Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-03-13
WHEELER ON THE PHILIPPINES.
The General Favors Giving Them Ter.
rltorIal Government.

San franclScO, March 9.-General JO-
seph Wheeler favors giving the Phil
ippines "a territorial form of govern
ment. Said he: 81 believe the people
are ready for certain kind of self
government. They could be given po-
wer to make laws under such a sys-
TEN of governments as has been adopted
for our territories. The municipal gov
ernments are all in the hands of the
natives and they get along without
trouble or friction. Under a terrific
rial form the islands could be best con-
trolled."
He reviews his impressions of the
trade possibilities in the Orient as fol-
lows: England, Russia, Germany and
France have braved war and pestilence
in their efforts to secure their share
of the wealth which will come to them
by their commercial relations with
these people. The treaty of peace cast
upon us a responsibility of sovereignty
over from nine to eleven million of
people together with the islands which
they inhabit, containing, an area three
times that of our great and prosperous
empire state. Very naturally there may
be honest differences of opinions as to
whether everything has been conduct
ed during the two years in accordance
with the highest wisdom and best pos
sible judgment, but--there should be
no question among the American peo-
pie as to the duty and wisdom of now
uniting i'll determined effort to take
the situation as it stands and to so con.
duct the affairs of our country as to
add most TO its glory, honor, welfare
and prosperity. 1t is friendly strug-
gle for commercial supremacy in which
our rival nations are using their best
efforts, and l say let us in a friendly
but determined spirit use our best eff
forts also. Our Pacific cities are now
face to face with eastern shores of
Asia. The Nicaragua canal will bring
our Gulf ports nearer to them than
those of the Atlantic and Europe.
With Manila as the great depot, steam
crs from the emporium could reach
the commercial ports of eastern Asia
as readily as it can be done by English
steamers from Hong Kong. We must
consider that about one-third OF the
population of the earth is concentrat-
led in the eastern half of Asia and that
vast multitudes are rapidly learning
to appreciate the advantages, and /
might add necessity, of high civiliza-
ton, and they are also learning TO re-
|alize the comfort which is enjoyed by
the people of the most civilized nations
manufactures and mechanical develop
ments. which are there found. Europe
and America must purchase silks, tea.
coffee, hemp, spices and products of
the handiwork of the people of the
Orient and this immense population
needs the articles which the American
farms and factories are producing
cheaper and better than those which
ARE produced anywhere else on earth ;.
France has acquired possessions in Asia
which contain a population four times
as great and area nearly ten times as
large as that of our empire state. En-
glands dominions and dependencies in
Asia now extend over an area OF 1,600,-
900 square miles and contain a popula-
ton of nearly 300,000,000. Russia has
already in Asia territory exceeding in
Iarea 100000 square miles and contain
| ing over 100000 people. The COM
pletion of the Trans-Siberian railway
and its branches, opening the Nicara-
qua canal and the annexation of the
Pacific Island to the United States will
more thoroly revolutionize the COM
mercial relations of the world than has
ever been done by all other influences
combined during the last three centu-
lries. 1t seems to me that there is but
little limit to the possibilities which
are before us and we are certainly JUS
Titled in the belief and hope that the
United States is on the edge of an area
of unprecedented prosperity