The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-07-11

That the Philippine Islands are ter
rltory belonging to and therefore of
the United States is the fact, absolute
incontrovertibIe. There is an honest
difference of opinion among the people
OF this country as TO the wisdom of
Ihelr acquisition IN the first place, and
ns 10 the practIcabiliry of our con.
tInued control there In the second, but
of this fact itself there can be no oucs-
Clon-we are in the Philippines, they
are ours and we must determine what
Is best to do, first with respect TO the
people Of the land, who are made de-
pendent upon us not OF their own vo-
llbon, but through a series of happen
lngs with which they had nothing
whatever to do, and second, with re-
spect 10 the rights and interests of our
own people for which we are respon-
slble to pOsterity.
ThIs nation is in the rosition Of hav-
ing assumed a responsibility in con.
nectlon with the Philippines and it
matters not If that position S unfavoT-
able or otherwise, we must recognize
1t, One contention Of the so.called
anti -lmperlallsts is that our possession
OF the islands entails weakness I'm
point OF their being so far removed
from the mainland as to preclude our
giving them proper protection, and this
class would be III favor Of disposing of
them in some way or in any way-but
all talk Of the unloading of the islands
as a means Of escaping the hazards
with which the popular imagination in
vests their possession is nonsense, Our
possession of the islands is surer
guarantee OF peace than would be their
transfer to some other power or an at
tempt to give them an independence for
which they are not fitted and will not
be in condition to maintain until the
responsibilities that attach to it shall
be appreciated and recognized by their
people. And this will not be possible
before several generations shall have
had the experience that the measure Of
self lfgoverument alrcaGy accorded them
viii give. Our nation has already be-
slowed upon them greater share of
control in the internal affairs OF gov
ernment than they had hoDcd or even
asked for from Spain. They have an
assembly. elected by popular vote.
which is the lower house of the legis-
lature. All officials of municipalities
provincial officials, with the exception
of the treasurer. Thus their control Of
local affairs is almost complete, but
results are not satisfactory and dem
onstrate absolutely the incapacity OF
the Filipino for self government,
Must Take Practical View.
Under these conditions it is obvious
that a practical view must be taken OF
the situation and consideration given
to the questions, 'Iwhat is just to this
dependent people7' And, in the same
connection, "what is fair TO the people
of our own countryi" For in no case
should one be sacrificed for tho other,
yet equal opportunity must be given
to all if the spirit of justice is TO find
expression in the fact and not alone
in the theory. We cannot give the
Filipino full political Independence for
il would mean decentralization and ruin
him. but We can and should make him
economically independent, which would
be accomplished by giving him equal
opportunity with the people Of every
other section of the republic, be. it in
the original thirteen states Of the
Union; or in Florida, that we acquired
from Spain; or the Louisiana territory
that we purchased from France; or the
great Southwest tha we acquired from
Mexico by means dot wholly above
criticism; or AlasGh that We bought