The evening times., 1899-02-04
Pacific Tslnnd Races.

The advocates OF Treaty ratification.
which is the immediate feature of the pol
icy OF national expansion. viii not deny
that the situation in Samoa, IS reported
t~o days ago. is material for j p.oatlb'e
lesson to America on the subject OF the re-
tentaou OF the Philippine. Il is a WY
timely and pertinent Illustration OF the
easy turbulence Of the island races and o1
the present unftness Of the most OF them
for citizenship in q great Republic that is
the hope Of centuries. There VIII b 10
controversy with the antiqualed FedeTslist
statesmen on these points. R-c- gl:zing
Tie absence Of the qualities that are re-
quired OF every efficient citizen, it IS
strange that jhey should be Wiling to con-
damn the races Of the Philippines 10 the
hapiess experiment Of se'f-g -goverumlnt
This is the more strange because thy n
cade that 1t is our duty" to use the words
cf Senator Hoar. TO see that 4 stable gov
eminent IS established in the Philippines"
There Is no reason 10 think the different
races that constitute the greater Part o
the inhabitants OF the archipelago a,e
vastly superior 10 The Samoans as described
L 3
.eut revolution. OF course. there are thou
sands Of people OF Spanish b,ood and some
of purely native orisiu-exclusive OF the
Eegritos-wEo are educated but in tie
matter Of character and self-restraint ana
sweet reasonableness. the masses of the
Pacific islanders are all about on the same
plane. The latest adyices from Samoa
show that the German Consul and
the German President of the Munich
pal Council had no difficulty in stir
ring up -olt against ju-
dicial decision affecting the election OF
a ruler. 1t would be possible for that ma
ton, if the prize were worth it. to obtain
from the claimant recognized by their con-
sui concessions which would advance her
claim to paramount influence in the gov
eminent of Samoa. 1t happens that the
islands are not worth enough to warrant
a defiance of American and English asser-
tions of equal authority.
Revolutions would be quite as easily in
cited in the Philippines as in Samoa. In
deed, it would require no foreign scheming
10 set up rivals to contest with Aguinaldo
the little gold whistle of absolutism. pro-
vided this country should adopt Senator
Hoars S policy of acknowledging that rebel
and Withdrawing all claims to soyereigntv.
Can anybody believe that the people of the
Fisayas or the Mohammedans, with
their own sultan, would submit to the rule
Of a Tagal chief, whether bribed to revolt
or not? The lesson of Samoa teaches the
contrary Certainly no one will urge that
the Fiiipinos are more peaceabIe than the
inhabitants of the Central and South
American states. Yet there is never n
time when revolution is not in progress
IN one or more Of them, and often the rev.
olutionists are successful. but only to be
oFeFthrown in turn. In this hemisphere
this may DC regarded as an educational
process that Will eventually instruct the
people in self government, for no foraipn
power can interfere. In the Philippines
once we surrender the title to soyereientv
obtained from Spain, nothing could induce
US TO resist the efforts of foreign nation
to assume supreme control under pledge
10 maintain good order and protect the in
teTests Of foreign residents and agents
after successive reigns of terror.
Here, then, is the situation in brief. To
abandon our claims TO sovereignty in the
Philippines and concede full Independence
to the Filipinos would surely mean con-
stant war between the different races. This
would not be the fulfllment of our dutv
to see that stable government is estab-