Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-04-20
A PLAN FOR TIE PHILIPPINES.


pine snarl must, of course, look straight
at the facts as they exist today. The
march of events has changed the
problem from month to month. Last
May the solution was to order Dewey
to retit and recoal and sail away. This
was the courss urgently pressed at the
time upon Mr.. Mckinley by Senator
Sewell. The President rejected the
advice, and soon 1t became too lato to
take it even il he wanted to. Other
solutions were possible before tho meet
ing of the Paris Commission before
the ratification of the treaty by tho
Senate; before the fighting broke out
in the islands; but those events sue
cossiyely put new face on the ditli-
Guilty, and compelled new plans to solve
it. Today we have full legal authority
TO do what we will in the Philippines:
Tho islands are ours before the law of
| nations But no nation on earth,
unless it be an enemy to us, is satisfied
with tho Philippine situation. Our
best friends. the English, are not; this
country itself is not. The case cries
| loudly for some change of policy.
What shall it be? What course, at once
prudent and practicable, can be adopted
| to Put an end to a strife which is both
huniliating and fruitlcss?
We find in the London and China
Telegraph an interview with man
who knows the Malays we'll, and knows
Americans we'll, and who thinks he
sees the true policy for US to pursue.
1t is Prof. Alfred Russell Wallace, the
| distinguished naturalist, and what he
says is this: "Surely it is possible for
the Americana to revert to their first
expressed intention of taking small
island only as naval and coaling
station, and to declare themselves the
protectors of the islands against foreign
aggression Having done this, they
might invite the civilized portion of
the natives to form an independent
government, Offering them advice and
assistance il they wish for it, but
otherwise leaving them completely free.
1t might be advisable first to leave
the great island of Mindanao, mostly
inhabited by Mohammedans, to form
its own separate government; and some
guarantee might properly be asked for
the fair treatment of tho uncivilized
portion of the population, such as the
presence of a few American residents
as protectors of the aborigines. By
some such method as here suggested
the great republic of the West might
. aid in the production of new type oil
social development adapted to the
character of the Malayan race.
Let it be noted that this suggested
solution of the difficulty steers clear o.
the great objections which have beer
made to other plans. 1t does not pro
pose to "hand back" the islands tx
Spain. Most Americans. we presume
: would now BIO glad 10 hand them t
Spain or any other Power foolisl
enough to take them; but it is too lat,
5 to do that now. The islands arc our
for hetter or worse, for richer or poorer
: But Prof. Wallace does not contem
/ plate, either, that we should leave TIL
Philippines prey to scrambling foreigl
2 Powers, and so perhaps bring on
. European war. We are to announc
9 ourselves their protectors We are t,
Y defend them against foreign aggression
In short, we are to follow the well
approved English plan of declaring
9 protectorate, and then leaving tn
natives to develop tho best indigenou
;. government they can. An American
ptotectorate over the Philippines, tn
: recognition Of American suzerainty b
: the inhabitants, would be yer
I different thing from Administrative
o supremacy. 1t would mean America
| sovereignty NllNl ipl II I'm
u in all that affected the foreign relation
= of the islands; it would mean suitabl
u guarantees for the protection of life an
J. property; it would, of course, mea
y American garrisons as the suilicier
y symbol Of American power; it woul
y mean the protection of ono island {
u one race from possible aggressions 9
~ the part of another; but it would al;
y msan the free development of nati'
~ life and local rule, and, above all,
~ would mean the immediate ending
the aimless and bloody fighting whic
y is disgracing us in the eyes of Il
~ world.
OF The Filipinos would accept an Amer
40 can protectorate. They are eager f
D. it, unless they have changed the
minds since last August. The test
o. mony from their leaders laid before o.
~ Paris Commissioners was emphatic {
oy this point. They knew that they cou
u not protect their own islands again
u voIacious European countries. TIL
~ desired also the presence Of strol
er American force while the first expel
~ ments in native government we're bell
en- undertaken. We should then ha
en- what Prof. William James has call
human world tho attempt of peol
long enslaved to attain to the posse
ID sion of itself, to organize its laws q
~. government, TO be free to follow its
llo ternal destinies according TO its ol
he ideals. "
NJ. That milk is spilled, and there is
oh use crying over it now. But is it I
ct late to retrace our steps and do in etft
IN what We should have done long az
an 1t seems to US that it is not. In fa'
Ak the way seems easy. As tho case stanC
st, our dispute with the Filipinos
list largely dispute about words. III
vas first article of the proclamation of t
iah Philippine Commission were verba
The changed, there is no doubt that
natives would accept it with {
of thusiasm. Suppose that instead
rth reading, 1.-THE supremacy of the Unit
to States must and will be enfort
TO throughout every part of the arc
on, pelago, and those who resist can acco
ney plish nothing but their own ruin, y
the had stood, The United States
it'll clares itself protector Of the Philip
the Islands against foreign aggression, Q
and calls upon the natives to set up tn
God own internal government. 1t is cl
an, that the war would have onded on
of spot; that all the rest of the proclar
IN ton, so admirable in its promises
eht local control of local affairs, guarant
ing Of civil and religious rights, u p
sen judiciary, and so on, would have b
IRIS put into effect without the firing
urls another shot, the leaving of anot
nee Filipino to die death of slow tort