The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-29

as Cuba and Porto Rico. Yet how long,
would ask, did that con lition exist
in Mexico? And with what results? How
long has it existed in Hayti? Have we
ever found it necessary or thought it
best to establish a governmental pro-
tectorate in either of these Immediately
adjacent regions?
What has been. historically, our pol
icy-the American, as distinguished
from the European and British policy
towards those communities-one Span
ish, the other African? So far as for
eign powers are concerned, we have
laid down the principle of "hands off !"
So far as their own government was
concerned, We insisted that the only
way to learn to walk was to try to walk
and that the history of mankind did not
show that nations placed under sys-
TENS of "tutelage" to lean for
support on superior power-ever &C
quired the faculty Of independent ac-
ton.
OF this, with US, fundamental truth,
the British race itself furnishes a very
notable example. In the 44th year Of
the Christian era the island of Great
Britain was occupied by what the "im-
perial' Romans adjudged to be an in
ferior race. To the Romans the Britons
unquestionably were inferior. Every
child's history contains an account of
the course then pursued by the superior
toward that inferior race, and it's re-
suits.
The Romans occupied Great Britain.
and they occupied it hard upon -four
centuries, holding the people in "tute-
lage" and protecting them against
themselves, as well as against theiI
enemies. With what result? So emas-
culated and incapable of self-govern-
ment did the people Of England be
come during their "tutelage" that
when Rome at last withdrew, they
found themselves totally untitled for
self government, much less for facing
a foreign enemy. The end was that
through six centuries more, England
was oVerrun, first by those Of one race,
and then by those of another until the
Normans established themselves in it
as conquerors; and then, and not until
then, the deteriorating effect of a sys-
tenn of long continued "tutelage"
ceased to be felt, and the islanders be-
came by degrees the most energetic,
Virile and Self-sustaining of races.
AS nearly, therefore. as can be his
torically stated, it took about eight
centuries for the people of England to
overcome the injurious influence Of
four centuries of just such a system as
- 10 nov piOpuStQ ny us TO lAtllct on
the Philippines. Hindustan would fur
nish another highly suggestive example
Of the educational effects of ''tutelage"
on race. After a century and a half
OF that "tutelage." what progress has
India made toward fitness for self
government? Is the end in sight?
From the historical point Of view,
it is instructive to note the exactly diff
ferent results reached through the truly
mn eric Tow
the not dissimilar cases of Heyti and
Mexico. While Hayti, it is true, has
talled to make great progress in one
century, it has made quite as much
progress as England made during any
equal period Immediately after Rome
Withdrew from it.
And that degree of siowness in
growth which with ecu2nimity has
been endured bv us in Hayti could GER
talnlv be endured by US in ISLANDS on the
coast of Asia. 1t cannot be gainsaid
that, through our insisting on the pol
icy of interference ourselves and
of non-interference by European ma
tiOns, Hayti has been brought into
position where it is on the high road
to better things in future That has
been the result Of the prescriptiVe
American policy. With Mexico the case
is far stronger. We all know that in
l64S, after our war of Spoliation, we
had to bolster up a semblance OF gov
eminent for Mexico with which to ne
gotiate a treaty of peace. Mexico at
that time was reduced by US to con-
dition Of utter anarchy. Under the
theory now gaining Ia vogue il would
then have been our plain duty to make
OF Mexico an eXtra-rerritorial depen-
dency, and protect it against itself.
We wisely took a different course.
Like other Spanish communities in
America, Mexico then passed through
a succession of revolutions, from which
it became apparent the people were
not in fit condition for lf-govern-
ment. Nevertheless, sternly insisting
on non-innterference by outside pow
ers, we ourselves wisely left that coun-
try to work out its own salvation in
its own way
In 1863, when the United STATES was
involved in the war of the rebellion
the Europeans took advantage of the
situation to invade Mexico to establish
there stable government" They I'M
dertook to protect the people against
themselves, and TO erect for them a
species of protectorate, such as we now
propose for the Philippines. AS soon as
our war was over, we insisted upon the
withdrawal of Europe from Mexico
what followed is a matter of resent
history. II is unnecess airy 10 recall it,
We did not reduce Mexico into a con-
dition of "tutelage" or establish over it
a 'protectorateH Of our own. We, on