Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-02-05

tetASss oA Aee4nS on the part or the soldiers toward their Filipino oppo- nents that could not but be shared in by the Americans who were in the is- lands at that time. It was only natu- ral, therefore. that every defect, every weakness, of the Filipino character should be dilated upon by the Ameri- can soldiers and by those who accom- panied them. The Anglo-Saxon is not noted for his courtesy; he is not noted for h1s consideration for races which he considers inferior to his Counting upon the secret enmity of every Tili- pfno that he met, it is not surprising that he should treat the Filipino &C., cordingly.
 taining satisfactory labor from the Fili- pinos l have only to say this--that ex- per1ments have shown that those who have gone about the matter systemat- 1cally and have attempted to find out what the native needs to keep him con- stant in his attendance upon work have been successful so that, wages consid. cred, his work has been fairly satis. factory. But 1t is very certain that be. fore satisfactory labor can be obtained from him he must be under the control of master who understands him. I know the disposition of most Amert- cans here is to open the doors and let in the Chinese so that we may have Chinese cheap labor in the islands, but I am emphatically opposed to the gen. eral policy of admitting the Chinese, first, because the Filipinos have the strongest opinion that it will be for their detriment, and. second. because believe the history of the Straits Set dement's shows that it will not be for their prosperity as distinguished from the material prosperity of the islands. I am opposed to admitting any Chinese labor until it shall be made to appear that the great works of construction which are essential in the islands can- not be carried on satisfactorily with Filipino labor.
 Now, hope am reasonable man, and I am not disposed to quarrel with those with whom differ. When ones feelings of enmity are very much aroused 1t Is difficult to get the limit to the expression of them. So it Is that we have the young lions of the American press, of the three newspa- pers who are supposed to speak the American public opinion in these is- lands holding the Filipino up to con- tempt, exposing all his supposed vices and giving him no credit whatever for any virtues, and it may be that this represents the feeling of the majority of the resident Americans in Manila. But can we not in the end be just and give to the whole Filipino people their due7 Should we wish the Filipino peo- pie to judge of Americans by the drunken, truculent American loafers who infest the small towns of these is- lands, living on the fruits of the labor of Filipino women and give us more trouble than any other element in the islands? Should we wish the Filipino people to judge of American standards of honesty by reading the humihating list of American official and unofficial defaulters in the islands? think not.
 Contrast the Filipinos with other Malays and the oriental peoples, and ask you to name a people offering more opportunities for development along the lines which American ideals require than the people of these is- lands. The Mohammedan, the Bud dhist, the Chinaman, looks with sense of superiority on the efforts of the Christian European nation to bet ter his condition. He has no desire for popular government, no longing for individual liberty. He opposes to de- velopment of this kind the impene- trable wall of disdain and contempt. The Filipino people, as a people, have breathed in through their educated leaders the inspiration of liberty and free government. Many of them have fought, bled and given up their lives in struggle for independence. It was a mistaken struggle, but their sacri- fees and their bravery are worthy our admira ton. and bespeak a people. ca pablo of greater things. Their intense desire for education, their apprecia- ton of European and American im- provements in dress and bodily com forts, their artistic ambitions, their quick desire and power to initiate the good they see and understand, their openness to the reception of new and better things, their political aspirations for liberty and popular government however lacking in political knowl- edge of its difficulties and real essence all these traits, added to a peculiar social sense and charm, make them people peculiarly subject to the good and developing influence of friendly and sympathetic government in which they are given a gradually increasing part and justify an entirely different policy in dealing with them and pro- noting their welfare from that which England has found it necessary to pursue with Mohammedan and Bud- dhist peoples having neither sympathy with nor understanding of modern Flu ropean ideas.
 Were I assured that the present atti- tude of the majority of American mer~ chants and the American press would be permanent, and if I did not conf- dently hope that there must be great change in the future, I should be very much discouraged in respect to the re- suit of the experiment which the Unit