The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-16

SUNDAY, OCTO1 was was doubled by the revolution of thlr'ee" V,1rlies ,.ri 1t cost her so much to secure me American expansionist, foiio"Ins european argument, alleges that anneHd- as oaon oI the Philippines must promote P' Pa sless, foster commerce and industry ,.to
 Iouuce the leaven of civllizatIoh , backward and inferior race. ihe ~ uence of history is to the contrary tSa+ saiilly the claim will not be inaus that "e can never get back the mohes 'Is mas been taken from the pockets ol our taxpayers and wasted on the Philippines And 1t is alike true that but two classes ,I' oI our people can hope to be beneileu os holding the Philippines-the class a MIiIon ID alWays hunting for special goNei i,iii i,iii ~ privileges and the class when seehs U make office-holding a means or nFeiihoou' me latter class in the Philippines com. prise some of those of whom the student CT conditions there recently saia, ol tne character of many in office loo ilttie cannot be said At the best they nave been inefficient; at the worst dlshonest' corrupt and despotic. The lslanas seem 10 have succeeded In getting the very dregs of our people He also sala the slt- nation in the Philippines today is so ter. rible that it passes the comprehension or people at home.
 Is Extraordinarily Ruined.
 Agricnlturally, the country Is for the time ruined. Land is going out of eulti- Vation, the population is i'll fed, ana In some places unable to get work. The country Is overburdened with taxation, diseases is prevalent, the farm animals dead, the towns in many places ln rulns' whole districts in the hands of Ladrones, the price of products poor and unremu- nerative
 Public opinion has no free expression; newspapers are bought up, or are brow beaten into silence, men of influence who criticize the commission are ostracized, the plays produced in the theatres are censored, there is not an organ of ex- pression of the popular voice that Is not controlled In private life men are subject to complete. far-reaching, thorough sys- tenn of espionage. Detectives appear in the guise of servants, and the path Of single one Is enough to destroy mans reputation, property, liberty or even life itself
 Should Hasten to Relief.
 This country should hasten to the re- lief of the situation.
 T ask of the republican party whether if the administration of the United States should be continued in its hands, 1t pro- roses to undertake to apply any remedy. Win 1t enact for the Philippines proper statutes regulating their affairs with some view to their interest? Will 1t give their perishing shipping relief? Will 1t give them tariff regulations under which they can exist?
 We hold the Philippines. Have we taken proper steps to fulfill the obliga- tions therein assumed? Are the Philip pines today a self-supporting communi- ty? Are not their efforts towards ac- quiring such positions embarrassed at every turn by the legislation we have forced upon them? Had we left them to their own devices, we might have dealt with foreign nations. Had we not brought them within the United States of America, they might have dealt with us. Today they can do neither. >
 Where Are the Markets?
 Where are the Philippine markets? Where the development of their natural resources? Why should not those islands asserted by all and conceded by all to have great natural resources, be self supporting? l warn the republican par ty that 1t is not an unheard proposition that an oppressed-I used the term ad- visedly-an oppressed people should be restive. The true questions which have | concerned our relations with the Philip i Pines from the moment of our taking them and which remain today utterly un- l touched for any good to the islands them. | selves and the questions which will reg ulate their future-in other words, the real basis on which the Philippines inter. l est us politically are: the Philippine tar. l fir, Philippine taxation, and encourage. ment to their shipping interests. These matters regulated to the advantage oi these islands Philippine independence will appear on the immediate horizen l Continue, as we are doing, to oppress these people, and one of the most vexed l questions that this nation has ever beer called upon to deal with will confront un interminably.
 Danger of imperialism.
 But aside from the duty we owe the Philippines in prepara.lon for the enjoy ment of the blessed privileges we pos sess, we should guard carefully against | the danger to ourselves of an imperialis tic policy. History teaches that iron republieanism to imperialism the move ment is gradual and unobserved by tn, | people It's ominous presence. when dis covered, leaves open but two courses submission or resort to violence
 Guard Against Alternatives.
 That our people may never be com pelled to choose oe,ween these fearful al ternatives should be our prayer. But WI should work as well as pray, and ou | work should be to guard the foundation on which our Government rests Its basi is that of declared ideas-ideas that ar | stronger than battleships and armies Ideas which for more than a centur, have stimulated our development an, which have given promise that our worl mission shall not be to use the territor, of distant peoples and rule them with sceptre of iron, but to establish truth honor, justice and peace among the na | tions.
 We must choose whether within ou borders the basis of government shal continue to be this idealism, or material ism which is the sure purcursor of dis solution, for no nation can endure upon | basis of materialiSm however splendid