The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-04-04
A Gu, ernment without Policy

Philippines until the Schurmann com
mission reports 30 The same dispatch
adds. with the same tone of authority 3:
president Mckinley feels that his pre-
sent knowledge of the islands Is too in
definite a. "A basis for a fixed policy.
The President is rather late in making
this discovery as 10 the imperfect state
# his knowledge II is most unfortu
nate that he did not find 1t out before
he insisted as a condition Of peace with
Spain that that country should
cede to us the Philippines and before
he agreed TO pay $50, OOO, 900 for the
privilege Of making war upon the IN.
habitants Of the islands The most
noticeable feature Of this announce
ment from ThOmasyille lies, however
In the statement that "the edministra-
tion Will not decide upon It's permanent
policy respecting the Philippines,
and that the President" feels that
his knowledge Of the islands Is too
indefinite to constitute basis for a
fixed policy
This is only another illustration Of
the little dependence TO be put IN any
statement or declaration Of the Presl-
dent It's not many weeks since, in
his speech before the Boston Home
Market Club. Mr. Mckinley ceclared
that with the ratification Of the treaty
with Spain the responsibility If the
Executive would cease and the duty Of
determining our future policy toward
the Philippines would deyolge upon
Congress That speech was used ex'
teu-yely by the admirers Of the Presi
dent As an argument why there should
be no further hesitation on the part OF
the Senate To ratify the treaty.
Since that speech was de
livered the treaty mas been ratified, not
only by the Senate, but by the Queen
Regent Of Spain The contingency
has arrived IN which. according to Mr.
Mckinley repeated declarations, II
would become the duty Of Congress
under the constitution, 70 make pro
vision for the future disposition. govern
ment and control, not only Of the Philip
pines. but Of all Of our newly acquired
possessions. That duty Congress ad.
i0urned without attempting to perform,
even in the case of Hawaii. Ofcourse,
II the President had been sincere he
would have lost no time in convening
the Fifty-sixth Congress to repair the
omission. and 10 releave him from the
responsibilities incident TO the present
abnormal state Of affairs Instead Of
that. the President was strenuously op-
posed to any idea Of an extra session
preferring, apparently. to usurp the
powers of Congress, and 70 govern the
territories which lately belonged to
Spain at his own sovereign will and
pleasure, and through the medium OF
his own military satraps and political
agents
The President continues 20 be dis
turbed about what permanent policy
his administration will adopt Coming
as this announcement does, from Thorn
asyille. it means. we presume, what
policy he and Mr. Mark Hanna will
adopt Congress is not in it; neither
are the American people The only
trouble in that the President does not
consider that his present knowledge of
the islands is a sufficient basis for "a
| fixed policy He accordingly prefers
to wait for a report from his commits
sioners. The country by this time un-
derstands pretty well what the Presi-
| dents commissions amount to, and
has yet to hear of one Of them which
fails to report in accordance with the
instructions it has received
from Washington. No one donbts
that this was the case with
the celebrated "whitewashed commits.
sion" which was to investigate the
conduct Of the war, and without fear
or favor put the responsibility for any
scandals or abuse where it belonged.
II was not even denied in the case of
the so.called "peace commission, "
which might be more properly called a
war commission, since its chief exploit
was. under instructions from the Pres.
ident, to buy from Spain for $50, 600,
900 the privilege Of waging a war OF
subjugation or determination against
the inhabitants of the Philippines. 1t
is bad augury for the commission
sent to the latter islands that. although
ostensibly appointed to investigate and
to report upon the actual conditions
which they should find existing in the
Philippines, withina very few days
after their arrival at Manila they
should be found issuing proclamation
also "under instructions, " which they
carried from Washington, which il
merely repetition of President
McKinley's own proclamation Of Jan
uary 5, a little softened in some Of it
expressions, bnt identical in its spiri
and substance.
II President Mckinley really wanted
information, either for his own guild
ance or that Of Congress, he would no
? find it difficult to obtain. The numbe
6 the Americans or Europeans, not except
ing spaniards. who have actual person
c al knowledge of the Philippines an
their inhabitants is not large. Tn
r number who are qualified to speak fror
D a residence of any length in the island