The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-11-18
THE INEVITABLE.


From the Philadelphia Press.
Recent utteranccs Of cabinet officers
confirm the reports to thc effect That the
administration has decided TO hold the
Philippine sltnds. IL Is no longer an
oDcn question 8 It has been almost
certain from the start that the United
States would have to keep the islands.
The president clearly appreciated that
fact when he insisted on Including in tho
protocol a clause providing that the peace
commissioners at Paris should pass on
the question of the future control and dis-
position of the Islands. The dispatch TO
the islands of powerful war vessels. af-
ter the Spanish fleet had been destroyed,
was another evidence as TO the course to
be pursued. If the United states were not
To take possession of one or more OF the
islands there would have been no need Of
the vessels.
There are two courses this country can
follow: IL must either abandon the
islands and put Srain in possession, or it
must take temporary possession of them
under the American flag. Any sensible
man will acknowledge that the task OF
compelling Spain to give the islands a
good government would bc impossible of
execution. To leave the islands u prey
TO anarchy could not be seriously thought
Crs in a state Of anarchy could not he
justified. There is nothing to be done but
TO retain the islands until such time az
their Inhabitants are capable Of govern
ing themselves. The war was begun in
the name of humanity and it will be car
riod to the end on that line. Even the
people who use the silly word Imperial
ism have not dared to advocate tho Gu
tire abandonment OF the islands. The
teloi ic in nT n n al
station in those waters. and that alone
compels us to stay. If the naval station
and commercial base were to be defended
we must have an island, and II we have
one island we should take the RESPONSE
bility of keeping order in the others ,n-
til they can govern themselves.
%
This nation must, in self-defense. see
that the markets of Eastern Asia are not
closed against us. The European pow
ers are grabbing mp china, and If we
stand idle we shall find in time that we
have no markets for our surplus products.
II production increases in the next fif.y
years at the same ratio as in the last
fifty years, this country would suffer
enormously by being shut out of the mar
kets of Eastern Asia. A recent compila-
tion shows that the eight leading nations
have. in the aggregate, increased their
commerce from a total of 5000 900, coo III
1850 to Sll. 900 in 1896, while the
growth Of their aggregate population has
been from PIP ON, 900 to 900. The in
crease in the external trade was at the
rate of 303 per cent, while the inhabi.
tants increased in number only rs rer
! cent. The increase in industrial produc-
| ton was about 900 per cent.
With production going ahead so much
faster than the growth In population. the
world must look for markets and terri
| tory to the vast millions OF people in ASA
and Africa who are awakening from a
| state of barbarsm or scmi-barbarism. W,
| have been building mp a trade in Easter:
| Asia which promises to multiply enpc
| mousiy. We need a base TO operate from
| off the Asatc coast. We thus benef
| ourselves while at the same time we en-
| tighten and cvilize millions of the hui
| man race.