Middletown transcript., 1898-07-23
PHILIPPINE PROBLEMS.
ALL CAN BE SOLVED BY AMERICAN
BRAINS.

promptly choked in the clutch of Span
ish despotism. With drastic exactions
and repressive laws; with capricious
administration of local government !;
with scourgings and burnings and to-
lures and murder of natives, and with
harassing and extortionate taxation of
foreigners, Spain has immured this
tropic empire in dungeon of sloth and
depotism until comparatively few peo-
pie know of the vast and inviting field
which ia there offered for all forms of
human effort.
There are mountains draped with for
ests of rosewood, mahogany, dyewoods,
oak, cedar and pine, in whose solitudes
the sound of the woodman's ak has
ever echoed. There are hills seemed
with auriferous quartz veins, upon
which no prospector's pick has ever
rung. There are valleys whose fertile
soil never felt the touch of a ploW.
There are areas as large as the State of
New Jersey, wherein no road for
wheeled vehicles exists.
The wall of commercial exclusive
ness, which the mistaken policy of
Spain erected around her possessions in
the South Seas went down before the
reverberatioDs of Admiral Dewey's
guns, and it is wall which we can
never permit to be rebuilt. Whether
tue philippines shall remain American
territory or be organized under our aus
pices into an independent republic, it is
certain that they will never be returned
to Spanish rule, and it is equally GER
tain that their commercial and political
destinies will hereafter be controlled by
American capital and American colon
lists.
Twenty thousand of the bravest
brightest and most energetic young
men of the ultimate West will, within
a few weeks, form the army of Occu-
patton at Manila. They are Argo-
nauts, as adventurous as those who
embarked with Jason. They are the
Knight Paladns of their century, and
no army that ever marched was 50 we'll
equipped as they, not only witt Weap-
ons of war, but with the mightier weap-
ons of peace. Among these solliers
are electricians. engineers, chemiets,
assayels, miners, metallurgists, law
yers, doctors, school teachers and me-
chanics of every trade. There is
scarcely regiment in Gen. Merritps
command that could not, if called upon,
build foundry. a factory or Il mill, or
construct a locomotive, bicycle or a
knitting machiae, or run newspaper
or hotel. 1t may be surmised also
that many of them are not unfamiliar
with cauca es and conventions, and,
occasion arising, that they would be
able to furni~h the Malayese with an
adequate supply of sleriffS, assessors,
county clerks and justices Of the peace
These MEM hen peace is made
will be followed by five times their
number of Americans seeking 10 better
their condition, and there will be am
pie oppol ltunity for all. There will be
highways and steam aud electric rail-
roads to build. There will be coffee
and tea and sugar and indigo and hemp
and tobacco plantations to be devel-
cped. There will be mines of golG and
silver and copper and iron to open.
| There will be waterfalls to harness,
and rivers and harbors to dredge. There
| will be furnaces and steamboats, and
machine shops to build and run. There
are hundred of thousands of docile,
| patient, cheap native laborers, who will
be organized by Americans into armies
of productive industry. The applica-
tion of old principles to new conditions,
and of modern discovery to ancient re-
sources, will give employment to law
yers and scientist. The relics of en-
pire will puzzle the antiqnarian's re-
search, and the promise of mpire will
fire the philosophers thought.
The selection of a method to govern
the Philippines is tast that need not
pertnrb us. If we are to keep the
Islands, we can govern them as Alaska
is governed, with the addition of a com.
mission empowered to frame code of
laws to guarantee the inhabitants an
Independent rep pIbican government of
their own, the guarantee will he keep
good by the American colonists, who
carry the framework of republics in
their brains.
Nations have their opportunities and
their responsibilities as we'll as indiviG-
uals. Pessimists may ignore oppor-
tunities aud towards seek to shirk re-
sponsibilities, but the courageous and
the sagacious accept and act upon
them. Why should we he. itate Are
we to measure the statemanship of to-
day only with the tape-line of Wash
ington's farewell address? AS we'll
Danish the trolley and return to the
horse-car, extinguish the electric light
and burn whale oil, sink the New York
and Vesuvius, and reiustate the Consti-
tuition and muzzle-loading guns.
The problem" of governing the
Philippines will be found to be Point
No Point, that will vanish as we reach
it. Statecrafs may bs needed to sus-
tain depotism, but there is no race that
was ever brozed by tropic sun but will
equally with the whitest Caucasian
give appreciation and welcome to a
government inspired by the simplicity
of justice. The Malayan, whose back
is livid with scars inflicted by the
| ooour1a Of Cnapioh 70 v aOilneIOr who