The Independent. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1895-1905, 1900-03-07
Continued from 1St page.)

who have been misled by these dis
loyal Republican journals. To
show how far they are astray in
their ideas concerning these tropical
islands, let us point out few OF the
facts concerning them recently set
forth by Judge H. g. Curtis, OF the
Insular Commission. 1t goes with
out saying that Judge Curtis, being
a Presidential appointee, would
make out the best case possible for
the Presidential policy, but, being
also an honest man, he honestly re-
ports what he has learned of our
new island possessions. President
Mckinley is thoroughly honest n
his attempts TO work out our tropi-
cal problems, and has as yet appoint
ed no man on any of these island
commissions who was not, like him.
sell, an honest and honorable gen
tleman. Witness the appointment
to the new Philippine commission OF
Judge Taft, who resigned a life
position as federal judge to take up
this temporary, vexatious, aud un-
grateful one. A similar type OF man
is Judge Curtis, Of the Insular Com
mission.
Concerning Puerto Rico's claims
for territorial government and free
trade-as advocated by President
Mckinley in his message to Con.
gress-Judge Curtis reports that
such territorial government presup.
poses eventual Statehood; it means
the ballot; it means free trade; it
means the flooding of our country
with the products or manufactures
OF the cheap or slave labor of tropi-
cal islands; it means declaring the
inhabitants Of these islands citizens
of the United States; and even if
that were not done, it means that
all children OF these inhabitants and
all the children of all the Puerto
Ricans, Spsniards, Portuguese, Pu-
erto Rican negroes and mulattoes,
St. Thomas and Jamaica negroes
living in Puerto Rico; and in the
Philippines, all the Tagalos, Visa
yans, Sulus, Chinese, Portuguese,
both slave owners and slaves, polyg-
amists and pirates-that the chill
dreE of all these, born on any of
our tropical islands since the treaty
OF peace are to become at once AM
erican citizens as decided by the
supreme court in United States
versus Wong Kim, Ark. 1859, U. S.
654, This latter statement will he
believed by Californians, for there
are some thousands OF native born
Chinese here who are citizens of
the United States; there are many
native, born Chinese here who vote
in San Francisco, and there is even
Chinese lodge of Native Sons OF
the Golden West"
The Puerto Ricans are far su-
perior 10 the Filipinos. Yet the
Insular Commission reports that
few of the Puerto Rcans can read
and write, while General Davis, the
military governor of Puerto Rico,
says that reading and writing cleo
ton test showed that only percent
can read and write. Fewer still OF
the Filipinos can read and write.
and there are about twelve millions
of these people in our new posses
sions. Yet these are the creatures
that the imperialistic San Francisco
Chronicle and Portland Oregonian
wish 10 make citizens OF the Uaited
Statei
Judge Curtis reports that Puerto
Rico ard the Philippines, with
their soil and cheap labor, can and
would supply all the sugar the
United States could consume, all
the tobacco We could use, all the
semi.tropical fruits, oranges, lemons,
lines, rice and many other things
which we have 30 long striyen to
t0l -.