The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-09-29
President Schurman Speaks of Our
Rights In the Philippines.
FILIPINoS SUSPECT US
THEIR ANXIETY AND FEAR
MUST FIRST BE ALLAYED.
Believes That the President and Con-
gress Will Properly Solve the Diff
ficult Problem-Much Depends
Upon the Man Sent There to Form
a Government.

Ithaca, N. T., Sept. 2S.-President
Jacob G. Schurman, in his address at
the opening of the scholastic year Of
Cornell university today. spoke at con-
siderable length on the subject Of ma
tional expansion Mr.. Schurman was
president Of the commission sent to the
Philippine islands to investigate the
subject of the civil government of the
archipelago.
At the outset, Mr.. Schurman referred
to his address of last year, when he
answered negatively the question::
Shall we take the Philippine islands
from Spain 2, His opinion, he said,
brought upon him no little condemns
ton, but the rapid march Of events
rendered it unnecessary to- consider
whether these opinions were sound or
not The only. question today open was
this: THE. United States, having Ia
ken the Philippine islands from Spain,
what shall be done with them 2
This grave issue must be decided by
the president and congress. With them
he thought it could be left in3 the con-
fident expectation that a wise solution
would be reached He Invited atten-
tion to some observat ions on the gem
eral subject Of national expansion.
Other Cases of Expansion.
ase%g %.4 A4f.
Our assumption Of sovereignty over
the Philippines was altogether unlike
the previous phases of our national ex-
pansion. He pointed out that whereas
in the development of the United
States from Atlantic to- the Pacific,
practically uninhabited territories were
found, the Philippine islands were al
ready peopled with Ma1ayanss who had
long made it their home, who resented
IN
whom the physical environment was
far better adapted than it was to white
men,. Sss
There are those who speak. of the
Philippines as our possessions, and
calmly conclude we may 90 what we
like with them. This was too barbar-
Gus to be taken seriously. 1T was not
callousnesss of heart, il was only mud
de headedness.i The terms owner
ship and ttpossession" We're barbar-
Gus survival when applied to any rela-
tion between one people and another.
The sovereign power owed nothing, but
there was something it owed. 1t was
charged with the responsibility of gov
eminent. Our relations with the Phil
ippines would be misrepresented so long
as We retained that fatal confusion of
government and property. Mr.. Schur-
man said NJ
What the Treaty Gave Us.
4 We 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 not yet got beyond the first func-
ton Of government-the suppression of
insurrection and the. establishment of
peace and ORDER r r% n3f
There was: said President Schurman,
full government Of a colony where profit
to the parent state or its citizens had
been a. leading consideration. On the
other hand, there We're many exam
pies Of disasters and rebellion from
such unworthy greed and exploitation.
Continuing he said: sa2- +s5 $s:E
II was often asked In the Philippines
if our civil service was better than that
Of SPAIN. Here is. point: where the
Filipinos suspect and fear us. We must
aliay their anxiety and suspicion by a
splendid Philippine civil service. i be-
lieVeF we shall.nsIt Isl absolutely aneces-
sary. But there will be no harder task
in connection with our government of
the archipelag The success of our
administration in the Philippines will
depend upon the man we send to con-
duct it, much more than upon acts of
congress or an other circumstances"
Establish Good Government.
In conclusion, Mr.. SehIrman said:
ssWhat is the end of colonization? Why
should we extend our sovereignty over
remote countries and alien peoples? i
answer that the only justifiabIe object
of such expansion is the establishment
of good government in the territory an
nexed, the elevation Of its people in
civilization and the training of them in
progressive self-government, with a
view Of ultimate independence, whether
BY partnership On separation from the
sovereign state. 81
In. the Philippine islands our own
mission is to educate and elevate the
Filipinos and aid them in governing
themselves Il We shall not adopt the
policy Of scuttle, nor, although Ameri-
can sovereignty must be established,
even by force, shall we ever dream of
the policy Of extermina ton Not op-
preston, nor yet abandonment and de-
sertion; not these. but. honest and fra
ternal cooperation with the Filipinos
for the establishment Of a just and
stable government, in which the41na-
tives shall have ever increasing partic-
ipation, the Improvement Of the means
of communication the freer informing
ling of the tribes and races and hearty
native cooperation with the Americans.
whose best political traditions are but
the realization of the dearest ideals OF
the FiliDiflOS DpODIn 5,&ss% i eg 34ff@f