The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1900-01-19

GIuUUulcu his ODS6FVdJlOuS Ill Ulo III
ippines, and the conclusions he haS
reached by thoughtful study of thu
situation. He said that the Philip
pines were ours forever and we will
not abandon them nor our oAportunit,
in the far east. We will accept GU
duty to those islands as trust unde
God for the advancement of the civil
zation of the world. These islands
are the key to the Oriental trade
China's trade is the mightiest com
mercial fact in our future. Her for
eign commerce in 1897 was 1885, 73S, 30(
of which we had very small share
But in the future 1t is to the Orient
that we are to look for a market fol
our produce. If they did not com
mand the whole Pacific for purposes
of offense, defense and trade, the
Philippines are in themselves so yalu
able that we should hold them. Here
is tropical country at the end of the
nineteenth century possessed of its
primeval wealth almost untouched
Many of the products of the temperate
as we'll as the tropic zone grow luxu,
riantly in the islands. The wood of the
Philippines is sufficient to furnish the
furniture for century to come. Forty
miles of Cebu's mountain chain are
practically mountains of coal. 1t is
certain that gold must exist in large
quantities, as the natives with their
crude process have washed out gold
dust from the sands of the streams.
He describes the Filipino as ga barba-
rous race, modified by three centuries
of contact with decadent race. The
Filipino is the South Sea Malay, put
through process of three hundred
years of superstition in religion, dis
honesty in dealing, disorder in habits
of industry and cruelty, caprice and
corruption of government. 1t is bare
ly possible that one thousand men in
all the archipelago are capable of self
government in the Anglo-Saxon sense"
The military situation is no reason for
abandonment. We have been too
kind rather than cruel, for to the Fill.
Pine mind kindness is weakness. Our
only course is to give them a simple
and strong government. Senator Bever-
idge proposes the following: "a Philip
pine office in our Department of State;
an American governor general in Ma
Mia, with power to meet daily emer-
gencies; possibly an advisory council
with no power except that of discuss
ing measures with the governor gener-
al, which council would be the germ
for future legislatures, school in
practical government; American lieu
tenant governors in each province,
with like council about him; if pos
sible an American resident in each
district, and a like council grouped
about him; frequent and unannounced
visits of provincial governors to dis.
tricts of their province; periodical re-
ports to the encouragement; an
American board of visitation to
make semi.annual trips to the archi-
pelago without power of suggestion or
to officials or people, but
only to report and recommend to the
office of our State depart
nent." '"The declaration of indepen-
lence does not forbid us to do our
part in the regeneration of the world"
And the Constitution itself gives Con-
,ress the power to govern all territory
he nation may acquire. THE lam
,uage affirming our power to govern
UGH territory is as broad as the re-
luirements of all possible situations"
The Colonial party is greatly pleas
ID at the news of the French occupa.
ion of the Oasis of Insalah in the Sa-
lara Desert on the southwestern from
Ter of Algeria. The French COM
,lain that this oasis has been the
from which the Tuageg
Arabs plundered the caravans and AL
,erian villages. The occupation party
vas attacked outside Sahara but de-
Gated the assailants with heavy loss.