Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-06-05
THE PHILIPPINES.
4 Manila View oil Native Government-Its
ImpossibiIiiy.
CFrom the Manila Times.)

IN Mindanao. the withdrawal OF the
small. scattered Spanish garrisons has
| been the signal for intertribal wars
never quite suppressed, to burst into
lnew life" This is the key with which
alone the Philippine problem can be
solved. Spain. weak and corrupt, per
haps, managed, at any rate, to pre-
serve some semblance of order in the
Philippines. Spain has now been
driven out by Admiral Deweys vic
tory. and primarily, by that alone. 1t
/ is, therefore, Imperative that the
United States must establish some
authority in place of the Spanish. The
question is, what authority is best to
be chosen? The whole Philippine
problem is narrowed down to the one
question-who should govern the
islands. and how?
or 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 re-establish-
ment Of primeval anarchy. 1t may be
less marked in some islands than in
others. but the fact remains that in all
the islands some substantial authority
requires to be set up and no native
government is strong enough. In
Negroes the native leaders had suffi-
cient intelligence to know this and
sufficient honesty and moral courage TO
say so. In Cebu almost the same. In
Panay natives were fighting against
natives, aborignes and tulisanes and
katipunescos were disputing and
wranging and occasionally cutting
each others throats unofiicially long
before the Spaniards. besieged in IloilO,
had escaped to Zamboanga In Min
doro and Paragua IL Is the same as In
Mindanao-primcval savagery, let loose
from the weak bands Or Spanish
suzerainty. The country u as badly
smashed its social, commercial and
administrative organization as COM
pletely knocked TO pieces as the ma
chinery Of the sunken Reina Christina.
To reconstruct either would be a task
OF inordinate difficulty. and probably
not very profitable. The native gov
eminent. say In Mindanao. Gan no more
pull itself together than could the poor
wrecked hulk off Punta Sangley. The
hulk can be left as she lies. 10 cost no.
body anything more than an ineXpen-
sive sigh Of pity. Can populous islands
be left TO sink in the slough OF saw
agery? can millions Of human beings
who have seen glimmering Of civil
ization. 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 nobody anything moro
than an anti-expansion argument?
Dayos is a small coast town. exactly
like what Batavia once was: AMI
Batavia now is Ike what Davos may
become some day. Davos, however.
has two rival Aguinaldans fighting for
the presidentship while the wild Mo
hammedan Moros from the mountains
swoop down on the unguardcd town.
and the fierce sea rovers from all thu
pratical coasts If the Southern seas
are marrying the shore. Machinery of
government" evidently may he an in
fernal machine Possibly the Filipinos
may do better in some places than in
Davos. They need TO. for worse could
not he.
But the varying degrees of anarchy
prevailing In various places cannot
shake the accuracy az the argument.
We know from Acuinaldo's own Off
cial gazette that the northern provinces
Of Luzon are being raided by armed
bands Of fighting men hostile to his
authority.
Can the country be left to native
rule? That would save the United
States a good deal Of trouble. money
and men. The deaths Of soldiers may
reach many thousands. though We
fervently hope not. The money may
reach big figure, though that is com
paratively unimportant. The United
States having destroyed what little
there was in the way of orderly rule.
must face the task honestly and hon
orably whatever the cost may be. The
one argument of the anti-eXpansion-
lists that the natives should rule the
islands. is refuted by the example OF
these islands already suffering from a
premature independence.