Evening star., 1898-12-26

friar lifting him off his feet by the nose
/ and then letting him down, to make him
| confess that he was a Mason. Another
| was man with his ankles in stocks, and
| friar inficting upon him the bastinado
| to make him confess he belonged to a
! cret society. Photographs We're shown
| of the shooting of hundreds of natives
| there by the Spanish soldiers the prisoners
| bound and lined up along the street, the
soldiers facing them, and it was made a
grand fete and holiday. The pictures show
ed the crowds assembled, and the men
lined up just before they were shot; an
other showed them falling, after the order
had been given to fire, ard they were
photographed lying dead on the ground.
The stories of horrors, the people suHocat-
cd in the black hole, the testimony of pho
Biography, and that taken from reliable wit
nesses, disclosed brutality inflicted upon
the Filippinos under the Spanish rule equal
to any of the horrors of the Inquisition.
Restoration Not to Be Thought Of
Surely Senator Hoar will not nor will
any other intelligent man advocate our
turning these people back to the mercy of
the Spanish government. Senator Hoar is
Christian gentleman, man of the finest
feelings, a New England man strongly i'm
bued with the New England spirit of lib
erty and humanity. He surely would not
suggest the restoration of the Philippines to
Spain. l believe that there is a Divine Prov
denCe that directs the fate of nations us
surely as it does that of men. These ISL
audS have fallen to our lot, and there is an
obligation of Christianity and civilization
which We cannot avoid. This guiding Prov
dence has placed before Us this work to
be done in the furtherance of civilization
and humanity, and coupled with the OBJ
legations are associated recompense in the
wide field of commercial development which
must attend our progress in that direction.
Looking at the question from purely COM
ncrcial standpoint, aside from the moral
obligation, | do not believe that there is
an Intelligent business man in the United
States who will say that the Philippines
should be restored to Spain or who will fail
10 acknowledge the almost 1ncalculable
commercial advantage which the possession
of these islands will give us. They give
us a fo0thold in that vast region of the
orient where the powers of Europe are con-
tending for a great trade and commerce,
the richest in the world, and will enable us
to preserve our interests and get our share
of the commerce and to maintain those com
nlcrcial advantages which a nation to be
prosperous must possess. No one will say
that the United States should disregard It's
own commercial interests and give these
islands-divide them up and distribute them
out among the powers who are our bust
ness rivals. The suggestion that We could
sell these islands is one not likely to be
considered by self-respecting Americans.
But the ratification of the treaty will
leave US free to do as we please, and what
ever the people desire will probably be
done. l believe we will retain the Philip
pines. and that the people of this country
would not consent to their abandonment
Capabiiity of the Natives.
DO you think from what evidence you
had that the Filipinos are capable of citi-
zenship?'
Il think that with patience and wisdom
in government, that by treating the people
of the Philippines justly, that nearly the
entire population of the Philippines Islands
will be an intelligent, Industrious. prosper
Gus, self-sustaining and contented people.
The testimony of Gen. Merritt and Col
Whittier, who have investigated the mat
ter and made a study of the people, speaks
in the highest terms Of them, as intelligent
and capable. If we give them n good gov
ernment there will be little difficulty. If
do not send carpet baggers and political
hacks and adVenturers with an eye to max
ing money there to govern these people; if
We show wisdom and sincerity of purpose,
there Will be no serious difficulty in the
government. The Philippines, of course,
cannot he admitted a state of the Union.
They must be governed by US at first some
what in the manner of the British govern
ment in East India. But matter what
will be nothing in the way, by reason of
its present adoption, of those islands be-
coming a part of the United States if, at
the end of 100 years or any other period,
their development should be such as to
render the establishment of that relation
wise and proper"