The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-05-04
The Philippines
HS an Investment,
From the New York Sun.

fl LT1OUGh the flllplnO lnSur-
! I'M gents have not yet laid down
| I5\ their arms, there is now reason
| u u to believe that hostilities will
cease before operations are rendered
| difficult by the rainy season, which,
nominally, begins on June 1. The sub
mission of Aguinaldo's adherents will
be followed by the establishment of a
provisional government, in the framing
of which, no doubt, due Difference will
be paid to the suggestions of the COM
missioners who have been sent to Ma
Mia. 1t will be fortunate if such
government shall have been by Dec. 1
| in working order for some months, so
| that the next congress may proceed
to permanent legislation for the Philip.
pines with fun knowledge of the facts.
| The arguments on which the anti-eX-
pansionstS mainly rely are these:
First, have we a moral right to i'm
pose our rule upon the Filipinos. and,
secondly, will it pay to do so? There
is ground for the suspicion that as
time goes on a good deal more stress
will be laid upon the second argument
than on the first. 1t is evident that
outside of part of LuzOn, we are
governing the Philippine islands with
the consent of the governed. This is
true. also. of the intelligent and far
sighted class in the city of Manila. 1t
is equally certain that the aboriginal
inhabitants, who occupy the northern
and eastern parts of Luzon itself, and
who detest the Tagals. and also the
Chinese residents, who constitute a
considerable fraction of the population,
would greatly prefer to be ruled by
Americans than by Agulnaldo. 1t is
further probable that Aguinaldo him.
self and the other leaders of the in
surrection, which is now near collapse
will shortly acknowledge that their
armed resistance TO our authority was
i'll advised, and that their country will
be better Oft, internally and externally,
under our protection, than it would
have been as a so called Tagal repub-
lie. The moment, obviously, that the
TagalS return 10 their peaceful Voca-
tions and acquiesce in the orderly and
kindly regime instituted by the United
States, there will be no longer any pre-
text for the charge that we are op-
pressing people struggling to be free.
The truth will then be seen by every
one, namely, that we are resolved to
give the Filipinos not only a far be t.
ter government than they ever enjoyed
under the Spaniards, but the largest
measure of government whereof
they are capable.
| But, while the moral and sentimen-
tai protest against our retention Of the
Philippines is not likely to be urged
much longer, there are signs that the
economical objection may continue to
be pressed. Already the more willy OPP
ponentS Of expansion are falling back
on the assertion that, whereas all the
former acquisitions of territory by the
United States We're, obviously, profit
able. this is not the case with the
Philippines, because the cost of main
tanning there an adequate military and
naval force will greatly exceed any
federal revenue dcrivable from the ISL
ands. II this assertion be we'll founded
the voters in 1900. so we are told, will
shake their heads and decline to sane
tion the retention of the Philippines.
The assertion however happens to be
without foundation,
; The purchase of Florida received the
, hearty approval of the American peo,
Observation-Disclosures the fact that sever
al decades elapsed before the Fedora
revenue accruing from that territory
! reimbursed us for the purchase money
paid to Spain and for the subsequent
cost OF the war against the Seminoles
| There were croakers, indeed, at tn,
time, who complained that we haC
, bought a pig in a poke. and who sale
that the brave Seminoles, fighting fol
their liberty, were perfectly right il
refusing to recognize the transfer I,
: us of a sovereignty which Spain haC
: ! been unable to force. Nevertheless
the great mass Of our people We're thor
/ | oughly convinced that Florida was our
. by title as good in morals as in law
and that it would eventually pay.
o
So too. i'm regard to Alaska. Al TIL
time of the purchase Of that territor,
j from Russia there were skeptical per
sons i'm New England who alleged tha
Secretary Seward had paid millions 70
- an iceburg. The great majority Of tn
, voters, however had faith that MI
> Stewards investment would prove lu
: crative in the end, and their contidenc
' has been justified by the profits of III
fur-seal business and by the gold de
I pOsiTa i'm the Yukon region. on the fac
0 of things, the Philippines promise I
he a far better investment than wa
Florida or Alaska. SO soon as the i'm
s. surgents under Aguinaldo have bee
a aubdued, the military and naval fore
now serving i'm the Philippines can b
materially reduced. and it would no
be surprising If, within ten years, tn
Federal revenue accrulng from the Is
$ lands should meet the expenditures.