The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-05-04

as it can control the matter, to hold
these islands for all time as possession
of this country
| l have no disposition, Mr.. President,
| to discuss the motives or reasons which
| have led the dominant party to settle
| lron one line of policy toward Cuba and
a wholly different line o. policy toward
the Philippines. That would, l appre-
Eend, be Improbable. But l do wish to
say that there is, in my judgment. no
! justification for this differentiation,
either in morals, public policy, or nation
al obligation; nor yet in the physical or
political conditions of these two coun-
tries or of their people. Att the close OF
| the war with Spain both of these coun-
! tries were absolutely in our power. We
| ckcse to give independence to one; to
| deny it 10 the other. Upon what grounds
can we defend this discrimination
| 1t cannot be excused or defended upon
| the ground that the Filipino is less
| capable or less prepared or less ready for
| government than the Cuban. | have
not been able to give this feature of the
| subject close study, but from the study I
have been able to give it l am satisfied
that the Filipino is just as we'll pre-
pared and just as ready for self govern
ment as the Cuban. The native unedu-
Gated Filipino is just as intelligent, just
as bright as the native uneducated
| Cuban. There is an educated class in
both islands, but if there is any differ
| ence between them it is very slight and
not material. There is also q foreign
element in both the islands. but with
reference to this foreign clement there
is this important distinction-that it is
al
native Filipino than it is with the native
Cuban.
Neither can this distinction in treat
ment be justified upon the ground that
we promised independence to the people
of one of these countries and did not
promise it to the other. or to any differ
ence in aspiration of these people i'll this
regard. Both of these peoples. when we
interfered in their affairs. were similar
ly situated with reference to Spain
Both of them were in instruction against
her authority; both of them were fighting
for independence, and neither of them
wa2 considering any terms of surrender
or settlement, or reconciliation short of
independence. The insurrectiOnary ar
mics of both of these countries joined
with our forces in overthrowing the pow
the understanding, either expressed or
implied, that if success attended our joint
efforts they were to have independence
I am glad we have kept faith with
Cuba. l am glad that in her case we
have been strong enough to resist the
thirst of empire and the lust of power.
l had hoped that we would pursue the
same course with reference to the Fill
lish a stable government we would turn
that government over to the people of
the islands and safeguard it as we have
done IN the case of Cuba against the en-
crOachments of any predatory nation.
There are many things involved in the
Filipino situation about which I have
had doubts and about which l still have
doubts, but there is one proposition in
connection with it about which there is
not now and never has been any doubt
in my mind. That proposition is this:
That considering our own interest, pres
ent as we'll as future, this Government
ought 20 relinquish possession of these
islands and withdraw from the archipela-
GO just as soon as it can do so consis-
tently with honor and our national obl
cations to those people. This far | feel
doubts.
l know it is the settled purpose of the
Republican party, as now constituted, to
permanently retain these islands, but
am not so sure that such is the purpose
of majority of the people of this coun-
try. l do not believe they have yet
passed upon that question. 1 do not be-
lieve the result of the last election meant
i ~,
the campaign which preceded that cleo
tion it is true, and it may have had
something to do with the result but the
people of this country were not then in
possession of sufficient information about
the question to enable them to properly
render q judicial and final decision upon
the issue raised.
We know more about the Filipino
situation now than we did then; but
even now we know but little, and much
of the information that we have is ad-
mittedly unsatisfactory and unreliable,
and much of it contradictory. No ques-
ton of such momentous Importance, in
volving the welfare of 7O,00O,000 people
here and 10000 900 there, can be safely
decided upon such meager and unreliable
information as we then had, or even as
people their character, their capacity,
their aspirations, and their disposition
toward us.
But it is the fixed and settled policy of
this Government, or if it shall hereafter
become the fixed and settled policy Of
this Government, to permanently retain
these islands, and we are confronted
with the question as to how we shall
govern them, whether as dependencies or
under the Constitution, whatever may
be the views of others. as between these
two alternatives, | confess ] should, IL
compelled to choose, make the choice
with grave misgivngs.
We cannot govern them as colonies
without trampling under foot there the
fundamental principles of our Constitu-
ton, and we cannot sanction an outrage
upon these principles there without en-
dangering them at home. We cannot with
safety link freedom in government with
absolutsm On the other hand, we can
| not admit these people, many of them
only half civilized and only part of
them with any just comprehension of the
principles of self government, as citizens
Of the republic without degrading the