Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1899-10-05
TO GOVERN COLONIES
President SChurmdn Before
Cornell Students.
He Points TO EurOpe's Experience.
The r1ain Purpose Should Be TO
Extend Good Government with
the Idea of final independence.

university today President Schurman
delivered a second strong address deal
ing with expansion. He referred to his
address of last year when he answered
negatively the inquiry, Shall we take
the Philippine islands from Spain ?"
His opinion, he said, brought upon
him nc little condemnation, but the
rapid march of events rendered it nee
essary to consider whether these opin-
ions were sound or not. The treaty
making ,pcwer of the United States,
backed, he admitted, by an overwhelm-
ing public opinion, irrespective Of
party, took the Philippine islands
from Spain. Some people were still
discussing the thoretic eXpediency CT
expansion. This had not been an open
question since last winter. The only
question today open was this: The
United States having taken the Philip
pine islands from Spain, what shall he
done with them?"
This grave issue must be decided by
| the president and congress of the
United States With them he thought
/
taticn that wise solution will be
reached. He invited attention to some
observations on the general subject Of
national expansion.
In the case of the United States
there was one important difference be-
tween the overflow of the population
of our original thirteen states, and
that cf the British Isles. Wherever the
American went he set up new state,
which was a vital part of the union.
The constitution, laws and institutions
of the United States were carried int0
the new domains, out of which sepa-
rate self-governing states were carved.
Great Britain and her colonies each
maintain their own individual identi-
ty. not being organized into a single
| whole.
There is another difference between
the expansion of the United States and
that of Great Britain, which comes
prominently into view when our new
states were compared with dependen-
cies like India. The population of the
| United States was homogeneous, that
of India indescribably Heterogeneous.
The Americans ruled themselves
whether IN New York or Oregon the
alien and multitudinous races Of India
could be held together only by
strong foreign hand. America has
grown from within outward, England
has enlarged herself by accretion. In
the former case it was such growth as
that of the boy into the man; in the
latter case it was like setting up sons
for themselves. Our assumption of
sovereignty over the Philippine ISL
ands was altogether unlike the pre-
vlCus phases of our nariclaal expan-
sion. He pointed cut that whereas in
the development Of the United States
from Atlantic to Pacific practically un-
inhabited territories were found, the
Philippine islands were already well
peopled with Malayans, who had long
made it their home, who resented the
intrusion of other races, and to whom
the physical environment was far bet
ter adapted than it is to white men.
EUROPE'S LESSON IN CoLoNIZING
The most obvious, but also the most
fundamental lesson drawn from the
colonial history of Europe was a warn
ing: Let no ruling race ever treat its
colonies or dependencies as its possess
sions." In earlier and more barbarous
ages subject states we're regarded as
the property Of the conquerors. But
this conception was an outrage upon
that idea CT humanity which has now
happily become a part of the common
consciousness of mankind This
: theory cost England her first colonial
empire in America; then she abandon
ed it, and now her colonies are her
glory and her pride. Spain could not
surrender the mediaeval Illusion, bar
| barous as it is; and her colonial en-
pire perishsd OF dry rot.
| "Yet there are those who speak of
the Philippine islands as our posses
slons, and calmly conclude we may
do what we like with them. This is
too barbarous to be taken ssrh0usly;
it is net callousness of heart; it is
only muddle-headedness The terms
Ownership and possession" are a
barbarous survival when applied to
any relation between one people and
another. The sovereign power owned
nothing, but there was something it
owed. 1t was charged with the re-
sponsibility of government Our re-
| lations with the Philippines would be
misrepresented SO long as we retained
that fatal confusion of government
and property. Continuing, he said:
I'VE simply possess, in virtue of the
treaty of Paris, the right to govern or
aid in governing the people of the
Philippine islands. Unhappily, we
have net yet get beyond the first