The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1900-03-31

practically uncivilized. In a paper like
this it Is not to be expected that these
geographical divisions should be enum-
Grated, but the commission in it's report
WIN discuss, infinitely and specifically, all
| these matters.
! The chief products of the islands are
| tobacco, sugar, rice, hemp and copra
There are seventy varieties of valuable
woods. There are numerous mnes-lead,
| silver, gold, copper, iron and coal.
The climate varies with the altitude
Banquet is 1900 feet above the sea level
| and the temperature IS cool and the coun-
| try delightful to live in. 1t goes without
saying that the soil is wonderfully pro-
ductive. 80. tu = -,
The considerations which would induce
nation to throw away property so valu-
| able as this must be weighty. Those that
| are urged are mostly sentimental, or
| based on long seated political prejudices.
Let us see what are some of the con-
trolling reasons why we should keep the
| Philippines. It is generally received az
| true that 40 per cent OF the trade and COM
merce of dependency goes to, the parent
state We would enjoy, therefore, nearly
| half of the trade of eight or ten millions
| OF people 1t is not conceivable now to
| what figures trade with the Philippines
would advance. The custom house at Ma
Mia alone collects now about a million
Mexican dollars every month as duties,
but trade between the islands is dead.
and the Pasig river is crowded with ships
| lying idle at anchor.
We have an enormous Pacific coast. In
the event OF war with any country its
protection would be greatly facilitated by
outposts in. the Pacific. Consider the mo-
| mentous question. If Dewey had met dis
aSter at Manila he would have had no
port nearer than seven thousand miles in
which to take refuge; he could not have
| coaled or repaired his ships anywhere in
| the East
AS government is organized chiefly for
the protection of the people, natural and
feasible steps should be taken to protect
| our commerce in the far Eastern seas.
All nations take such steps. Russia, Eng
land, France, Germany, have seized por-
lions of China for this purpose We
are told to stand by and let the world
help itself to every strategic point with
out making an effort to secure one for
| ourselves. We must remain like the
snail in his shell, and not presume to
leave our own continent, not even to
secure protection, and. above all, not
for the sake of increasing our material
prosperity
| The writer has been treated to much
abuse because he family intimated that
| the controlling question in the acuu;si-
| ton Of territory was whether it would
| materially benefit us; but let it be under
| stood, however, that all the benefactions
tina: humanity signs for will come to the
| Philippines with our domination.
The six thousand children who are
| learning English to-day in the public
! schools of Manila will be endowed with
| rights and privileges that their fathers
| never knew
| = We are Republicans. We would scoru
| 70 enslave nation or race. By hold
| ing the Philippines we have a vantage
ground in the far East for some manner
| Of control of Eastern polity We be-
| power undertake to partition the vast
| empire which is rapidly becoming the
| best market in the world for Western
manufactures we should speak with en-
phasis if thirty of our war ships floated
| anchored within fifty hours sail Of the
China coast.
! The anti-imperialists should not mo-
nopolize all the indignation. The miners.
| the manufacturers, the railroad builders
the merchants, the shipbuilders the can
| ners and the farmers need not to feign
| wrath when they hear that our policy
should be to stand like the poor boy
| at a frol1c" whenever the scene is laid
outside of the Golden Gate. Tongue
| tied, hands tied, powerless, we must re-
hearse again and again the cry Of non
intervention in foreign affairs, although
| overproduction may glut our markets and
| beggar our industrials.
| Our young men, too; may they not fifty
ask field for their energy, their indus
| try and their talents? They see the
youth Of England building up empires
IN AFRICA and Asia: We have few lover
| seas men except the missionary, and we
! 40 not value. him at his true worth. These
men have dotted China with concessions
ana handsome towns and cities, have
toned under every sky, and have ploughed
WIN thelr keels every. ocean, and the
mother country owes to them her COM
| merce and her worldwide domino ton.
dow to- y,ol =
our bright, adventurous, educated youth.
Iney Will not do day labor, and every
other occupation is overcrowded Let US
give them a chance, as the youth Of
| other nations have, to seek their fortunes
IN Eastern lands. The Philippines lie
1a to their hands; let them enter
there and make Manila what she ought
to be, the Queen City of Asia. She is
| the natural termination of an inter-
oceanic canal. She is on the lines to
indla and Australia, and over the way
| lies the continent OF ASIA
! quote from the preliminary report
OF the Philippine commission the fol-
lowing:
FITCH in agricultural and forest pro-
oucts, as well as in mineral, command
ing IN geographical position, the Philip
pine Islands should soon become enc
OF the great trade centers of the East.
New steamship lines established since
the American occupation, already con.
meet Manila with Australia, India and
Japan. She will become the natural ter
minus of many other lines when g. shin
canal connects the Atlantic with the Pa
cinc and yet others will inevitably be
attracted by the DEVELOPMENT of the phil
1ppine coal deposits 49,
Inc building Of a short railway line
mas recently doubled the crop of rice
OF the archipelago. It cannot be doubted
tnat under an efficient administration of
uomestlc affairs commerce will greatly
increase, and the United States will rom
a large share in this increment. Manila
with the immunity which it has thus far
enjoyed from that terrible pest the BIZ
Don1c plague, should become a distribpt
ing center for China, Siam, the Straits
settlements, Tonquin, AMMAN and Aus
tralia." -I' 80 - 49,
The question Of what form of govern
ment should be given to the Philippines
now engages the attention Of public ora
tors and writer's for the press. On t,,is
subject 1t must be said that the action OF
the military authorities already taken
will have considerable weight,
The problem in the Philippines was
whether to establish a general govern
ment for all the archipelago first and to
let tnat government create provincial and
municipal governments, or to commence
at the bottom and build up.
The latter plan was adopted. MANY
cities which were occupied by our troops
were given municipal governments The
Filipino has some trouble to find out how
to vote, or whom to vote for, but he is
learning. It is a novel experience
Following up the plan of reconstruction.
the next step was to give constitution
to the Island of Negros. It is embodied
IN military order issued by Gen. Otis.
There is a military governor with the
veto power. There is a civil governor.
and legislature elected by the people
It is possible that some of the provisions
would strike the anti -imperialists as being