The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-08-21
OF ISLANDS
PRES. SCHUMAN'S VIEWS ON THE
PHILIPPINES.
Says They Can Not Become Again
Political Issue Until After Their
Legislature Shall Have Met

CHAUTAUQUA, n. Y, August q
President Schurman of Cornell uni
versity today delivered an address on
The Philippine Problem before the
Chatauqua assembly here. He said:
The Philippine question has passed
into a new stage though the public
seems unaware of it and the newspapers
have not noticed it. Certain matters
of great interest in the past have now
been definitely eliminated. The Chris
tian FilipinOs have undoubtedly been
drawn together by three years of fight
ing against the white man. But after
fighting has gone on Independently Of
Aguinaldo's Philippine republic, whose
brief existence was entiTalY embraced
within the year 1899. And at that
Period as | have sal it appeared to be
less national than a local Organiza-
ton.
"Aguinaldo himself has, on the one
hand, been branded as a brigand and,
on the other, glorifed as a George
Washington. The time has not yet
come impartially to appraise his char
acter. Perhaps it may appear hereafter
that he was an able and honest and
patriotic champion of national indepen-
denCe, who was not always sCrupulous
in the choice of means for the attain
ment of his ends and who, besides, had
his own full share of personal ambition
and love of place and power BE that
as it may he is now a privae citizen,
and the improved offenses once imputed
to him are entitled to the generous obli-
won with which the presidents prOcla-
ImatiOn of amnesty formally invested his
official acts.
IF Imperialism means government
without the consent of the governed
and anu-imperialism the contrary, then
| it must be asserted that in the first con-
Of 81
ment of the Philippines, the anti-im-
perialiSts have won the day. After 1904
when the new Philippine legislature
comes into law in the Philippines with
out the consent of the governed, duly
given by their representative legislative
assembly. Meantime the act of con-
gress creating that assembly secures
to the Filipinos all the civil rights spe-
Gifted in the bill of rights of our own
constitution except the right 10 carry
arms (Which is, at present, a prudent
| reservation and the right to trial by
| jury (Which is foreign to the laws and
! legal traditions and ideas of the Fill
pinOs)
"I certainly am satisfied with the aC-
! ton of the presi dent an con gross in re-
gard to Philippine affairs. Everything /
asked for the tflipinOs in my Boston
! speech of January last, which was
severely criticised by imperialists, has
| been granted to them, with the eXCeP-
| ton of gradually increasing home rule,
eliminating in independence when the
| Filipnos desired and were fit for indie
| pendence, which by the very terms of
| the proposition shows itself a matter
not for the present but for the future.
! 81 believe that President Roosevelt s
| attitude toward tie Philippine question
| indicated in his first message to con-
gress and in his Arlington speech, his
punishment of army officers who have
! been proved guilty of cruelty toward
| FilipinOs, and his constant support of
| a liberal and enlightened Philippine
policy in general combined with the
| passage by congress Of the Philippine
! civil government bill win have the eff
| feet of eliminating the Philippines as a
| political issue Scr at lea st three u four
years Even those who favor independ-
ence cannot raise the question till that
native legislative assembly has voiced
| the sentiments of the Filipinos on the
| subject and also demonstrated by wise
and prudent use of the legislative power
! it enjoys that it is fit to receive a
| larger grant of home rule"