The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-07-06
A DISTINGUISHED VISITOR
v. l.. Tissera, a Ceylonese, AID
mires American Institutions.
HE FAV0RS ANNEXATION
The Permanent Occupation OF the Phil
ippines Would Be a Great Benef
to Both the United States
and Southern Asia.

v. L. Tissera is n distinguished visi-
Cor in Butte for a few days. III is one
of three Ceylonese lNi-E IN the United
States. and now makes his residence in
Chicago. Mr.. Tissera is a great admirer
of Americas institutions and form of
government and is a careful student of
American ways and customs. He at
tended the races yesterday and was
greatly pleased at the sport.
I'm Ceylon,'' said Mr.. Tissera. we
have elephant races. The elephants
make remarkable speed. There are also
races of heifers hitched to two-wheeled
carts"
How fast time do you make?"
we don't keep any track of time.
The man whose elephant or heifer gets
in first wins and that is all there is to
81. How you do perfect everything in
his country! II seems as though you
progress more in a few years than the
island of Ceylon in a century. Such
cracks. starting arrangements. betting
arrangements. etc. are very. very much
in advance of anything in Ceylon."
What induced you 10 settle in Amer
ica?"
Il was sent by my government as
commissioner TO the worlds fair. After
the fair was over concluded to spend
six months in travelling about the Unit
ed States. so l could go home with an
intelligent idea of the country and its
people. After i had Travelled three
months l concluded to remain in Amer
lea. 1 decided that it was the country
for me. / wanted to be where l could
express myself freely, where ! could say
that / thought without danger of pun
3shment. / was so pleased. too, with
your educational system. What a glor-
Gus thing it is to give every child. no
matter how humble or poor, a common
school education, so that he is not hand
icapped in the race of life by lack OF
education. Here the poor mans son. if
he has the talent and the diligence. can
achieve distinction as well as the rich
mans son. In Ceylon there are no pub
lie schools. There is no middle class.
There are the rich on the one hand and
the poor on the other. During my our
j went through your penitentiaries. re-
form schools. insane asylums, asylums
for the blind and the deaf and dumb.
and the more i Travelled the more firmly
j became convinced hat this Is the
country for me. So / sent my resigna-
ton to my government and started in
the tea business in Chicago.
II lave Travelled in the Philippines a
kOOu htdis lntN dIt NtfN htSidDit ISL
ands. i hope the United States viii hold
them permanently. / hope this. not only
for the good of America. but for the
good of the people of the Philippines and
for the good Of the people of Asia gen.
orally. A good government of these ISL
and by the United States, firm and yet
kind, would tend to lessen the oppres-
sion in the neighboring Asiatic coun-
tries.
The effect of a good and wise gov
eminent in these stands would be very
beneficial TO all the people of Southern
Asia. Introduce American institutions
into the Philippines and they are bound
10 spread 10 ne~ighboring countries. The
possession of the Philippines will bring
the United States into close trade rela-
Ffions with all the countries and peoples
of Southern and Eastern Asia n the
contact will surely prove of very great
benefit TO Asia"