The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-17
OUR TROPICAL COLONIES.

= the only people who live in the tropics
I \ such as are found there now, must
study them, in view of the pretense that these
islands to be held, pass territorial novitlate,
to eventually become States in this Union, with rep
| resentation in the Government
This pretense is sustained order to make
smoother the palpable violation of the constitution
by Imperialism. Our soldiers who coming home
from the in the West Indies bring us information
about the people who able to live under that YER
teal sum- This adds only to what every educated man
knew before. A majority OF the people on all the
Spanish islands in the West Indies OF the most
intractable negroes and hybrids. The colonies and
generals who figured large Alexander, Caesar
and Napoleon in the yellow press few months ago
turn be but little better than roost robbers
That four hundred years of Spanish possession OF
these islands finds majority of their people OF negro
blood is evidence added to that have already pre-
septed that the vertical sun drives all humanity to
shelter under dark skin. Not single American
citizen who values the integrity and perpetuty of his
country will favor the admission OF such people to
fellow citizenship, now or ever.
At the close of the Civil War we gave citizenship
own negroes and have carefully prevented their
enjoyment of it. No American to repeat the
pertinent in the Antilles. Putting the negro ballot
into the constitution and keeping it out of the ballot
box may yet produce great evils at home. We don't
want the risk OF still greater abroad
Turning from the American to the Asiatc tropics
we find still more difficult situation. In the Philip
pines ten millions of people, of about two hun
dred tribes and tongues In the rich poison OF that
tropical soil they increase like maggots in dung
hill. There are a million Mohammedans and mil
lion Chinese. There untamed native and
swarm of hybrids that would drive an ethnologist
ra11+
mixture is Malay. The Malay and the Mafratta are
the only Asiatcs who never feared white man. On
the Philippine coast are two hundred thousand
Malays who live by piracy For three centuries the
influence of Spain has tried to introduce orderly
government and the Catholic missionaries have
strven to plant religion among these people. 1t has
all ended in defiance OF the civil power of Spain and
revolt against the church Every priest who is
caught is slaughtered like predatory animal, and
and sisters of the church are dehowered and
slain without conjunction. Witness the number and
vexation of the problems when we yield
to the cry of political hystera. Hold the Philip
pinesW Can the same government deny polygany
to the Mormons in Utah and permit it to the Mo-
hammedans OF the Philippines? Can the same gov
eminent deny to the Mormon church of Utah the
ownership OF secular property and escheat it to the
Federal Government, and permit such ownership to
the Catholic church of the Philippines?
If we touch the marriage customs of the Mohanl-
medans have to to their spiritual head the
Sheik VI Islam, backed by four hundred millions OF
followers who have the power to compel nearly
every European nation into the contention. If we
interfere with the landed rights there of the only
power that has had the intelligence to utilize owner
ship, must answer to the Vatican and the Catholic
world. Yet, if we plant our standard there, and it
represent the equality of right to which this govern
ment is dedicated, interference is inevitable Do we
wish to take on these complications, the end Of
which none can foresee? If we admit these islands
into body polite and their people be our fell
low citizens, accept these problems with that
condition and must equally accept them if we
govern the islands as subject colonsts under an inn
perial policy.
The first proposition is absurd and inadmssible
Ang Saxon institutions can be maintained only by
the which originated them, and that cannot
live in the tropics Anglo Saxon self government is
freedom Anglo Saxon denial other races OF self
government is tyranny Lincoln said: "The doc
trne of selfgovernment is right absolutely and eter
naly right When the white man governs himself
that is self-government, but when he governs him
self and also governs another man. that is more than
self government-tha is despotism What 1 do say
is that no is good enough to govern another
man without that others consent" And that senti-
ment is eternay true.
1t may be said that the island people can invite us
to govern them, without voice. choice or representa-
potism and we will be none the less despots cult
waiting within ourselves the spirit of irresponsible
power which will react upon our home government
to its destruction
AN INFLUX OF ANARCHISTS