Durango semi-weekly herald., 1902-02-03
oov.rnmen. for tn. phllIpp,n.s.

The question of the treatment of
the Philippines is one of the great is.
sues which confront the country.
A tariff bill to apply to the Philip
pines is now before congress. Secre-
tary Root advocates homestead
scheme. under which the residents OF
the Philippines would get 100 acres
of land. He believes that if an op-
portunity is offered the natives to
acquire title to property much of the
disaffection toward American sway
will disappear measure carrying
out the secretary's ideas will soon be
up in congress. Gov Taft, who is
home from the islands temporarily,
gives a good report of matters in the
archipelago. and says that civil gov
ernment in the Philippines SO far as
1t has been put in operation, is work
ing well, and that the natives are
anxious to have the civil authority
extended and to have legislature
through which they may be able to
assist in the work of government
Their object is to get autonomy. su
that they will eventually have almost
as much authority in managing their
own local affairs as Canada and Aus
tralia have in the British empire
All this shows that the Philip
pines present big issue for the con
sideration of the American people
AS the majority of the Americans ie-
gard the matter, however the first
duty OF the government at Washing
ton Is to see to it that American au-
thority is established all over the
archipelago. Gov. Taft says that pa
cification has been completed through
out the Philippines except in the prov
inces OF Samar and Batangas which
have been the scene OF recent mill
tary operations, and Batangas, he
thinks, will be quieted by the last oil
Maic This is cheerful intelligence
for the American people, but they
Will wait for few weeks before ac-
cepting or rejecting his prediction.
1t would be pleasant for them to be
lieve that the end OF the troubles i'll
the islands was as near at hand as
their governor intimates, but they
have been disappointed by the fore
casts in this direction made a year
or two ago, and they are not quite
SO credulous as they were then.
They would be glad to see all those
pretty forecasts realized-and all OF
them, OF course, will be realized some
time-but they are not going to cry
rea'C lace, when there is uu Iuatc.
An imperative duty OF the govern
meht at Washington is to keep the
i,,t ha al
whereby the military arm in the
islands will be enabled to immediate
ly deal with insurrection if it should
occur In hall a dozen or more of the
islands at once. We know by the
RECOMMENDATION policy which is about
to be adopted in one of the islands
that the situation in that particular
quarter is far from being satisfac-
tory. Not only do the soldiers have
to fight the insurgents in the bush,
but they are compelled to remove the
residents of the surrounding country
on account of the aid which they give
the rebels. Most of these civilians
are persons who have made a quasi
promise to accept American sway
but some of them seem to be almost
as hostile to the American soldiers
as the residents of Spain in the ear
ly years of the nineteenth century
were to the troops of Bonaparte in
their country. In time this hostility
will end. The measure which Sec
retary Root is advocating appears to
be calculated to win the lasting
friendship of the Filipinos for the
Americans. In many ways American
supremacy in the Philippines will be
lasting benefit to the natives and be
q marked triumph for civilization
The way to win this affection, howev-
er, and to make sure of this triumph
is to keep the army in the islands
numerous and effective enough to
deal promptly with false friends and
open enemies in any and all the prov
inces in which they appear-Globo
Democrat.