The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1908-10-09
BRYAN AND THE PHIL
IPPINES.

ans expressions on public questions
have his thickness and insincerity
been SO clearly disclosed as in his
utterances concerning the Philippine
Islands. In a speech on October
II, 1900, he said:
"The Republican President has
promised to haul down the flag in
Cuba. x If the Republican
President can haul down that flag
within 200 miles of our shores, a
Democratic President can haul it
down 1000 miles away"
When Mr.. Bryan uttered these
words he was guilty either of de-
| liberate misrepresentation of fact or
of the grossest ignorance of the
truth. He may choose the horn of
dilemma which appears the more
attractive. The question for him
to determine is whether he is a
trickster or an ignoramus.
President McKinley's promise to
haul down the American flag in Cuba
was merely pledge to execute the
will of the people as expressed in
the enactments of Congress. That
body had formally declared that
Cuba should be free and independ
ent nation, that the administration
of its affairs by the United States
should be only temporary and that
when the Cubans had recovered
from the shock of war the American
government should withdraw, leav-
| ing them to work out their own
}destiny. President McKinleys prom
| ise to haul down the American flag
in Cuba was simply pledge to obey
the law. The obligation was sacredly
fulfilled. The will of the people was
faithfully executed. Cuba was and
is still recognized, not only by our
own government, but by the other
great powers of the world, as an
independent nation.
But Congress made no such de-
claration in respect to the Philip
pines. 1t enacted no law requiring
the President to haul down the
American flag in those islands. On
the contrary, it adopted measures
requiring him to uphold American
authority throughout the archipel-
ago, to maintain peace and order,
using military force, if necessary,
for that purpose, and to impress
upon the FilipiRos that they must
make an unqualified recognition of
American sovereignty before the
question Of their political future
could be considered even for a
moment.
Mr.. Bryan's cantention that, if a
Republican President may haul down
the American Gag in Cuba, Demo.
cratic President may haul it down
in the Philippines is the subterfuse
of a demagouge or the mouthing OF
a numbskull. There is no more
analogy between the political status
of Cuba and that of the Philippines
In American law and American
policy than there is between loyalty
aud treason. The people through
their representatives. in the lay max.
ing branch of the government have
ordered that the Stars and Stripes
shall be taken down in Cuba, but
kept up in the Philippines. The law,
clearly declared by Congress-, has
been faithfully obeyed by the. Re-
publican party in its treatment of
our insular territories. The record
is an open book, and the RepubI-
can party staRds for it to the last
line of the last chapter.
Mr.. BrYan's threat to haul down
the American flag in the Philippines
in the event of his election serves
notice that he would not hesitate to
violate the law ifit suited his pur.
pose to do SO. He would ignore the
authority of a coordinate branch of
the government and centralizs in
the executive the whole power of
determining the scope and integrity
Of the American sovereignty. Byl
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