The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-08-28
PHILIPPINE CONTROL
The Anti Expansion Argu-
ments Clearly Analysed.
WEALTH OF THE ISLANDS
The WondrOus Possibilities of the
Archipelago and What American
Enterprise and Civilization WonId
Do for Both the Inhabitants and
the Trade of the World.
To the Editor Of The Timea:

The facility and complacence with
which it is proposed to deliver back the
Philippines 10 the spaniard. letting him
in broad daylight make off with the prize,
is an Insult and outrage TO American
Intelligence and civilization. The Ameri-
cans are not a race of fools. In demand
ing the Philippines they are not crying
for the moon or for mysterious islands
far away On the contrary they know
and well know-the commercial. geo
graphical and Industrial aspect of those
islands; the scope and range they will
present for development; their value as
a factor in the worlds commerce. and
what is more, they know Of the people
there and their fearful attempts TO I'M
yoke from SPANS Villainous midnight
of misrule All this they know, despite
the scarecrow stories as 80 what dread
full things those natives VIII GO to their
Hber9tors IL once free. What kind of war
rior is Uncle Sam supposed TO ioe? Like
the barbarian-strong Of arm but wtak
Of brain-or ike William the Norman
and the makers Of Greece. Rome and
Venice-strong and vbrile of both Drawn
and brain?
Cur interest in the Philippines is two
fold-a down-trodden and blood-sucked
race crying for mercy, and a fair land
crying for development and enterprise
either and both of which point us our
imperative duty
The opposition to American action
where not tainted with treason-comes
from a few men whose knowledge of
the Philippines. or of the world Is of
the yaguest-who couldn't call ten of
those islands by name without seeing a
map; il is a c.ass of men whose bourbon
brains require forty years 20 evolve a
thought, and they want the country to
wait those forty years for them ID make
up their mind They say mechanically
that the natives will be hard 10 manage
that the islands are too far away. From
where, or what. are they TOO lar eway.
IL from the center Of population then
New York and Charleston are far away;
Seattle, Honolulu, San Francisco and
Denver are very far away" Is it sup
posed that America, with its mighty
reach, must. in looking at the Philippines,
adopt the tinid tactics of a Switzerland
or Peru? The merchant ships of Eng
land. pacing the ocean highways move
with the regularity of planets, giving and
taking, doing the world much good and
little harm. England developed Austria
liza, $4,000 miles from home befoce the
Suez Canal was made: they built with
brick and steel and stone the magnificent
cities of Melbourne, Sidney and Adelaide;
they built Auckland, Nelson and Yelling
ton, far south of the Philippines, amongst
savages compared to which the widest
Filipino is Chesterfield. Is it supposed
that Americans can't do this? Are We
less than the British? Do any, save tim
id boys and old fogies, think that the
girder, plaIteglass and Belgian block of
metropolitan activity cannot or will not
invade the Philippines? Such an AmerI-
can is doing less for posterity than his
forefathers did for him. when they male
of the thirteen first States land larger
to the number of Inhabitants than it is
now, and their wise advice has been fol-
lowed by the people ever since and al
ways will be. Sir John Bowring British
governor of Hongkong, whose social and
political rank gave him access to the
truth and incentive to tell it, says of
the Philippines: They are covered with
beautiful and spontaneous vegetable
riches above, and bear countless treas
ures of mineral wealth below; their pow
ers of production are boundiess. thew
have the varieties of climate which
mountain, valley and plains afford: rains
to water, suns to ripen, rivers to con-
duct. harbors for shipment every recon-
mendation to attract adventure and TO
reward industry; a population of only
o,0oo,ooO or 100000 when ten times that
enabled to provide for millions upon
number might be supplied to safety. ana