The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1901-11-16
PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT.

is not pleasant to read that the institution of
civil government in the Philippines was prema-
ture, and to have the opinion of army and navy
officers that military rule and garrison government
be again resorted to there and be maintained for
many years to come.
1t may be possible that we have forgotten that
those people regard themselves as conquered by our
superior military power and that they have just the
same feeling about it that is common to all races
Under the same circumstances.
If they in this mood it is to be expected that
they will use any authority conferred upon them to
reorganze resistance and is clearly the opinion Of
military officers that they have been doing this
ever since civil government was instituted among
them. To hold such vast number of people indef-
ntely under the rule of the army is to be avoided
if possible It is costly than civil government
and less satisfactory to own people. 1t gives
less opportunity for the incidents of conquest to be
forgotten and practically suspends all training for
civil government
1t may prove to have been a mistake to treat them
as if they were of our own blood and therefore
ready to appreciate offered education, limited self
government and prospect of larger freedom. They
have known but little of these in the past, under
Spanish rule, and have been made treacherous by
treachery.
The late convention Of the Federal party held in
Manila was encouraging sign. Maybe that atten-
ton to ore of its recommendations would have
pacfying effect 1t asked for issue of $Ioooooooo
in bonds to repair the waste of and help restore
the destroyed substance of the people. When we
read Of the burning of all the houses in town by
our troops recognize it a hard military neces-
sity But there is another side to it which will have
to be considered in all plans for the placang of the
people. The burning of three hundred houses by a
punitive expedition to admonish the people against
harboring the opponents of means the de-
structon of the property and the shelter of that many
families The burning of rice fields is adopted to cut
off military resource in the form of food, but it
means famine for non-combatants. Perhaps hon
inquiry into the material condition of the people,
to develop the extent to which their power to support
and feed themselves has been abridged by the
sites of our conquest would be in the line of infor
nation upon which our Government could act with
soothing effect.
Heretofore American visitors have perhaps too
mitch considered the natural resources of the islands
in the light of their proft-producing capacity for
benefit and too little the economic condition of the
people have conquered. There are two ways of
overcoming resistance One is by the diplomacy and
the immediate benefits of civil government and the
other is by the avengng military The experience
of mankind is that the latter makes the beneficial
of the former more difficult and it must be continued
to the complete exhaustion OF physical opposition by
the entire destruction of all who capable of Of
fering it. 1t will be better to public opinion in
this country away from the mere gloatng over the
natural riches of the islands to the more humane task
of healing the wounds made by and the uplifting
of the people into forgetfuness of our necessary
harshness in the greater abundance of kindness
No has ever sincerely submitted to conquest
in the generation that felt the hard hoof of the
queror. To greatly prolong military government in
the Philippines will probably mean the rearing Of
generation after generation under the exact condi-
tons of conquest, by that postponing indef-
ago that the real crux of the question would appear
when attempted civil reorganization of the ISL
ands, and it is upon The task calls for the for
bearance, the patience and the humanity of peo-
pie Administrations cannot do it all. Our policy
wise otherwise must up from an informed
and enlightened public opinion. No administration
took the Philippines. That the act of the people,
and administration merely registered their will. 1t
could not do otherwise. To take easy. 1t was
merely question of physical force. To hold wisely
govern humanely and make friends of twelve millions
of conquered people is not physical feat 1t calls
for moral courage for determination for the high
and best conception of the characteristics of those
people that they deserve.
Our administration needs the spread abroad
of these considerations among us, and it needs the
obvious crudescence of the public opinion which
should result
Despite the failure of the Pan-Amercan EXPOSE
ton at Buffalo and the extensive preparations making