The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-09-05
WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK
A Soft Answer.
To tho Editor Of The Journal, ~

A Soft Answer
To the Editor Of The Journal rstsa
have read with interest your EDITORIAL
IN today's ur.nal under the title, "A
Way to End the Clamor,,,;in the course Of
which you say: mo one who has visited
the islands has returned to advocate self4sl
government for the Inhabitants In this
connection hope YOU may see At to an.
sWer the following questions:
flrst-When you wrote that article |
were you aware that President Jacob
Gould Schurman Of Cornell university had
visited the Philippine, islands?
Second-Do you regard Mr.. Schurman
as fitted. by. character, .attainments and
experience to be heard respectfully upon|
the subject of Philippine independence?
Th1rd-Did he occupy the position of
president of the Philippine commission,
the same position which Secretary OIL
War Taft has since occupied a. n
Fourth--While filling that position did
ne enjoy the full confidence of President
MCKINLEY and receive the unqualified
PRAISE PRAISE OF those newspapers which then
oelleyed and still believe that we should;
rule the Filipinos as subjects; indefinitely?s
flfthTHas Mr.. Schurman since advo-
Gated and does he now advocate the
promise of future independence to the
Filipinos? '*,s& - ~ ~ - ..
II you answer yes to the foregoing
questions, do you not convict yourself
OF careless speaking i1ssaying that which
l nave quoted from yoiir EDITORIAL s
: nave read many of your editorials In
which you have had something to say
upon the subject of Philippine indie
pendence: To the. best Of my recollec-
ton, you have invariably shown, in your
writings upon that subject, undisguised
contempt for the anti i1nperialists, both in
the tone and the eology employed.
Would either your cause or your cons
science suffer if you were to treat us
with a little more candor and little less
sarcasm? we are SO Insignificant,
numerically and otherwise then you can
surely afford to treat sus&. fairly. It used
10 De said of the American people that
they loved fair play, but the tone en-
pioyed by that large and influential Sec
|; ton Of the press which upholds the COLI
| onlal policy of theSpresent government is
as afrogantaand intolerant toward those
who, dissent, as that (which chara cterized
the. treatment Of the faboHtienists,:. in a
former time. Is any cause to%be .sneered
at which Is or has been chanpioned by
such noble and able men, living and dead,
| as ex-Presidents Harrison and Cleveland,
ex-senator. Edmunds, ex- abinet Ministers
Sherman, MacVeagh, Boutwell,, Olney,
| Schurz and Carlisle; ex-Speaker Tom
Reed; Senators Hoar and Hale, Congress-
men Mccall and Littlefield, General Miles,
| Andrew Carnegie, Samuel L. Clemens, DIR:
Cuyler and Thomas w. Higginson,- not to
mention the presidents aof; most of the
leading colleges and universities of the
| land? Is not such a cause worthy of a
respectful, and patient hearing land its
| champions of respectful treatment, to the
very end Of the chapter?
Clarence A. Brown.
T h o urn'al has tried at ali times
to give patient hearing to the anti
imperialists, and has never shown "un-
disguised contempt for their theories. Or
the contrary, he Jo,urn.a has always
endeavored to disguise It as much as pos:
.sible. ,~ .~ -.
No doubt the ranks. of the anti-impe.
i r1alists include some of the brightest
minds and finest characters in the coun.
try but as TIL e J ournal said boaore
they have taken an academic and wholly
unpracticalyview of a practical question
which would certainly disappear if eacl
one could see 1T at short range.
President Schurman is aimed by thi
j anti gp erialists, ;fpd tsEbs sworth2 noting
that their advocate can find only one
/ Sc ;
4 man who has been to the Philippines who
can even be claimed in support of thei
II views. ME-, Schurman,c however. SIS NO
| a contradiction of The nal!
statement. He favorsa'a promise of fu
ture independence to the Filipinos.'. no
i immediate enlightenment for the island
ers. If the anti-imperialists would fkee,
; within the, bounds Set. *by Mr.. schurman
there would be less mischief set afoot b,
half educated Filipino demagogues. TIL,
J ournal confesses to a bit of impa
thence with the well meaning but wrong
headed Americans wholly their yolumi
nous protests have fomented unrest in tn
8 Islands, and cost the lives, of gallan
3 American soldiers. Direct connection la
been traced between the agitation in: tn
! states and the: outbreaks in the Philip
, pines. The natives magnify the situatio
4 here and misconstrue it, thinking the anti
3 imperialists are allies Of theirs, who wi
overthrow the government by a revolu
> ton. In the words Of; David Gray, tn
E converted anti quoted in. the forme
d article: ,s..- -. ..zE.s..
9 ANY agitation in this country wit
r, Filipino independence as its object, ca
Q work only as. a cruelty unsettling an
dangerous influence, tending to postpon
what 1t seeks to hasten9'" i''...1&s -. ; -
>, The greatest kindness, to the Filipino
# to give him education and gradual trair
e ing in self-government; not to fill his e1
:. citable mind with dreams of power. TT
. masses of their people do not realize wis
government MEANS and they, mul
: learn how to use it. before they can k
trusted to handle 1t alone. 1T would /
# just as sensible to give a baby make
y sword to play with, as to throw sue
n helpless people; on their own resource
n with a toy republic. ~ K
:, Now. have we been. sufficiently: r.
y spectful? ~ -. l. ~. - 49,. I,
r COME HOME, FATHER
it Father, dear father, come home with me no.
- . For mother Is out to- the club. :, -.
. You said you We're, coming right home from 20
-. work #l#G
$ To get the dear children some grub.
= The cook has gone out-her club also meets
Is The janttor's gone on a spree; ,:.l.r%. = 3
:, And poor, Brother Bonnie has swallowed