Omaha daily bee., 1899-04-07
EXPLOITING THE PHiL IPpINES.

Ine prOClanla tOn OF the Gnlllpplne
commission says: Honor, justice and
friendship forbid the use of the Philip
pine people or the islands they inhabit
as an object or means of exploitation" :"
This recognition of a possible cOnse-
quence of American occupation of the
Philippines may be intended as well for
the consideration of our own people as
for that of the people to whom 1t is
addressed, for the commissioners who
were sent to Manila cannot be unaware
of the fact that the expansion sentiment
here has been to a very large extent
created and fostered by the belief that
the Philippines will be great field for
exploitation. Most of the advocates of
our taking and holding possession of the
archipelago have urged that great op-
portunities would be found there for
nearly all sorts of enterprises. Mining.
agricultural development, railroad
building, it has been said, would give
profitable investment to American cap
ital and calls for a large amount of it.
Everything tending to show the posi-
bilities of the Philippines as a field for
exploitation has been carefully utilized
in the interest of the expansion policy.
The LATEST contribution to this Is the re-
port of the representative of the ASrl-
cultural department who was sent to
investigate the productions OF the
islands and who states that he 1Ounu
them capable of an enormous increase
in production.
1t is true that honor. justice and
friendship forbid the exploitation of the
Philippines, but will such declaration
have any force after military admins
tration is at an end and civil govern
ment is instituted? So long as the
former continues there is every reason
to believe that no exploitation of the
Philippine people or islands VIII pe
permitted. The requirements in this
regard of "honor, justice and friend
ship" will be respected. But we can
not feel sure that this will be the case
when the military power gives place to
civil authority. 1t is not to be doubted
that President Mckinley intends
TO appoint to civil positions in the
Philippines men of capacity ana III
tegrity. His sincere desire to promote
the welfare and advancement Of the
people of the islands is unquestionable.
But unless he is prepared to utterly
ignore the demands of politicians and
to select officials entirely upon his own
Judgment, 1t will be hardly possible for
him to avoid appointing some men who
will not be averse to exploitation, but
rather disposed to promote 1t. The
danger in respect to the future govern
ment of the Philippines is that it may
be administered by men whose honor
and whose sense of duty will not be be-
yond temptation; that it will fall into
the hands of politicians who will be dis
posed to make the most out of 1T and
thus become the projectors or the III
struments of schemes of exploitation.
Perhaps there is no necessity for ap-
prehcnsion on this score, because the
Philippines may not offer the opportuni-
ties that the eXpansionists are looking
for. We do not believe they will. 1t
will be well, however, to have safe
guards against exploitation and the
most effective of these will be found in
appointing TO civil positions only men
of the highest character.