The Savannah morning news., 1902-02-09
BACoN's OPINION OF THE FILL
PINOG

]
/ Senator Bacon has a very interesting
/ article on the situation in the Philip
| pines in the Saturday Evening Post
/ What makes the article particularly
valuable is that it contains the results
and conclusions of the Senator's obser-
vations and inquiries during a visit to
the islands.
one thing the Senator is satisfied
about is that the Filipinos, almost to
man, are hostile to the Americans. He
is satisfied of this from his conversa-
tions with army officers who have been
in the Philippines ever since our army
landed there and from talks he had
with Filipinos who are friendly to, and
those who are outspoken against,
American rule.
One reason for this state of affairs
is that the Filipinos have been strug-
Cling for independence for many years.
The desire for self-government, for a
brown mans government, is felt by
all classes of the natives. Another rea-
son is that they fear that the Ameri-
cans intend to possess their counsry-
that they will overrun it, appropriate
it and exterminate their race. Still an
other reason is the natural antagonism
that is between an inferior race and
superior race. While it is true that the
men of the army, as a rule, deal kindly
with the natives some of them do not
hesitate to show their contempt for
them and speak of them and to them
in contemptuous terms.
Senator Bacon says that there are
two ways of pacifying the Filipinos.
One is to crush them with the sword
and the other is to give them a gov
ernmept which shall be so much their
own that the American influence in it
will be so lightly felt that it will not
be objected to. There is no doubt, the
Senator says, that the American army
can crush out the opposition, but it
will take pretty large army to keep
the enmity of the natives from show
ing itself whenever the opportunity oc-
ours. Under such condition the Fill
pinos would be a discontented people
for a generation, and perhaps for a
longer period.
The Senator calls attention to the
statement made by Gov. Taft that the
civil government of the islands will
have wrought such changes within a
short time that an army of $4,000 men
will be able to maintain order there.
He does not mention Gov. Taft's name,
but he calls attention to the $4,000 es-
]
says that he does not think that the
time will come soon when order can
be maintained with an army of that
size. He does not undertake to discuss
the remedy for the condition that ex-
lists, except to point out the two ways
in which peace can be brought about
and preserved.
1t seems to us that the Senator's ar
ticle is not entirely satisfactory. While
he admits that there is no doubt that
it is the intention of the American peo-
| pie that their arms shall triumph in
the islands, and says that it is their
desire that the Filipinos shall not be
/ discontented and disloyal after pacifi-
| cation has been accomplished he does
not explain how the Filipinos can be
given control of their own affairs to
| the extent that would be satisfactory
| to them without granting them COM
plete independence. 1t would seem from
the impressions that he gained from
| talking with them that nothing less
| than independence would satisfy them.
! There are no indications of an inten-
tion of the American people to give up
the possession of the islands. That be-
ing the case, the pacification must be
| by sword, and the islands will have TO
be held by force of arms for a long
time to come-that is if Senator Ba-
cons impressions of the Filipinos are
| correct.