The L'Anse sentinel., 1900-02-17
THE JEFFERSONIAN IDEA.
Bssis of the Recommend da tions of the
Philippine COM
mission.

In the first half of its full report the
Philippine commission confronts the
anti-expansionists with the recon-
mendation that at the very outset
there be grant d TO the people of tho
philippines larger liberties of self
government than jefferson approved
of for the Inhabitants of Louisiana"
when the territory at that time known
by tha, name had been purchased by
the United States.
The commission believes that it will
be safe, expedient and desirable to
grant to the inhabitants of the archi-
pelago large measure of home rule in
local affairs. "Their towns should en-
Joy substantially the rights, privileges
and immunties of towns in one of the
territories of the United States says
the report. The provinces should be
turned into counties and vested with
substantially the same functions en-
Joycd by counties in the home terri
tories The report goes into the de-
tails of the plan for such form of
territorial government, which plan Is
mcdclcd, like all bills for territorial
organization which have been enacted
from time to time by the congress,
after the plan of organization which
lii 1904 was adopted for the newly ac-
quired territory Of Louisiana, of which
Thomas Jefferson outlined the first
sketch and which he approved in its
completed form.
In this connection the commission
directs, attention to the fact that in
1908, when there was considerable diff
ference of opinion as TO the disposi-
ton that should be made of Louisiana,
| President Jefferson evidently became
irritated by opposition within the ter
ritory to the plan of government rro-
posed fer il, for he complained that
although it is acknowledged that our
new fellow citizens are rs yet as incap-
able Of self-governmcnt as children,
yet some cannot bring themselves to
suspend its principles for a single mo-
ment"
BE it remembered that this Thomas
! jefferson was the man whom the lit
| tie anti-cxpansionists of to-day pre-
| tend to regard as their great proto-
/ type.
The absurdity and impossibility Of
| the ''irhependent republic under
American. protectorate' plan which
| Aguiualdo is believed to have had in
mind and which Mr.. Bryan is advocat-
ing, are clearly shown by the commits
sioL. Referring to the protectorate
| proposition it says, in its report:
| Under the chlmerical scheme of pro-
| lection cherished by AxuinnidO ~ n for
eigner lost his life or property through n
| miscarriage of justice In Philippine court,
| or In consequence OF governors failure
| to suppress riot. then the United States
would be responsible for Indemnity TO the
! foreigners government without possess
Ing the power OF furnishing the offenders
| or OF preventing such maladministration
! or of protecting itself against similar oc-
currences in the future. Nor could the LA
| biity 10 foreign nations be reduced without
permitting them directly to seek redress,
and such a course would IL iS to be feared,
speedily lead to the appropriation of the
| Philippine Islands by the great powers, who
4 would not need to seek far for pretenses
for Intervention"
The report is so voluminous that it
is impossible to discuss even one part
Of it-that relating to n form of gov
ernment that would be safe and salts
factory--in detail. In general it can
be said that the plan is in accordance
with a precedent that was established
nearly II hundred years ago and which
/ has remained unshaken and unques-
tened until now, and that it holds out
to the people of the Philippines as lib
cral a portion Of self-government as
they could reasonably expect.--Albany
Journal.