Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-01-18
QUESTION OF
PHILIPPINES
Gen. Whittier Says 1t is Not
Hard to Settle.
A TALK WITH AGUINALDO
Says One Half the People Want lnde-
pendence and the Other Half
a prOtectOrate.

New York, Jan. 1S.-General Charles A.
Whittier. who returned recently from
Manila, says:
Nothing in the world is easier of set
tlement than the situation in the Philip
pines. 1t could be settled in three days.
In the first place, there is a wide ig
norance of the wealth of the Philippines
and the character Of the I'ilipinos The
natives are not ignorant; they are not
saVages. They are adept at manufac
lures and as accountants, mariners and
railroad operatives. They are quiet,
most temperate and have shown great
ability in their military affairs. With
h1mness, accompanied by diplomacy and
tact, | think it is the simplest matter
possible to bring them under our control.
we may give them offices of minor i'm
portance, both military and civil, and
try the experiment for whatever number
of years may be necessary until they de-
Velop their capacity for governing, and
we can then be guided by that.
Il saw Aguinaldo on October 81. three
days before leaving Manila. He said his
people were about equally divided, one
half faVoring absolute independence, the
other half favoring an American protec
torate. / said to him in reply to those
favornS Independence: The fact is it
must be the wish of you all to develop
the country. To do this, roads must be
built on scientific principles: railroads
must be constructed; sanitation will be
necessary. You have no money nor
credit. You have no navy. The islands
are so rich prize that, apart from quar-
rels and schisms between the different
| tribes. foreigners are most likely to take
from you portions of the possessions
from time to time
"Aguinado replied: The civilized world
would never permit such a thing To
which | returned: How has it been in
China. where England, Russia, France
and Germany are striving at all times to
take parts Of the country?' He had no
answer for this. A confidential friend OF
Agunaldo's, Buen Canine, Joined the
conference at this point, and, after talk
ing a while with Aguinaldo, expressed
very strongly his opinion that the two
could move their people to the accept
ance OF protectorate. Aguinaldo and
Buen Canine added expressions of pleas
ure at my visit, as they felt they had been
neglected and rather given the cold
shoulder by the Americans since the day
after the fall Of Manila when they were
assured of our friendship. My view is
that after the signing of the treaty in
Paris communication should have been
established with them, and | have no
doubt that an understanding could have
been arrived at with no impairment of
our dignity and with no suggestion that
we Were going to give up the islands, at
least for the present"
Asked his opinion of the appointment
of President Mckinley of the commission
to investigate the conditions in the Phil
lppincs, General Whittier replied:
Il think it is a most excellent thing
In letter to the secretary of state. writ
ten last September, l recommended that
such commission be sent there to study
and report upon the conditions politi-
cally, socially and materially, of all the
islands and later in my testimony before
the peace commission in Paris, | made a
similar recommendation. | then sug-
gested hat bureau Of science, with the
ablest chief and staff to be obtained
should a once be established to compre-
mend the departments of geology, botany,
zoology and ethnology, and also a land
and forestry commission, or a depart
ment Of land surveys and works The
present commission seems to fulfill these
requirements.
1T might readily be adapted to the
British colonial system, and it would be
easy to determine which of the many
forms might be advantageously adopted.
The British colonial empire has forty dis
tinct and independent governments. OF
these eleven have elective assemblies and
responsible governments. The remain
ing twenty nine are divided into many
classes. In any form of government
under a protectorate it would be of ad-
vantage probably, to make a native
leader a commissary of natives In this
or any event the government alone or
with the commission should have abso-
lutte power