Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1905-10-12
The Philippine Problem.

The visit of Mr.. Secretary of War
William Fl. Taft and bis party to the
Philippines seems to have rendered the
Philippine problem acute once more.
Governor Taft is one of the ablest men
now in public life. He regards himself
sort of political father of the Fill
pinos. That they should now turn up
on and rend him is a new illustration
of the question of ingratitude upon
which old King Lear spoke SO sono-
rously. But, according to Colonel LATE
Young, editor of the Des Moines Cap
ital, and Boswell to Taft ct al, that is
what is likely to happen, if it has not
already happened. In substance, Col
onel Lafe says that the Filipinos want
to be independents very rational de-
sire, as can be proved by the evidence
of such witnesses as George Washing
ton, John Hancock, John Adams, Ben
JAN Franklin and Thomas Jefferson
and that SO long as Governor Taft
s'jolIied'' the Filipinos in his speeches
everything was lovely and the goose
honked high, but as soon as Taft made
a speech at the business mems banquet,
in which he explained to the Fiiipinos
that not more than per cent of them
are fit for self government and that we
did not propose to turn that worthy
per cent over to the tender mercies of
the other 95 per cent of the unfit until
and, to use Colonel Lafe's language.
more emphatic than polite, they pro
eeeded to ''chew the rag 1t will be
remembered that there was much
s'chewing of the rag in this country in
1875 and the seven succeeding years,
and for the same reason that the Fill
pinos are now performing that caper.
Colonel LATE then vouchsafes us the
information that while the FiIipinos
were set to chewing the rag by Gov
ernor Taft's great speech, which began
shortly after midnight and did not end
till in the morning, the American
colonists We're wild with delight Nc
doubt. It will be remembered by the
curious that every American Tory re-
joiced when the petitions of American
patriots were rejected with contempt
and scorn by the royal lunatic George
III. and his advisers. 1t is really
strange how history repeats itself. Col
onel Lafe says that the American resi-
dents believe in a firm hand So did
Colonies Rawdon and Tarleton in the
long ago. Then Colonel LATE informs
us that there are alarmists on the is
land who predict that there will be
trouble on the islands at an early date,
and it is even prophesied that the
COCO Filipino constables whom we
have drilled and armed may resign and
take to the bush to fight our soldiers!
That is a pretty how-de-do after all our
bloyiating about how the Filipinos
have been Anericanized and civilized
and how they screech in enthusiastic
unison every fine they behold the old
flag. Then Colonel Lafe winds up with
this pregnant paragraph:
The Philippine problem is century
problem. These people may demonstrate
ultimately that they are capable of self
government. It is too early to expect
them to do so now. The oriental political
leader would never abide the result OF
an election il he were beaten. The South
and Central American agitator. after an
election. always appeals to revolution and
rebellion. The oriental would do the
same. Secretary Taft has discharged an
unpleasant duty, but he has done it with
courage, and the American policy is at
last fully known. Our people are to con-
tinue to govern the Philippines and to
continue to protect the ignorant masses
Of these islanders from the educated and
vicious.