The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-08-12

Interesting Article on the Fate of b
PHILIPPINES.

In glancing over a copy OF Ihe Hong
Kong (China) Weekly Press, sent us
by one of our former young townsnaen,
Mr.. William Bradley Walker, who now
holds an important position in Hong
Kong in the employ OF the Standard
Oil Company, we note the following,
which is very apropos to h question
now utmost in everyone's mind:
Mr.. H. w. Bray writes to The Sing
apore Free Press:
The author of The Spectator article,
quoted in your yesterdays issue under
the above heading, has put forward
one sensible proposition; his theories
on other points may be all right, but l
am afraid he has reckoned without his
host. America has not yet conquered
the Philippines-not by a long way
but will occupy them with the assist
ance and goodwill of the Philippines
The possession Of Manila no more
means the possession Of the Philippines
than the possession of New York means
the possession of America, and with
out this goodwill and assistance of the
Inhabitants, / must beg leave to state
that neither the United States nor any
other nation could ever hope TO take
the Philippines, except with an army
of 200. 900 men or more, if even then,
no matter mat lHGOIISlS may say =
the contrary. The solutions which the
European papers nave been kind
enough to put forward to the disposal
Of the Philippines may be dismissed
with the words of General Augustus
proclamation, vain designs, ridicu-
lOus boasts!" When the times comes,
I am inclined to think the inhabitants
themselves are going to have the big
gest say in this question, especially
after the events of goth May to LIST
June last.
Spain, with an army of 35, 900 men,
fully armed, has been able to do moth
ing against an army Of imperfectly or
ganiZed Philippines, who have never
disposed of more than 600 rifles. Yet
nobody can taunt the Spanish soldier
with want Of valour, whilst his patient
endurance of hardships and privations,
Indifferent food, and entire absence Of
personal comforts, give him the advan-
tage over other European soldiers, who
require an efficient commissariat and
transport department. In a country
like the Philippines a soldier to be eff
fective must be able to skip from crag
to crag like a goat, without hindrances
or paraphernalia, to be evenly matched
with the inhabitants.
The Tagals will feel very much in
suited if they try to garrison their viii
lagos by troops of the type proposed by
the writer of the article under review.
1t would be a dangerous experiment.
I woul not advise the Americans or
any one else to try. Such Grass ignO-
rance on THE state of the Philippines
and it's inhabitants exists on every side,
that it is almost useless to try and ex-
plain to outsiders that the Philippines
are as different from British India,
CeylOn, Burmah, the West Indies, etc,
as light is from darkness. The people
are the most enlightened and vigorous
branch nf tho Mo1ou rooa opd hovo
been Christians for centuries, in fact
longer thar the principles of the Refor-
nation were established in Great Brit
ain, and are the nearest akin to Euro
a of any alien race, and it is sim
ply ridiculous to imagine hat 5000, 900
to 10, 900, 900 of such people can be
bought and sold as an article of COM
merce, without first obtaining their
consent. Let all those who are greedy
for a slice Of the Archipelago ponder
well over this, before burning their
fingers.
To put. them on a level with Sikhs
n Afridis is simple nonsense. The
much over-estimated Sikh would find
his match pretty soon with the sturdy
Philippine native, and those who hin
differently had better read what no less
an authority than General Gordon says
Of his Philippine troops in the TAPPING
rebellion.
NO decent Of respecting Philippine
will tolerate any social relations with
the pagan Chinese.
The only possible solution of the
Philippine question is an Independent
government, under American protec-
ton, and this is the policy I recon-
mended General Aguinaldo and his
compatriOts to accept, and which will
no doubt be carried out. Time will
show"