The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-03-15
He Sees Not Clearly.

He Sees Not Clearly.
Senator Turner, in his speech in the
senate on Tuesday, expressed 1t as his
opinion that even now the proper course
for the United States to pursue is to let
the Philippine islands go in peace. AS
he expressed it, our mission should be to
give them a start on the road to good
government and then permit them to
proceed for themselves. The senator
yields little in making the impracti-
cable suggestion that perhaps treaties
could be negotiated which might give
trade advantages to the United States.
but he does not make this concession
without a sheer; and there is little room
to doubt that he is fully in accord with
Pettigrew, who announced. last year
that in his opinion the United States
should withdraw from the islands at
once and apologize to the world for the
mistake we had made.
The solution which Senator Turner of
fers is. OF course. the one which might
have been expected from him. and is
in keeping with his now established pol
icy of opposing anything and everything
which is advocated by the party from
which he seeded in order to obtain po-
litical preferment He is by nature an
tagonistic and uncompromising, and
whatever course OF action the admins
tration or the party il represents might
take In the settlement of the Philippine
question, Turner. 1t goes almost without
saying. would oppose with all the vigor
and vindictiveness at his command He
has gradually drifted into the rut Of the
critic, fault finder and pessimist, and to
any proposed onward move he can safe
ly be counted among the chronic object
ors
He says the Philippines should go in
peace. BY this he means that this gov
eminent should withdraw and allow the
islanders to manage their own affairs.
1t is advice easy to give, but how much
Of real craftsmanship is there In II when
examination is made-into the results
that would ensue II such advice was
followed? To permit the Fllipinos 20
go IN peace means nothing more nor
less than for them to engage at once IN
interuecine war. To withdraw the au-
thority OF our government means 10
turn the Islands over 10 no government
at all To start them on the road Co
good government, as IL suggested.
sounds very well; but anyone should
know from the experience Of the past
that throwing upon such people the re-
sponsbilty OF ruling themselves would
inevitably result in disorder. insurrec-
ton ouilawry and finally a dictatorship
with an administration OF Affairs no
better and PERHAPS worse than that un-
der Spanish rule
To 70 in peace means % usher in an
archy. ANA upon anarchy would come
Intervention from European powers and
the absorption OF the archipelago by the
hrst formidable nation on the scene.
This Is the sort 81 peace 20 which
the natives would eventually 20.
with such rights and privileges az
some European monarchy might IN
It's tender coionlzlns mercy see q,
20 give There would Be little difficulty
in settling the question Of asking the
consent % The governed, The rulers
would be people not troubled by the dis
cusslon 81 this theory. And tt Is safe
10 say that those rulers would not be
Worrying over the problem 81 setting the
Filipino on The road to good govern
meni
The people Of the Philippine islands
can attain 20 larger measure Of liberty
and enlightenment through the soyer-
eighty ot the United states than
through that q any other power. ITn-
der the Stars and Stripes they win en-
joy greater privileges. become better ed
ucated, advance toward more lnteni.
gent citizenship and make greater pro-
gress mentally and morally than under
a government OF their own or that o.