The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1902-03-14


THE PHILIPPINES A WHITE ELE-
PLANT To THE UNITED STATES.
The undisguised fact is that the
United States has struck a very tough
proposition in the Philippine islands.
It was an incubus to Spain and it viii
be a white elephant to the United
States. Governor General Taft does
not hesitate to say that it would have
been better not to have acquired them,
but having taken them we cannot in
honor abandon them.
Now comes Gen. Hughes and says
white labor cannot be successfully en-
ployed in the islands and that it will
be necessary to import japanese and
Chinese labor, preferably the former.
1.-THE natives are weak and lazy" Gen
Hughes says, "they would mix well
with the American negro" Gen.
Hughes says an American fred the
first shot in the Filipino war. This is
an historic fact. The Filipino leaders
were absent in a council at Mallolos.
They deprecated the encounter and
tried to have it stopped.
Now comes Gen. Funston and says,
in substance, that the anti-expansion-
lists at home are responsible for the
deaths of American soldiers in the
Philippines and he would rather see
them hanged than soldiers killed in
the Philippine war. He describes the
Filipinos as a very bad lot, murders
and assassius. He won his star for the
capture Of a MISUNDERSTANDING
who stated to him that he had Gen
Luna killed because he aspired to the
dictatorship; that Dewey and no one
else promised independence. As to the
killing Of Luna Gen. Funston says:
would you imagine Gen. Washington
doing anything like that?" Washing
ton had Maj. Andre hung, and had he
been able to capture Arnold and hung
him, would, probably, have spared
Andre.
Again, it comes out in the senate
discussion Of the sedition and treason
laws enacted by the Taft commission,
that it would be treason, punishable
with death TO read the declaration Of
independence or the debates reported
in the Congressional Record, in the
Philippines. That not to inform against
blood relatives in such cases would be
treason punishable with death This
clause was amended by the senate to
exclude all blood relations but that of
brother and sister. So it seems broth
er and sister must inform against one
another.
From all these authorities it is ap-
parent that the Philippines is a good
place for white man to keep out of;
for a liberty loving American to keep
out of; for the United States to have
kept out of. American newspapers
have been driven out of Manila, and
the Manila English press is in the
hands of English publishers. Gen.
Hughes testified that the American
board of trade in Manila was
composed of Englishmen and other
foreigners. England is able to protect
its citizens. Americans in the Phil
ippines would have TO Hstand pat" with
the colonial regimen or be hanged.
A returned soldier from the Philip
pines told the writer that the Philip
pines was no place for an American
unless he was a capitalist; that the
climatic difficulties were insurmount-
able; that the race problem was a seri-
Gus one when the 100000 population
Of the islands was considered; that a
large garrison OF troops would be nee
essary; that soldiers would have to be
constantly recruited for service in the
islands, as no man having campaigned
there would ever re-enlist again for
service in the islands.
This summary Of facts, which can
not be denied, is a worse commentary
on the Philippine problem, and the de-
basing conditions there encountered
than the most ardent anti-expansion-
ist has ever presented. Imperialism
abroad demands imperialism at home.
Repression OF freedom Of speech and
the press abroad demands the suppress
sion Of freedom Of speech and the press
At home. As to some utterances in the