The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-01-09

sible an American resident in each dis
trict, and like council grouped about
him; frequent and unannounced
visits of provincial governors to
the districts of their province; peri
odical reports to the governor general;
make semi-annual trips to the archi-
pelago without power of suggestion or
interference to officials or people, but
only to report and recommend to the
Philippine office of our state depart
ment; Philippine civil service, with
promotion for efficiency; the abolition
OF duties on exports from the Philip
pines; the establishment of import du-
ties on a revenue basis, with such dis
elimination in favor OF American i'm
ports as will prevent the cheaper goods
of other nations from destroying Amer
lean trade; complete reform of local
taxation on land according to its asses
sed value; the minting of abundant
money for Philippine and Oriental use;
the granting of franchises and conceS-
SionS upon the theory of developing the
resources of the archipelago, and
therefore not by sale, but upon par
ticipation in the profits of the enter
prise; the formation of a system of pub
lie schools everywhere with compulsory
l1shment of the English language
throughout the islands, teaching it ex-
clusively in the schools and using it,
through interpreters, exclusively in the
simpler criminal code, and both COM
mon to all the islands except Sulu,
Mindanao and Paluan American judges
for all but smallest offenders. gradual,
slow and careful introduction of the
best FiliDinoS into the working ma
chinery of the government, no promise
whatever of the franchise until the peo-
pie have been prepared for it; all this
backed by the necessary force to exc
cute it; this outline of government the
situation demands as soon as tranquil
lily is established. Until then military
government is advisable.
ENGLISH OR DUTCH SYSTEMS M
POSSIBLEAPROTEC I'M
PRATICABLE
We can not adopt the Dutch method
in Java, nor the English method in the
Malay states, because both of those sys-
TENS rest on and operate through the
existing governments of hereditary
princes, with Dutch or English residents
as advisers. But in the Philippines
there are no such hereditary rulers, no
such established governments. There
is no native machinery of adminiStra-
ton except that of the villages. The
people have been deprived of the adj
vantages of hereditary native princes,
and yet not instructed in any form of
regular, just and orderly government.
Neither is a protectorate practicable.
If a prOtectOrate leaves the natives to
their own methods more than would our
direct administration of their govern
ment, it would permit the very evils
which it is our duty to prevent. If, on
the other hand, under a protectorate,
We interfere to prevent those evils, we
govern as much as if we directly ad-
minister the government, but without
system or constructive purpose. In
either alternative we incur all the re-
Sponsibility of directly governing them
ourselves, without any of the benefits
to US, to them, or to the archipelago,
which our direct administration of gov
eminent throughout the island would
secure.
KIND OF AMERICAN OFFICIALS
NECESSARY.
Even the elemental plan 1 have out
lined will fail in the hands of any but
ideal administrators. Spain did not
utterly fail in devising-many of her
plans were excellent; she failed in ad-
ministering. Her officials, as a. class,
were corrupt indolent, cruel, immoral.
They were selected to please a faction
in Spain, to placate members of the
Cortez, to bride those whom the gov
eminent feared. They were seldom Sc
lected for their fitness. They were the
spawn of government favor.
The men we send to administer civ
ilized government in the Philippines
must DE themselves the highest exam
pies OF our civilization. I use the word
examples, for examples they must be in
that words most absolute sense. They
must be men of the world and of af-
fairs, students of their fellow men, not
theorists nor dreamerS. They must
be brave men, physically as well as
morally. They must be as incorruptible as
honor, as stainless as purity, men whom
no force can frighten, no influence CO.
cree, no money buy. Such men come
high, even here in America But they
must be had. Better pure military oc-
cupation for years than government by
any other equality of administration.
Better abandon this priceless posses
do our part in the Notwithstanding
work of our imperial race; better now
haul down the flag of arduouS deeds for
civilization and run up the flag of re-
action and decay than to apply aca-
denic notions of government to
these children or attempt their govern
ment by any but the most perfect ad-
ministrators our country can produce.
I assert that such administrators can
be found. There is one in Cuba now,
who, with the words, Money is not
everything" refused 100000 a year as
president of a corporation that he
might continue the work of our race in
the regeneration of Santiago, and thus
announced and typif1ed the new ideal of
the republic which pessimists declared
had become sordid and base. Among
our 80, 100000, we have thousands like
him Necessity will produce them. Let
no one fear that our party workers will
seek to fill these places without regard
to fitness. l know we'll this most ma
ligned and most valuable class of Am
erican citizens, the precinct commit
teemen and party workers in the
country districts of the republic; and if
we truthfully, bravely state the situa-
ton at the outset, these very politi-
clans will insist most strenuOusly of all
on the highest possible qualification in
the administration of our possessions.
OUR ADMINISTRATOR MUST BE
EXAMPLES
I repeat that our government and
our administrators must be examples.
You can not teach the Filipinos by
precept An object lesson is the only
lesson he comprehends. He has no
conception of pure, orderly, equal, i'm
partial government, under equal laws
justly administered, because he has
never seen such a government. He
must be shown the simplest results of
good government by actual example in
order that he may begin to understand