The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-03

ing to III lGeain& HufOlk tAtii pNh bAiANiaAss
The Americans remained popular. AT the
request of Gen. obs, new and smphned
| scheme of government for the island, CIV
ing the people a large voice in their ar
fairs. but placing an American in fun
control was put into operation It brought
! about satisfaction and pubic order IS bet
| ter In the island to-day than a. any time
| during the last twenty years.
| Summarizing the failure of the native
form OF government. and the success of
| the American control, the commission
| says:
THE fiat failure of this attempt 10 es>
! tablish an independent native govern
| ment in Negros, conducted as it was UNI
| der the most favorable circumstances,
| makes it apparent that here, as well as
| in the less favored provinces large
| amount of American control is at present
| absolutely essential to successful ad-
ministration of public affairs
Aguinnldo's Commissions.
The efforts at Cancellation with Aguinal-
do and his various commissions are set
| forth in detail These commissioners
were assured of the benefcent purposes of
the United States and the Presidents read
mess to grant the Filipino people as large
a measure of home rule and as simple lib
| erty as consistent with the ends of gov
eminent, subject only to the rec
| ognitiOn of the sovereignty of
the United states-a point, which, be
ing established, the commission invariably
| refused even to discuss.
The commission adds that nothing came
of negotia tons as Aguinaldos emissares
were without power and merely came and
came again for information The report
| sums uD the result of these fruitless eX-
changes as follows
mo better proof could be furnished that
the primary object of his struggle is not,
as is pretended, the liberty of the Filipino
peoples, but the continuance of his (Ag-
uinaldo's) own arbitrary and despotic pow
er. In any event. the American people
may feel confident that no effort was omit
ted by the commission TO secure psace-
full end of the struggle, but the opportu-
mites they offered and urged were all neg
lected, if not, indeed, spurned.
As to seIf-Government.
The chapter devoted to capacity for
self-government" is the result, the report
states, of digent inquiry for several
months, in the course of which a great
number of witnesses were examined, of
all shades of political thoughts and varie-
ties of occupation tribe and locally. The
most striking and perhaps the most signih-
cant fact in the entire situation is the
multiplicity of tribes inhabiting che archi-
pelago. the diversity of their languages
(Which are mutually unintelligible) and the
multifarious phases of civilization, rang
ing all the way from the highest to the
lowest. AS 10 this feature the report
says:
"The Filipincs are not a nation, but a
variegated assemblage of different tribes
and peoples and their loyalty is still of
the tribal type" Concerning their intel
lectual capacities, the commission says
LAS to the general intellectual capacities
of the Filpinos the commission is dispos
ed to rate them high. But except In a
, limited number of persons those capacities
have not been developed by education or
experience. The masses of the people are
uneducated. That intelligent public opn-
ion on which popular government rests
does not exist in the Philippines And 1t
cannot exist until education has elevate
the masses, broadened their intellectual
} horizon, and disciplind their faculty of
Judgment. And even then the power of
{ self-goVernment cannot be assumed with
e out considerable previous training and ex-
perience under the guidance and tutelaga
of an enlightened and liberal sovereign
, power. For the bald fact is that the
f Filipinos have never had any experience
{ in governing themselves"
: The report shows that this inability fol
! government is due to the old Spanish
= regime which gave the Filipino little OF
? no part In governing themselves. After
g reviewing this Spanish system, the com
. mission sums up on this point:
This is all the training in self-govern'
ment which the inhabitants of the Phil
ippine Islands have enjoyed. Their lacl
S of education and political experience, com
bined with their racial and linguistic III
= versities, disqualify them, in spite of theil
e mental gifts and domestic virtues, 10 un
n dertake the task of governing the archi
= pelago at the present time.
s SHOULD our power by any fatality b
Withdrawn, the commission believe tina
: the government of the Philippines woul(
e | s,,ta w nh tUOnlf
y excuse. if it did not necessitate, the in
y teryention of other Powers and the even
n tual division of the islands among them
6 Only through American occupation, there
fore is the idea of a free, self-governinl
Il and united Philippine commonwealth at al
IS conceiva BILE. And the dispensable meet
e from the Filipino point OF view of main
IS tanning American sovereignty over tn
e archipelago is recognized by all intelligen
$ Filipinos, and even by those insurgent
n who desire an American protectorate. Tn
: latter it is true would take the revenue
/ and leave us the responsibilities. Never
n theless they recognize the indubitable fac
u that the Filipinos cannot stand alone
o Thus the welfare of the Filipino
n comedies with the dictates of nstiona
Il honor in forbidding our abandonment o
= the archipelago. We cannot from any poin
e of view escape the responsibilities of gov
h eminent which our sovereignty entails
IS and the commission is strongly persuade
II that the performance of our national dut,
q will prove the greatest Blessing to III
n peoples of the Philippine Islands"
:, Our Soldiers and Sailors.
n One of the closing chapters of the repor
g is devoted to tribute to our soldiers an
sailors in the war" The commission say
that the presence of Admiral Dewey as
member of this body makes il uniting 1
n dwell on its personal achievements, bu
>: he Joins in the eulogy of his comrades
IF The commission witnessed some Of tn
IS many brave deeds of our sold ers and the
lie declare that all that skin, courage and
y patent endurance can do, has been dan
e in the Philippines. They dismiss!the re
= ports Of the desecrating Of churches, tn
ic numbering of prisoners and the commit
d ting of uncomfortable crimes and sa
s. they are glad TO express the belief that