The Owyhee nugget. ([Silver City], Idaho) 1905-1984, 1908-11-06
Why the Philippines
Should Be indie
pendent
BY WILLIAM j. BRYAN

khOw Othet udLlOHS are euIlCleu TO bDt
information; and our own position
would be strengthened by declaration
OF the nations purpose. So long as
there is doubt there will be discussion; &C
long as there is uncertainty the Fill
pinos will suspect the worst, other ma
tions will accuse us of insincerity, and
our own people will be embarrassed in
the advocacy of the principles of gov.
eminent which we apply here and re-
fuse to apply in the Philippines. A re-
public cannot hold colonies, for col
onial government rests upon force,
while in republic the government
rests upon the consent of the governed.
To say that the Filipinos have no right
to voice in their own government and
in the shaping of their own destiny
raises question as to mans inalienable
rights, and the citizens of free
country cannot afford to raise such a
question.
If it is said that we can help the Fill
pinos by governing them against their
will, l answer, first, that we can lead
them better than we can coerce them
that we can better inspire them by
our example than drive them. To say
that the situation in the Philippine
Islands has been improved by the policy
that has been followed, does not mean
that better policy might not have
brought greater Improvement.
But, secondly, even if it were certain
that we could improve the Filipinos by
denying them the right to control their
own government, and by holding them
in state of vassalage, our nation cam
not afford to surrender its ideals or to
abandon it's leadership among the ma
tions. So long as we rule the Philip
pine Islands from without, the nations
voice cannot be lifted in favor of those
principles of government which have
given us our prominence aud our pres
tige.
The third objection to imperialism
and this objection would exist even fit
could be shown that Imperialism would
bring blessings to the Filipinos-is that
the ignoring of fundamental principles
in the Philippine Islands would react
upon us. Every defense made of colo
nialism in the Philippines weakens the
of our people to~the doc
trines of free government just in pro-
portion as that defense is accepted.
There is in the human mind a tend
ency toward consistency, and one can
not permanently advocate two policies
which rest upon antagonistic principles.
hesitate to refer to the expense of
colonialism, because an argument based
upon money is inferior to an argument
based upon morals or upon govern
mental principles, and yet it is only
proper that attention should be called
to the fact that the experiment in i'm
perialism has been a very expensive
one. Mr.. Taft, in his notification |
speech, says that our Philippine policy
cost only 100000 year. He is
guilty of strange and unaccountable
in arithmetic. His conclusion
is reached by the elimination of the
most important items iu our expense
For instance, the army has
been considerably more than doubled
and the appropriations for the army
have been more than trebled since 1897.
What excuse, except imperialism, can
be given for this increase in militry ex-
Denses? Nothing has happened in the
United States to make an increase in
The army necessary, and we have no
foreign dangers except those connected
with the possession of the Philippines.
The same may be said Of the increase
n the navy. We are at peace with the
world, and there is no reason why we
should enter into rivalry with the