The Jasper news., 1909-06-10
AS A KINDER GARTEN.
HOW UNCLE SAM RUNS THINGS
IN THE PHILIPPINES.
People Are Being In Measure Taught
Backward - Many Difficulties
That Arc In the Way Of
Independence.
BY MARTIN EGAN,


in elementary politics that is In tute-
.lage anywhere In the world, and the
remarkable fact is that 1t is being
taught backward. With confidence and
recklessness that shocked the other
colonial administrators Uncle Sam be-
gan his course-of instruction by grant
ing in an hour all the substantial
rights and privileges enjoyed in our
own democracy, and within the next
few hours he created all the machinery
that goes with the democratic form Of
government. Then he asked a bewil-
dered people In to see the wheels go
around, told them the wheels were
theirs and asked them to get busy in
learning them, keeping them in repair
and keeping them going. 1t wasn't
quite as bad as the Nevada mine-own-
er who, In moment of glee, superin-
duced by intoxication, placed an In
dian In his automobile and turned It
on, because many Filipinos can run
motor cars, but 1t was somewhere in
that general neighborhood.
The great mass of the Filipino peo-
pie were without a particle of political
experience and, worse still, they were
without preparation for it. They had
lived for several centuries on what
can best be described as a personal
government, the chief influence in
which had alternated through the ages
between the Spanish government and
the church of Rome. They had often
been very we'll treated and they had
sometimes been very badly treated.
Individual liberty was ever more or
less of hazy dream, although the
system of laws in effect has been pro.
nounced by many of our own jurists
to be about the best that could in all
the circumstances have been devised.
District conditions even In the capital
bore close resemblance to the feudal
system of Europe. There were hun
dreds of local leaders who exacted al
legiance and various kinds OF tribute
from their followers and who treated
their henchmen and seryitors much as
the feudal lords did the men who held
under them, The system had none Of
the fixed conditions of the feudal re-
gime, but In its small way Its opera
! ton upon the individual was largely
the same. Nor have we entirely abol-
lshed the system.
Nor was political ineptitude the only
handicap. There was no common Ian
guage-Spain never conquered the 20
local neutrality-suspicious. and tradi-
ton were against the American.
Political knowledge was an. early
requisite in the plans and hopes of the
dollhouse government and every pos
sible method was resorted to in order
to properly inculcate 1t. Every avail
able man was taken into the govern
ment and when he had learned its
ideals and methods he in turn became
teacher. Students were sent to the
United States to study the systr.rf at
its sources and large numbers of men
were sent home to our country for per-
sonal study. And at an early date
there was start made In party poll
tics. When It became apparent that
the Aguinaldo revolution was for
lorn hope, a Number OF leaders of the
Z Filipino people turned to the newly
created American government, and
for various motives. volunteered their
services to aid in lifting and restoring
the PROSTATE country.
These men were almost Immediately
banded together in the first political
party that came into being in the Phil
ippines under American rule They
took the name of the Federal party, or
Particle Federal, as they called them
selves, and despite all that may be
said OF their career, the American
government and the American people
owe them much for valuable services
in the days of reconstruction At first
the party organization was largely
confined to Manila, but it was subse-
quently extended, and later, fusing
with other elements, became the Pro-
gresista party OF today. 1t was
beaten at the first general election for
the selection OF members Of the assem-
bly, by the Nationalist party. which
raised the cry of immediate indepen-
dence and is In rather evil days, but
there is a chance that 1t may be re
organized and strengthened 1t has
not always been led with intelligence.
In the beginning many of its leaders
and members were otfice-holders and
as they grew in power they showed an
unfortunate disposition to conduct It
more as close corporation than as
democratic political party. They
tried to say who should and who
should not come in and they naturally
alienated much support,
The Nationalist party, which is dom.