Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-09-21
the exception of Russia, show produc
ton by countries as follows:
THE PHILIPPINES.
Republican Policy Is in Line with
Territorial Precedents.


Territorial Precedents.
-Four years ago the Democratic par
ty denounced the acquisition of the Phil
ippine Islands by the United States as
dangerous form of national expansion
and their retention as an application of
militarism. The only logical conclusion
OF this position was our immediate re-
tirement from the Islands, lea, ing them
to shift for themselves. In his letter &C.
cepting the nomination for Vice Presi-
dent in 1900 Mr.. Roosevelt commented
OH this position as follows:
1.-THE simple truth is that there is moth
ing even remotely resembling imperial
ISM or militarism involved in the present
development Of that policy of expansion,
which has been part of the history of
America from the day when she became
nation. The words mean absolutely
nothing as applied to our present policy
IN the Philippines, for this policy is only
imperialistic in the sense that Jeffersons
policy in Louisiana was imperiahstic;
only military in the sense that Jackson's
policy towards the Seminoles or Clusters
towards the Sioux embodied militarism;
and there is no more danger of it's pro-
ducing evil results at home now than
there was of its interfering with free
dom under Jefferson or Jackson, or in
the days of the Indian wars on the
plains. y
1.-The only certain way of rendering
it necessary for our Republic to enter
on career of 'militarism' would be to
abandon the Philippines to their own
tribes, and at the same time either to
guarantee a stable government among
these tribes or to guarantee them against
outside interference. A far larger army
would be required to carry out any such
policy than will be required to secure
order under the American flag; while
the presence of this flag on the Islands
is really the only possible security against
outside aggression. s Properly
speaking, the question is now not wheth-
er we shall expand-for we have already
expanded-but whether we shall con-
tract"
That was the issue four years ago.
Now the Democratic platform says:
eve believe with 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 We insist
that we ought to do for the Filipinos
what we have already done for the
Cubans.'
There has never been a time since
the formation of the government that
Congress has not made one set of laws
for the States and another set for the
territories. The laws enacted by Con-
gress for the government of the Philip
pines are no more absolute than those
which have Seen enacted during the last
hundred years for our various territories.
The demand that the United States
shall do for the Filipinos what it has
done for the Cubans is unreasonable. We
never claimed to own Cuba, but we pos
sess the Philippines by an undisputed
title A Republican administration did
entire justice to Cuba as demanded by
the circumstances Of the case, and the
Republican party can be depended upon
to do entire justice to the Philippines.