Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1901-12-13
PLAN FOR FILIPINOS.
OUR POLICY ADMITTED TO HAVE
BEEN A FAILURE.
Shall We Hold the People OF the Is
lands as n Subject Nation or Incor-
porate Them Fully Into Our Body
Politic:-The Better Way.

That the Philippine policy of the
government has SO far proved great
and bloody failure is beginning to meet
with frank recognition in the columns
of the strongest annexation papers.
But there exists some difference OF
opinion as to what should be done.
Thus the San Francisco Chronicle, re-
fusing to consider the thought OF ever
giving up the islands. proceeds to de-
scribe the only method Of peacefully
holding them:
There is but one way to inspire the
, Filipinos with loyalty to America, and
that is by making them really Ameri-
cans. They can be made real Ameri-
cans only by being incorporated in our
national body polite. The essence OF
such incorporation is absolute CONNER
cial and fiscal union. That and that
only can make two nations one. Tux
alton and commerce are the main
things in life. 1t is about them that
their account that this country revolt
ed from England. 1t is for them that
the Filipinos will be ready to revolt
from us. 1t is daily bread and butter
that is involved, and that subject
never passes from the human mind.
So long as the Philippines have a
tariff law other than the United States
tariff, so long they will feel as for
eigners, act as foreigners and be for
eigners. So long as we make their
tariff, and not themselves, so long they
will be in the position, not merely Of
a foreign nation, but of conquered
nation. No matter how wisely we may
legislate for them, they will be ready
to rebel The American people may
as we'll look this problem in the face.
To ,egislate for the Filipinos otherwise
than for ourselves is to hold them as
a subject nation That is what we are
doing now. That, SO far as we can
see it, is what some of us propose to
continue to do. The American people
will never endure it. We want no
subjects and will not have them. The
beginning of the end of the Philippine
outbreaks Will be in sight when we en-
dow the Filipinos with the commercial
rights of American citizens, and not
before
And it may as we'll be admitted fur
Their that If the islands are to be held
in peace their people must be fully rep
resented, not alone in their local gov
ernments, but in the national govern
ment at Washington. There must be
full political incorporation as well as
full fiscal incorporation. There must
be equality in representation as well as
equality in taxation. And then grave
questions would arise whether the fed
Grafton of people so alien to our
selves in all particulars as the Filipi-
nos could be made satisfactory to
either. The New York Tribune and
many other imperialist organs would
stand aghast at such a proposition.
They would rather "scuttle" than &C.
cede to such plan. 1t would be re-
garded by nine-tenths of the Eastern
annexationists as the very last thing
10 be thought of or allowed.
But what then-if the islands arc to
be held perpetually? The Hartford
Courant ventures to answer this ques-
ton. Practically conceding the falsif-
cation of all it's predictions, and the
failure of the policy of force is so far
as it has been pursued, the Courant de-
mands a more extreme application of
the same policy by way of remedy. 1t
calls attention to Mr.. Chamberlain's
announcement of the adoption of Sc
verer measures against the Beers, and
says:
I'VE Americans have a case OF per-
sistent bushwhacking on our hands. It
does not yield to gentle treatment.
Hasn't the time nearly arrived for try
ing the efficacy of severer measures in
the Philippines, as well as in South
African"
This Is particularly interesting, in
view of what has already been DONE
We have so far killed some 10000 Fill
pinos in the course of the conquest and
destroyed vast amounts of their prop.
erty And this is called gentle treat
ment" by an organ of our Christian
civilization! If that is gentle treat
ment, what must we infer to be the
character and effect Of "severer meas
ures?'
There Is at least common sense at
the bottom of the San Francisco Chron-
icle's plan of federation. There is moth
ing but blind vindictiveness in the
Courant's method of overcoming the
fearful blunder into which it has help
ed to plunge the country. That severer
measures would only serve to make a
bad matter worse will be obvious to
any one possessing the slightest knowl-
edge of human nature. If the killing
of 10000 of their people has not made
the Filipinos love us, as the Courant
evidently expected. will the killing OF
a lot more, and the Inauguration of
general exterminating process, prob
ably prove any more effective in in
ducing affection and loyalty among the
survivors? John Morley has happily !
likened the temper of the Chamberlain
government in its South African policy !