New-York tribune., 1901-10-08
THE FILIPINO CHARACTER.

The letter from staff correspondent of The
Tribune at Manila which published yester-
day we'll merits attentive reading and reread-
ing by all who with open and impartial minds
would form just Judgment concerning the peo-
pie of our Asiatic possessions and concerning
the nature of the problem which the United
States has undertaken there TO solve. Our cor
respondent disclaims any pretension to eXhaus-
tive knowledge of his subject, but readers or
his letter will be convinced that he has been
exceptionally shrewd, comprehensive and Ju-
dicous in his observation of the Filipino char
acter, and that he is equally clear and impartial
in his delneation Of it. He neither eXtenuates
nor sets aught down in malice, but gives us a
plain tale of what he has seen and learned in
that strange land of contradictions.
We have no doubt that some of our "anti-eX-
pansionist' friends will endeavor to draw from
his account of the Filipinos some corroboratiOn
of their contention that the United States
should never have had anything to do with
those islands, They will say that since the
Fipnos are so childish in nature. so curiOusly
compounded of civilization and savagery. so un-
stable and Yet persistent in instability, we
should take no note of them, but let them 60
and presently thank God we are rid of lot OF
knaves. And yet it should be apparent to them.
it must he to others, that these very charac-
teristics of the Filipinos make it the more in
cumbent upon the United States having once
unwillingly been forced to intervene In their
affairs, to assume the burden of dealing with
them manfulIy and steadfastly. If we had
found them more intelligent more stable in pur-
pose more self-reliant and worthy of self-reli-
ancc. and more competent to assume the respon-
sibilties of international relationships there
might have been some reason for and some ar
Mia Bay and leaving them-in the words of the
'anti-eXpanSionstS'- stew in their own juice;
though it is by no means to be conceded that
even then such reason and such argument would
have been convincing. But thus to have aban-
doned to helplessness and anarchy such n peo
pie as the Fipnos seen TO be, and
such as they are described by correspond
ent and to have left to their childish caprices
the important property and other rights and the
International interests which then existed at
Manila and elsewhere, would have put this ma
tion i'm the piliory of universal contempt and
eXecration. The problem of dealing with the
Filipinos is complicated and burdensome prob
lem. But its very magnitude only strengthens
our obligation to take it up and solve it,
The one paramount fact which has from the
first seemed clear To us and which Is made
more clear and emphatic in our correspondents
letter, is that the Philippine problem is unique
far as the experience of this country is con-
cerned. and must be approached and dealt with
in way appropriate TO its own requirements
We cannot govern the Philippines as we do one
of our own States. or one of our Territories, or
even an Indian reservation The Filipino char
acter is radically different from any other in all
composite nation, and the requirements of
administration there differ intrinsically from
any and all of which we have knowledge here
The fact that the problem is a new one does
not however. imply that it Is insoluhle. 1t does
mean that must demonstrate our heXihility.
adaptabity 10 new requirements and our
tact IN dealing with ncarnate susceptibility
That we can do successfully is not 10 he
doubted But confidence must not bc permitted
10 degenerate into carelesSness Eternal vigi-
lance is the price at which the white mans
burden is to he borne, well as our own lib
erty is to be conserved