The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1900-01-19

the enemy more than climate, arms and
battle. Senators, l have heard these
reports myself; l have talked with the
people; have seen our mangled boys In
the hospital and field; have stood on
the firing line and beheld our dead SOL
diers. their faces turned to the pitiless
southern sky; and, in sorrow, rather
than anger, say to those whose voices
in America have cheered those mis-
guided natives on to shoot our soldiers
down, that the b God of those dead and
wounded boys of ours is on their hands;
and the flood of all the years can never
wash that stain away. In sorrow,
rather than anger. L say these words,
for earnestly believe that our brothers
knew not what they did.
Utterly Incapable of Self Government.
But, senator's, it would be better to
abandon this combined garden and
Gibraltar of the Pacific and count our
blood and treasure already spent profit
able loss than TO apply any academic ar.
rangement of self government to these
children. They are not capable OF self
government. How could they be? They
are not Of self governing race. They
are Orientals, Malays, instructed by
Spaniards in the latter's worst estate.
They know nothing of practical govern
ment except as they have witnessed the
weak, corrupt, cruel and capricious rule
OF Spain. What magic will anyone EN-.
ploy to dissolve in their minds and char.
acters those impressions Of governors
and governed which three centuries of
misrule have created? What alchemy
will change the Oriental quality Of their
blood and set the self governing cur
rents of the Anglo-Saxon pouring
through their Malay veins? How shall
they, in the twinkling Of an eye. be ex-
allied to the heights of self governing
peoples which required 1000 years for
us to reach, Anglo. Saxon though we are?
u
We must act on the situation as it
exists, not as we would wish it. have
talked with hundreds of these people,
getting their views as to the practical
workings Of selfgovernment. The great
majority simply do not understand any
participation in any government what
ever. The most enlightened among
them declare that selfgovernment will
succeed because the employers of labor
will compel their employees to vote as
their employer wills, and that this will
insure intelligent voting. was assured
that we could depend upon good men
always being III Office because the off,
Gals who constitute the government will
nominate their successors, choose those
among the people who will do the
voting and determine how and where
elections will be held. The most ardent
advocate OF selfgovernment that 1 met
was anxious that l should know that
such a government would be tranquil,
because, as he said, if anyone criticised
it, the government would shoot the
offender.
Plan of Government Needed In the
Philippines.
In all other islands our government
must be simple and strong. 1t must be
a uniform government. Different forms
for different islands will produce per-
petual disturbance, because the people
of each island would think that the peo-
pie of the other islands are more IA
vored than they. In Panay l heard
murmurings that we were giving Me-
gros an American constitution. This
is human quality found even in
America; and we must never forget
that in dealing with the Filipinos we
deal with children. And so our gov
eminent must be simple and strong.
Simple and strong: the meaning of
every line of Philippine legislation;
realized in every act of Philippine adj
ministration. A Philippine office in
our department of state; an American
governor general in Manila with power
to meet daily emergencies; possibly an
advisory council with no power except
that of discussing measures with the
governor general. which council
would be the germ of the future
legislatures, a school in practical
government American lieutenant
governors IN each province with a
like council about him; il possible an
American resident in each district and
like council grouped about him; fre-
Quent and unannounced visits of pro-
vincial governors to the districts of their
province; periodical reports to the
governor general; an American board
Of visitation to make semi.annual trips
to the archipelago without power of
suggestion or interference to officials or
people, but only to report and recon-
mend to the Philippine office of our
state department.; q Philippine civil
service with promotion for efficiency;
the abolition Of duties on exports from
the Philippines; the establishment Of
import duties on revenue basis
with such discrimination in favor
of American imports as will prevent
the cheaper goods of other nations from
destroying American trads; O complete
reform of local taxation ON Just and
scientific basis beginning with the es-
adjustment of a tax ON land according
to its assessed value; the minting Of
Of abundant silver money for Philippine
and Oriental use; the granting Of fran.
chises and concessions upon the
theory Of developing the resources
Of the archipelago and therefore not
by sale but upon participation in the
profits of the enterprise; the formation
of system of public schools everywhere
with compulsory attendance rigidly en-
forced; the establishment Of the English
language throughout the island, teach
ing it exclusively in the schools and
using it, through interpreters. exclusive
ly in the courts; simple civil code and
q still simpler criminal code and both
common to all the islands except Sulu,
Mindanao and Paluan; American judges
for all but smallest offenses; gradual,
slow and careful introduction of the
best Filipinos into the mechanical parts
of the working machinery of the gov
eminent; no promise whatever of the
franchise until the people have been