The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-04
: A GREAT EXPERIMENT

In the Outlook the editor, DR.. Lyman
Abbott, recently stated anent the Phlllp-
pines problem that capacity in COM
munity for self government may be de-
yeloped through centuries in the hard
school of experience or in ian Incredibly
less time through tutelage" under ma
ton which has been through the school
of experience. DR.. Abbott has since been
asked by correspondent to point OUT
some of the examples Of a nation In which
self government has been learned under
to admit that there are no such examples.
He adds:
No nation ever before attempted what, by
the Philippine commission in the Philip
pines, and by the United States governors
In Cuba and Porto Rico, America is attempt
ing to teach another nation-the art OF self
government.
And that is the fact An able British
writer has compared our administration
Of the Philippines to the French colonial
tion syst em-the SYSTEM of attempted as
similation of the dependencies to French
civilization And as the French have
failed in accomplishing this purpose, so
he thinks the United States will fail until
it adopts the method of Great Britain
with it's dependencies not controlled by
people of European race. That is the sys-
tenn Of maintaining order, promoting
commerce, introducing sanitation and
ameliorating the conditions of life among
the people as much as possible with little
S,,to rfnrn vNyit =,
their customs, religions and political
usages.
But France has not sought to make her
colonies self-governing. She has sought
to make them as French as possible, but
for the benefit of France, not of them
selves. However our law makers may
misrepresent us at times, the American
people at heart are determined that Porto
Rico, Cuba and the Philippines shall, be
governed for their own good first. We
honestly intend to teach them self-gov
eminent, and we believe that to large
We may fail. There is no beacon light Of
history to guide our course. We are
| sailing an unknown and unchartered poll
| tical sea. The problem may be regarded
as certain Of early solution in Porto Rico.
That island, under American rule, is pro-
crossing materially, morally and political
ly. 1t is quiet and content Cuba will
offer no greater difficulties when it shall
be definitely included within the American
political system. The proximity of both
islands to the continent and the strength
of American example and influence will
promote the rapid inst ruction of their
people in self-government under Ameri-
can tutleage.
| In the Philippines the outcome is uncer-
tain. 1t must be remembered that the
conditions we found there were more IA
vorable to an experiment in self-govern-
ment than the English or the Dutch have
found in their oriental possessions. So
! far as concerns the Mohammedan tribes
| the conditions are not different, but with
| the five or six millions of Christian Fill
pinos they are very different There is nc
| system of caste among them, there was
no ancient system of native government
there were no strongly organized tribes
though there\were tribal or sectional ami
mosities. Whatever else Spain may have
done, her work of converting the natives
to nominal Christianity, at least, and the
breaking down of the tribal lines seems tc
have paved the way for instruction in
self-government. Christianity is one OF
the mainsprings Of modern democracy
which is utterly unlike and, at heart, i'm.
mensely superior to the democracy of an
tiquity. In no other oriental peoples has
there been such wholesale conversion t.
Christianity as in the Philippines u.