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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 2, 1900)
13be Conservative. Under the cap- KKYAN AND tioii "Jefferson IMPKRIALISM. and Imperialism" Mr. Bryan , in the New York Journal , discusses the Philippine problem. He says : "Imperialism as it now presents itself , embraces four distinct propositions : First. That the acquisition of terri tory by conquest is right. 'Second. That the acquisition of re mote territory is desirable. Third. That the doctrine that gov ernments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed is unsound. Fourth. That people can bo wisely governed by aliens. ' " Any proposition of public policy must be based upon the action of that body which represents the popular will. In our own country the national legislature is the only body that can speak authori tatively for the American people. When we speak of the policy of our govern ment we mean the policy fixed by con gress. Therefore whatever our policy may be in regard to the Philippines it must be that which congress has indi cated. The only action , relative to the Philippines , that has been taken by the congress of the United States , was the ratification of the treaty of peace with Spain , whereby we acquired sovereignty over this remote territory. The propo sitions given out by Mr. Bryan must have their inspiration in this treaty. With the ratification of the treaty , then , the policy of imperialism was inaugu rated. If , as Mr. Bryan says , in imperialism is embodied the propositions he has laid down , then , as the Favored Conquest. one who favored the ratification of that treaty , who was , according to the assertion of his staunch- eat friends , responsible for its ratifica tion , he cannot escape whatever oppro brium may belong to the policy the treaty inaugurated. If ratification meant to assert that , "the acquisition of remote territory is desirable" he is com mitted to this proposition. If it meant that "the acquisition of territory by conquest was right" he espoused this principle , and so for each of the imperi alistic propositions to which he refers. He has endorsed every one of them. All those who favored the ratification of the treaty and endorsed the policy embodied therein , Estopped. are estopped from denouncing the consequences of it. Senator Allen of Nebraska , in the debate pending ratification , said : "Mr. President , I have been impressed since the acquisition of this new terri tory as a result of the war with Spain , with the overshadowing necessity of considering the question with faultless accuracy. What we may do is not to be the work of an hour , nor can it be undone by subsequent legislation or executive order , but it is to stand for all time and involves for final weal or woe the present inhabitants of the United States and those of the new territory , as well as those of countless generations to succeed. "Mr. President , the news haa come to us within the last few hours of a conflict between the American army and navy and the Filipinos. To my own state has fallen much of the loss of life and limb. Ten out of twenty of the young men who lost their lives in the battle that has been fought in the last forty-eight hours were members of the first Nebras ka infantry. There is mourning in Ne braska today ; there will be weeping at the hearthstone of may a Nebraska home tonight. Mr. President , this ought to be a warning to us. I can not condemn too severely the assault , the treacherous assault , made on our troops. We wore dealing with savages as blood thirsty and incapable of being reconciled as the Ogallala Sioux. They precipitated this conflict of their own volition. ' 'I uphold the general and commander of the navy in repelling the attack. We are in the Philippine islands as a con quering military power. We hold them today by virtue of the power to make war , and in no other sense , and there those islands and those people must remain respecting the law , respecting the dignity and the sovereignty and the flag of this nation until their status among the nations of the earth shall be defined by congress , the sole power to deal with the question. They must be taught as long as we deal with them that submission to the constituted au thority is the first duty of the citizen and the inhabitant. " If , as the senator says , to oppose the temporary authority of the United States in the Philippines , was a "treach erous assault , " how much more unpar donable the resistance after he had made this authority permanent by the terms of the treaty ! That the responsi bilities attaching to our government after ratification were appreciated in the senate at the time the vote was taken ; that it was understood to mean the establishment of a policy for all time ; is evident from this speech of Senator Allen as well as those of other senators. Senator Money thus portrayed the effects of ratifying the treaty as it was written : 1 'Another thing. We are told that we want peace ; that we want to get the volunteers home. Menus War. _ _ . , , _ . We all do. Every body wants peace. I want the volun teers brought home. They have that right. They did not enlist for garrison duty. They did not enlist for a subju gating war. They enlisted for freedom. The struggle is over , the cause won , the banner flies triumphant , and they have a right to come home and be dismissed from the military service. They are not professionals pursuing a vocation ; they are the citizen soldiery , who have other business. "Does any man say we are going to have peace by ratifying this treaty ? Yes ; we will have peace with Spain , but we will begin war with the Filipinos. A.I We had a war with Spain that lasted three months. I stood right hero and predicted on the 28th of March that we were about to engage in a war that would last sixty days , which would be a naval engagement , and that the ships of Spain would bo swept from the sea. I am not a prophet , but I believed what I then said , and it has been justified by events. Now I say , standing here , that , in my opinion , if we ratify the treaty with no declaration in it that we dis claim any right to enslave these people , or to hold them in subjection , or use language which does not mean giving them their liberty , we have already em barked in a war that will not release the volunteers , but which will call for fresh volunteers , and thousands of the bust American youth will lay their bones upon the plains and in the jungle of Luzon and in other parts of the Philip pines. "Mr. President , there are several res olutions for the consideration of the , . , . . . senate supposed to Resolutions Useless. , fr bear on the treaty. These resolutions are simply declara tions of opinion. They have no effect upon the decision of the controversy which we are about to engage in with the Filipinos , and that is the matter we are to consider now. "If we pass any of these resolutions , of what avail is it ? Does that de termine our relations with the Fil ipinos ? Does that induce them to come in and make terms with us ? Does that disband the army ? These resolutions are .simply the text for dis cussion in open sessions of the senate , and they are worth that and little more. As a solemn declaration of the opinion of the sonata they may move some fu ture legislation by their persuasive in fluence , and not otherwise. If it weie a joint resolution , a new congress could be convened to repeal it in less than six weeks. So we who object to the condi tion as it has been under the phraseology elegy of the present treaty must declare our opposition to it unless it is modified in the way indicated by the resolution of the senator from Missouri [ Mr. Vest ] ; and that , I think , would make it ac ceptable to every man on this side of the senate , at least. "Every man here holds his conscience in his own keeping ; he is responsible for his ° wn act and I . . . . , * . . Patriotic Duty , for one will feel recreant to myself , recreant to my high office , recreant to my duty to humanity ; recreant to my duty to human liberty everywhere , if I fail to give my negative to a treaty that sold away the liberty of 10,000,000 human beings who , after a struggle of one hundred years , demon strate through blood and suffering and sacrifice their worthiness for a better fate than is proposed. These men have struggled under every disadvantage. The Malay character has been developed
