Omaha daily bee., 1903-01-03
FOR The FILIPINOS
President Jacob Gould sohurman Gives His
Solution for Problem.
SAYS UNITED STATES SHOULD WITHDRAW
Conditions which Now Exist In
Islands Discussed nj Length
by President Of Cornell
University.

...#
To enable the Filipinos to establish a
stable government and then to withdraw
from the islands. leaving the natives to
manage their own affairs in their own way.
is the duty OF the United states In its
dealings with the Philippine problem, ac-
| cording to Jacob Gould %Schufman, president
OF Cornell university. Mr.. Schurman lee
tured on the question to a large audience
at the First Congregational church last
evening. He discussed the question in all its
phases and gave his reasons for the tenn
porary retention Of the archipelago by the
United States, that being to relieve the
Filipinos from Spanish oppression. He is
! opposed to permanent retention. and also
thinks that a great mistake has been made
in undertaking te-force the English lan>
guage on a people whose language is Span
ish.
He was introduced by John W. Battin,
president of the Cornell Alumni associa-
tion, who said that the graduates Of Cor
nell are now found all over the United
States and in all parts Of the world, and
that the present enrolment, nearly 1900,
represents torty-four states and sixteen
foreign countries. II ~
President schurman, after a brief review
OF the events leduluB up 10 the CesSIOu VI
the islands to the United States, said that
previous to the signing Of the treaty Of
Paris he had been opposed to this country
retaining the island He had urged this
as a reason for declining Lis appointment,
made by President Mckinley, when chosen
as president Of the first Philippine COM
mission. In reply to this President Nc
Kinley had said; The American. people,
having gone to war for the freedom OF
Cuba, will not consent, after It's victorious
close, to leave the Philippines subject to
Spanish oppression
when I visited the Philippines. in 1899,
we held Manila and the fort at Iloilo-a
few square miles OF territory said Presi-
dent Schurman. To-day we. hold possession
from the northern to the southern bounda-
ries."
The islands Of the Moros and heather, he
said, remained at peace while there was
fighting in the islands OF Luzon and the
Viscayas, simply because the United States
government renewed the treaties in force
between Spain and the rulers OF the south
ern islands, by which the people we're to
be governed by their own tribal rulers and
after their own laws and customs. II Chris
tian civilization is to be planted in that
country 1t must be as the grain Of mustard
seed which in time will grow to large pro-
portions.
Millions of Intelligent Natives.
THE people in Luzon and the viscayas
number $500, 900. They are civilized and
are C~hristianized. The Filipino will com
pare favorably with any South American
people, and the best or the people will
compare favorably with any man in North
America or Europe, and to think OF them
for a moment as savages and barbarians is
an outrage on humanity. Now, these mil
| lions Of people were governed by Spain in
a very d~espotic way. They enjoyed nothing
, like home ule-had no civil liberty. The
Instructions in Luzon and the Vlscayas
were due to this fact: The reformers
clamored for home rule, ,Administratlye au-
tonomy. These people were governed by
y Spanish military officers. Spanish civil of
fcers and Spanish friars. and when Spain
ceased to exercise authority they were as
5 sheep without leaders. 1t was a sheer
democracy, without native leaders and with
. no machinery by which to choose leaders
= They had no tribal government"
OF the recommendations Of the FIRST Phil
lppine commission, President Schurmar
said they had been practically carried out
by congress and the present commission
the bill OF rights, with the exception o.
, trial by jury, something unknown in Spanish
countries, and the right to bear arms IL
y defense OF the countryls sovereignty, hay
ing been conferred upon the civilized Fill
o pinos. He criticised congress for not ar,
ranging more satisfactory trade relations
a between the islands and the United States
r and for not adopting the gold standard To-
q the islands, saying that the failure to pro
d vide that standard had cost the government
e more than $1,000. 900 during the last, yea
4 and the people of the country much more
o The people OF the islands may be bound Il
o the United States by self-interest, whill
e they could never be bound by ties Of bloot
n or tradition. He painted a picture o
s desolation on the islands, where the rinder
pest has killed 80 per cent of the cariboo
where famine has followed war, pestilenc
has walked upon the heels Of famine an
d the Asiatic cholera is now raging, and sal,
d that 1t is the duty of the United States L
aid the islanders. AS regards the educa
tional efforts OF the United States, he sli
a blunder had been made in providing tina
the English language should be the basi
Of education. and the blunder will be
crime II the policy be continued. for Span
ish is the language OF the country and will
continue so for generations.
. About n Friars.
Referring to the ecclesissticsl question
l. he said: Under Spanish rule the churc
8. had been part of the state. The priest an
bishops drew stipends from the government
the same basis as the other churches, an
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