The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-02-05
SEATTLE. MONDAY, FEBRUARY


There are FIVE men In this country
pre-eminently entitled to have views
upon the Philippine question and to In
struct us. Let us get away for a mo-
ment from the atmosphere OF political
controversy and look at this matter
,soberly, ,ass we would at one in which /
parties and politics were In no way I'm
voived. II we were seeking to build
a railroad through Corea, we should
certainly consult men OF experience and
ability. They would need to have gone
over the ground personally ana studied
IT. Their represents tions we would So
lIcit. and their advice we should make
our guide at least until some more
promising source of information opened
10 us. And II. In our councils with them.
some man who had never been In Cores.
who knew the country and its people
and its trade only by smatterings OF
reading In books and by such private
judgments as he chose to form through
prejudice. should insist upon making
himself heard extensively. we would cali
for the bouncer and put him out.
There are five men In this country
who know the Philippine islands and
the Filipinos intimately and at nrst
hand. All of them have travelled and
resided there. All are men OF large
mind and sober judgment. IL knowl-
edge IL ever IA better guide than ignor-
ance. surely these are the persons to
whom We should turn. and their con-
,oiusions ar~ the ones that we should
accept. or these Ave there is one whose
opinion is especially valuable because
his observations were made before the
wnr with spain. and hence at time
when no prepossessions could enter. He
did not dream that any contingency
could ever make these islands American
territory. For that reason his couciu-
sicns were absolutely unprejudiced. Let
us see where these i've men stand
Prof Dean C. Worcester Il natural
lat who. before the war broke out, ex-
plored the Philippine archipelago in the
interest of SCIENCE. In this pursuit he
acquired an Intimate knowledge az the
country and its inhabitants His OBJ
seryations have the high value Of reh-
ability and inpar,iaiity Mir John bar
rett was minister 90 Slam He interest
cd himself In a study Of the situation.
He has studied Il very carefully and on
the ground. Ills testimony Is exceed
inEly weighty. We come next TO Ad-
mirai Dewey. who had unsurpassed OPP
portunitics TO study the Filipino char
scser and capacity FOR self gov ernment
The keen judgment of the man of war
human nature. Then there Is MI Don
hy. famlliarixei BY his official residence
In Chlna with the Oriental nature. who
gave months to a personal investigation
OF the Philippines. And hnally there is
President Schurman. whose sympathle
were all enlisted for the F1llpinoS and
who wished for them the greatest
amount Of liberty that they are NJ "a
enjoy. This is a rather welshty list, ani
IL does not iaeiude senator Beveridge,
although he. too. investigated In per
son. because Il Is avarred OF him by
the opposition that his mission was
political.
Now Il seems 60 US that, II all these
men agree upon certain essentials as
TO the Philippines and what We ought
TO do there. only man who rejects the
value OF evidence aitoEether could set
aside their opinions in favor Of those
held by men who never saw a Filipino
ana were never closer 20 the Philip
pines than the Pacific cossi OF fn'
United States. No jury would hesitate
Ger q moment In balancing such tes,i'