Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1903-01-14

conflicting views preNall-h the OHlteu
States.
The commission says" he remarks, |
land ii has been alluded to by congress, |
that the Filipino is refined. cultivated |
and honorable; but governmental au-
thorities IN the United States, including |
the president, allude to the inhuman |
manner in which warfare has been |
conducted in the Philippines against |
Americans.
1T is difficult to reconcile the two
descriptions. The Filipinos as a race |
on occasions are refined and cultivated, |
and also on other occasions they are
savages; and in the latter definition one
will probably get the vote of large
majority of the Americans who have
been or are now in the Philippines.
Treachery and Discrimination are as
characteristic of the F1lipino's nature.
as black hair and eyes are of his phys
ical appearance"
And in support of this allegation Mr..
Bellairs makes a statement of the
utmost gravity; we do not remember
having seen elsewhere any allusion to
the alleged state of facts. Mr.. Bellairs
claims, in short, that the "Partido
Federal" whose professions of loyalty
have been accepted in good faith by
Governor Taft, is a party which is
honey -combed with treachery agaiEs-
the United States, and he thus explains
the situation:
THE Hindoo has a reputation for
dishonesty and sharp practice in the
general dealings of life, but the Hindoo
is to the Filipino in this respect as is
white to black The Filipino race, with
the exception of the Moros, may be
| said to be controlled by a compare
lively small number of persons-a sort
of unofficial parliament. which has al
ways existed under some name or an
other. and occasionally under no name
at all. At present it is called the
| Partido Federal, which was founded,
| if not at the request certainly at the
| suggestion of the military authorities
/ who at that ime were governing the
\ Philippines. The object was to get to-
/ gether the most prominent men in the
Philippines. and either by giving them
| government positions or in some other
way obtaining for them what they de-
| sired, to make friends of them and
thereby finish the guerilla warfare that
| was then existing. The idea resulted
in perfect success. One after another,
as the big men surrendered or came IN,
the Partido Federal took the credit for
it. and probably justly So"
The author then explains that while
the military officials took this means
of ending the war, they have never
placed full trust In the leaders of the
| federal party, and through the secret
service of the army keep as close SUI
pervision as possible over the various
members of the party. But, it is ex-
planned,
THE civil commission received the
Partido Federal with open arms, and to
a large extent that party controls the
native appointments throughout the
archipelago. There is very little doubt
that the party is in thorough harmony
with the organization which apparently
has no name, but is controlled by the
members of the Partido Federal, that
collects from every Filipino working
in Manila able to afford it, dollar,
Mexican. a month. It is said on reli-
able authority that over a hundred ana
fifty thousand dollars a month are thus
obtained. What the purpose is is not
the accomplishment of Filipino free
dom, at least so the author has been
informed. The military authorities
= believe, with considerable reason, that
it is the intention eventually, say in
: the course of two or three years, when
: Filipino customs collectors are in every
= port, and all officials are F'ilipinos, to
import large quantities of arms and
, ammunition of the latest type and pat
: tern. Another very suspicious circum-
| stance is the exceeding interest which
2 the Partido Federal takes in the con-
stabulary, an organization of natives
2 more than half the officers of which
, are Americans"
The reader is led to infer that il
to a mutiny and an uprising in the
Philippines equal 10 the Indian mutiny
= which shocked civilization, it will not
: be because the Filipino is lacking fl
the requisite treachery.
Throughout the volume, Mr.. Bellair;
q is emphatic in praise of the military
= and it is evident that he considers civil
h government a premature experiment.
AS to what should be done with the
Philippines ultimately. the author doe!
. not profess to have a ready plan. H,
k suggests that possibly the best plar
i would be for the United States to hol.
4 Manila and the surrounding countr,
{ for twenty miles. and let the Filipino
go ahead and establish their own cap
= ital and government, with their owl
: president elected by themselves. H
n would prevent the Filipino government
Il from maintaining a considerable armet
force, and he would have America fore
r them to act according to the laws o
: nations in their dealings with foreigl
q governments.
n If, however. the United States shoul
;. continue to keep the archipelago, h
- thinks that a very much stronger an
n more stable form of government tina
g exists today should at once be place
in charge"