The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-10
PHILIPPINE PROBLEMS.

on his return TO Manila the other day,
Lieut. Gilmore, who had been a prisoner
of the Filipinos for several months, said
that there would be revolutions in the
! Philippines Is long as there were any Tag
alloys there. His observation of the people
of that tribe, while a prisoner convinced
him that it was about impossible to pacify
! them and that as long as this country
| held the Islands 1t would have to maintain
a large army in them.
! In Mondays New York Herald there is
an interview with Senator Bacon of this
state, in which the main arguments
against holding the Philippines permanent
" are briefly, but strongly, stated. The
Senator recognizes the fact that it is alb
| solutely necessary that we shall compel
the FihpinoS to recognize our authority,
and he considers il our duty to maintain
order there until a stable and enlightened
government is established, but he is
against retaining the islands as a perma-
nent possession. The arguments he ad-
vances in support of his position are
strong ones.
We cannot assimilate the FiIipinos
What they are now tSey will always be.
They will become more civilized as the
years go by, but they can never come into
such harmony with the American people
as to permit of their joining in making
laws for the republic They must ever re-
main apart, and must be governed as a
people wholly different from the Ameri-
cans. That means change of some sort
in our own system of government, because
a republic cannot govern another people
without undergoing some changes itself
The change the republic would undergo
would not be for its benefit. 1t would be
change in the direction of Imperialism.
1t would be Imperialism and militarism,
because il would take a large army to
maintain order IN the islands 1t is cost
ing about $100@0,O00 a year now to put
down the instruction, and it is probable
that it would continue to cost that
amount annually to maintain our author
ity. The Filipinos can never become self
governing under the rule of the United
States. Their islands cannot become a
territory and eventually a state of the
Union.
The islands would have to be held under
ger all the while of becoming entangled
in questions with European governments
questions which would, in many instances,
in all probability, lead to costly wars. We
are free from such danger now; why not
stay free?
The Philippines would always be our
weakest point, and if we should become
engaged in a war with a maritime Power
the first point of attack would be these is
lands because they would be our most
vulnerable point. The cost of defending
them, being thousands of miles away
from our shores, would be enormous.
The foregoing are only rev of the ar
guments advanced by Senator Bacon
against holding the Philippines as perm
anent ossession-against the admin
istrations Philippine policy. There is only
one thing wanting 10 make his argu-
ment unanswerable. and that is
what would he do with the is
lands after peace had been restored and a
government set up? 1t is asserted by all
intelligent observers who have visited
them that the FiHpinos- are entirely unfit
for elf-government-that if they should
be left to themselves they would have rev
ijfSt 3>s' S$f-3 Tst5fff .S.vs,s- ,s - *
only cut the threats of each other. prob
ably, but they would destroy the property
of foreigners and call down upon them
selves the vengeance of foreign govern
ments. Instead of remaining a self-gov-
erning people they would soon become de-
pendents OF one or more of the Powers OF
Europe. Senator Bacons argument is
strong until he undertakes to explain what
course ought to be pursued after peace has
been restored. That is the real problem,
and Senator Bacon does not give salts
factory solution of it. In fact, he gives no
solution of it at all