The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1899-10-20
earth. Conscious OF the rectitude Of
his purpose, he can wait serenely for
results.
DR.. SCHURMAN ON THE PHILIPPINES

u The address delivered at Cornell last
L week by President Schurman is of
more than local and university interest
because Of its very full statement Of the
+. views Of one of the Philippine Commits
81 n on the great question nov occupy
Ing public thought. President Schur-
man frankly admitted that a year ago
h. answered negatively the question,
Shall we take the Philippines from
Spain? Today he thought the only
question was, The United States hay
Ing taken the Philippine Islands from
= Spain. what shall be done with them"
He admitted that there was n great
: difference between the expansion now
: proposed and that involved in the de
] %velopment of the United States from
the Atlantic to the Pacific in territory
practically uninhabited. The most
fundamental and obvious lesson drawn
from all colonial history was, he
thought, the warning, Let no ruling
itSN VNNl llCuU llS IOloHlcS Vi ltS utptl
denotes as its possessions. We cannot,
he continued in substance, do what we
like with the Philippines; this would
be barbarous and muddle. headed: we
must not use the government of colo
MES or dependencies as a money max
ing enterprise; let a nation seek to en-
rich itself at the expense of its colo
nists and it in.poverishes all; a c%oloniz-
ing power should aim at nothing but
the welfare of its colonies, but colonies
and dependencies should be made self
supporting. President Schurman, in
reply to the question, Why should we
extend Il sovereignty over remote
countries and alien people? affirmed
over and over again that the only JUST
fable object would be the establish
ment Of good government in the terri.
tory, the evolution Of its people in civ
illzation, aud the ''trailing Of them in
progressive self-goyernment with a
view to ultimate independence, wheth
er by partnership i'll Or separation from .
the sovereign State lie believed in
Our mission tC educate and elevate the :
tIlipinos in honest ald fraterna! CO OPP.
Grafton with them to establish q Just '
and stable government, in which the
natives shall have ever increasing par
ticipation in proportion to the develop.
ment of their political capacities. l
If DIR. Schurman's ideas could posi-. |
bly, shape the policy of the United 6
States in dealing with the Filipinos, v
that i'll -tated people would have some p
thing to hope for. But his ideas will q
not prevail nor will his dream be real
lied. The taking of the Philippine U.s.
lands by this country was not for the
purpose of bencttting the inhabitants y
The question of humanity, v
Of education and the elevation of
the Filipinos was not in the minds of
the robbers who demanded the cession
the islands or the red handed mur. Ii
ierers who drove them to the resistance Ell
If Federal authority. They were taken
II violation of the spirit of the Declare.
ion of Independence, contrary to the III
of this country, %outraging la
light and in utter disregard Of the
lights of a They were taken to
atisfy the greed of gain, the Unsuitable ur
of a lot Of trafickers and spec, n.
Ilators in human beings and the fruits
f mans labor. A man with DR.. Schur.
nan S sense should know that when il,
nee under the Nominations of the
american people, the inevitable fate of
lie Filipino is industrial slavery. He will
e a beast of burden for the white man ~
nd will go the way of every inferior
ice which has been brought in cantact u.
18th he Anglo-Saxon. Absolutely
here is no hope for him. have no D9
oubt but that the production of the He
lands will be greatly increased under
lie direction of American genius and bn,I
The change will also add tothe
I'M o. huNan intelligence, but the revo-
ltions Of the wheel OF progress which "''
i'll lead up to this. will crush the life we
1t Of many a poor Filipino.
Those who escape the ravages of war Pro
i'll live to serve their new masters 'i''
HON they will find just about as con. To-
ienceless as the cruel Spaniard. If is