Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-10-11

out by Mckinley, and he has kept his
pledge. Reason for a republican to
change? No more reason than for the
earth to reverse its motion
THE PHILIPPINE QUESTION.
Just as "the best study of mankind
in man. so is the best study of the
Philippines the Philippines them.
selves. Since every voter who is call.
ed upon this year to judge between
the Philippine policies of the two par.
ties cannot make a trip to the far
eastern islands to acquaint himself
with conditions as they exist there 1t
is valuable for him to know how the
people feel there and to learn it from
the columns of their papers. AS is
quite well known in America by this
time. Manila has several papers which
are conducted on metropolitan plans
and in one of these, the Manila Times
is an editorial under the caption
True Talk" which furnishes splendid
evidence to support the stand taken
by the republican party in the present
campaign with regard to the govern.
ment of the Philippines. The article
says:
''It is significant that in st. Louis
the city where the democratic conven.
ton hewed out, between its chickering's
that fearful and wonderful Philippine
independence plank'-which is guar
anteed not to have sufficient stress or
tensile strength to uphold its own
weight, that there is one newspaper
that has very accurate conception
of conditions here, and realizes that
these conditions would be plunged into
chaos at once were any such mad and
destructive policy as that Of cutting
the islands loose to be put. in opera
ton.
1t is also refreshing to know that
among the Filipinos now touring the
United States there is one who has
not been talking independence OF
trying to create sentiment against
the perpetuity of the government
from which most of them derive their
livelihood-and to which some OF
them are indebted for the fact that
they walk the earth today, and do not
sleep in unmarked graves as the re
suit Of fractional feuds within the rev
dictionary 'government'-but has
been expressing entirely different and
much more sensible and, to our way
Of thinking. more worthy sentiments
The Times here quotes from an In
terview in the st. Louis Globe-Demo
crat with one of the native Filipinos
now at the Worlds fair, in which he
said:
ut is not independence we wish. We
are beginning to fully realize the ben
efits that will come to us through the
political connection with this great
country. and we like to realize that
we are part of it. But at the same time
we are DESTROYS of having the right tc
select our own officials. In many
places in the islands partial fran
chise is already in force for the pur
pose of local government, but what we
are anxious for is the power to elect
a general assembly to make general
laws for the islands,"
This is followed by an editorial com.
ment from the Globe-Democrat, which
says:
more sensible than what is heard
from the anti-imperialist of the United
States. They ask that the country cut
loose from the Philippines at once or
within a year or two, the result of
which would be that anarchy would en-.
sue and Japan or some European pow.
er or powers, in the interest of civiliza
ton, would have to step in and seize
the islands. No such program of pusil.
lanimity, it is scarcely necessary to
say, will be tolerated by the American
people. The administration has not
the faintest intention of abandoning
the islands.
cat the same time 1t is only right to
say that the aspirations of the Fill.
pinos for larger share in the govern.
ment of their country are proper. This
is kept in mind by the American gov.
eminent. Legislation which has not
yet gone into operation will give the
natives of the islands some privileges
that they have not possessed thus far
Other legislation on this general line
will be enacted which will further
meet the demand for greater local
self-government. No act which has
been passed or proposed has been re
garded by anybody in this country as a
finality. Home rule Of very complete
sort will come to the islands as soon
as they are prepared for 1t, and the
earlier they get in this condition the
better the American people will be
pleased. The Filipinos themselves will
be greater gamers than will the
Americans through the United States
connection"
Commenting on the interview and
the remarks of the ST. Louis paper the
Times concludes as follows:
"This in all essential particulars, is
true talk The sentiment expressed
by the Filipino is the most sane ex
position we have heard of proceeding