The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-23
AN INSTANCE IN POINT.
How the IOnian Islands Rejected a
British PrOtectOrate.

To the Editor of the indianapolis Journal:
The report of widespread and organized
opposition to American rule in both the
Philippine islands and Cuba, appear to be
regarded with more Indifference in this
country than they dserve. Granting that
any forcible opposition is unlikely to prove
serious and that is by no means certain,
would it not prove extremely awkward for
the United States to hold territory outside
of its natural limits against the will Of
the inhabitants? All our history and ira
ditions would be opposed to such forcible
retention. The experience of the British
government with the Ionian islands is well
worth considering as illustrating the dis
position of a much less democratic nation
than ours to respect the choice of the gov
erned, even when it is clear that their
choice is not wise one.
These islands, after being handed about
from one foreign power to another from the
fall of the eastern Roman empire, were so
fortunate as to fall under British protection
in 1875, under which rule they continued for
more than half century. The inhabitants,
however, being Greek in language and polit-
ical sympathy, wished to be annexed to the
kingdom of Greece after it's formation. The
British value their Mediterranean possess
sions both for their strategic and CONNER
cial Importance; and every effort was made
to reconcile the Ionians to rule that I'M
doubtedly afforded them far more stable
and enlightened government than the weak
little Greek kingdom could offer. In 1S4S a
very liberal measure of home rule was
granted to the islands, and a systematic at
tempt was made to enlighten the people as
to the advantages they would derive from
retaining British protectorate AS dis
tinguished and persuasive a statesman as
Mr.. Gladstone was sent on a special mis-
sion to convince these benighted islanders
or the glory and security they would relin-
quish by ceasing to be part of the empire
upon which the sun never sets. Mr. Glad
stone was enthusiastical received, more
perhaps because he knew Greek better than
the natives than because of his political
emlnence; but his mission as fruitless
as other agencies had been. Finally the
nome government became so fully con-
Vlnced of the fixed choice of the Ionians
that the coveted annexation to Greece was
permitted, solely because the colony, which
had been subject to British rule for half
century preferred another rule and in spite
OF the most indisputable evidence that the
OF those making it,
1t may be answered to this that her Maj
estys government has not often been so
generous; but could the great republic af-
ford to be less liberal in the treatment of
an alien race than an "effete monarchy
which had centuries of imperial precedents
for disregardina the wishes of subject peo-
pies for their own good? This obscure bit
of English colonial history has attracted no
e1ttthllOH III lillS COiUtNllOH, 81 ldT DIS the
writer has observed; but has il not some
significance as precedent, which no party
and no administration in free country
could long disregard? The fine talk about
manifest destiny" the duty of extending
the blessings of American Institutions to
subject races will hardly justify US in dis
regarding the protests of Cubans against
annexation, and the promised resolutions of
the Philippine Congress to the effect that
they ARE, and of right ought to be, free and
independent" How will Senators Foraker
and Teller, who devised these remarkable
resolutions with which this war began, and
the other senators ana representatives who
protested with their hands upon the place
where their hearts ought TO have been. that
the United States had no purpose in fiRht-