The Saint Paul globe., 1899-05-27
ENGLISH PRECEDENTs.

The friends and the enemies alike of the
policy of remaining in territorial control
of the Philippines are agreed that the
British colonial system furnishes the only
true precedents to which we may look
for direction in the governmental control
of the islands. Our territories bear cer-
tain analogy to the self-governing colo
MES of England. They are allowed a
certain measure of self-cortrol, subject
to the jurisdiction of the United States
in many directions until such time as they
have been admitted to the Union. The
self-governing colonies of England have
their own system of Internal administra-
ton. subject to the control of the i'm
perial governor, who in many respects is
like the American territorial governor.
But 1t is not all the colonies; of Great
Britain that are elf-governing, or are
ever expected to be. Those which are
not are designated crown colonies. Eng
land has many of them. They are main
tanned In such countries as have been
acquired by conquest and are inhabited
by natives low in the scale of civiliza-
ton or alien to and incapable Of having
extended to them the privileges and re-
sponsibilities of free self-government
The present governor of Victoria, one
of the Australian colonies of Great Brit
ain, Sir Thomas Brassey, has recently
contributed his views of our mission and
true course of policy in the Philippines.
Properly enough he has said that in the
Philippines the introduction of European
civilization must be the work of time.
adding the following language: MEAN
Whlie 1t Will be necessary 10 form gov
ernment after the model of a British
crown colony. supported by sufficient mill
itary forces"
or course the British crown colony is
little better than despotism Sir Thorn
as Brassey refers to it as ''an autocratic
system, IAN enlightened despotism." 1t
Is maintained on the presumption that
the natives will not for great number
OF years be qualified for the possession of
the civil rights and privileges Of British
subjects. AS it has been acquired, by the
strong arm of military conquest It ia
held, something Ireland was held for
many centuries. by military force and on
the theory that the natives are semi
savages.
1t is upon this model. and only on this
model, as Sir Thomas Brassey has said.
that we can build in the Philippines
The theory, Of course, does not exclude
wholly the possibility of the country be-
coming one day an integral part of the
Union, either by the general introduction
of American and European settlement or
by the extension to the natives of the
full rights Of American citizens seTba
enlightened despotism of a crown COL
ony. says Sir Thomas Brassey, ''can
alone secure the maintenance of order
the development of material resources
and general social progress We cannot
extend to the F'ilipinos the same form of
government which we extend to the Por
to Ricans, for instance. We must adopt
a new plan of dealing with them; and
whatever local rights may be extended
to the inhabitants. the basis of our gov
ernment must be that Of force, at least
for the time
Under such system we can develop
the resources of the islands to an extent
the Spaniards never dreamed of. While
the British crown colonies are not fruit
full of national revenue, it is no doubt
| true that we can secure great additions
| to the volume of our trade and to the
| enrichment of our people through hold
ing the Philippines. In doing SO we must
| engraft new plan on the American
| governmental system The wisdom or
The folly of doing this we do not, propose
to discuss here. 1t must be done if we
are to hold the islands. If the people say
| IL may be done. it will be DONE With the