The times., 1898-09-25
4 FOIrG FROM india
1t Tells Us Our Duty as to the
Philippines.
WORSE THAN CIVIL WAR
The President VIII Bring Fearful
Duty I'm This Matter-Why We
Must Take All, and Why Taking
Nome Il. Better Than Little.

From many quarters Americans have
received sage advice as to the course they
should pursue in the case of the Philip
pines and they are all singuIarIy agreed
From Singapore the Free Press raises an
urgent voice, saying: "Of the latest war
news the item that most closely con-
Germs the far East is the announcements
that the future OF the Philippines, con-
cerning which the United States Govern
ment is clearly unable to make up its
mind definitely. is to be considered by q
Joint Comm -5n OF American and Span
ish delegates That statement. II au-
thentic, as there is every reason to sup
pose 1t to be, may well give cause for
anxiety to all who ara interested in the
maintenance OF the balance of power in
the far East, who desire To see peacs
prevail and commerce prosper, and who
are convinced that by retaining a large
degree of control over the Philippines
| the United States would thereby be doing
| no more than assuming that position as
| a great power on the Pacific that it is
right and necessary for her TO acquire
| cit may well be asked why, In the an
4
/ Of q INSTRUMENTATION Joint COmnis-
/ sion for the determination OF the future
4 OF the Philippines, there should be ap-
/ pretended any possibility Of peril Our
reply Is that the danger Is TO be found
/ in the presumption, In the fact OF the
| creation of such q Commission. that the
| result to be arrived at must be OF the
nature Of a compromise between the IN
/ terests of the two parties to the discus
| sion Compromise, to our thinking and
| according to our estimate OF the situa-
| ton, would, In such matter, be fatal
to the cause Of lasting peace.
| BY this institution OF a joint SPANISH
| American Commission as to the Philip
| pines what Is likely to ensue? First OF
| all II IS TO be remembered that the
American delegates viii not be able 10
forget that Spain has been defeated. ner
fleets have been wiped out, Cuba remoF-
| ed rrom her jurisdiction, Porto Hico sur
| rendered, while the United States de-
eIines to consent to take over any OF the
| undoubted immense pecuniary indebted
| ness Of either Cuba or Porto Rico.
| Knowing all that, and going into confer
ence with the delegates OF the defeated
power with the express object OF treating
with them over what has been appar-
sntiy deliberately left as an open Gues-
tton-the destiny of the PhiIippineS-cau
it humanity be wondered at II the tend
! eucy in the minds OF the American dele
| gates will be trresistibly toward conceS-
sion and alienation OF the terms, sossas
to enable Spain to say that out or the
general wreck of her colonial fortunes
she had saved some 5hreds or her anclenI
dignities and possessionsf
'Rut what will all this meant II II
means, In any degree, survival OK SPAN
ish authority; IL 1t means the conunueo
action of the slenderest powers OF the oo-
noxiou. cruel and extortionate religious
fraternities; II It means that these tas OK
necessity aIyaysl are to retain an arbi-
, trary power of bending the civil, maSfS-
teriaI and judicial officials to their IRE
sponsIbIe VIII, then, indeed. viii the lase
state Of the people OF the Philippines bs
worse than the first. For the first Impulse
| of the Spanish power, as much as may pa
left of 1t. inspired by the deadliest AMI
mostly OF the Frafles. will be toward tns
crushing, the determination OF every man
and woman who had dared to strive FOR
equity, justice. impartial government,
| freedom and liberty Of thought speech
| and action IN ths Philippines. FOE
| America the question Is this: Is America
! after rousins hopes, after countenancinS
the shedding OF blood IN aspiration 20
those blessings OF liberty and justice
which are the root Of foundation OF na-
tionaI life of the United States. 20 aban-
don the simple people Of the Philippines
to a fate which to comprehend is TO shud-
der atr OF course, America does nos
know; how can she7 But II - right and
fair To say, from an absolutely impartial
| and unbiased point of view ttr there Ds
bias at all IT Is In the direction OF de-
sire to yindicate American honor and rep
utation for justice) that whatever ths
cause Of the Cubans be worth, that OF the
Fflipinos, from the poignancy OF their
sufferfngs and the hopelessness OF their
. sighs for the barest rights OF humanity
i deserves an infinitely deeper and mora
: practical sympathy.
r 'sIt is more than civil war that Prest-
] | dent Mckinley VIII bring In sight II ha
r sanctions so obviously risky q thing as
q this Joint commission, with all It's tnevi-
table program OF compromise and cons
cession to Spain, unthinking OF all thai
Z that may mean to hapless millions who
: have burned their bridges behind them
a and gone hand in hand with American sot-
L diers and sailors TO the liberation OF their
country from a rule that has proved II
e self Chinese in its barbarous indifference
: to the miseries of the ruled We cannot
r believe IL. II in America they could real.
: ize the facts Of the situation in the Pnil'
!, ippinesi But by the fact OF the creation
q of this commission they. too clearly, know
not what they do.
f ITO the thoughtful and impartial theirs
h Is but one way, only one The United
\ states must so act dS Al OhCe " SCN1A
d the permanent happiness and liberties oi
II the hitherto oppressed Filipino nation
: and to preserve the islands from becom-
v ing a theater Of external fntrigues, CON
/ nfved at by Spain, which shall have FOL
: their object the extinction OF the newly
exerted and altogether beneficent infu'
. | ence of America in the far East, and the
n ! disturbance OF political power in such
: a manner as to paralyze the action OF the
e peace-Ioving and commerce-promOtine
n nationaIities already well established on
+ the shores of the Pacific-Britains Japan
n and the United States. The collective In
tetrests, political and commercial of these
\ powers are of an absolutely overwhelm'
y ing character, and the less the chancS
q of conspiracy to disturb those Inter.
!, ests, the better for humanity.
Does America deliberately mean Il
abandon in the far East its present mag
: nificent opportunity of usefulness to civ
= ilization? We refuse TO believe it. Th'
joint commission, even with Filipino
representative thrown IN 20 give genuin'
evidence and see fair play, Is peril Il
: the interests of the United States and
to all the general interests of all pacific
{ nations. That too, even IL II were held a
: Manila as 1t would need to be. The only
u solution is an American protectoratet. oS
e tenSibly temporary, possibly, over th'
y Philippines, thus at once furnishing
e lever for the liberation and elevation o
/ a Iong-oppressed and much-endurtnt
people, and the security against the In
e trusion of disturbing influences, perma
"a nently unfriendy 10 the United State:
le and TO the nations whose sympathieS anC
g aspirations in the Pacific Ocean are thor