The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-24

That of a German Writer ON the Phil
ippines Fifty Years Ago.
Hartford Courant.

Hartford Courant.
Up to the time Of his recent return from
Manila, Mr.. j. A. lie Roy was Commits
sioner Worcester's private secretary. He
has read Professor Jenks's argument for
the admission OF Chinese coolie labor to
the Philippines. does not fiHd IL convince
ing and writes to the Independent 10 say
SO. What the Industrial needs of Mindanao
and Mndoro may be in the coming years
is a question by itself, he suggests. His
solicitude is for the civilized Christian
Filipinos-7.00 900 of them or more. inhsb-
iting a region about as large as the States
of New York and Vermont put together.
He is not denying that the importation OF
Chinese laborers would hasten the material
development of the island, but he feels
pretty sure that il would be demoralizng
and discouraging to the Christian Filipinos.
They-the great majority OF them-dread
the coming Of the coolies, and Mr.. lie Roy
thinks their instinct is sound. He also
thinks that there are reasons why Amer
leans should protect them against Chinese
competition in their home labor market.
Even though the internal Improvement
which is desired shall thereby be retarded.
shall we not be going more surely he
asks, IF we make the people of the islands
themselves share In every step OF that de-
velopment?"
Nearly nIty years ago u herman man OF
science, Herr Ferdinand Jagor, Travelled
through the islands. Then he wrote a
book. Mr.. lie Roy calls attention TO
certainly very noteworthy prediction in
the Jagor book-made. please to remem-
Der, at time when hardly one American
in a hundred thousand knew anything
about the islands beyond the fact that
they produced hemp and Manila cheroots.
The German traveller wrote:
The influence of North America in the
ultramarine provinces of Spain Will mako
itself felt, especially In the Philippines, as
velops. The Americans seem to have the
mission of reviving the germ or the Span
ish seed. AS the conquerorS oil modern
days, representatives OF positiyism In
opposition to the romanticism Of caya-
lierly enterprises, they pursue their course
with the ak and the pillow of the colonist.
just as the Spaniards did 1t bearing the
cross and fiourishing the sword. A great
part of Spanish-America already belongs
to the United States, and has attained
since the transfer an Importance IL had
not even dreamed of under Spanish rule,
and still less in the anarchic period fol-
lowing its emancipation. The Spanish sys-
tenn cannot, in the long run. prevail against
the North American
AS an instance of foresight, this is scarce
ly less remarkable than the almost stimuli
taneous vision OF an American poet-which
at the time was thought great nonsense
and promptly forgotten. Reviving the
germ of the Spanish seed" said the man OF
science. Races reborn, refreshed-the old,
the Asiatic. renew'd as II must be-" said
the seer.
Herr Jagors sympathies a man and
a brother went out TO the Filipinos He
put on record his belief that life would
become a pretty strenuous affair for them
when the Americans-"tfreless creators
and little given to humanitarian consider
atiOnS''-arriVed.