The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-05-07
SATURDAY. May T. lS2S.
WHAT WILL WE DO WITH THE
PHILIPPINES?


Commodore Dewey. though news may. Of
course. come before this article is in
type
The Times has no doubt Dewey is I'm
possession Of Manila and whether 1t turns
out that he IS or IS not. The Times viii
be greatly mistaken il he shall prove not
TO be. But in any case he will be I'm pos
session of it at no distant day. His de-
struction of tho Spanish fleet makes that
inevitable. We may set it down, there
fore. as a fact that the Philippine islands
are either now i'm possession of the
United States or that they will be in
very short time.
What will we do with them? They are
represented to be enormously fertile. and.
therefore. valuable I'm the highest degree
and this fact viii stimulate the ayarice Of
many Americans and cause them to i'm
vent hundreds of plausible excuses for
the United States retaining them and
making them colony. Avarice will be at
the bottom Of the move. though an sorts
Of pretended patriotic reasons will be adj
Vanccd.
We most earnestly pray that the good
sense Of ITO country will reject every one
Of the spccious prctexts as IL is brought
forward. We entered upon this war with
the high and noble and unselhsh, even If
mistaken. policy of libcrating the oppress-
ed and outraged Cubans. and We solemn
" declared TO the world that we should,
under no circumstances. think Of annex
ing Cuba to the United States. That
declaration binds us to turn our backs
promptly upon every suggestion Of Cuban
annexation.
But say many men already II does not
bind us not TO annex the Philippines,
since nothing was said Of them. But the
declaration was intended 10 he an an
nouncement to the world that we were
not engaging in war OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
but in one that was prompted by hu-
manity, and tho highest impulses OF the
human soul only We have deliberately
stated that to the world and If we
should now limit our declaration TO Cuba
only. seizing the Philippines as our own,
the world would say and justly say, that
our professions were insinccre and that
self-aggrandlsemcnt was at the bottom of
the business after ALL
II we stand firmly and tenaciously TO
the spirit of our declaration and free
Cuba and Porto Rico and the Philippines
also. without appropriatns one cents
worth Of SPANS territory to ourselves,
We shall stand upon tho very pinnacle OF
political greatness. We shall do what
has never been done by any nation in the
history OF the world and We shall prove
that II is just as possible for great
people TO DO great and just things with
out a selfish thought as IL has been for
the noble individuals who have made
themselves the worlds eXemplars Of what
man should be.
We are not TO think OF returning the
Philippine islands to SPANS horrid rule.
nor are we 10 think Of turning them over
to any other power, either as gift or
In the way OF trade for a war indemnity
that Spain will be unable to pay. We are
20 turn them over 10 tho inhabitants Of
he islands that they may enjoy that same
blessing OF self-rule which we enjoy and
which every nation. Spain amongst the
others. ought to have. We must keep
tutelery superintendent over them until
they are able 20 govern themselves, and
when they have been sufficiently instruct
cd in the methods OF government 20 be
able 20 maintain an orderly and Just rule,
we are TO turn their government over to
them and bid them God-speed IN the ca
reer Of a new nation. That is what We
are 10 do in Cuba and in Porto Rico. ana
that IS what We must do IN the Philip
pines And surely when this result Is
accomplished in tho three places. the
FINAL glory OF Thomas Jefferson's concep-
lions Will have been made manifest. With
the prophets eye he saw what our free
Institutions would do for this country, but
ne never conceived that events would so
shape themselves that we could lawfully
transplant our own blessed institutions
10 other lands. These events have so