The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-02

senate; the anti-imperialsts answered, Yes,
and they controlled. the house, thanks, as
believe to the liberal, far-sighted spirit of
President Roosevelt, who in his Arlington
speech explicitly contemplated the possibility
of ultimate Philippine independence. The
house, under the able leadership Of Mr. Coo
per, prevailed over the senate. and the bill
pro viding for legislative assembly for the
Filipinos became the law of the land.
Anti-Imperialism Has Won.; -
If imperialism means government without
the consent of the governed and anti-im-
perialism the contrary, then it. must be as
serted that in the first conflict those forces
over the government of the Philippines. the
anti-imperialists have: won the day. After
1904, when. the, new Philippine legislature
comes into existence, no bill can be enacted
into law in the Philippines without the con-
sent of the, governed. duly given by their
representative legislative assembly. Mean
time the act of congress creating that assem- :
bly, secures to the Filipinos all the civil
rights specified in the bill Of rights Of our
own constitution except. the right to carry
arms which is, at present, a prudent reser-
vation, and the right to trial BY, jury, which
is foreign to the: laws and legal traditions
and ideas Of the Filipinos:
I certainly am, satisfied with the action
Of the president and congress In regard to
Philippine affairs =; -. =" -, -. ,.
AS a friend land adnirer Of the Filipinos,
many Of whom have honored me. with their
confidence, l. beg, them, in the interests of
the further, political DEVELOPMENT of their
nation, not-at the outset to make their legis-
lative assembly an organ for fruitless agita-
ton ON the subject Of Independence, but
rather with moderation and self-restraint SO
to- exercise the functions delegated to them
that the American people will deem them
worthy of a still larger grant Of power.
Philippine Issue Fades. -:
We have. planted government with the con-
sent of the governed in Asia. :" The Philip
pines are thus not a colony, but an incipient
sister commonwealth. The colonizing ma
tions of Europe poohpooh our experiment.
Heaven grant it may be a case Of liberty en-
Tightening, the, world: Certainly the grain
of mustard seed will grow, Certainly the
Filipinos will in time insist that the prin-
ciple of the consent Of the governed receive
broader and fuller application. But Ire
peat that their destiny is now in their own
hands Their friends In America can do
nothing but support their efforts.
Meantime, and till after the inauguration
of that Philippine assembly in 1904, the
Philippines will disappear as an issue from,
American politics.
The MOros Are Different. -
What have said of the 6,5oo,0oo Christian
and civilized Fflipinos Of Luzon and the
Visayas does not apply to the remaining
population of the archipelago-the i, 500, ,0OC
of Mohammedan (Moros) and heather tribes
who inhabit Mindanao, .Sulu, Basilan and
Palawan. A strong external sovereignty must
be exercised over these barbarous and savage
tribes, of whom some four score are known
and named. It, is these people who may
fairly be compared with the North Ameri-
can Indians And unless we turned them
over to some other strong power we should
have to retain our sovereignty. over them
even If we conferred independence upon the
6, 500, 900 Christian and civilized Filipinos OF
Luzon, the Visayas, and the coasts: Of Min
danao. may add that the circumstances
that we have two such distinct and almost
contradictory problems in the Philippines
makes statements that are perfectly con-
gruous appear to the >uninitiated to be in
consistent, and ''wabbling." = = = - ::
Question of the Friars.
There are still administrative questions o1
no little difficulty to settle. The gravest is
undoubtedly the problem Of the friars, but
I think its gravity has been somewhat ex:
aggerated. I favor-indeed, l was the frs
to recommend-the purchase by the govern
ment of their landed estates And believe
that purchase can now be effected on a sat
isfactory basis: Buff the vatican is unwil1
ing to Withdraw the, friars,. let them re
MAN, Should the. Filipinos resist their re
turn to their former parishes, that is not I
| matter Of any concern to the. civil authori
| ties; with us church and state are absolute1.
separate The frfars would move about a
| their own peril, like any other aliens, wheth
! er popular or unpopular. Even If the nego
| tiators fail to agree on terms for the pur
chase and sale of the friars lands, the re
suit would be less hurtful to the govern
| n1ent than to the religious corporations, VIII
| would have infinite trouble in collecting thei
! rents from unfriendly tenants.
:, :. But this is an administrative question
1 which may safely-.be left to, the ability AM
.diplomacy: Of Governor Taft. I return t
my point that's practically all fundamenta
! Philippine questions (apart from the >su
1 preme question Of independence or state
| hood) have now been settled. The Filipino
| wanted religious lberty,--personal freedom
/ freedom of speech and their civil rights,
/ native legislative assembly and territoria
! home rule and these all have been concede
to tn EN- by the civil government bill recent
ly signed by President Roosevelt. In the Ion
run, Of course the Filipinos must be give
either statehood in the American union Q
I Independence an Independence which ma
be actual and open like that of Cuba or &C
i tual and yelled like that of Canada. But ii
4 their native legislative assembly is organize
1 in 1904 and for q few years thereafter, thi
] can scarcely be q practical issue.