The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-28

kEV posed dispatch Of all our nrst-
 " class battleships to the Pacific. Here we will merely recall fact which must have occurred to many during the recent talk about possible aggression on the part of Japan-the fact, namely, that but for our possession of the Philippine Archipelago we should have beens entirely free from apprehension on the subject. Possessing no naval station in the Pacific east of her insular chain, Japan could not safely undertake a descent on our Pacific coast or even hope to retain Hawaii TOT an extended period. The case might pc otherwise with the Philippines If she suc- ceeded by surprise in capturing those is- lands and placing there an army occupa- ton amounting to some 5000 men. Under the circumstances we might find the re- covery of an archipelago so distant an ex- tremely difficult and costly task, even IL our navy should ultimately prove itselt superior to Japan's, as doubtless 1t woulo- The one vulnerable point, then In our arrnor is the Philippines, and the ques- ton is whether we derive from them any compensatng advantages. The question has been examined of late in some inter- esting articles contributed to the North American Review by Hon. James Il. Blount. who for five years has been judge of the insular court of the first in- stance No American knows the as- lands better than he, nor Is any other like ly to present a more trustworthy ana ln- structive report. He points out that IL IS impossible for us to reconcile our refusal to give the Philippines self-governmept with the fundamental principles or tae Declaration of Independence. It Is some times said that our refusal Is justlneo because the Filipinos do not want to gov ern themselves, and the assertion seems at first sight to be sustained by the fact that at the recent election for members of a chamber to which Is to be delegated a certain share in the insular govern ment only one out of thirty-fve regis tered voters in Manila took the trouble to vote while the proportion of actual to qualified voters In the archipelago, as d whole, was as one to about one hundred and forty. It may be argued, on the other hand that far greater faction or registered voters would have gone to the ballot box had they had an opportuni- ty of voting for members of legisla- tive chamber possessed of powers as large as those of British house of com- mons or of our own House of Represen- tatives. As a matter of fact the voice in the management of their own affairs, which at last has been conceded to the Filipinos is but nominal, and the belief is widespread, if not universal, among them that we have no intention of grant ing them more.
 As far as the averment that our moral claim to rule the Philippines is borne oue by the fact that they are not fit to gov ern themselves, whereas we govern them well and justly, it will scarcely bear close inspection. Judge Blount shows that Ne do not govern the islands well, for we have succeeded neither in making the is landers prosperous nor contented, all though in eight years we have expended SaoO, ,OO0, 900 without deriving the slightest counterbalancing benefit. We have de- prived the archipelago of the Spanish market which 1t formerly possessed. and we have given 1t no substitute. We have treated the Filipinos far less justly than we treat the Porto Ricans, having per- sistently denied the former the boon of free trade with our territory on the main- land of North America. We have bur- dened them with an expensive system Of civil administration, and we tax them for the support of it. On the other hand, Judge Blount maintains that 1t is by no means certain that the Filipinos are unfit to govern themselves Observation and experience have convinced him, he says. that it would be possible quickly to es- tablish a competent native government were it certain that complete political independence would be granted to the is flanders at a given date. It must not be supposed that Judge Blount would advo- cate the policy of "scuttle and run" He would not have us leave a native insu- lar government at the mercy of more powerful neighbors He would have us not only guarantee the independence of the archipelago ourselves, but prevail upon all the other powers interested in the far east to agree to recognize it's neutrality In a word. he would have us not only do for the Philippines what have done for Cuba, but undertake to