The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-08
A FIRM HAND NEEDED.

n H
Gen. Merritt says that If we are to have
peace in the Philippines we must deal with
the Fnipinos with firm hand. There is
no room for doubling that he is right. The
Spaniards found out that the more they
temporized with the Fiipinos the greater
the difficulty they had to control them.
It is evident that the F'ilipinos interpret
ed our hesitation in asserting our author
ity to mean that we were afraid of them.
They doubtless entertained the idea that
they had only to adopt aggressive tactics
TO drive US from the islands. They did
not understand that we were only waiting
for the ratification Of the treaty so as TO
have a legal standing there. They
know now. however that we mean to
maintain our position, and they have
pretty good evidence of our ability 10 do
So It is sad, of course. that we are
forced to slaughter those who were lately
our allies in our war with Spain. but we
are not to blame for the present condition
of affairs. The Filipnos would not wait
until We could demonstrate TO them that
we are their friends not their enemies,
and that it is our purpose TO give them
government Of their own and lift them TO
a higher plane OF civilization.
II is easy to say that we have but 10
leave the islands 10 demonstrate our
friendship for the Fiipinos, but is it not
a fact that we should do them the great
esi kind Of an injury if we should pursue
that course2 Il is well known that they
are not capable of self-government, and
that if we should leave them to them
selves they would be at war with others
in less than month. Not only that but
all the commercial nations of Europe have
interests in the islands, and the moment
we moved out they would move in. The
islands would be divided up between sew
eral European nations. The Fnpinos
would be in a far worse fix then than they
are now, or were under Spanish rule.
No, we have duty TO perform in the
Philippines aad we must not shrink from
the performance of it if we would retain
the respect of the world and our own self
respect We should first announce, by
a joint resolution of Congress. that we do
not intend to hold the Philippines in per
petulty and that our only purpose is TO
establish in the islands a stable and intel
lgent government. Then we should deal
with the Filipnos kindly but firmly We
should make them understand that we are
the masters and that it is to their inter
est to cooperate with US in the up-build-
ing of their islands
No party in this country favors with
ORA wing from the islands. Even Senator
Hoar does not propose that. Everybody
recognizes that we have a mission to per
form and that we cannot leave the islands
until we have performed it. Let it be dis
tinctly understood that we do not intend
TO extend our sovereignty over the islands
and the difference which have cropped our
respecting the Philippines will disappear.
The country wll be united in favor of as
sorting our authority to the fullest extent.
No objection would be made if il should
become necessary to use force to make
the Filipinos understand that our author
ity for the time being is supreme. A weak
policy would mean the sacrifice of many
lives and the expenditure of vast sums of
money