The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-01-15
PHILIPPINE PROBLEM
EX-SENATOR GEORGE f. EDMUNDS
WRITES A LETTER On THE
FILIPINOS
HOW SHALL WE TREAT THEM

If They Become Part of Our COun-
try, They Must Come in as Cit
izens--Suggestion That the Fill
ipinOs BE Left to- Govern Them
Guarantees OF Order.
George F. Edmunds. one Of the ablest
statesmen in the Republican party, for
many years its leader in the senate,
has written the following powerful let
ter to the New York World:
l state what with, all respect to others
appear to ME to be the present chief aspects
of the Philippine question.
There are certain truths about the archi-
pelago that neither the zeal of religion. nor
philosophy, nor sentiment nor policy can
escaDe. Some of these are:
WHAT THE PHILIPPINES ARE
/. These 1.2oO islands. more or less. are
In the heart of the tropics and occupy
region Of seas nearly LOCO miles long north
and south and about 800 miles wide. They
are about 1000 miles distant from our Pa
cifc coast and are about IA 900 miles distant
from our Atlantic coast via the SueZ canal,
controlled by a foreign power. Only few
of the islands are large enough to play any
important part in the problem. These are
Luzon, Camarines. Mindoro. Samar Leyte,
encyclopedias estimate the area at about
~. 0G0 square miles and the population at
100000.
2. They have all the climatic evils and
diseases Of tropical countries and are fire.
quentiy afflicted by violent hurricanes and
earthquakes They, are. as all human ex-
being coiondzed and built up into communi-
ties OF Americans or of any Of the people
Of cool climates.
3. They are already inhabited, as already
stated, by about 100000 of people-being
more than 60 to the square mile Of the whqis
area OF all the islands. The population.
therefore ts already denser than that Of the
state OF Michigan. The population Is COM
posed of spaniards. other Europeans English
and Americans. half-castes, Chinese, Malays,
Japanese and aboriginal natives. OF the
total OF all this conglomerate of races the
europeans and Americans compose less than
2 per cent after more than 200 years of Euro
born there. Even in Manila, the capital CT
per cent Of the inhabitants are Malays. 30
pei. cent are Chinese and half-breeds, Span
iards; Spanish half-breeds and creoles 8 FER
cent only. and Of other white men only
trace and of white women substantially none
T. The five or six islands of the group of
any considerable size are already fully POD
toned.
5; They are people who never have been
and never be in need of or the consuln-
Bile extent
6. The islands are very fertile and produce
coarse coarse tobacco, coffee. sugar and tropical
fruits; and they have extensive forests Of
tropical woods analogous to those OF the vast
Forests OF Central and South America
Z. These resources comprise the only value
OF the Islands except that Of furnishing
location for fortresses and naval stations for
a nation ambitious to become the political and
military mistress Of the world. new
Alexander or Napoleon. If he possessed in
exnausuble resources of man and money.
DEWEY's MISSION AT MANILA.
.. The sincerely professed and sole purpose
of the war was to make Cuba a free and
Independent state. Admiral Dewey did not
go to Manila for purposes of conquest at all.
lie went there with his gallant little feet
to capture or destroy. if he could the Spanish
heet. He did it in way that astonished the
naval powers Of the world But he only
acquired military control of the bay and CITY
OF Manila and its environments Nearly all
beyond that was in possession Of an organized
reDelhon against Spain.
y. AT that time, and long before an active
and powerful rebellion was In progress in
the islands, and so far as present information
OF Luzon and quite or nearly the whole of
Panay and Of other large districts Of these
principal Islands. 1t appears to be true that
the rebels co-operated with our forces in the
overthrow of the Spanish rule at Manila
under the impression that or operations at
Manila were not to help Spain put down the
selves. but were only to cripple the Spanish
power as an incident OF war in bringing
Spain to renounce it's control # Cuba, which
congress had said in Its declaration in re-
spect to Cuba it's sole purpose.
10. That the people of the islands who were
carrying on the rebellion il order to be
free and independent do not desire to be
annexed and to become a territorial depend.
ency Of the United States Of any kind and
that they intend to resist annexation appears
to be indisputable.
WHAT IS TO BE DONE?
What 1 have said so far will not, / take it,
be disputed by any Intelligent person What
then in the present state of affairs is to be
done?
Are we to make war upon the peole of the
Philippines as Spain was doing, in order to
subject them to our dominion?
This apparently we must do to make them
people whether citizens. subiec.s or slaves
OF the United States.
opinions of mankind" should Compel our gov
eminent to state definitely the grounds upon
which we make the attempt We have as
sured the nations OF the globe in the most
solemn manner possible that we made war
not for conquest or extended dominion, but
solely to set the people Of Cuba free-of
whom congress declared that "thsy wcte and
Of right ought to be free and Independent.
tablsh and maintain.
At that very time the Philippine rebellion
was stronger and better organized than that
Philippine rebels are as capable Of self
government as the people Of Cuba. When the
United States aided in the attainment and
recognized the independence Of the Spanish
provinces of Central and South America our
government did not set itself up to be the
final judges of whether or not they were ca
pable Of selfgovernment, although it was
perfectly well known that self-government by
the people of those provinces could not be
such, and never could be such. as the races
and inhabitants of temperate zones could es-
WHAT CONQUEST MEANS.
To force our dominion, then, upon the peo-
pie of the Philippines would be in opposition
to the everything principles on which our
own nation was founded, and under which it
has in a little more than a century grown so
great in an ever-increasing native and ho-
mogeneous people, established In temper
ate zone of the earth, and capable from this
cause of continuous development in industry,
increase of knowledge. in social order. JUS
tice and morality If now proceed to con-
quer (as probably we can at last, although
Spain has failed to do it after more than a
century of effort, what shall we say to them
Is the motive of our conduct?
How are we to explain it to the world, hav-
ing "a decent respect for the opinions OF
mankind" as Jefferson and our fathers
thought necessary in our Declaration of In
dependence?
Can we be justified in forcing by the sword
our particular and excellent ideas OF govern
mant morality and religion upon these peo-
ple as Mahomet did in his religious wars
and as Spain did in her early operations on
this continent?
How will such Of our bishops, priests and
deacons" and religious newspapers as have
appeared to favor the scheme find authority
In the greatest and best of all books that have
ever been given to mankind-the New Tesla
mentor this new enterprise now proposed
for our republic?
STATUS OF THE FILIPINOS.
All the ueople of these islands who wera