Amador ledger., 1907-08-16
Philippine
Correspondence
By S. K. DeRackin.
The Only Hope of Success.

| leaving no greater obstacles to nation
building than the inexperience, ignor-
ance and sIoth of the people them
selves, it is the honest conviction or
SO Americans out of every 100 who
are here to-day that the experiment
would be failure in much less time
than 1t proved to be in Cuba.
The danger can be mitigated, but
not cured, by the retention of the
Moro country, both as regards the
danger to the tilipinos which arises
from their proximity to the Moros,
and as a point of obser Vation and
quick action in case of necessity.
| With American government transferred
to Fam boanga, and the conviction
forced upon the Filipipos that armed
revolution would speedily result in
American Intervention here as in
Cuba, would exercise a wholesome
restraint, and check a natural tend
ency of the leaders to commit overt
acts.
Even If it is the intention of the
American people to retain possession
of the entire group for any consider
able period of time, conditions are SO
different IN Mindanao than in the
| other Islands. that one government is
wholly incompetent to administer
both sections. Recognizing this fact
from the start, the people of the Moro
country prepared a petition asking
for separate territorial government,
and presented it to the congressional
party which visited the Moro country
with secretary of War Taft, in August,
1905.
Resolution of the Zamboanga Cham
Der of Commerce.
At a meeting of the Zamboanga
Chamber of Commerce, held August
I, 1905, the following resolution was
unanimously approved and copies
ordered to be furnished the press and
the mem bers of the distinguished
party upon their arrival in Fam
boanga:
"Resolved, That it is the sense of
this body that all that portion of the
Philippine Islands lying south of the
Straits OF Surigao, should be created
by act of congress territory of the
United States.
''ln presenting our views touching
the necessity for separate territorial
government foI the Moro country,
we do no. wish to be understood as
having discovered anything new. The
Philippine commission, some years
ago, first discovered this necessity.
The sole purpose of our agitation Is
to have the idea of the Philippine
commission carried to its logical con-
clusion.
Briefly stated, our reasons follow:
81. The Island of Mindanao and
the Sulu archipelago embraces terri
tory larger than the combined area of
Delaware, Connecticut, Massachusetts,
Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hamp-
shire, New Jersey. and Porto Rico.
80. The native population of the
Moro country is very small, and
consequently interposes no obstacle
to Amer lean colonization.
"3. Our colonial experiment in the
Far East depends for its success upon
the Introduction of Western civlllza-
tion and progress. This can come
only with American settlement and
enterprise.
81. American settlement and enter
prise will come only as a result of
liberal inducements held out by the
government. Liberal inducements
can not, in justice to the dense
population of the northern Islands,
ever be made to Americans to settle
there.
''5. Liberal Inducements can be
made to Americans to come to the
Moro country without in any sense
working an injustice to the native
population. On the contrary, all
influx of Americans to this Island
wuuld be a boon to its people,. -
1t is needless to say that no opposi-
ton developed against this plan in
the Moro province, In fact, the pro-
position met with universal appro-
baton among Americans throughout
the Islands, as shown by the editorial
expression of the Island press.
Of this proposition, the American
said:
'We have examined every feature
of the resolution adopted by the Fam
boanga Cham Der of Commerce and we
do not hesitate to give it our un-
qualified support. If a territorial
form of government in Mindanao will
give Americans there free hand in
the development OF its unlimited re-
sources, we cannot see III what regard
such concession by congress will
effect disastrously the prosperity of
the rest of the archipelago. 1t will
establish in these Islands monument
to American enterprise in the Far
East and set an example to the rest of
the archipelago of what can be &C
complishad when American enterprise
is given free rein.
Territorial government in Mind
anao would not mean another Cuba,
another Hawaii or another Porto