New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-06-25
PROBLEMS IN THE PHILIPPINES
| BOTH wARLIKE AND PEACEFUL THEY CAV
BE SOLVED BY AMERICAN BRAINS


To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir The Philippine Islands. with all thai,
wealth Of field and forest and mine. have ~
mained for centuries with every voice thu,
sounded for enterprise promptly choked in m.
clutch Of Spanish despotsm. With drastic er
actions and repressve laws: with capricious "A.
m,nistration OF local government; with scourg
ings and burnings and tortures and murds,
Of natives and with harassng and extortionat.
taxation Of foreigners. Spain has immured thi,
tropic empire in dungeon OF sloth and despo,.
ism until comparatively few people know n,
the vast and inviting field which IL there ~.
fered for all forms of human effort
There are mountains draped with forests 4,
rosewood mahogany. dyewoods. oak cedar and
nine in whose sotudes the sound Of the wood
mans axe has never echoed There are hin.
scanned with auriferous quartz veins uno,
which no prospectors pick has ever rInv
There are valleys whose fertile soil never fal,
the touch Of a plough. There are areas as larrs
"a the State Of New Jersey wherein road N,
wheeled vehicles exists.
The wall Of commercial exclusiveness which
the mistaken policy Of Spain erected around her
possessions in the South Seas went down be.
fore the reverberatons Of Admiral Dewey.
guns and It IL a wall which we can never Der
nit to be rebuilt Whether the Philippines shall
remain American territory or he organized un.
der our auspices into an independent republic Il
f. certain that they will never he returned to
Spanish rule and II is equally certain that their
commercial and political destnes will hereafter
be controlled by American capital and Amerl.
can colonists.
Twenty thousand ~ the bravest brightest
and most energetic young men of the ultimate
West will within a few weeks form the army
Of occupation at Manila They az Argonauts
az adventurous az those who embarked with
Jason. They are the Knight Paadns Of their
century and no army that ever marched was
.o we'll equipped as they not only with weapons
of war, but with the mightier weapons Of peace
Among these soldiers are electricians engineers.
chemists. assayers. miners. metallurgiss. law.
yers. doctors. school teachers and mechanics
OF every trade. There is scarcely a regiment
in General Merrtt's command that could not II
called upon. build a foundry. factory or
mill or construct locomotive. a bicycle or
knitting machine or run a newspaper or a
hotel II may he sarmised also that many Of
them are not unfamiliar with caucuses and con.
ventions and. occasion arising that they would
he able to furnish the Malayese with an ade.
auate supply Of sherins. assessors. county
clerks and justices Of the peace
These men-when peace Is made-w be FOL.
lowed by Ave times their number Of Americans
seeking 10 better their condition. and there will
he ample opportunity for all There will be
highways and steam and electric railroads to
build There will be coffee and tea and sugar
and indigo and hemp and tobacco plantations
to he d. veloped Thee will he mines OF gold
and silver and copper and iron n open. There
will he waterfalls n harness. and rivers and
harbors 10 dredge. There will be furnaces and
steamboats, and machine shops TO build and run.
There are hundreds Of thousands Of docie. pa
tient. cheap native laborers. who will be or.
ganized by Americans into armies Of productive
Industry. The application Of old principles 10
new conditions and Of modern discovery TO
ancient resources. will give employment to law
yer and scientist. The relics Of empire viii
puzzle the antiqparian's research and the prom
Use Of empire Will fire the philosophers thought
The selection of method to govern the Phil.
ippines is a task that need not perturb US II
we are 10 keep the islands. can govern them
as Alaska is governed with the addition OF a
commission empowered TO frame code OF laws
for local government and taxation II We are
10 guarantee the inhabitants an independent
republican government Of their own, the guar
antee will be kept good by the American colo
nists, who carry the framework or repuohcs III
their brains
Nations have their opportunities and the!r
responsibilities as well individuals. Pessl'
mists may ignore opportunities and cowards
seek to shirk responsibilities. but the cou'
rageous and the sagacious accept and act upon
them Why should we hesitate? Are We !"
measure the craftsmanship OF to-day only win
the tapeline Of Washtngton's Farewell Aa
dress? As we'll Danish the trolley and return
10 the horsecar. eXtinguish the electric hsn'
and burn whale oil. sink the New YORK ana tns
Vesuvius. and reinstate the Constitution ana
muzzle loading guns. -,,,,-,..,
The problem" ~ governing the Philippines
will be found 70 be A Point No POINT tha' WIZ
vanish as we reach IT, Statecraft may De heeu
ed TO sustain despotism. but there is no tavs
that Was ever bronzed by a tropic sun ou' VIZ
equally with the whitest Caucasian give ap
probation and welcome n government AZ, ~
spired by the simplicity ~ justice me VA
layan whose back is livid with scars lnn'c.ss.
by the scourge Of Spanish tax collector WV Wv
assessed his right 10 live. will look UP " a. a.
Stars and Stripes nuttering from the iro. III.
palms and thank his God that Spanisn, . ~.
and pride imposed upon us the solution OF Wv
problem ~ the Philippines. ,,,rcu