10 'Cbe Conservative *
the purpose than small companies , part
nerships , and individual proprietors.
They are as much a factor of progress as
the steam engine , and , like it , they tem
porarily throw a few men out of employ
ment , but eventually they employ more
men than before , and at better wages ,
while reducing the prices charged the
public. The doubling of wages during
the last hundred years and the lowering
of prices to consumers arc due to the
increased production of labor caused by
inventions and better business methods.
The big corporation is one of these bet
ter business methods.
Some people , like Bryan , never see the
sunlight , but only the shadow cast by
its obstruction. They see the disadvan
tages attendant upon progress and none
of the benefits. They opposed the rail
road , as Bryan would have done , be
cause it temporarily throw a few team
sters out of employment. For like
reasons they can see nothing good in co
operation on a grand scale through the
medium of big corporations. They are
reactionary as well as ignorant , and
either cannot or will not see the advan
tages as well as the disadvantages. They
would destroy , not cure.
An Economic Question.
But while the big corporation is
necessary and inevitable , its power for
evil as well as for good has been grow
ing with its size. How can we , without
interfering with its efficiency , restrain
the evils ? Must we wait for the slow
operation of natural laws to furnish the
remedy for extortionate prices which
may follow a short-sighted policy devoid
of human feeling ? Must we rely upon
the breaking out of fresh competition
or the falling off of business which may
make even high prices unremunerative ?
Must we wait till we can cultivate anew
a sense of human feeling in the stock
holders and officers of corporations ? Can
legislation avert the evils of unwise
corporate greed ? If BO , what shall the
legislation be and to what extent shall
it go ? To condemn and exterminate all
corporations , or all large corporations , if
any line can be drawn , would be more
disastrous to us than any injury wo may
suffer from abuse of their powers.
The problem is too vast , too complex ,
and too subtle for emotional empirics.
It cannot be solved by our consciences
unaided and unenlightened. We need
to bring to it the open mind and the
scientific habit of thought. AE in'dicated
by the address of the gold democracy , it
is not a political question , either in its
origin or its nature. Its solution calls
for the dispassionate consideration of
the best men of all parties.
OUK DUTY TO THE FILIPINOS.
If Mr. Bryan is elected president it
will follow , in all probability , that Don
Emilio Aguinaldo y Fami will be recog
nized as the head of the independent
government which is to be established
according to Mr. Bryan's plans. In
other words , Aguiualdo , who deliberate
ly declared war upon the United States
army and government in February ,
1899 , and who has ever since been the
central figure in the Philippines , inspir
ed the people to make war on America ,
will be the chief of a nation under the
protection of the government which he
has just been fighting.
After waging a conflict all this time
against our country , under Aguinaldo's
direction , that element of the Filipinos
which is making the trouble will insist
upon the continuance of him as their
commander in chief , and if they do not
secure such a concession they will fight
just us persistently under Mr. Bryan's
administration as they have under that
of Mr. MoKiuley.
In order to appreciate the difficulties
before a democratic president , if one is
elected , it is well to remember that
there is another large element of Filipinos
pines who have maintained a friendly
attitude toward us and who will make
most serious objection to the recogni
tion of Agninaldo and his associates. It
is even probable that the Mores in the
Sulu group and in Mindanao , the Visay-
ans in the central islands , and the Vices
in southern Luzon , as well as some of
the tribes in the northern valley of the
Oagayan in Luzon , will object to a set
tlement where their interests are not as
carefully considered as those of the
Tagologs. In consequence there will
arise a most complicated situation ,
which will bring far worse results than
the legitimate effort to establish our
rightful sovereignty acquired by treaty
with Spain.
We have already gone through the
most bitter experiences that we can
possibly have under our determination
to bring about peace and order and the
general acknowledgment by the Filipi
nos of our sovereignty. The tendency
hereafter , if Mr. McKinley is reeleoted ,
will bo to improve. It cannot go the
other way. In fact there is every rea
son to believe that if the present admin
istration is continued there will be a
speedy end to all resistance to American
authority. The guerrilla warfare will
lose its inspiration , and we shall be as
tonished at the ease with which we
shall bring about contentment and well-
being among the people of the Philip
pine archipelago.
If Mr. Bryan is elected president the
different tribes throughout the islands
will be filled with the expectancy of
great results. There will be a scramble
to obtain the chief benefits of Mr. Bry
an's Utopian scheme. There will be
difficulties and dissensions without
limit. There will be constant danger of
civil strife. No matter how strong
qualities of self-government we con
cede to the Filipinos , it will be only
natural , after all , that Mr. Bryan and
the anti-imperialists have said and after
the rosy promises they have made , that
the Filipinos will experience a rude
shook when they find that the realiza
tion is not equal to the anticipation.
Bryan iiiul the Army.
It is no idle prophecy to predict that
Mr. Bryan will require even a larger
army and a greater expenditure of gov
ernment funds to carry out his plans
than Mr. McKinley will need to estab
lish order , quiet and good government.
There are , moreover , all sorts of com
plications that will arise in connection
with the interests of foreigners. De
mands for indemnities will pour in
upon this independent Filipino govern
ment , and on the United States govern
ment as its protector. There will arise
questions of authority as to which shall
decide upon these points the Filipino
or the American officials. The imprac
ticability of drawing a clear line of de
marcation between the responsibilities
of an independent Filipino nation and
an American protectorate , such as Mr.
Bryan outlines , will face and harrass
him every moment after he takes his
seat in the white house. It is no exag
geration to say that Mr. Bryan will run
the risk of international complications
that may lead to a war which will cost
many times more in lives and money
than our present conflict in the Philip
pine islands , if he declares to the world
"hands off 1" while the Filipinos organ
ize an independent government under
this visionary protection of the United
States.
Here is a situation that will almost
surely develop and cause trouble , not
only between the United Skates and a
European government , but with the
Filipino government , if Mr. Bryan car
ries out his intentions. If , for instance ,
Germany or some other European coun
try demands a large indemnity from
the Filipinos for injury to her interests ,
now or in the future , and the latter re
fuses to pay or grant the foreign de
mands , whatever they may be , the for
eign nation will at onca appeal to the
United States. If the United States
knowing that the demands are just ,
tells the Filipinos that they must com
ply , they may flatly refuse , and then it
will remain for either the United States
or the foreign power to compel them to
yield , and this may bring about war.
This is only one illustration of a score
of misfortunes which are quite possible
under Mr. Bryan's scheme of divided
responsibility. But if the United States
firmly establishes its sovereignty , all
dealings will be with and through the
United States government , and all ques
tions in regard to the Philippine Islands
will be settled just as any other would
be with the main country here in
America.
If Mr. Bryan is elected president and
expects to apply the Monroe doctrine to
the Philippines , he will require a. much