The herald., 1898-09-11
; Do We Want the PhIIhplnes7
by ENoCH KNIGHT.


A gentleman who has dwslt In Manila
and whose observations upon the questions
arising in connection with final peace an.
pear to be entitled to credit, asks this CUES.
ton as to the Philippines and answers Il in
The same breath:
do we want them? Do we want 4
group Of 400 islands, nearly 5000 miles
from our western saores sweltering in.
the tropics. swept with typhoons and
shaken with earthquakes? Do we want
to Undertake the responsibility OF pro-
tecting those islands from the powers
In Europe or In the east, and of standing
sponsor for the nearly 100000 native
inhabitants that speak score of differ
ent tongues and I've on anything from
rice TO stewed gr,sshoppers? Do We
want the task of ckilizing this race. Of
opening up the jungle. of setting up off,
Gals in frontier olt-of-the-way towns
who won't have ben there month be-
fore they will wish to return? Do We
want them? Nor
Further, he tells us bf difficulties in DEAL
ing with the races there that dc not ap-
pear upon the surface. and which the ave.
rage sojourner al M,nila would. not take
into account. because le would see only the
best side Of the race Question. He says:
beSlues tne pedCeHDle natives OCCus
plying the accessible towns, the interi-
ors OF many Of the islands are filled
with aboriginal saages who have
never even recognized the rule of Spain
who have never eVn heard Of Spain,
and who still think hey are possessors
of the soil. Even o. the coast itself
are tribes of savages Who are almost a.
ignorant as their brethren In the interi-
or, and only thirty niles form Manila
that yvithnNt
clothes. wear knee bacelets Of horse
hair. and respect nGhing except the
jungle In which the live. To the
north are the Igoroes, to the south
the Moros. and in btween scores Of
wild tribes that are feady' to dispute
possession. And Is tie United States
prepared TO maintain the forces and
carry on the mllitary,perations in the
fever-stricken jungles necessary In the
march of progress to exterminate o.
civilize such races?
These utterances cetatnly appear at
first sight to be somewht splenetic. II not
partisan and unfair, and ct the words were
written in connection With a long course
of observation of facts,und the book in
which they are found Il receiving very
wide and respectful attntion from the
press Of the country.
But even II such utteraces are unfair.
ard II the pictures are ovrdrawn. do We
need and can we afford \ take into the
American family this grou. of distant Is
lands that have nothing Uncommon with
us in the remotes. way and With came to
us because we sent ships simpyto destroy
a Spanish fleet in Manila bay! n the flrst
place, is 1t at all like our admted policy
toward Cuba, which We declard before
HAND the Spanish must leave? indeed. r.
the case Of the Philippines at all ualogouS
| to the case Of the West 1nGies? Wcan take
the Spanish West Indies on several
grounds; in fact. by the common pprovaI
of our own people and of manhd. We
can extend our authority over the practi-
cally as easily and legitimately aN they
| were contiguous territory.
But with the Philippines the ca 10 DIFF.
ferent at almost every point. lit were
not for the fact that the SpaniaH have
governed their Pacific possessions badly
as they have those we have ta1keren the
Atlantic side we should have nodovbt
about what to do. If 1t were not forlvinE
the Philippines back to Spain therevould
be no perplexity in the matter. B, this
is the difficulty and the only difficultthat
over. II is not the question Of taking .wn
the flag; there's a good deal that.is lily
said about this never hauling downhe
flag" The flag goes up as the army 81
on, and has done so since wars began. {
goes up as a sign Of advance and occup.
| ton, just as the uniform of the sentin
marks the line Of occupation. and 1t Is n
more discreditable to remove the one thai
the other. The flag is the sign Of our tenn
porary occupation of Manila today. If i
| Is wise and best to keep 1t there 1t will theT
become the symbol Of sovereignty. A hal
century ago our troops bore the American
| flag from the gulf to the City of Mexico
ard the very flag that was raised over thu
capitol of that country is one OF the sacret
relics one may see today In Washington
Was that flag degraded by being hatlet
down? No, 1t was even more glorious as thu
| emblem Of peace than was the Towering Of
| the treaty Of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
| The decision as to the Philippines Is TOT
important and delicate a matter to go OF
upon any fiippant and superficial question
Of taking down the flag as 1t is treatet
by the average citizen who is Interview
| ed" The question is, what shall we fint
some territory that fell into our hands be-
cause Of the fact that we chased a Span,
lish fleet and fought 1t al Manila. We maj
hold the islands for an indemnity We may
| feel called upon to see the civil strife CONT
to an end there. or at least cease to be al
occasion for murder all bloodshed. W,
may even go so far as to say that we mus
| insist upon a better civilization and a bet
te- religious tone, If we feel that this 1,
| a part Of our mission. But taking 1t all II
all, isn't 1t coming to be rather problem
| how to let go than how to hold on? Ism,
that what the statesma nship of the country
will soon find to be Its most important
quest? 1t isn't question of flag or of honol
of the high and mighty sort, but 1t Is {
question Of practical wisdom how to har
vest and preserve the just fruits Of the war
and at the same time not depart from tn,
policy that has made us all we are. be-
cause of our accidental possession Of somt
distant low-lying, tropical Islands, who's.
scattered and warning millions have neither
heart nor hope in any phase of our govern.
merit. 1t is hardly conceivable that W.
could turn back this territory to Spain In
its present plight, but 1t nowise follows that
this commits us to annexation.
| We must wait, and walt long, in ans
event, for the solution Of the question:
Why not wait with open minds? There Y
not page of the worlds history relating J,
colonization but has a note of warning [