The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-09-08
FIIIpINOS AND LIBERTY.

Tho sober sense of the American peo-
ple in taking stock of Mr.. Bryan's Phil
ippine policy will be likely to arrive at
the conclusion that, if il is liberty the
Filipinos want, submission to the Unit
ed States is their only way to get It,
A Philippine republic would mean the
ascendency of single strong and des-
potic tribe over the other racial fac
tons: and this republic, owing to IN
ternal dscord or foreign interference,
could not last. Its natural fate would
be absorption into the body polite OF
some great power. The day OF the
small island independency has gone.
Such a State can only exist by grace of
protectorate, which is a modified
form of alien control.
a few years ago there was an indie
pendent Hawaii, Samoa. Tonga and
Madagascar; but they are all now un-
der alien flags. Hayti and San Domin
go, but for the Monroe doctrine, would
long since have been absorbed by Eu
rope. Cuba can exist as a free state
only under sufferance Of the United
States. Considering the European and
American demand for vantage grounds,
coaling stations and naval depots, no
vices for defence, can hope to keep it's
independence. Particularly is this so
IN the Far East where the interests OF
all Europe are more or less concerned
and where the demand for naval sta
tions is importunate. In 1898 Germany
showed very plainly that she had look
ed at the Philippines with a covetous
eye; Great Britain would not leave
them alone If they were wayfaring for
themselves nor would Russia or France
IL is perfectly safe proposition that,
unless taken under an American pro-
tectorate, Philippine republic would
be sheep among wolves. Such a pro-
( tectorate, however, is out of the ques-
ton Why should this republic become
an unpaid policeman for a people who
/ hate it? In the case of Cuba we would
through protectorate or through the
( influence of the Monroe doctrine. save
ourselves from an unfriendly European
neighbor; but in the case of the Philip
pines If we don't own them ourselves
we need not care a nickel where the
title lies.
Annexation to the United States
would give the Filipinos more liberty
/ than they could bestow upon them
selves-liberty without misrule and
revolution, without captious foreign in
reference, without license and loot.
There Is an example of what that
means in the case of Hawaii. The Am
ericanized natives of these Islands have
more liberty than they enjoyed under
their Kings: far more than they could
possibly have got IL the Hawaiian flag
had continued to float A free Hawaii
meant an intermeddling Japan at all
/ times; and on the occasion of war in
/ the Pacific it meant seizure by the first
contending power that wanted it for a
base. Now while the American repub-
I lie stands four square to all the winds
that blow, the Territory of Hawaii will
stand with it. While the American re-
public has free institutions and is able
i to defend them the Territory of Hawaii
will have free institutions and they will
be defended. 1t would be the same way
; with an annexed Philippine archipela-
go; and there is no other way than by
annexation for the people of that ar
chipelago to secure such blessings.