Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-10-05
CIVILIZATION BY SLAUGHTER.

General Merritt, who has arrived In
Paris from Manila, has been interviewed
on the situation in the Philippines ana
the question of the disposition of the
islands. The General thinks that the
"FIipinos" are better fitted for freedom
or self-government than are the Cubans,
and believes that the representative feel
ing among the former is that the United
States should establish a protectorate
over the group. The Generals observa-
ton was, however, that. the "Filipinos"
have very queer idea as to what con-
stituiss a protectorate. They seem to
think that a protectorate means that the
United States should take care of them
and let them collect all the revenues.
In other words, their notion is that the
United States should pay all the ex-
penses Of the government and what not,
while they grow rich on the receipts.
This idea is not far removed from what
proved to be that Of the Cuban insurgents
regarding military cooperation between
their forces and ours in Cuba. 1t turned
out that the notion Of the Cuban patriots
was that we ought 90 do all the fighting
against the Spanards, while they con-
fined themselves to raids on our commits
sary and quartermaster departments. AS is
the case with their Filipino" brethren,
OF whom General Merritt speaks, their
conception of freedom, secured through
the intervention of the United States, was
that we ought 10 pay the fiddler while
they did the dancing.
But admitting that General Merritt's
"Filipinos' are better fitted for freedom
or self-government than are the Cuban in
surgents. that does not help the cause Of
annexation or of the establishment of a
protectorate over the archipelago. We
say General Merritts "Fflipinos," for
there are ''Fflipinos'' and "Filipinos"
and IL Is evident that he refers only to
the immediate followers of Aguinaldo. He
could have had experience with no others
These constitute but comparatively
small part of the population of the
islands. and their management would pre-
sent one OF the least of the difficulties
In the way Of solving the Philippine pro-
blem. The adherents of Aguinaldo con-
sist largely of members of the subject
tribes, embracing civilized and half-civi-
liked Malays. and several Mestizo classes,
representing a remarkable admixture Of
Spanish, Malay. and Chinese blood. Yet,
in the archipelago there are numerous in
dependent tribes. including the Negritos,
the Mohammedan Malays. and the Pagan
Malays. The Mohammedan tribes, who
- zostyro tad coIlactfvaIv hx, atbnoto,,ic.s
as Moros, inhabit the Southern Islands.
They are recklessiy brave. have a fanati-
cal hatred of all Christians, are born
pirates. and consider the killing of Chris
tians TO be a religious duty. High .au-
thorty says Of the Moros that II would
be necessary 10 keep them at home at
ali hazards and 10 this end an efficient
patrol OF light-draught gunboats. armed |
with machine-guns. would have 10 be |
maintained along the coast OF MndanaoY
and westward to Borneo. The Negritos, |
who are scattered through some of the |
islands. rank among the lowest orders of |
human beings. and among the Pagan Ma
lays who form the wild population of |
the Northern Islands Quzon included). |
matchmaking Is not uncommon.
so II would appear that IL we are 10 |
carry Out Mr. Hanna's idea and make the
'filipinos" our wards whether by annex
ing the islands or establishing protecto-
'ats over them, we have herculean
task before us. II is a task that would
Involve not only the expenditure OF mill
Hons OF money for the support OF in
creased military and naval establishments
ou' YOU'D necessitate resort on very ex-
tehsise scale TO the methods we have
employed In civiIizihg the American In
Hons- All other considerations apart.