Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1908-07-16
PHILPPINE NATURALIZATION.

snail we 90 WIN ul6 fullpplnes
Liz BanQuo's ghost, that question will
not down During this generation nc
question of p~rofounder interest has en-
gagged the attention of the American peo-
pie. The great struggle for the Presi-
dency in 1890 ragged around that question
as a paramount issue. The Democrats con-
tended, for reasons with which the eoun,
try is familiar, that independence should
be granted to the F%ilipinos, reserving GER
tain important privileges and rights 10
this country. What the Republicans stood
for in that campaign has never been
clearly or definitely known. About all We
know is that they opposed the Democratic
policy, and even now no man can tell
what their ultimate policy is with regard
to the islands and their people. Nothing
serves better to illustrate the incompe-
tency of the Republican party as a con-
structive organization than the indie
cision and uncertainty with which 1t sur
rounds this question. In fact, 1t has no
policy; it is simply drifting like a rud-
derless ship. True, an insular government
has been established, education promoted,
sanitary conditions improved, and indus
trial enterprises in q small way encour-
aged. But all that relates to current ana
necessary administration AS long as we
retain jurisdiction we must administer
their affairs with decency. The point l
make is that the Republican party has
never definitely declared ar ultimate pol
icy with respect to the a There is
no conoensus of opinion among the Re
publican leaders on the subject; on the
contrary, they seem to be hopelessly d.
vided. Secretary Taft has declared that
the United States should retain jurisdic-
ton over the stands at least until the
rising generation shall be old enough to
direct their destiny. He leaves the i'm
preston by what he says that after that
period the question of Fniilippine auton.
omy may be considered. Other eminent
Republicans, like Senator Hale Of Maine,
are anxious to sever our political connec-
ton with them as speedily as possible;
The Chicago convention of last month did
not outline or foreshadow a policy for the
party. All the platform avs on the sub
ject is that insurrection has been sup
pressed. law established, life prop,
erty made secure, and that education and
practical experience are advancing the
capacity of the people for government.
That, however, at the best, is only a
declaration of things done. The aggre-
gated wisdom of the Republican party,
) massed in the Chicago convention, was
unable to go farther or do better. than
j that. Upon the all-important question OF
: the ultimate disposition of the ISLANDS,
J the convention was silent. | assert with
1 out fear that the Republican party. is
: without a policy in that particular. They
are simply drifting, Nevertheless. the
. question is ever present: what shall we
t do with the islands?"
4 I visited the Philippines in 1907. / trav-
t eled over and became fairly familiar with
them from personal observation. They
are beautiful islands, with great natural
: resources. The bulk of the population,
q the Filipinos, are an amiable, Intelligent,
a lCnrlStlan people, IN WIlOS6 uedIlS
the fires Of an intense patriotism. In
some of the islands there are tribes,
more or less numerous, who are primitive
and half-civilized But the great majori-
ty of the natives, the Filipinos proper,
n are, as I have said, not only civilized,
: but have been devout Christians for CEN
turtles. They are the Christian people OF
moment in all the Orient. | do not hesl-
+ tate to affirm that the average of intel
q ligence among the Filipinos is superior to
that of the people of Cuba. n equal to
@ that of the people of Mexico and other
4 countries to the south. The Chief Justice
of the Philippine Supreme Court is a ma,
= tive Filipino, and 1 was told by some OF
4 his American associates on the pench,
and by the Governor-General of tbs
a Islands, that in dignity of character and
range of learning, as well as In native
force and ability, he would grace the Su-
preme Court of the United States. The
y one of the most accomplished young. mer
| nave ever met. There are several ma
tives on the Supreme bench, and a ma
IS jority of the trial judges are also FIN.
/, the governments of the large municipall.
f. ties outside of Manila, are administered
o by the natives. They elect their owl
governors, mayors ana 4do,r otn nelr p pib1it
affairs with fine intelligence and hlgh IN
n tegrity. They have succesSu! bankers
'e merchants, manufacturers, miners, ant
the learned professions are adorned by
"a many men of high repute. That thes!
people are qualified for self-government
have no shadow of doubt. / am not SUR
that a government modelled after our!
would be best suited to their conditions
and temperament, but neither would IL o.
to the Japanese or to others VINO success
I. fully maintain governments of their own
"a What they most desire above all othe
4 things is national Independence. Upoi
n that proposition there is practical una
~ nimity. We are holding these people
4 capable of establishing and adminlsterln
~, - ara1rarnpoapt of THAR oUvp and with al
is impatient desire for such a government
~ . subject to our jurisdiction against thel
ID will and protest. The present status o
n 81 the islands is so anomalous as to b
ludicrous. They are under our authority
IN and yet not a definit part of our terri
" tory. We govern the people, but they d
it not enjoy the privileges OF american foiais c no
of foreigners. neither domestic nor alien
N, Il and this has been going on for nearly te
years. 1 am opposed to holding thes
M policy of non-action. Those people hav
cd some rights in the sight of Heaven an
~ of honest men, and we ought to CIV
a. some answer to them, and we ought t
know what we mean ourselves to do. ]
In we intend to hold them forever in tn
n grasp of our stronger hand, then W
a. ought to say so and end the agony. L nee
id not say that for us to do that would ?
~ own ideals. and all the high things W
II have stood for before the world. More
ed over, as a mere vulgar proposltion {
~ commercial investment, it would be
we costly mistake, What are we going
W do? My countrymen, what we ought
Of do is to fix a definit date for grantln
q independence to the Filipinos, and ther
do as a part of the scheme, open negotiation
he with the leading powers or europe an
to Asia for treaty agreements whereby u
,iv independence of the islands shall be a.
aS sured by making them neutral ~terr1tor,
az not open to the occupation of any 9TH
ma nation, as the independence OF SWltze
,as land has long been secured in Europe.
To- have no kind of doubt thai the ieadI
an powers, including Japan. would Wiling
,as enter into conventions of that characte
as Such treaties would remove al fear
hy encroachment from other nations aft
~ the United States had withdrawn. v
ought to declare for some definite al
,nn humane policy of that character al
Ill promptly inaugurate the work Of brin
lon ing 1t about. But the Republican part
II as now organized, is incapable OF dealii
Nd with the question. Its utter failure
~ hn deal with il intelligently demonstrates
incapacity. If the American people wa
orc to grant to the Filipinos the boon OF II
Of erty for which they so devoutly. pra
the work of developing a policy, to tn
no end must be entrusted to some other pa
of ty. To have liberated these genera
~ ~ and gentle people from Spanish thraldol
md to have helped them along for years,
~ enormous expense, to v establish
ent schools and aided them to promote indt
cs crown them with the high dignity of n
dis uona5 lnuep tSnuo u,o,,id oil in q
nal snleius arounu tha rnoet eiorio,s chs
constitutS oh9 ~ ~ roan II n,o,,1d /
fifty ters IN .ne nisso,y hish ~ osa heac
lble tne AineIlc~ai ~ nations ~ tha woT
And now I close this subject by quot
nn- a significant statement made by. Pre-
nat dent Diaz Of Mexico in March last
Parsons Magazine:
With 'When the United States gives
arts dependence to Cuba and the Phil
eak pines" he said, "she will take !
lor- place ait the head of the nations, a
to ali faar and distrust will disappt