The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1904-09-01
ANTI-IMPERIALISM. A REOAN-
TATION.

Gray in the current issue of the Out
look, entitled 1.-The Recantation of
an Anti-Imperialist. by a Demo-
cratic lawyer who, previous to his
recent admission to the bar, had been
an editorial writer on various Demo-
cratic newspapers including the New
York World. He states that he had
always been strongly opposed to the
policy OF the Republican administra-
ton in the Philippines and says:
From such data as | could secure,
/ believed Aguinaldo aud his cause
comparable to Washington and the
issues of the Revolution, and / be-
lieved the Filipinos capable of self
government. | extolled their efforts
for independence, believing that the
nations health is best conserved by
minority actuated bv conscience and
principle which dares not to conform
to the cheap definition of patriotism
made by party politics. 1 voted for
Bryan in 1900 on the issues of Philip
pine policy, though opposed to him on
all other grounds.
He states that in the summer of
1902 he went to the islands for the
purpose of studying conditions, Tex
pecting to find, even in its beginnings,
abundant evidence OF the capacity of
the Fillpinos for self-rule, and to
gather facts with which to prosecute
a campaign for Filipino emanolpa-
tioD." He visited the principal prov
inces of Luzon, several of the larger
ic1an1S Of tbo Nisouon I'D
groups and number of others, met
nearly all the prominent Filipinos
who have taken service under the
United States as governors of provin-
ces and who were formerly rebels.
He had long talks with Aguinaldo and
other leading natives-in short he
made his observations of conditions in
the way that he should to find them
out truly. He admits that he soon
found that he had misconceived the
situation and that all the conditions
support the administration policy.
He finds that 1.-The Filipinos have
no nationality with which to assume
government of the archipelago. In
Luzon there are various tribes called
Christian or un-Christian, but who
murder each other as a tribal virtue.
In the other groups are other tribes
speaking various dialects In all the
islands there are not more than Co. VV0
who speak any Spanish-that is to
say:
LESS than one-half of one per cent
of the population know the educated
language which alone can be used for
purposes of communication.
Thus, without community of interest,
tradition, or language. scattered sparse
ly over an archipelago that would ex-
tend from Maine nearly to Florida,
ipheriuing immemorial tribal enmities,
a part frankly barbarous. part reared
under the spiritual guidance of the
Christian church, but forbidden the
arJs and liberal education. and sub.
jected to 300 years of military tyrap-
ny, the wealth and commerce of their
country in the hands of Europeans and
Chinese-what criminal folly to COM
pare such situation with that in
Cuba "There are individual Tagalogs
and Visayans of much intelligence, of
some culture and wealth; there are
some who possess what we call charac-
ter, but the class is lamentably small.
In Manila. a city of more than two
hundred thousand inhabitants, doubt
if there be two hundred Filipinos,
men and women, whom any of you
gentlemen would or could ask to your
houses save out of an anthropological
curiosity. In the country the per-
centage would be even smaller. Yet if
you make the Philippines independ-
ent, you give independence not to the
Filipinos, but to these Filipinos, not
to the people, but to this small class
you put the simple, half civilized viii
layers of Luzon and the Visayan group
under the rule of an oligarchy mod
eled upon Spanish military despotism
and animated by the spirit of the Ma
lay feudal system. This was the form
of government which Aguinsldo was
endeavoring to establish, the only
form of government of which either
he or his associates could conceive
The Malay feudal system, according
to Mr.. Gray, still holds the islands in
its sway and doubtless will for some
time in spite of the best efforts of the
Americans. This explains many of
the conditions existing, shows that an
insurrection is no popular uprising at
all. He says the Filipinos are in a
condition, raoially, Of child develop
ment. i" and Lick the qualities which
would fit them for popular liberty. IL
is further to be remarked that in al
most every case Filipinos of promi-
hence and distinction are of mixed
blood, part Malay and part European
or Chinese. The 'presidentes, or head
men of the villages, often make admir-
able executives, bpt the presidentes'
would gasp at the suggestion that the
peasants were entitled to the equal
rights guaranteed by our Constitu-
tion. -
But very few natives have any con-
ception of world affairs, Mr.. Gray
says, and those few realize that they
would be helpless if left alone, and
view with apprehension the possibiiity