Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1900-01-18

"f industry and cruelty, caprice and
corruption in government. It Is barely
possible that 1000 men in all the archi-
nellago are cappble of self-government
in the AngloSsxon sense. My own
belief is that there are not 100 men
among them who comprehend what
Anglo Saxon self-government even means
and there are over 100000 people to be
governed"
Senator Bsveridge's estimate of
the Christian missionary work of
the last three hundred years in
the Philippines is disparaging.
apparently because it was not con-
Quoted by his sect of Christianity.
As for his judgment touching the
number Of people in the Philip
pines who are capable of self
government, we may value that
from the circumstances that he
visited those islands after the war
had begun and when it was i'm
possible for an American civilian
to 60 into the midst of the Fiji
pinos even to take census of
them, let alone to examine them
as 10 their qualifications for self
government. There are other pas
sages in Mr.. Beveridge's speech
which are of course rhetorical,
aud finely SO, but by no means
judicial nor exhibiting fair
acquaintance with the facts. He
says that not 100 Filipinos know
what "Anglo-Saxon" self-govern-
ment means. We see no need of
using the adjective Anglo-Saxon
in this connection. Self-govern-
ment is self-government in France
as we'll as in the United States.
He goes on to say: "Oriental
blood, Malay blood, are these the
elements Of self-government?"
Evidently he has tho insular pre-
JUDGE, that capacity for self gov
ernmentis racial attribute. "They
are not self-governing race" he
says, "they are Oriental, Malay,
etc." The drift of all this is that
we are annexing a nation of five
million people who are never, on
account of their blood, to be cap
able of selt-government or of re-
publican institutions. We turned
Spain out of Cuba in order to
allow the Cubans to exercise the
right of self government, but if
this great boon is reserved by
God for a certain blood and race
as Senator Beveridge seems to
believe, our policy as respects
Cuba is one of illusion and faulty.
"The whole question" says Sena-
tor Beveridge, els elementary, it
is racial: God has set the English
speaking and Teutonic race to
rule over" etc., etc.
This is dominent note in the
Senator's speech, 1t is not free
dom and equality for all races,
but empire for "a ruling race"
and subjugation for other races
that happen to be in the pathway
of the ruling peoples trade and
commerce.
Some time ago the program of
expansionists were couched in
terms of Christian benevolence.
The direction Of Mr.. Beveridee's
argument is frankly for trade aud
aggrandizement. He holds up
the rich markets of China and the
Orient as the ultimate motive;
and the Philippine islands as a
Gibraltar in the straits of the
Pacific which will enable us to
command that rich commerce.
1t the Senator speaks for the
administration, his program indi-
Gates that the presidents policy
has been shifted from the mission.
ary to the money-making goal.
The speech, however, will have one
good effect, in that 1t will open the
eyes of the American people and
make them realizs that none of us
any longer pretend that the bloody
warfare waged upon the natives of
the Philippines is maintained for
any higher objects than thosa