The herald., 1898-12-19
The Philippine Elephant

The Philippine Elephant
To the Editor of the Los Angeles Herald:
1t is to be presumed that those OF our peo
pie who favor territorial expansion are now
somewhat appeased; that those among us
who have been caught by the sentimental
ism national destiny" are much elated. Ths
Philippine islands, with the responsibility
OF protecting them, and oi governing or pro
viding government for the heterogeneous
inhabitants infesting them, are ours. Spain,
the conquered, yielding to theAsuperior force
of the United tSates, has cedsd these
islands and accepted Uncle Sans conscience
plaster of $20,0O0000, though under protest.
But, do not be too hasty, ye expansionists!
Are these islands ours yet fully, actually,
even assuming that the treaty will be ratl-
hed by the senate. How about
Aguinaldo and his thousands of fol-
lowers under arms, who are native,
who were fighting for their indepen-
dence before Uncle Sam appeared on the
scene, who have said and reiterated that,
with them, it is Independence or death" "
Not only independence from the TYRANNY of
Spain, but independence from the rule or
government of any foreign power? Suppose
I 'N~~sS PSSPAS soy tHut oPdlu HdL Jlo ikHt "
give away or sell their lands to the United
States; and that by force of arms they pro-
test against and resent such action when
this government shall undertake to assume
formal possession and thu nstitutins of
government. What then would the United
States do? Make further and final conquest
of the islands by forcibly subjugating the
Filipinos? One would scarcely believe this
possible, and yet it is to be apprehended
that the appetite for conquest having been
once pandered to, gratitied but not satisfied,
has become insatiate to such 4 degree as
would prompt our nation to commit just
this act of aggression.
There are many we'll meaning persons who
would find justification for such buccaneer-
ing IN the plea that it was '"in the name and
tor the sake of humanity" Those people
are not capable of governing themselves;
therefore it is philanthropic and religious
work for this Christianized nation to force,
them, if need be, at the pout OF the bay
onet and at the cannon's mouth to >ubm.
to our governing them would be about
the way the protagonists of this new policy
of mperialism-military rue-wou!G lea
son. They become unmindful OF the polite
al axiom, AL governments derive their
just powers from the consent of the gov
erned. No government maintained By
torce is a just government, because it cannot
be rightfully claimed that those who are
forced give voluntary consent
Now 1t does seem to one Of fair mind and
OF reasoning faculty that the only right
thing for the United States government to
do IN the premises is to aid the Filipinos to
establish and maintain a government OF
their own, and when they shall have demon
strated their ability to rule themselves,
tAen the islands should be turned over TO
tie local government, and this nation, either
slngly or jointly with Great Britain, should
establish and maintain protectorate over
them; in consideration for which the two
powers named should be granted-as doubt
less they would be-certain naval and com.
mercial privileges in the islands. Great
Britain is coupled with the United States,
contemplating the establishing and main
tanning OF protectorate. because the latter
unalded would scarcely be equal to the task
against the aggressions of Russia ct al.
In the Light OF rational construction of
the constitution and in view of the tariff
pohcy OF our government, one fails to com
prehend how it would be possible for this
country to do otherwise than annex these
Islands and extend to them territorial form
OF government, thus making them an inte-
gral part OF the country il We are to control
them a all. The only alternative would BE-
to hold them under military rule as col
ony. But II would seem that this is clearly
unconstitutional! because all military, civil
and Judicial powers would be vested in such
persons and exercised in such manner as the
president might deem fit and proper. This
would be combining in the hands of the ex-
ecutlve trlune powers and functions OF gov
ernment, VIZ, legislative. executive and iu.
dlclal, for he would not only be vested with
the prerogative to appoint public officers,
but 1t would also be his province to deter
nine IN what manner they should act.
In any event, 1t IS gravely questionable
whether the seml-savages who in most part
constitute the population OF these islands
would submit tractably to military rule in
stltuted by this government. Their rebel.
lion would entail upon us direful trouble
and enormous expense, a. was Span's un-
happy lot. In a word. the cost of keeping
peace in these islands would far exceed the
revenues this country might derive from
them.
!
be impossible for laborers from the temper
ate zone to live and toll in the tropicai
Philippine:; wherefore the talk about these
islands offering a fruitful field for colonial
tion OF Americans is chimercal The states
OF this Union, however, might become the
Mecca OF many of the Filipinos, and thus
would cause an influx of a new element of
cheap labor to further depress wages
As result OF our possessing the Philip |
pines one thing would happen for GER
talnty, and that is, capital OF corporations
and syndicates would go to the islands
to be invested in lands, agricultural pur-
suits, commercial and manufacturing indus |
-rles; and all of these enterprises would be
carried on by means of the manual labor
OF the people who are native, resident and
acclimated. These people subsist upon al
most nothing; they would work for say 81 |
per week. The products of their labor
would be brought into the United tSates, |
tariff or no tariff, and sold in competition
with domestic products where the wage Of
the laborers had been not less than 81 per
day. How long would it be, then, ere the
domestic laborers would starve or be
brought to a condition of destitution be-
cause of the inability of domestic operators
to protitaby market their products which |
had to compete with the Philippine pro-
ducts! This would be the case in either |
hypothesis, whether the United States
made the Philippines an integral part of the |!
country AM: admitted their products to the |
states free of duty, or whether they main
cd ~