Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-02-15


"As follower of Mr.. Clay, he was
in favor of the protective or Ameri-
can system, as it was called. During
his administration the Merrill tariff
was passed, for the system of protect
modern plan was then fully Inaugural
ted. We can, therefore, assign him
to place in the present day among
protectionists.
Where would he stand in respect to
our Philippine policy and expansion?
Would he, as do the anti-imperialists
take the position, were he living today,
that the republican party in it's action
in respect 10 Porto Rico, Cuba, and
the Philippines had departed from the
principles that actuated him in becom-
ing a republican and in retaining that
party in national control?
Mr.. Lincoln relied greatly in his
discussions on the slavery question up
on the terms of the declaration Of In
dependence. He dwelt upon the post
ulate set forth in that instrument that
all men are created free and equal
and he insisted that In SO far as the
constitution recognized slavery and in
so far as slavery was an institution OF
our government 1t was departure
from the declaration Of independence,
and 1t is impossible to quote from his
writings and speeches sentences
which, taken from their text and made
applicable to the republican policy in
the Philippines, would seem to be at
variance with it.
"But when we understand what 1t
was that Mr.. Lincoln was attacking
and compare 1t with what 1t is that
we have done, and are doing in the
Philippines it will be seen that the
two things are SO different that it Is
utterly unsafe to assume that his atti-
tude toward the policy Of expansion
and our Philippine policy would be the
same as his attitude toward the in
stitution Of human slavery.
Americas Duty In Orient.
The Philippine islands came to us
without our design. In war one must
pursue his enemy where he can find
him. It was necessary that Dewey
should destroy the Spanish fleet In the
Pacific to prevent It's use against our
commerce and against our Pacific ter
ritory.
"The destruction of the Spanish fleet
had noAtroops, however, and as a rea-
sonable war measure we invoked the
assistance of Aguinaldo and his fellow
insurrectos against the power Of Spain
to assist us in establishing control on
the land until our army could traverse
the 1000 miles between our ports and
the Philippines.
Should we turn the islands over to
Aguinaldo and his military subordi-
mates? They had themselves in the
nine months intervening tried to estab-
lish a civil government, and the tyran-
MES and the insuf1eiencies of that
government in trying to maintain or
der would have made 1t crime
against the whole people Of the islands
for us thus to dodge responsibility and
seek to escape the burden which pro-
whence seemed to have thrust upon
us.
Would Abraham Lincoln have ad-
vised policy Of scuttle and retreat
from these islands, to leave them with
no government and chaos that would
only increase the suffering of these un-
fortunate people?
Clearly there is nothing in the de-
claration Of independence as inter
preted by Abraham Lincoln that would
have compelled this pusillanimous
course.
Il affirm that the policy adopted by
William Mckinley and embraced by
the republican party under which it is
proposed by gradual extending Of
self-government to the people of the
Philippine inslands, as they shall be-
come better and better politically edu-
Gated by practice and by the school
system, Is following the true spirit and
proper Interpretation of the principles
Of the declaration of independence.
mo man would have been quicker
to scout as impracticable dogmatism
the bitter criticism, the unreasonable
opposition. and the almost traitorous
sympathy with the opposition of our
government in the Philippines, dis
played by the antiimperialists and
| their democratic followers, than Lin
coin
"1n the now nearly ten years that
We have been in the islands, we have
produced tranquility and freedom
from ladronism and disturbance which
interfered with the agriculture Of the
islands.
I'VE have done this at the cost of
| blood and treasure Would Abraham
Lincoln have approved this policy?
We found a people separated from
each other by sixteen different dia-
lects Of barbarous character and small
vocabulary, and We are now engaged
with a school system in teaching
their children, at the rate of 5000 a
year, common medium of communi.
cation, the business language of the
orient and the language of frees in
stftutfons-our own English. Would
Abraham Lincoln have disapproved
that policy?"
During the administration of Theo
dore Roosevelt our influence as a
world power has exceeded anything
before in our history. We have done
more towards bringing about the
peace of the world than any power in
this century.
Under these circumstances is there