The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-05
The PRAYER OF GUAM

Absorbed as the American people
are :, by the great affairs Of state,
by the government of Porto Rico, the Gu
ban problem, the Philippines problem, and
great internal national questions. little
dependencies are likely to be overlooked.
There isn't much chance that Guam or
Tutuila will have much public attention
paid to- their grievances The oblivion
into which they have lately sunk recalls
the humorous assertion of some writer
that, so numerous are the dependencies Of
the British empire, when some brown
skinned subject of the king calls at the
colonial office on business the clerks have
to look up the name of his country in the
index book before they know where to
look for documents and records relating
to it. -..., . H..
Yet tyranny in Guam is tyranny none
the less than tyranny in Russia. The
Guamite feels injustice none the less be-
cause the population Of his island is
5000 instead of 80, 900, 900, and. he is as
much entitled to his rights as If he were
powerful enough to Call attention to them
by revolt. 49,.
The citizens of Guam are quiet and
peace-loying and loyal, but they have
grievances. They are under absolute rule
and their king IS Commander Seaton
Schroeder who may be described as
benevolent despot They yearn for some
measure of self government, they want
some sort of constitution or congress
sional act that will limit the authority of
the governor and acknowledge that they
have some rights which the governor can
not take away from them if he so wills.
So they have sent to congress, these OBJ
scure, insignificant inhabitants of a speck
in the wastes Of the Pacific, plaintive
petition for relief These paragraphs
from the petition sum up the conditions
in Guam and the necessity for a change
It is not exaggeration to say that fewer
permanent guarantees of liberty and property
rights exist now than when under Spanish
dominion. The governor of the island exer-
cses supreme power in the executive, legis-
lative and judicial branches Of government,
with absolutely no limitations to his actions,
the people of this island having no voice
whatever in the formulation Of any law or
the naming of a single official.
We believe ourselves fully justified in ASK
Ing rellef from a system or government the
subjects a thoroughly loyal people to the
absolute rule of single person, who is ex-
pected to administer the very cumbersome
and complex system of laws which has con-
tinued from the time of Spanish control and
which was not framed to suit local conditions
being the legislation for the whole Philip
pine. archipelago,sa system of laws which in
principle is foreign to that to whiehEhe has
heretofore been accustomed, and framed and
administered in a, to him, foreign tongue
These loyal petitioners say they have no
fault to find with persons-that it is the
system that is the source of their troub-
les. They want congress to appoint a
commission to visit the island, study its
needs, and formulate and establish per-
manent government that will enable Gus
to mold our institutions to the American,
standard and prepare ourselves and our
children for the obligations and enjoy
ment of the rights and privileges to
which as loyal citizens Of the United
States we feel ourselves rightfully enti-
tied"
That Commander Seaton Schroeder is
| really benevolent despot is shown by
the fact that he personally forwards the
petition with cordial approval and
recommendation" He intimates that the.
people are qualified for certain functions
Of self-government and that he would
have given It to them under, his absolute
.