Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-06-24
TO SOLVE PHILIPPINE PROBLEM

| AS all that literary aspirant has IA
do TO attract attention to himself IS
TO edit Shakespeare or write COM
mentary upon him, so all that an as
plrant for fame as a statesman Of con-
structlye power, in the United states
| has to do to attain Il Tor notorlety)
| is to evolve u scheme for the settlement
Of the Philippine question. The latest
promulgator Of such plan Is General
A. S. Burt Quite naturally he believes
that bis solution viii ultimately be ac-
cepted by both the administration ana
the country Turn them over to the
Japanese, says the general. Let them
have them on the lnstalment plan for
the consideration, say, OF $3.50, 900
our government does not need the mon
ey In lump sum.and BY making n prop
osition Of that kind we can dictate as
10 coallng stations and make such re-
serves as are thought TO be best sor
trade interests An arrangement OF
that kind can be effected that viii give
the United states as broad a road into
the market Of the Orient as If we re-
tanned the islands; besides we viii be
making strong allies Of two nations
that will represent our interests on that
side Of the globe without the necessity
OF the presence Of large army at an
enormous cost"
The plan may be described as utoplar
though IL carried out 1t would not es-
tabllsh a Utopia by any means.
General Burt may believe that Japan
would be a better and kinder master
OF the Philippines than the United
States, but no one else thinks 50, not
even the Fillpinos themselves, So far
az they have given expression to their
preference in this matter It has oeen
In favor Of independence and not for
Japanese domination,
The general would let Japan have the
islands for a hundred and fifty million
dollars-about half what they have cost
the country The Yankees have some
reputation for business shrewdneSs
and were they TO make that kind Of u
bargain they would lose ~ and do-
servedly.
What win be The solution Of mo rhil-
ippine problem perhaps no one can say.
At present the indications are that the
islands will work out their destiny I'M
der the direction II not domination OF |
the United States, II may be as per-
manent colonies with partial local self
Il may be as an inde-
pendent government under q protector !
ate or It may be az an absolutely in !
dependent power II Is all in the future |
and time alone can tell what Is there. |
II Is quite safe to say that the United |
States viii not dispose Of the Islands |
TO any power, AsIatic or European; It Is
decaylng and not growing nations that |
do such things The United States Is |
in the growing list. In politics nation
al or International solutions Of prob
lens consist chiefly. OF a series Of
adjustments as circumstances arise.
When nation has no problems TO
solve It is approaching or has entered |
upon the period Of It's decay Where !
there are no problems to solve there Is
stagnation, and where there is stigna-
ton there Is death.
General Rurts solution of the Phil |
ippine problem proves one thing quite |
eonclusively-that he is not in touch |
with the sentiment OF the American |
people on the Philippine question