Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1904-05-12
FILIPINO A STUDENT
NOT FIT FOR sELF-GovERNMENT,
SAYS JUDGE TAFT.
He Is Opposed to Any Move Which
Would Encourage Their Desire for
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Responsibility
Rests on American Voters.

The Philippines independence COM
rnittee to which Secretary Taft re-
ferred in his speech at Chicago, con-
sists, as he said, of "a number Of en-
cellent aud prominent gentlemen"
Among the members are nearly a dog.
en- university presidents, including Ell
lot of Harvard, Schurman Of Cornell,
Jordan Of Leland Stanford, Jr., King
of Oberlin, and Alderman OF Tulane at
New Orleans. We select these names
because they afford convincing evil
dence that membership is not confined
to any small section Of the country.
Aside from that, the appearance of the
name of the president of Cornell in
the list is peculiarly interesting be-
cause of DR.. Schurman's service on
one of the Philippines commissions.
Another member is Judge George
Gray of Delaware, who is supposed to
have done some violence to his own
opinions when he signed the treaty
by which the United States acquired
title to the Philippines. Various
branches of the Christian church are
represented by Bishop Potter, Bishop
Spalding and DR.. Parkhurst, while
among the other signers to the indie
pendence petition are Charles Francis
Adams, Andrew Carnegie, W. o. How
ellis and Horace White. 1t will thus
be seen that the excellent and promi.
nent gentlemen are fairly well distriD-
uted, not only geographically, but also
as regards their pursuits.
On the other hand 1t would no doubt
be very easy to make up large list
Of representative men who would dis
sent from their views and agree with
Mr.. Taft that 1t is not wise for our
political parties to pledge themselves
to the independence of the Philippines.
II we appeal to names for authority
this fact must be taken into account,
and of course very great authority at
taches to the name Of the secretary
himself.
But where there is such division
of authority on great public question
there are the strongest reasons why
each individual citizen should give 1t
earnest consideration, and that brings
us to very difficult aspect of the
Philippines problem. The sovereignty
of the islands is actually .reposed in
the voting population Of the United
States, which acts In its own affairs
as a democracy. And while this cleo
torate is very jealous Of its own rights,
much alive to its own interests, and
thoroughly well informed on the sub
jects that Immediately concern 1t,
there Is no prospect that 1t can ever
fully comprehend L strange people re-
moved from 1t by thousands Of miles.
In other words, II the Fillpinos are
generally ignorant from lack Of
schools, we, their governors, are now
and are destined to be exceptionally
ignorant as regards them from lack Of
contact and lack of racial sympathy.
References to the examples Of other
powers do not solve the problem or
tllulHdlC luC bClAOuo hotuAO "a Who1
is undoubtedly a grave anomaly among
American political institutions. 1t
would therefore be most happy es-
cape for us If we could dispose of the
Philippines as we disposed Of Cuba,
and this is what the independence
committee desires. Secretary Taft
thinks, however, that the time is not
ripe; that the Fillpinos cannot learn
elf.governmSnt by independent prac'
tice, but only under very long course
of tutelage. He argues, therefore, that
II would be a great mistake for our
political parties to give them the plat
form encouragement that is advocated |
by the committee, because iC would In |
splre a host Of native agitators to q
dangerous activity.
That may be so, but neither the gen.
erous impulses of our people as they |
are expressed in legislation, nor the |
fact that their delegated authority is
temporarily In good hands can be said
to clear the situation Of its perplexi-
ties. This much only is certain, that
II we are to hold the islands we must
give them the benefit Of that eternal
vigilance without which the liberties
OF no people are safe.