The Commoner
WILLIAn J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
Ill
Vol. a. No. 15.
Lincoln, Nebraska, May 2, 1902.
Whole No. 67
THEY ARE AFRAID
OF THE ISSUE.
The republican journals are already shying at
the Philippine question. They know that thoy
cannot defend the principles which underlie colo
nialism, and therefore, instead of boldly outlin
ing a policy and defending it, they resort to sub
terfuge and misrepresentation.
The Kansas. City Journal, one of the most
unscrupulous of the republican papers, shows
its fright by crying out that the demo
cratic substitute "is, in effect, an outright
repudiation of the fundamental doctrine on
which Mr. Bryan and his party made the cam
paign of 1900." It alleges that the democrats
wanted immediate independence and that "his (Mr.
Bryan's) plan and the plan of the party was to
scuttle and run." If the editor of The Journal
will read the democratic platform of 1900 he will
find that the platform and the party's candidates
favored an immediate declaration of the nation's
purpose: First, to establish a stable government;
second, to give independence to the Filipinos; and
third, to protect them from outside interference.
The party has always insisted that the establish
ment of a stable government in the place of the
one overthrown comes before independence, but
when it is understood that the government is to
belong to the Filipinos and not to us it will not
take long to establish it. This is the point upon
which the administration's policy differs from the
democratic policy. Whose government is it to
be? That is the all important question. The Fil
ipinos do not want to be subjects; they want a
government of their own. All they require is a
promise of independence and then the formation
of a government will be an easy matter.
The Journal says: "As a matter of fact, the
kind of self-government proposed for tle Fil
ipinos by the republican bill contains about as
much independence as the democratic measure."
The editor of The Journal knows better, if he
has read both plans. The republican plan is
drawn upon the plan proposed for the American
colonies by King George III., while the democratic
substitute is drawn upon the plan proposed by
the colonists. No amount of humbug or hypoc
risy about our "duty" or our "destiny" can cloud
the issue. The republican leaders deny the right
of the Filipinos to self-government and their ca
pacity for self-government; and the republican plan
contemplates perpetual dependence and vassalage
for the Filipinos. The democratic leaders assert
the right of the Filipinosto self-government and
their capacity for it, and. the democratic plan con
templates the immediatepromise and speedy graut
of Independence. It is a contest between self-government
and arbitrary power between a repub
lic and an empire. The more the question is dis
cussed the clearer this issue will become, and Jt
is not surprising that the republicans, already con
scious of their" position, are beginning to dodge
the principles involved and run from the ques
tion. JJJ
They Have No Remedy.
The Kansas City Journal started put quite
"boldly in its denunciation of the beef trust, but
now that democratic papers have . commenced to
caU attention to trusts in general it Is beginning
to weaken. Instead of attacking the monopolistic
principle it is talking about "economy In pro
duction" and insisting that the local butchers can,
If necessary, start up again. It is hoping In tho
belief that the people can thus secure relief, "even
if the anti-trust law fails to supply a remedy."
JJJ
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KEEP IT BEFORE THE PEOPLE!
t Sept, 9, 1901. Colonel Gardener, of
Tabavas vrovince. revorbed to Governor
g Taft on effects of military brutality
Feb. 7, 1902 Governor Taft, after
J holding Gardener report five montlis,
transmits it to Secretary of War Boot.
I Feb. 17, 1902 General Miles writes
o to Secretary of War Boot and says war
J in Philippines is being conducted with
g marked severity.
4
S
4
March 5, 1902 Secretary of War X
Boot, with the Gardener report in his g
possession, replies to General Miles, ?
denying that the war isbeing conducted
S with marked severity and asserting J
that on the contrary it is being con- g
? ducted on humane lines.
Cyv
March 25, 1902, Secretary Boot ridi-
cules General Milts' suggestions, dis- g
5 putes his assertions, scolds him for men- '?
x: -, j.7. - n.n i n i a
oouroofvg ui& ixaru&ner report ana seecs x
to discredit that report in advance of
investigation.
April 8, 1902, Major Waller, Cap-
tain Porter and. Lie,ute,n.a.n.t TTnl-Pnrfl.
g testify before court martial in Manila
o that General Smith ordered Waller to
J make Samar alwwling wilderness and g
g kill all natives over 10 years old.
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Associated Press Dispatch.
by court martial of General Jacob H. J
Smiih on the charge of conduct preju- g
dicialtogood order and discipline be-
gan today. Colonel Charles A. Wood- J
tii.-PP fl.mi.-n qcI. -Pm ll t Ho -Po-n an ot-i ri ' 7i n 7 y- J
g sired to simplify the proceedings. He S
was willing to admit General Smith i
g gave instructions to Major Waller to g
g Mil and burn and make Samar a .
howling wilderness; that he wanted
A .,. 7.7-.. 7i77J 7.7 -. t. - i
Gu&ryuuuy ivuuuvw cu,pu,ui& Oj uearing T
arms and tliat he did specify all over
ten years of age, as the Samar boys of
that age were equally as dangerous
as their elders.
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Note the dates of these paragraphs.
Tliis is the "benevolent assimilation"
policy 'of -the administration. Tliisis
the Condition of affairs in the islands
g "tHfown into our lap by Providence."
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KEEP WATCH ON
THE REORGANIZERS.
Eternal vigilance is the price, not only of lib
erty but of everything else worth having. The
vote at tho primaries In Missouri and elsewhero
shows that tho people can bo relied upon when
thoy understand tho issue, but tho gold and corpo
ration element in the democratic party is always
trying to confuse and obscure tho issue. There
is scarcely a county in the nation but what has a
corporation representative seoklng to secure some
position of authority at tho hands of tho demo
crats. Usually these are men who voted against
the party in 189G but came back or pretended tc
come back in 1900. Thoy have not accepted th
Kansas City platform, but they ask to be mado
tho representatives of those who believe in that
platform! Thoy aspire to the state legislature,
to congress or tho United States senate; they us
ually have money and are willing to spend It to
advance their ambition.
Democrats must.be on their guard everywhere
or tho party will drift back into tho position It oc
cupied under Mr. Cleveland's second term. A man
can support a ticket without endorsing all tho
platform, but a man can not run on a platform
without endorsing it all. If a man understands
tho duty of a representative ho will not 'deslra
to represent people who do not agree with hira.
Tho people arc entitled to the active sympathy,
not merely to the passive service, of public ofll-,
cials. ,
Put none but the faithful in positions of truBt.
If a man was against the ticket in 189G and has
really reformed he will feel so ashamed of bin
past conduct that he will not ask to bo rewarded
over those who were faithful In the hour of
trial; If he was against the platform in 1S96 and
Las NOT reformed he cannot be trusted to defend
the interests of tho people.
If a reorganlzer wants some position which
will give him official influence find out what he
thinks of the Fowler bill. If he does not know
anything about it he ought to inform himself be
fore aspiring to office or to a place on a demo
cratic committee; if he knows of the bill and has
not denounced It his sympathies are not with' tho
people. The Fowler bill provides for an asset
currency, a branch bank and a redeemable sil
ver dollar, and although this bill has the endorse
ment of the republican members of the coinage
committee the reorganlzers say that tho money
question is dead. They refuse to discuss financial
legislation themselves and protest when others
discuss it. Why? Because they stand with tho
republican party on the money question and aro
afraid to admit it .
Every Unitod States 'senator will have to deal
with this question; every member of congress wJll
have to deal with it, and yet air over the country
gold democrats mco cseklng nominations at .the
hands of the party and are reorganizing for a re
petition of the fraud, deception and betrayal that
reached their maximum under the Cleveland adr
ministration.
Beware of them!
Beware! !
JJJ
Organization in Ohio.
On another page will be found an editorial
from The Times, of Canal Dover, Ohio, explain
ing the work which has been undertaken by tho
i