The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-11-07

WASHINGTON, Nov. in accord
ance with the understanding reached
at the conference at the White House
yesterday tire Philippine Commission
to-day submitted to the President the
! preliminary report which it had prom
ised TO prepare
The report appears TO b. & compact
summary of conditions on the islands
"a the commission left them; of the
historical events which preceded the
Spanish War and led to the original
Filipino in~surrecticn; of the exchanges
between Admiral Dewey and the other
American commanders and the insur
gents; the bI eakipg cut and progress
OF the present insurrection, and, final
ly, a full statement of the capacity of
the Filipinos for self-government.
The effort at Cancellation with Aguin.
aldo and his various commissions are
set forth in detail. These commission
ers were assured of the beneficent pur
pcs3s Of the United States and the Presi-
dents readiness to grant the Filipino
people as large @ measure of home rule
and as ample liberty was consistent
with the ends of government, subject
only to the recognition of the sover
eighty of the United States-a point
which, being established, the commits
sion Invariably refused to discuss.
"No better proof" says the commits
sion, could be furnished that the pri.
nary object of Aguinaldo's struggle is
rot, as is pretended, the liberty of the
Filipino people, but the continuance OF
his (Aguinaldo'e) own arbitrary and
despotic power. In any event, the
American people may feel confident
that nc eforg was omitted by the com
mission to secure a peaceful end of the
struggle, but the opportunities they
offered and urged were all neglected,
if not indeed spurned."
In the chapter devoted to Capacity
for Self Government" the report says:
The Fllipinos are not a nation, but
a ~variegat9d assemb!age of different
tribes and people, and their loyalty ia
still Of the tribal type.
'As to their general intellect Ial ca
pacities, the CO commission is disposed t
rate thea high. Bat excepting in a
lImitednumber of petsons these capacl
ties have not been developed by educa
ton or ex oerience. The masses of the
people are uneducated. That intelli
gent public opinion on which popular
government rests does not exist in the
Philippines. And it cannot exist until
education has elevated the masses.
broadened their intellectual horizon,
and disciplined their faculty of judg-
ment. They need training under an
enlightened, liberal sovereign power"
The report shows that this inability
for self government is due to the old
Spanish regime, which gave the FtIipi
nos little or no part in governing them
selves
'"Tneir lack OF education and politi
cal experience, combined with their
racial and linguistic diversities, dis
qualify them, in spite Of their mental
gifts and domestic virtues, to under
take the Cove rning of the archipelago at
the present time"
The commission say g that anarchy
would fcllow speedily the withdrawal
OF our troops from the island and that
heir &c. z1re end division among fome
Of tbs European powers would soon re
suit. Tley ep3aE in the highest terms
of the skill. patience and endurance Of
our soldiers. dismi s the Re sports of the
de ecraEing OF churches, the murder.
ing Of prisoners and the committing
of uncomfortable crimes and say they
are glad to express the belief that a war
was never more humanely conducted.
The commission gives general vie "
of the value Of the islands, their rich
n SO in agricultural and forest products,
their mineral wealth, and their com
handing geographical position. They
state that the Philippine Islands should
Eooo become IA OF the greatest trade
cen sers of the East. Manila is already
connected by new steamship lines
with Al S ralia India and Japan, and
she will become the natural ter minus
of many o her lines when a ship canal
connects the Atlantic and the Pacific.
It cAnnot be doubted that commerce
will greatly increase, and the United
States will obtain a large share in this
increment. M8nila with the Immunity
that it has thus far enjoyed from that
terrible pest, the bubonlc plague, should
become g distributing center for China,
Siam, the Straits settlements, TOpquin,
Anam and Australia. The reports
concludes:
Our control means to the inhabi