Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1905-07-24
BRITISH CRITICISM
ON AMERICAN POLICIES IN The
PHILIPPINES.
Calls Amer lean The Ory Of the philip.
PINES "QuixOtiC," and Impossible.
PHILIPPINES for Americans, not for
rilipinOS, Should be Doctrine for
Successful COlOnialiSm.

In the July Review Of Reviews there
are several extracts from the South
China Weekly Post, a British journal
published at Hongkong, which criticize
the Americans for their leniency toward
the Filipinos. One writer in the Hong
kong publicatio, says: "Unfortunately,
the American government has adopted
the impossible and quixotic theory OF the
Philippines for the Filipinos; and. until
it learns wisdom in the hard school OF
experience, the white planter or mer.
chant is almost an impossibility. The
pity OF it all is that the American gov.
eminent has been sincerely anxious to
rule the natives for their own good, that
it has neither exploited the islands un.
fairly nor willingly oppressed any man.
Its failure has been due to inexperience.
1t is the failure Of the amateur, OF the
man totally unversed in ruling subject
races, of him who tries to govern h. an
kind by formule When the United
States realizes that east lie east and west
is west. then it will cease to be troubled
BY such revolts as that in Sainar, but it
will find the lesson difficult TO learn"
Another article compares American
with itish colonial methods, much to
the discredit of the former. The Englieh.
man, this writer says. 10 "guided BY
stern, concrete facts. The American,
however, he's but lately embar ked on the
dangerous path Of colonial government,
and is endeavoring to prove that Great
Britain, with her three hundred years
experience to guide her, Is none the
less, both officially ami practically
wrong. The Philippi mes have cost the
people of the states an immense sum,
and the lives of thousands OF soldiers,
yet the federal government declines to
countenance any policy which aims ct
treating the islands as an asset Of the
republic. The Philippines are for the
Filipinos, it proclaims. Any attempt to
treat them az an American possession,
in the British sense Of the term, is de.
cried as an inf'action of various formulR
regarding the rights Of man; although
the obvious injustice Of using the national
funds for the benefit of An allied race, de.
spite the opposition Of large tax-paying
minority, is conveniently overlooked.
Had the entire expenses OF the Philip
pine experiment been borne by those
who were in s. mpathy with the theory,
the world might we'll have applauded;
but as the matter stands the opposition
may very plausibly claim that the gov
eminent is violating those very ideals Of
liberty which it processes to regard so
highly. g.,
1.-THE American has come to the far
east with no previous experience Of deal
ing with subject races. Despite the evi.
dence OF history. even Of his own senses,
he has declined to recognize the Filipino
as an inferior. The native is. in the
words Of the late governor, the little
brown brother Disregarding concrete
facts, ignoring natural laws, the federal
government has shut its eyes to the
manifold weakness of the native. 1t has
drawn no distinction between white and
brown; it has denied the very existence
of the eternal barrier of color. The Fill.
pino is not regarded as being altogether
lower in the scale of evolution, but
merely as an equal who has been de-.
barred from the privileges of education.
Officially, all the little brown brother
nee is schoolbooks. Cram him with
education learned by rote, and, theoret-
ically, he will become equal to the
European, to the product of countless
generations liberalization. Once educat-
ed, he will-still theoretical'y-be able
to govern himself"