Arizona republican., 1899-03-16
WERE ENGLAND IN
 THE PHILIPPINES

In the course of an article in the
 March number of the Century Maga-
 zine, MT. James Bryce, the well known
 English author and publicist, tells
 what Great Britain would probably dc if she stood in the shoes of the United
 States and had to deal with Jhe Phil
 ippines.
 In the first place she would select as governor the best man she could find among those with Indian or colonial experience. She would give this gov ernor wide powers and equip him with a staff of capable civil and military of ticers. To supply him with money a grant from the imperial exchequer would be made, because the local rev. enues, mismanaged by Spain, would not be sufficient to defray the expenses of setting up a new administration. There would be some grumbling in 1 the house of commons" says Mr. Bryce, but the expenditure could not be avoided, and it might for some time. especially if armed resistance occurred continue tC be heavy" Besides the regular British troops that would be sent local force would be raised, of Chinese or natives or both, and they would be officered by Englishmen, Sur COuSITuCL0u, railways planned, and a commission would be appointed to investigate na- tive customs and devise methods for the levy and collection of taxes. "Tne pollce-for it is to be supposed that the spanish had some sort of police would be reformed and placed under an English chief; and, in course of time, the more settled regions would be divided up and allotted to district commissioners, with, probably. some judicial as well as executive authority. For the Spaniards, Spanish laws would in the first place remain, but in the long run they would be superseded by English Native customs would be re- spected as far as possible. The courts would probably be remodeled. but na- tive usages would, when possible, be respected, while the Roman Catholic church, though not despoiied of her great wealth, could not be suffered to retain privileges prejudictal to the pub lie or inconsistent with religious free dom.'
 The government provided would de- pend much on the capacity for self control indicated by the population. At first, however, the governor would be practically supreme, being limited only by the order in council which would
 
 after little, local legislative coun- ell would be set up, consisting in the first instance of the chief officials and of few prominent persons who rep resented the different phases of society. 1 This council would be advisory to the | governor. at first without authority, | but in due time it would take on the | nature of a legal body of representa- | tives, and in the end. by a slow but | steady process of broadening, the | island government would reach the stage of independence found success ful by England in her tropic colonies.
 All of this is of great interest, for England is the only white mans coun- try in the world, with possibly the ex- ception of Holland, that has had long and varied experience in dealing with the black and Malay races To be sure there is rather more of the des- potic system in the programme here given than may appear tOlerable to the but our author argues that America might as well make up her mind first as last that at the beginning despotism is the only system that will serve. Tn India this system has ac- complished three great things. It has established perfect internal peace and it has secured a perfectly just
 
 as criminal; and it has enhanced the moral, physical and material well-be- ing of the natives in great degree.
 England has learned all she knows about civilizing barbarous peoples through years of bitter experience. In the earlier days of her India govern nent she committed the fatal mistake 1f trying to mold the black man almost 1t once to the white mans pattern Her and reformers and philan- .hropists were impatient because the black man could not be forced at the point of a gun to abandon the beliefs, customs and practices which had come : O him through ages of inheritance MT Bryce does not tell us of the failures Great Britain made in India before , he began to make her government a success, but failures there were, and hey ought to serve as well as they served those who first encountered l hem England found India full of moral C niquities. With a strong hand she I ought to correct them. But the na- I i've could not be forced to abandon a 6 Ustom of centuries because the white nan thought it evil. He could not see with the white mans eyes. The white = nan might govern as he saw fit; he | hlSHC dO dtly IuIuS IOuCuluS tn6 na- Al erial welfare of the black people; but c e must not touch the religious and so- ( ial customs which had come down J trough the distant ages. For these il he black man would fight and he did ght, and much to the cost and sorrow f England she found that she had h Ommenced reform in the wrong way II nd at the wrong place. o And then with her eyes opened Eng n md commenced to lead the black man : that he might reason with the white : lan's intellect. Little by little the loral iniquities were educated out of ne faith of the Indian nation By a Idicious intermingling of teaching o nd authority the crime of suttee, of . slf-inlmolation of widows, was driven c ut of practice. Little by little the 'ime of infanticide was lessened. Lit a e by little the crime of GOlygamy is