New-York tribune., 1902-02-06

Retrospect
Cornell University. svo. PIP. %. Charles Serb
ner's Sons.
DR.. Schurmans address on Philippine affairs
delivered last month at Cornell University.
and again before the Reform Club Of Boston. on
which latter occasion it was loudly. though some
what injudiciously, acclaimed by 'anti-imperial-
lists a reputation and arraigrment Of the
policy of the United States Government In
corrected and amplifed form il is now published
IN volume. and IS to be commended to the
thoughtful for perusal. detailed review and
discussion of Philippine conditions and problems
by a man who had much practical acquaintance
with the subject president Of the first Philip
pine Commission
It has already been made known in reports OF
the address that DR.. Schurn.an was opposed at
the outset TO the acquisition Of the Philippines,
and that he now favors steps for getting rid OF
them by making them independent al the earli-
est possible opportunity. When he was asked
ny the President to be the head of the Philip
pine Commission, he gave expression to that
opposition:
To be plain Mr.. President" I continued. Il
opposed TO your Philippine policy, l never
wanted the Philippine Islands" Oh replied
the President, that need not trouble you; l
didn't want the Philippine Islands. either: and
IN the protocol to the treaty 1 left myself free
not to take them; but-in the end there was no
alternative My own solution Of the problem
of Spain, with the reservation of more
naval stations suitable points for the United
States; but the President met this view with
the declaration that the American people VINO
had gone TO for the emancipation of Cuba
would not after Commodore Dewey's victory
IN Manila Bay, consent TO leave the oppressed
Filipinos any longer under the domination OF
Spain What remained? If Spain were driven
out Of the Philippines and American sovereignty
were not set up. the peace of the world would
he endangered
It is easy enough TO agree with both speakers
Certainly the American people did not desire
TO conquer and take possession Of the Philip
pines. The burden they have assumed in that
quarter Of the world was Unexpectedly forced
upon them as a result of war which was not
Of their own seeking and without their desire.
But they recognized, too, that there was no
alternative Having once stricken down the
power of Spain in the Philippines. this country
could not without self-stultification, set it up
again It would have made us deservedly a re-
proach and a kissing TO force one group Of ISL
ands back under the tyranny Of Spain when we
had just gone TO war TO set another group free
from that same tyranny. Elsewhere DR.. Schur-
man reminds us that we had no call to go into
the business of recHfying the tyrannies of Asia"
No. nor of re-erecting them, either. 1t was
necessity of war, 10 strike our enemy wherever
we could find him. at Manila well as at San
tiago: and after we had stricken him down it
was a necessity of humanity 10 assume man
fully the responsibilities which were thus i'm
posed upon US. IT, after destroying Spain's Sow
ereiguty in the Philippines, we had not set up
our own. it is quite true that the peace Of the
world would have been endangered. Spain mis-
governed those islands, and drove the people to
revolt against her tyranny. But at least she
bore full responsibility for them in interna-
tionaI sense. She was accountable to other ma
tions for whatever occurred in them. Who
would have been thus responsible, had the
United States shrunk from the task? The Agui-
naldist insurgents? Here is DR.. Schurman's
own account of them and their doings:
Such an unholy carnival of militarism, despot-
ism. brigandage, cruelty ana Wholesale lhtlInlud
tion Of peaceful and unofendlng lnhapltahts as
the disorganized nsurgent bands have since en-
acted in different parts of the Philippine lsIano6
is without parallel in Occidental hlstory-ahu
finds parallel in Asia alone. The poor Philip
pine Republic not only dead. but-what is
equally important in Oriental poitics-it never
again pretended TO be alive In America, in
deed honest and patriotic, but sadly msin-
formed. citizens still talked Of the new republic
of the Orient and that youthful father of his
country, Emilio Aguinaldo- But the cold fact
is that since those tragic happenings in the
Province Of Nueva Ecija, IN the month of May
1899 there has not been even a sembance of d
Philippine republic; all clean gone are its con-
gress, cabinet, president. and other civil ofh-
GERS, while the opposition TO the establishment
of American sovereignty has proceeded, not so
much from the patriotism OF the people
from the selfshness of individuals from 1ne
lust Of military power and oppression and from
the spirit of robbery and brlgandage. Nothing
remained throughout the area occupied by the
insurgents but TO meet force with force; and
this done first by General Otis. and later
with brilliant results, by General Macarthur
who had the good fortune through Cen
eral Funston. OF capturing Aguinaldo.
Surely the United States would have richly
earned the execration Of the world had ii aban-
doned the Philippines TO such a carnival OF
chaos. No; the logic is invncible that having
destroyed the only government the Islands had
were bound to give them another at least
as good; and that. having stricken down
the international guarantor of those islands,
were bound ourselves 10 become their guar
antor. and TO give to them. as President Nc
Kinley well said Of Cuba, "a stable government,
capable Of maintaining order and observing its
international obligations insuring peace and
tranquility and the security Of its citizens as
well as our own" DR.. Schurrnan himself con-
oedes that in almost those very words. It is
well TO keep that fact and that necessity in
mind when reading his reiterated declaration
that the Filpinos are to govern themselves ac-
cording to their standards and not ac-
cording TO ours and that any decent kind of
government Of Filipinos by Filipinos is better
than the best possible government of Filipinos
by Americans" The fact is that no govern
rnent Of the Philippines, whether by Filipinos
by Americans will be tolerable which does
not guarantee-and fulfil the guaranteeing
observance of international obligations at least
well they were observed by Spain. Such
government Of the Philippines now and here
after is a fundamental requisite without which
justification Of intervention there will be
impossible. We have not merely our own in
terests and our own selfish ease to consult. nor
yet only the desires the ambitions and the