The Goodland republic., 1899-09-22
BACK FROM The PHILIPPINEs
John Butts Of This City Gives His Views
Of Conditions in the Islands.


Of Conditions in the Islands.
John Butts, a returned soldier from
the Philippines, has a monopoly on
matters Of fact sin these parts" con-
eerning the status OF things on the
autipOdes.
Every man in Sherman county who
thinks that Mckinley is a good god Of
Imperialism, and that the Filipinos are
a people so contemplate and barbarous
as to deserve EOt single consideration
at the hands Of American people should
talk with Mr. Butts and imbibe at least
enough facts to counter balance his
prejudice.
The politics Of Mr.. Butts is not
known to The REPUBLIC. That is not a
pertinent question here The testi-
mony Of observation from an actor in
Il fights must be taken seriously Ere
quent contact with the natives enabled
him to acquire much which needs to be
known by the people at home, both i'm
perialists and anti-imperiaIists. The
truth works no injury, and if the facts
are unpalitable to anyone it is because
his alimentary apparatus has been de-
ranged.
Mr.. Butts says that the FilipinOs are
a smart and industrious class of peo-
pie, civilized and abundantly able to
manage their own affairs. He puts it
in a way that can be thoroughly com
pretended by drawing a comparison
between them and the negroes of Am
erica: that the Filipino is as Tar ahead
OF the negro in enIightment as day is
ahead Of night. He attests the fact
that they are also good fighters.
As an illustration of their ambitious
desire for knowledge, he says: 'There
are no free schools in the Philippines.
Every scholar has to pay tuition. The
great majority Of families are too poor
to send more than one child to school,
so they pick out the smartest in the
family and send him to school, while
the other members of the family toll
through the day and earn the liveli-
hood. When night comes the school
taught boy is surrounded by the fami-
ly, but where the members are few, per
haps more than one household are rep
resented, and tells them all that he has
learned at school that day. Thus the
boy is the intellectual star of the house |
hold and gives light to the less favored. /
1t takes persistence to work by day and I
study by night. In all my experience
in the islands never met Filipino /
that could not read Spanish fuently. |
We Americans haYe free schools and a /
compulsory school law. The Filipinos |
have neither free schools, nor a COM |
pulsOry school law, so you see all they !
need is a chance"
Dewey's words sound we'll in this con- |
nection: with fair treatment and good 1
opportunities there is great pOssibiIi- /
ties in the Filipino"
Continuing on points that are of in ]
terest Mr.. Butts said that the war was !
the result of unrecognition of the na-
tives; that a few good diplomats would |
have done more CORD toward bringing |
about peace than all the force of war, /
in fact they were held in suspense fol |
lowed by suspense with the assurance !
of nothing but the sword, and what /
patience would not give way to suspi-
.cion under such a condition.
However, Mr.. Butts trip across the !
ocean did not injure his health 1t is /
better to-day than when he started. /
He was with the First Colorado, and on
his trip visited the Hawaiian islands,
Hong Kong, China, Toxic, japan. He /
secured a number of interesting relics !
from the Orient.