Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-17
AGAINST OUR RULE
PROF. SCHURMAN SAYS FILL
PINOS DESIRE FREEDOM.
As Capable Of Self Government as
People of Many South Ameri-
can States.

A dispatch from Cleveland, Ohio, last
night says: Jacob Gould Schurman, presi-
dent Of Cornell University, spoke for an
hour and half tonight before the MEM
bers of the University Club of this city.
His lecture was an interesting recital OF
conditions obtaining in the islands and the
relation of the government Of the United
States with their future. He argued for
the independence of the. Philippine people.
on the ground that 1t Is the only logical
outcome of out holdings there. He said
that SO far as he knew but very small
minority Of the inhabitants Of the Philip
pines desired annexation to this country,
and he had not yet heard an informed
resident of the United States express the
wish to have a doubtful presidential cleo
ton dependent upon belated returns from
Samar or Sulu. Besides, Mr.. Schurman
said our Constitution declares against the
adytSability of our holding colonial pos
sessions Australia and Canada cannot be
cited as examples Of what can be done
with colonies. These countries, Mr.. Schur-
man declared, are inhabited by EngliShmen,
not by people Of foreign blood and of an
other color.
An attempt to change the languages Of
the Filipinos, Mr.. Schurman said, would
be a failure. No one needs English in
these islands except the trader and the
politician, and they can acquire 1t without
the assistance of the United States
Regarding the agreement with the Sui
tan of Sulu, which Mr.. Schurman said he
had urged President Mckinley to enter
upon, the speaker said that it was but the
continuation of a policy that had long
been recognized by Spain, and the tondi-
lions were such at the time that the COM
pact could not well be broken. Besides, 1t
was a measure Of peace, for the sultan,
being the chief of large number of peo-
pie could hold them In check If he was
accorded the right of retaining privileges
which had long been in existence.
The present economic aspect Of the
islands Mr.. Schurman said. is the worst in
it's history. 1t is due, first, to the war
and has been added to by flood. famine and
pestilence. Cholera has devastated whole
villages in the islands. Congress was asked
last year to establish a stable currency In
the islands, but has refused to do SO. The
reasons given then are as good as can ever
be given.
The speaker said 1t was not fair to class
the Filipinos, or that portion of them that
are civilized and Christianized, as Malays
or with the Asiatics. He said 1t would be
more according to fact If they were COM
pared with the residents of Central and
South America and Of Mexico. He said
they have had the same training as these
countries politically and religiousy-Span-
ish and Roman Catholic.
He said they were capable OF seh-govern-
ment quite as well as are the peoples OF
Mexico, South and Central America, and
are more capable of governing themselves
than we are of governing them, hostile as
they necessarily are to us now. He said
that the war that we have been engaged in
with the Fiiipinos has created hitherto
non-existent nationality. and we cannot
well afford to ignore the wishes of $500. 600
to 1900, 600 of people.
Regarding the hauling down of the flag,
Mr.. Schurman said that few years ago
he saw the American flag flying from many
fiagstaffs in Cuba and the flags have been
withdrawn and Cuba has been left in peace.
Mr.. Schurman paid high tribute. to Gov.
Taft of the Philippines, declaring that he
was an able and perhaps the best man for
the position that could have been selected.
A large measure of self-government has
already been granted the F4lipinos by the
important privileges being withheld, the
right to trial by jury and the privilege to
carry arms.