" In the
foregoing sentence was 20 be ooasiraeJ
as identical with Independence political
snd ferritorial." be replied: Il am in
hearty accord with ;ha; plank In the
Democratic platform which advocate
treating the Fihpinos precisely as we dil
the Cubans; and | also favor uaking
the promise to them NOW TO take such
acti9n As SOON As 1T CAN PRU-
IDENTIFY BE DONE"
Aye. there's the rub. Give the prom
ise. aud Democratic promise q; that
now, and rsieem il as soon a. IL can
9rudeufly be done"
Was there ever NOR. sagrant cnee ot
that juggling xith words that gives tie
word Of promise 70 the ear. but pni. is
fulhllment beyond the pale OF Living
hope; Why promise aow what in the
sxpediency aud wisdom OF the future IL
may never be prudent 20 fulfn7
No wonder the Democratic New York
Times scornfaily declares that the ealy
p-rceptih!s difference between the Demo
cratic position and the Republican posi-
ton Is that judge Parksr would tel the
Ftlipinos now what is in store for hem.
and Prss.deut Roosevelt would not -
There i nothing either in bis speeeh or
IN his letter % Mr. Milburn which you'd
in any other than needless ant snpe-
riaiist mind lead 70 the conciusi5ls thsf
were he in the White House be FouId
pursue toward oar po-s-=-ions in tie far
East a policy disereaf from tha, gursued
By President Roosevelt"
The Times further expresse. the opin-
ion that Ii the American people were
asked to vote to-day upon the question
ot immeiiateiy granting iniepcndeace TO
the Philippines. they would vl-e the
proposition dewa ten TO one. p=rhaps
twenty to one. certainly by an e1su piary
majority. They would vot. " doEa be
canse they are not insane and because
they are not heArtiess IL they were
asked 20 vote upon the question " ether
we should make the promise new they
would laugh in the faces of those who
asked them to tske the trouble 20 cypress
their viii upon mere question cf szpe-
diency"
A promise now 20 do sonethiax which
i may be prudent to DO ffty or two hum
drei years hence. possibly never. you'd
seem 10 almost reach the unSrAlabie
heights OF Demoeratic folly. Certainly
Judge Psrker's promise now with rs "as
soon a. Il can p-udently be done c,ndi-
ton eliminates the Philippine issue from
the Democratic category of Rsgshiiean