The San Francisco call., 1899-09-15
PHILIPPINE NEWS.

| HI statement by Commissioner Schurman, AND
the interview with General Reeve published
exclusively in The Call, give some intormatlon
OF genuine value to the American people ochurlnan
airms the advanced civilization OF the FlplnoS ana
their industrial capacity. He processes great conn
dence in the people and much sympathy Tor their as
pirations His statement presents certain contradc
dictons due to the pressure OF his oclal udertaK-
ing He finds great difficulty in the way OF their IN
dependence because they not nation
When our forefathers revolted against England
they were not a nation The thirteen colonies had no
tie except common racial origin. Each existed
under separate Royal Charter granted by the ooV-
ereign of England They united only IN the desire
for independence and segovernment, and had no
common civil bond until after the revolution Sue
ceeded That bond, in the old Confederation was
very slight and did not create nation That act was
deferred for six years after the treaty OF peace we
did not establish nationality and common Federal
authority without rebellion resistance and outbreaks
and the issues arising in the national Interpretation
OF the Federal constitution not finally settled
until we had fought the most sanguinary civil war
ever known. seventy-two years after attempted to
form more perfect nationality under the constitu-
ton In the light of our own history Professor
Schurman's objection to Philippine nationality be-
cause it is not nation now is very considerably
modified His ascription to the people OF the quall-
ties of intelligence fidelity and virtue IS an answer
to the persistent attempt to represent them unde-
serving savages.
General Reeve makes still more important con-
trbution to the stock OF information the subject.
He found the Filipinos enlightened, orderly, indus
trous and ambitious. They modest in their as
piration for self-government and desrous of the
suzerainty of the United States in their international
affairs while in their domestic concerns they desired
independence and self-government. He athrms that
throughout Luzon, Panay, Negros and Cebu the
native government preserved order and ruled Justly
from the time they conquested those islands, year
ago last July His emphatic language on this subject
should sme the truth into the conscience OF those
editors who calling them bandits.
The fact appears proved that conquerors ever
took their victory with more temperance and Austen
ton from outrage private and property rights than
these Filipinos to whom under the laws of nations
and OF war the sovereignty OF the islands passed by
conquest more than year ago
General Reeve is emphatic in the opinion that the
present war of conquest was unnecessary. Looking
at the general facts OF the situation this opinion is
justified. We have treated with the Mahometan Sui
tan OF the Suus and have paid him a salary to ac-
knowledge our sovereignty while have left the in
ternal administration OF his country untouched. n
other words, we have agreed that the Mahometan
Sulus are qualified for domestic independence and
sef-government. In the of the millions OF
Christians on the islands OF Luzon Panay, Negros
and Cebu by proclamation denied them the same
rights so freely conceded with salary on the side,
to the Mahometans. This places in the attitude
Of claiming that centuries OF Christianity have dis
qualified the Christian Malays for self-government,
while centuries of Islam have qualified the Mahom-
etan Malays for self-government!
Throughout the East the preference given to
Mahometanism by the United States will have its
effect TO our mind no more serious blow could be
struck at the efforts of Christian missionaries in Asia