The times., 1899-06-01
THE PHILIPPINES.
4 Manila View of Native Government
Its Impossibility.
From the ManiIa IImes. J


IN Mindanao the withdrawal Of the
small, scattered Spanish garrisons has
been the signal for intertribal wars, never
quite suppressed, to burst into new life.
This is the key with which alone the Phil
ippine problem can be solved Spain, weak
and corrupt perhaps, managed, at any rate.
to preserve some semblance of order in the
Philippines. Spain has now been driven
out by Admiral Dewey's victory, and, pri-
marily. by that alone. 1t is. therefore. i'm
perative that the United States must es-
tablish some authority in place OF the
Spanish The question is. what authority
is best to be chosen2 The whole Philip
pine problem is narrowed down to the one
question-who should govern the islands.
and how?
OF the numerous answers suggested one
is disposed OF by this news from Mindanao.
Natives cannot govern. The removal of
Spanish authority. poor as that was, is
the establishment of primeyal anarchy.
1t may be less marked in some Islands
than in others. but the fact remains that
in all the islands some substantial au-
thority requires to be set up and no native
government is strong enough. In Negros
the native leaders had sufficient inteIli-
gence to know this and sufficient honesty
and moral courage to say so. In Cebu al
most the same. In Panay natives were
fighting against natives. aborigines and
tulisanes and katipunescos were disputinS
and wrangling and occasionally cutting
each others throats unOffieially long be-
fore the Spaniards, besieged in Iloilo. had
escaped to Zamboanga- In Mindoro and
Paragua it is the same as in MindanaO-
primeval savasery, let loose from the weak
bands OF Spanish suZerainty. The country
is as badly smashed. its social. commercial,
and administrative organization as com
pletely knocked to pieces as the machinery
of the sunken Reina Christina. To recon-
-struct either would be a task of inordi-
nate difficulty, and probably not very
profitable The native government. say in
Mindanao. can no more pull itself to-
gether than could the poor wrecked hulk
off Punta SangIey The hulk can be left
as she lies. to cost nobody anything more
than an inexpensive sigh OF pity. Can pop
ulous islands be left to sink in the slough
of savagery? Can millions of human be
ings who have seen a glimmering Of civ
ilization, who have incipient industries
that should benefit the whole world, who
have more or less Christianity among
them-can these be left as they are. to
cost anybody anything more than an anti
| expansion argument
| Davos is a small coast town. exactly
| like what Batavia once was; and Batavia
now is like what Davos may become some
day Dayos. however has two rival AguT-
| while the wild Mohammedan Moros from
the mountains swoop down on the un-
guarded town, and the fierce sea rovers
from all the piratieal coasts of the South
ern seas are harrying the shore. Ma
chnery of government" evidently may be
an Internal machine. Possibly the Fill
pinos may do better in some places than
in Davos. They need to, for worse could
not be.
But the varying degrees of anarchy pre-
vailing in various places cannot shake the
accuracy of the argument. We know from
Aguinaldo's own official gazette that the
| northern provinces of Luzon are being
raided by armed bands OF lighting men
hostile to his authority.
Can the country be left to native
rule2 That would save the United States
a good deal OF trouble. money. and men.
The deaths of soldiers may reach many
thousands, though we ferveutiy hope not
| The money may reach big figure, though
that is comparatively unimportant- The
| United States having destroyed what little
there was in the way Of orderly rule, must
face the task honestly and hOnorably
whatever the cost may be. The one argu-
ment OF the expansionists. that the
| natives should rule the islands. is refuted
| by the example Of these islands already
suffering from premature independence