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

such government Not more than 25 per
cent OF the people are fitted to take
part in the selection of public officers
| The people are at present Incapable of
| SelI-goYernmenI, though they might be
| entrusted with purely municipal af-
FAIRS Establish precisely the same laws
| through the archipelago. English should
be universally taught. The common
| people know and care nothing about
self-government or any other govern
menE They are principally interested in
simply living Self government can
only mean government by the upper
classes
Prominent Spanish Mestizo, Of Ne
gros:
You may be a long time subduing
| TINS lnsurrection- The people are not
| yet capable of f-government in the
| archipelago. 1t is we'll, though, to trust
| them with municipal administration.
provided everything is under your final
J supervision The proposition to have
| the same commercial laws everywhere
| is too plain for argument. The climate
| IS not bad at all. You see that for
| yourself. 1t is very cool here, you see,
this evening. My own health had been
/ excellent, and is now. There is very
| little sickness among the English here.
! The island of NegroS is far ahead of
| any other island in the culture of it's
people. Our chief desire now is to get
utterly away from Spanish customs,
/ laws and traditions. I think we are
| quite capable of self government under
! American protection. If the Philippine
Island are made into a federal system
| we would expect to be one of the states.
! Certainly we can manage the local af-
4 fairs of the island Exclusive of the
savages of the mountains I should say
/ that four or five per cent of the people
1 are now capable of intelhgently voting.
I think the voting should be by those
| who own property. can read and write,
/ or are established householders and
/ heads of families, with definite resi-
n 7 1v,1 - =
| vote by having a committee in each
/ town make out a list, and then notify
| the ones chosen. Certainly 1 would ex-
pect the common people to follow the
| advice of the leaders, and vote for
/ whom the leaders said. should think
my own employees would take my view
! of a situation. If you give US a gov
! eminent where justice is administered
without corruption or delay, property
| protected without fee, free speech in
| Sured, commercial language provided,
| the people will be satisfied. Spain did
( none of this but the reverse. That is,
and was. our complaint. English should
/ be Immediately made the language of
the whole archipelago. I do not think
| the same political laws should prevail
| throughout the islands. One place
should have laws adapted to tan
/ other laws adapted to it. The reason for
/ this is that the people of the various
/ islands are of different degrees of Gull
ture. OF course, though, I think the
| whole archipelago a commercial unit"
Pure Filipino and large planter of
/ Negroes:
I have working for me about 400
men, They are good, average examples
1 of the common people of the island
| should say that not over three or four
/ per cent of them are capable of self
4 government, or in any true sense I'M
/ derstand the term. If the ballot were
i given them, or even if it were restrict
| ed to those three or four per cent,
| should expect them to vote as the lead
! ers might Indicate I think the English
| language should be Immediately adopt
| cd throughout the entire archipelago.
| 1t would simplify matters incalculably.
| No, do not believe the same laws
/ should prevail everywhere. We, of
| Negros, are more cultivated than in
/ Panay. We deserve better laws
Very large planter and influential,
but unreliable man of Negroes, claiming
to be pure Filipino, but with some
| Chinese blood:
The climate is most excellent. The
| wealth of these islands is beyond mag
! nation We have only begun to de-
| velOp our resources. For example, we
| have not touched our minerals prac-
! tieally. Lands you see yonder are real
| " better for agricultural purposes than
this low, fat coast land No, it is not
| yet occupied, and the title to it is still
/ in the government. I have several
American plOughs. They do good work.
! not brought to US; the native plough
has served our purpose, and our inertia
makes itincOnVenientt to change if effort
! is necessary. Yes, enterpriSing agency
! would sell many p1oughs. 1 have sew
eraI carriages made in America. I have
| from 1000 to ], 500 men working for me-
| OF these, practically all are capable OF
| lf-gOVernment. Would they vote as
I wished? Most assuredly. they would.
BY all means make English the lang
| uage of these islands as speedily as
| possible. It will increase commerce.
and get US further away from the old
| hated regime. 1 regard these islands
as a commercial unit, and think uni
form laws should prevail throughout
the archipelago. Your young men could
| come here and buy land, and soon get
| enormously rich You need not fear
| that we leaders would be able to con-
| troll elections. The government itself
| would nominate all the officers or can
| didates; so you see the people would
| have to vote for good men. What would
| I do if any man spoke against or criti-
! cised the government? Why, anyone
| rising against the government would
| be tried and shot If condemned"
Prominent Filipino, of Cebu:
1.-THE island of Cebu can yield great
| " more than it has. The people are
! disturbed by what they have been
| through. and what they fear Very few
| are capable of self government now.
My brother employs a large number of
men, If given the ballot they would
most certainly vote as he said. 1 am
| sure the better classes would control
| the voting of the poorer classes We
/ should expect to hold positions under
any government you establish
An American planter, of Panay. then
| in Cebu:
NO, the people are not capable of
self government. You had better be-
ware of giving them too much than too
little If you give them more than in
their hearts they expect, you lay the
foundation of trouble. No matter what
plan you adopt. it all depends on the
men you send here to execute it. If
they are made political billets you are
irretrievabIy lost. Your governor gen.
eral must be absolutely honest, brave,
tactful broad minded, and able Pay
him well-he will earn it, if he ought to
|