The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1899-11-09
ADVERTISING RATES:
The Ofncial Paper Of San Juan County.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1899.
SOLID FOR EXPANSION"

The preliminary report Of the Philip
pine commission, of which Admiral
Dewey is a member, has been made to
the president and been given to the
public. 1t is unanimous and doesn't
leave so much as a single peg upon
which the Democrats can hang hope
Of the Admiral's candidacy for the
presidency upon an anti-expansion
platform. The high character Of the
commission leaves no room for doubt
that its report will be powerful factor
in determining public opinion upon
what is certain to be one Of the most
important issues of the next national
campaign. There is nothing vacillat-
ing or ambiguous about the report. It
is broad, comprehensive and clear. A
few extracts will serve to show its gen.
eral character and the conclusions in
which the members unanimously con-
cur:
Whatever the future Of the Philippines
may be. there is no course open to us
now, except the prosecution Of the war
until the insurgents are reduced to sub
mission. The commission is of the Opin
ion that there has been no time since the
destruction Of the Spanish squadron by
Admiral Dewey when it was possible to
withdraw our forces from the islands
either with honor to ourselves or with
safety to the inhabitants"
"Should our power by any fatality be
withdrawn, tho commission believes the
~ hn ph;l;nninoo
speedily lapse into anarchy, which would
excuse If it did not necessitate the inter-
vention of other powers and the eventual
division of the islands among them.
"Only through American occupation.
therefore, is the idea of a free self-gov-
eminent and a united Philippine COM
monwealth at all conceivable. And the
point of view Of maintaining American
sovereignty over the archipelago is recog
nized by all intelligent Filipinos, and
even by those insurgents who desire an
American protectorate. The latter, it is
true, would take the revenues and leave
us the responsibilities. Nevertheless,
they recognize the indubitable fact that
the Fil;pinos cannot stand alone. Thus
tho welfare of the FilipinOs comedies
with the dictates Of national honor in for
bidding our abandonment Of the archi-
pe!l.aggo , o.rno. from INV no,nt Of v,o,v o.-
cape the responsibilities Of government
which our sovereignty entails, and the
commission is strongly persuaded that the
performance Of our national duty will
prove the greatest blessing to the people
of tho Philippine islands,"
The commission gives general view
OF the value of the islands, their gen.
eral richness in agricultural and forest
products, their mineral wealth, and
their commanding geographical posi-
ton. They state that the Philippines
should soon become one of the great
traders Of the east. Manila is already
connected by new steamship lines with
Australia, India and Japan, and she
will become the natural terminus of
many other lines when a ship canal
connects the Atlantic with the Pacific.
1t cannot be doubted that commerce
will greatly increase and the United
States will obtain large share Of it.
In conclusion the report says:
"Our control means to the inhabitants
OF the Philippines internal peace and
order. a guarantee against foreign aggres-
sion and against the ACKNOWLEDGMENT Of
their country, commercial and industrial
prosperity and as large share Of the af-
fairs OF government as they shall prove
willing to take. When peace and pros
perity shall have been established
throughout the archipelago, when educa-
ton shall have become general. then, in
the language Of leading Filipino, his
people will, under our guidance, become
more Americans than the Americans
themsel ves,'"