The Irish standard., 1907-09-28

i
ganizations growing out Of the same
idea, and using much the same meth
DDS, says Robert Ellis Thompson in
The Irish World. They arc partners In
misery under the reaction In favor Of
tho Ton Commandments, which set IN
about the close Of the Boer war, and
which has been gaining force ever
since.
Our American reaction against both
has been vehement and general. How
far that against the Mckinley policy
| in the Philippines has gone it has been
honor with the weaker sort of Repun'
ican to stand up for the annexation ot
the Philippine Islands. and even Den-
ocrats like Mr. Henry Watterson pis-
dictcd that n thousand years fence
our flag would still be floating o,er
that acquisition. III many quarters
however. there has been a growing
readiness TO speak out about the mat
ter, especially as honorable members
of Congress come to see that There IL
nothing to be lost and probably some
thing to he gained by 1t. out nf 13S
members of Congress who gava TiIo
Herald an expression nf their on!nion
/ III arc ready to get rid Of the Islands
| if II can be done with dcccncy. and
only 81 are in favor of keeping them
Enough Republicans arc on the liot to
control the House If they had the haols-
ing of the Democrats against the puG
cy Of annexation.
| Nor has there been any o,lth,l:e: OF
protest against this expression of Cpln-
ion either from the press or the lead
ers of the party. Senator Beverage
is too much occupied with his honey.
moon to use up the dictionary in tX.
pounding anew the services to civiiza-
ton we arc rendering in holding dow'.
the F'ilipinos with the bayonet. Per
haps the President will return 20 thu
subject in those six speeches he u get.
ting up for his tour through the
Northwest; hut as yet he keeps silence
and he himself has learned so dis'inct-
~ the same way as these III Congrcss-
men. that he probably will avoid this
thorny question. Most notablc and
significant it is that Speaker Cannon is
among the members Of the House who
would be glad to be shut Of the whole
affair. "tInclc Joseph is not a dec
trinaire statesman. He is a. candidate
! for the presidency, and keeps hs ear
near the ground that he may not he
taken by surprise by any new move
ment of public opinion. He J.. not
saying anything which may come in
his way as q possible candidate q th"
party, and there are few men better
placed than he for knowing what i: is
thinking. That is his advantage Over
Mr.. Taft, Mr.. Knox Mr.. Hughes. and
all other rivals. He gets what Mr.
Lincoln USED 10 call MS Ddln OF pun
lie opinion" more freely and constant
ly than any of them. Yet he says, 81
would be in favor of getting rid of
them tomorrow if there were any hon
orable way Of getting out" II Mr..
Cannon will apply bis mind I" the
problem. he will find there Is No diff
Guilty about "the way out"
AIN pleased to see that Mr.. Ford
ney of Michigan objects to the retcn-
tion of the Philippines on the ground
that this imperils American interests
at home. 1t puts us under a sort Of
obligation to grant favors to 'henl,
such as were embodied in the Philip
pine Tariff, rejected by the last Cor
gress, and these favors are injurious
to our own producers. 1t creates this
obligation through our having de-
prived them OF their natural right to
legislate for their own interests accord
ing to their judgment Of the matter.