New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-03-05
PACTFYING THE PHILIppryp.
GUNBOATS ARE POTENT FAcro,.
PEACE AND CIVILIZATION. save
MR. SEWARD
To the Editor Of The Tribune.

| To the Editor Of The Tribune
| Sir Az Admiral Dewey took tho ia.
year In acquiring the Philippines 50 No.
ready 10 take the lead in promoting ,h.,.
and civilization. His latest suggestion I, '1
celent and sagacious one.
There are over twelve hundred island.
archipelago. They are separated from ~. i
other some by broad arms Of the sea o,,,.
narrow straits and sounds. They are ,,,.'
by various tribes or nations dlne ~ ,r,,
other In race. religion and character !.
towns built by the Spaniards are in the a.
and near the coasts. The native vllla,..
also largely scattered along the variou. 4.
shores. The interior ia more sparsev a.
tied A fleet OF light-draught gunboa,s a. 4
penetrate these channels, could pa,,, \
waters and practically have the control :.
archipelago.
We had similar experience thirty year.
When we purchased Alaska We found the a.,
ern portion OF that Immense region an A.
pelago Of densely wooded islands y
by no means 80 vast or so populous as III. D.
ippine archipelago. but its people were slmr,.
located The Russian posts and settler..
were In the harbors. The villages OF N. :.
tives were scattered along the shores. for =.
depended largely on the salmon catch 70, y.
living
When General Davis was sent up with -,
or three companies Of United States ,roov, +,
replace the Russian garrisons there was a.,
apprehension that II would prove DANCE
and difficult undertaking There were ssp
be twenty thousand or thirty thousand an.
native warriors Why might tkey not band ),
gether to resist American occupancy and IN
this handful Of troops into the sea?
General Davis esta blished his headQuar.sr
Sitka. and the first discovery he made was q,
there was no united Alaskan nation sesc
independence or anything else. The populs
was made up OF different tribes, Jealous o. 4,
often hostile 10 one another. The Chilkats vi
on the verge OF war with the Kalosh: 4
Thlinkets were distrustful Of both; the As
held little communication with the malrls,
the inland tribes could not come down to 4
coast TO barter their furs for fish without "a
ing tribute 70 the tribes on the shore. The Il
task before General Davis was to keep I.
peace ana TO hNOlQ DFliS VI II lllND Ailbd Ht1
One day a friendly chief who had come t1r
10 Stka and was visiting the headquarters
invited 10 witness the soldiers drill in the pg:
square. He looked on in silence. but pressr
said 10 the General
You no ought work your men here on ID
with guns You ought work them on WI,
with canoes"
In fact, that was the key OF the situation. u
troops could never control the territory
marching through thick forests. unknown mou
tain passes and marshy plains. But armed ye
sells. patrollng the bays. sounds and rive1
could. in a few hours. reach any village a
have It under their guns
Acting on the reports from its Army offc
the Government at Washington dispans
naval vessels and revenue cutters 70 ALASKA
has had some OF the latter there ever s,|
There has been no outbreak that was not eis
oueiled Tribal wars were soon ended, and
one rejoiced more than the natives thems
at the facilities for intercourse trade, ui
and education thus opered 10 them. To-day /
missionaries. the teachers. the miners. he 4
nlorers and the tourists go from one end o. I
Behring Strait. without molestation by nati1
OF any tribe. but welcomed and aided by III
all.
Let the Admiral have his gunooats. They s
potent factors for peace and civilization. III
will save us millions Of dollars and huntr
OF lives
II we are TO solve the philippine proSsn]
we should begin 10y dlsabusing ourselves 4
false notions and crude ideas about IT, Ter
is no united Filipino republic fighting '~ ris
pendence. For the most part, the Fllp's %
not know what a republic is or what irts1sn''
ence means We are not going there 70 1asa
a patriotic people struggling for liberty v"
are going there 70 lberate a race that ~
groaned for centuries under native tyrah,l
veneered over during more centuries by spans'
half civilization and misrue. The task
great one. but IL is one worthy OF the ene'sa
OF the people OF great republic, founded on u
belief that Liberty enlghtening the worf
not a phrase. but a fact
FREDERICK W. SEWARD
Montrose on the Hudson March 3, nv