The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-09-26
NEW HAVEN MORNING JOURNAL AND COURIER THURs SEPTEMBER 26 i9O

the fitness of Manila to serve as distributing point for eastern Asia, and if it's capacity for that purpose has not as yet been demonstrated the fault must be laid at the door of the nar- rowness of our commercial and ship ping policy. All the advantages which the Philippines owe to their geograph- teal position may be very easily frit- tered away if we persist in dealing With them as a subject colony whose interests must in no way be permitted to interfere with any which the citi- zens of the mother country may regard as peculiarly their own.
 The great resources of the Philip pine Islands have as yet hardly been touched. In addition to the hemp. to- bacco, sugar and copra which are the staple articles of export, there is a vast range of valuable timber of all com mereial varieties. The mineral re- sources of the islands are still inper- fectly known, but there are unques- 1 tionably considerable reserves of coal which an improvement in transporta- ton facilities must ultimately render available. If the experience of India and Burmah counts for anything, the intelligent forestry policy which has been initiated in the Philippines ought to be a source of large and increas- ing revenue. If encouragement were l needed as to the future of the Philip pines under anything like capable and consistently just and impartial govern ment, the history of the Malay States under British rule ought to furnish it. Before the advent of the British prac- tieally the same state of affairs exist ed in these States as the Spaniards found when they landed in the Philip pines and which they left substantial ly unchanged on their departure from he islands. The various tribes were most at war with each other; tyranny and corruption were rife, and there was neither peace nor safety in the land. A series of able and resolute | Brisi h administrators, beginning with I James Brooke, took the Malay problem 4 in hand and rescued the people from their condition of internecine feud and apparently hopeless barbarism. To-day, thanks to modern education, agricul- tural improvements and the strict ad-
 ministraton of justice, the blessings of lpeace and prosperity have been assur- ed to the people of the Federated
 Malay States, and the condition of their country is said without contra diction to be financially as well as po- litically flourishing, If the results oi
 our Philippine experiments have been less brilliant the comparative failure
 must be attributed to a political sys.
 tenn which interferes with continuity
 of tenure among the higher official.
 of the islands and with the absence
 of class of men, easily available
 in Great Britain, whose experience has
 fitted them to deal with this specia
 kind of problem. The Englishman ha!
 been learning for generations how tc : govern dependencies, and while we max l have failed sufficiently to profit by hi! example, we have at least not incurred the responsibility for such atrociou crimes and blunders as marked earl,
 British administration in Asia.
 The one serious accusation which cal be brought against the treatment O the Filipinos by the government of thu United States relates to it's refusal t,
 give them freedom of commercial in
 tercourse with the country to wbicl : they nominally belong. The people O the Philippine Islands have occupied
 toward this republic relation whicl
 Is as indefinite as 1t is bound to bt improbable Neither frankly recogniz cd as wards of the nation nor as fellow
 citizens, their relief from Spanish tyr amy has had the very serious draw.
 back of being accompanied by exclu. sion from their former Spanish mar.
 kets. Dealing with these people more
 justly in all that relates to their poli-
 tical or legal status. we have been per.
 yersely unjust to them in all that con-
 cerns their ability to make a living
 Needless to say, we have not succeed
 cd in attracting either their affection
 or their respect.