V
'AUGUST 2, 1907
v The Commoner.
ern themselves bettor than any outside authority
can govern them. When people govern them
selves they aro Interested In correcting their
mistakes, for it never pays the people to mako
mistakes. But when people are governed from
without they suffer from the mistakes of others,
and those who make the mistakes do not always
have an interest in correcting them.
Every village in the northern group of the
Philippine islands has enough educated men to
direct public sentiment, and every year increases
the number of those who are intelligent. There
are a thousand students In Manila above the
bachelor's degree, and there are thousands that
have already graduated, and half a million who
are now pursuing their studies in the lower
schools. Our occupation of the Philippine isl
ands has had one good result although that
result might have been better secured in an
other way viz., the increase in education
among the people; and to this may be added
a common language. But the more wo educate
the people the more insistent will they be in
demanding self-government and independence;
the more we train them In the English language
the more unity wil there be among them in
pressing their demands.
The Japanese government rests upon a lim
ited suffrage, less than one-tenth of the adult
males being able to vote; and yet behold tho
progress that Japan has made? We are satisfied
that the legislative body to be established in tho
Philippines in the near future will prove that
the Filipinos are competent to select worthy
representatives, and that these representatives
will be equal to the task of conducting tho gov
ernment. A word in conclusion as to our commercial
Interest in the question. How can we extend
our commerce in the Orient? Not by forcing
our trade upon an unwilling people, but by im
planting our ideas and making friends. Only
as we teach the Orientals to imitate us can wo
hope to increase our trade with them. Tho first
fruit of our colonial policy has been to depress
rather than to encourage the industries of the
Philippine islands; we have cut off the markets
that they formerly had and have refused them
access to our markets. If we would allow them
to make tho commercial arrangements most
profitable to them, their increased prosperity
would enable them to enlarge their trade with
us. '
The Orient is ripe for the establishment of
governments patterned after tho American plan.
The Filipinos fr.amed a republic like ours, and
would be conducting it today but for us; the
Japanese have a constitutional government which
is becoming more and more democratic; tho
Chinese are preparing for a constitution, and the
people of India are demanding representation
in their government. By establishing a republic
in the Philippines our government would at
once make friends with all the progressive men
of Asia. No tie is so strong as that which unites
those who cherish the same ideals, and by this
tie we could unite to us the hundreds of millions
of the Orient. We could draw their students
to our shores and send them back to carry tid
ings of our civilization. Policy and principle
join in urging us to extend our influence west
ward by the same policy that has made tho
United States the foremost nation of the world.
Do They Favor Regulation?
,
oooo
A GOOD DEFINITION
The St. Louis Globe-Democrat (standpat
ter) in its issue of July 24 printed this some
what remarkable editorial: "Tariff revisionists
may be defined as persons who want something
better than the best times the country has every
known."
That is not so bad, either. Is the Globe
Democrat really willing tostand upon that defin
ition? oooo"
NOT THE "INSTITUTIONS"
.
The Milwaukee Sentinel complains about
the "talk about tho so-called predatory rich"
and protests against men "crying down our in
stitutions." Men who complain of tho "predatory rich"
i or, indeed, the predatory poor are not "cry
ing down our institutions." The protest is made
in behalf of those institutions.
OOOO
GOOD FOR GLENN
4'
Governor Glenn of North Carolina seems
disposed to test the power of a federal judge to
suspend a criminal law of the state. Good for
Governor Glenn. ' The encroachments of tho
federal courts are at last beginning to attract
attention.
For ten months tho pro-railroad dallies have
boon endeavoring to mako it appear that Mr.
Bryan was forcing government ownership Into
the campaign. In his New York speech ho
said:
"I have already reached tho conclusion that
railroads partake so much of the nature of a
monopoly that they must ultimately become pub
lic property and bo managed by public officials
in the interest of the whole community In ac
cordance with the well defined theory that public
ownership is necessary whore competition is im
possible. I do not know that the country Is
ready for this change; I do not know that a
majority of my own party favor it, but I bellevo
that an Increasing number of tho members of
all parties see in public ownership the only sure
remedy for discrimination between persons and
places and for extortionate rates for tho carrying
of freight and passengers.
"Bolieving, howover, that tho operation of
all the railroads by tho fedoral government
would so centralize the government as to almost
obliterate state lines, I prefer to see only tho
trunk lines operated by the federal government
and tho local lines by the several state govern
ments. Some have opposed this dual ownership
as impracticable, but investigation in Europe
has convinced mo that it Is entirely practicable.
Nearly all tho railroads of Germany aro owned
by the several states, the empiro not oven own
ing trunk ljnes, and yet the interstate traffic is in
no wfse obstructed. In traveling from Constan
tinople to Vienna one passes through Turkey,
Bulgaria, Servia, Hungary and a part of Austria
without a change of cars. And yet, each country
owns and operates its own roads and different
languages are spoken on tho different divisions
of the lines. Sweden and Norway each owns
its railroads, but they have no trouble about
interstate traffic, although their political rela
tions are somewhat strained. Tho ownership
and operation of tho local lines by tho several
state governments is not only feasible but it
suits itself to the conditions existing in tho
various states. In those states where the people
are ripe for a change tho local lines can bo pur
chased or new lines be built at once, while pri
vate ownership can continue in those states in
which the people still prefer private ownership.
Some states have been more careful' than others
to prevent the watering of stock and In tho
acquiring of roads each state can act according
to the situation which it has to meet.
"As to the right of the governments, fed
eral and state, to own and operate railroads
there can be no doubt. If we can deepen tho
water in the lakes and build connecting canals
in order to cheapen railroad transportation dur
ing half of the year, we can build a railroad and
cheapen rates the whole year; if wo can spend
several hundred millions on the Panama canal
to lower transcontinental rates, we can build a
railroad from New York to San Francisco to
lower both transcontinental and local rates..
The United States mail is increasing so rapidly
that we shall soon be able to pay the interest
on the cost of trunk lines out of .the money which
we now pay to railroads for carrying through
mails. If any of you question the propriety of
my mentioning this subject I beg to remind you
that tho president could not have secured the
passage of the rate bill had he not appealed to
the fear of the more radical remedy of govern
ment ownership and nothing will so restrain the
railroad magnates from attempting to capture
the interstate commerce commission as the same
fear. The high-handed manner in which they
have violated law and Ignored authority, to
gether with the corruption discovered In high
places has done more to create sentiment In
favor of public ownership than all the speeches
and arguments of the opponents of private own
ership." Ten days later he said at Louisville, Ken
tucky: "This statement of tmy views (Madison
Square speech) has been assailed by sdme as an
attempt to force these views upon the demo
cratic party, and by some as an announcement
of an intention to insist uppn the incorporation
of these views in the next democratic national'
platform. (
"Let me answer those two charges. I have
tried to make it clear that I expressed my own
opinion and I have never sought to compel the
acceptance of my opinion by any ono else. Ite-
sorving tho right to do my own thinking, I re
spect tho right of ovory ono clao to do his think
ing. I havo too much respect for tho rights of
others to OHk.Lhcm to accept any views that I
may entertain unless tlroao views commend
thomselves to othors and I havo too much con
fidence in tho Independent thought In my own
party to expect that any considerable number
of democrats would acknowledge my right to do
their thinking for them oven if I wore undemo
cratic enough to assort such a right.
"Ah to platforms, I havo contended always
that thoy should bo mado by tho voters. I havo,
in my speoches and through my paper, Insisted
that tho platform should bo tho expression of tho
wishes of tho voters of tho party and not bo the
arbitrary production of one man or a fow
leaders."
But in spite of his very plain language
these papers havo insisted upon misrepresenting
his position and havo pcrslstontly dodged the
issuo of regulation. Now that Mr. Bryan has
pointed out that there is no disposition on tho
part of those who believe In government owner
ship to make It an Issue in 1908 and that ho
does not believe It wiso to inject tho question
into tho campaign theso papers Insist that It Is
and must bo an Issue anyhow. But thoy will
not bo permitted to longer avoid the discussion
of plans foroffoctlvo regulation.
Do theso editors boliovo In regulation or
do thoy propose to leave tho public helpless?
Horo aro throe vital propositions connected
with a present issue, namely, effective regula
tion: First, tho ascertaining of tho value of all
the railroads.
Second, tho proventing of over-capitalization.
, '
Third, tho reduction of rates to a point
whero thoy will yield only a reasonable return
upon the real value of the roads.
Lot the railroad apologists moot hcao
propositions. If tho value of tho roads should,
not bo ascertained, why not? If watered stock
should not bo prevented, why not? It rates
should not bo reduced, why not? These papers
have had lots of space for the discussion of gov
ernment ownership, proposed as an ultimate so
lution. Will they now give a little space to the
discussion of regulation an immediate remedy?
OOOO
A WORK OF ART
Mr. Bryan has received fri J the Amster
dam Democratic club of New York'a handsomely
embossed set of resolutions and a certificate of
election to honorary membership in the or
ganization. As a work of art It possesses unusual
merit, but more especially because of tho kindly
sentiments expressed in the resolutions will it
bo preserved and treasured by Mr. Bryan.
OOOO
TOO DIGNIFIED
Governor Cummings Is a candidate for Sen
ator Allison's seat and the senator's friends are
wildly denouncing demagogues, agitators, etc.
They will havo to change their tactics. Dignity
is not the only or even most needed sena
torial virtue. Tho senate Is too dignified now,
it bows only to predatory wealth.
OOOO
GOVERNOR FOLK'S STATEMENT
Governor Folk is right it his reply to Justice
Brewer's criticism, and he might havo added
that the question is not whether under reduced
rates the railroads will make as much as thoy
did under the old rates, but whether they will
make enough to yield a reasonable return on
present value of road.
OOOO j :
THE HOPKINS THOUGHT
Dr. Simms, a New York scientist, says peo
ple think with their toes. Maybe Senator Hop
kins of Illinois entertained the same opinion
when he expected the people to believe that the
republican party will revise the tariff "after
the presidential election."
OOOO
MI3RELY SKETCHING
it is greatly to be feared that a fow gen
tlemen claiming to be democrats are merely
putting up the plea In order that they may not
be disturbed while they finish their sketches
of the democratic fortifications.
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