Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1905-08-07
DO NOT
ADMIRE
OUR WAYS
Hong Kong Journal Expresses
opinion of English
There

In the July Review Of Reviews there
are several extracts from the South
China Weekly Post, British journal
published at Hongkong, which criti-
cises the Americans for their leniency
toward the Filipinos. One writer in
the Hongkong publication says; "Un-
fortunately the American government
has adopted the impossible and quixot-
ic theory Of the Philippines for the
Filipinos; and, until il learns wisdom
in the hard school Of experience, the
white planter or merchant is almost
an impossibility. The pity of II
all is that the American government
has been sincerely anxious to rule the
natives for their own good, that IL has
neither exploited the islands unfairly
nor willingly oppressed any man. It's
failure has been due to inexperienced
1t is the failure of the amateur, of
the man totally IMMERSED in rul-
ing subject races, of formulae.
When the United States realizes that
east is east and west is west, then 1t
will cease to be troubled by such re.
volts as that in Samar, but IL win find
the lesson difficult to learn"
Another article compares American
with British colonial methods, much
to the discredit Of the former. The
Englishman, this writer says, is "guid'
ed by stern, concrete facts. The
American, however, has but lately
embarked on the dangerous path of
colonial government, and is endeavor-
ing to prove that Great Britain, with
her 800 years of experience TO guide
her, is none the less, both ethically
and practically wrong. The Philip
pines have cost the people Of the states
an immense sum, and the lives Of thou
sands of soldiers, yet the federal gov
ernment declines to countenance any
policy which aims at treating the isl
ands as an asset Of the republic. The
Philippines are for the Filipiuos, IL
proclaims. Any attempt TO treat them
as an American possession, In the Brit
ish sense Of the term, is decried as an
infraction Of various formulate regard
ing the rights of man; although the
obvious injustice Of using the national
funds for the benefit Of an alien race,
despite the opposition of a large tax
paying minority, is conveniently over
looked. Had the entire expenses of
the Philippine experiment been borne
by those who were in sympathy with
the theory, the world might well have
applauded; but as the matter stands
the opposition may very plausibly
claim that the government is violating
those very ideals Of liberty which 1t
processes TO regard so highly.
"The American has come TO the Ear
East with no previous experience OF
dealing with subject races. Despite
the evidence Of history, even Of his
own senses, he has declined TO reeog-
nize the Filipino as an inferior The
native is, in the words Of the late gov
ernor, 'the little brown brother Dis
regarding concrete facts, ignoring nat
utral laws, the federal government has
shut its eyes to the manifold weak
nesses of the native. 1t has drawn no
distinction between white and brownj
II has denied the very existence Of the
eternal barrier Of color. The Filipino
is not regarded as a being altogether
lower in the scale Of evolution, but
merely as an equal who has been de-
barred from the privileges of eduea'
tion. Officially, all the little brown
brother needs is sehool-bOoks Cram
him with education learned by rote,
and. theoretically, he will become equal
to the European, to the product OF
countless generations Of civilization.
Once educated, he will-still theoreti'
eany-be able TO govern himself.