The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-03-08
n

But all this. however Interesting. and
IL IL historically very interesting. Is not
practical politics. We may say OF our
position In the Philippines as MacMahon
Of his In the Malakoff. Here / am"
The only practical question is whether
We shall continue with him, Here I
stay" Since the collapse Of organised
resistance to our arms have we pursued
in the Philippines . policy Of "exploita-
tion," a. the Baltimore platform says
we have. or have We tried to establish
and succeeded In establishing q govern.
ment. - President Mckinley promised
that We would do. in the interest Of the
natives Of the islands themselves. and
IN the administration Of which they
themselves should be admitted to the
largest practicable participation? This
Ia very large question. 1t Is most
clearly not to he settled by the exhibit.
ton Of glittcring generalit!es. like "the
fundamental doctrine Of self.govern-
ment" already cited. II is not to be
settled by the utterances Of windy
demagogues, Filipino or Norte Ameri-
cano. The ANAL test is that which
Rudyard Kipl!ng has proudly and
safely invoked in v!ndication OF the
British raj in India.
Keep ye tho law-bs swift. In all obsdi-
ence-
Clear the land Of evil drive tn. road and
bridge the ford.
Mako ye sure to each his own
That he reap where he hath sown:
BY the peace among our peoples ie, men
know We serve the Lord.
Have We or have We not reasonably
realized this ideal in our administration
Of the Philippines After the rupture
with Aguinaldo. which was inevitable.
and the outbreak Of insurgency. which
has been SO extensively represented as
a democratic and patriotic movement.
but which. from the point OF view We
were simply bound to take. was only a
disturbance OF public order. there could
be no question for the Americans on
the spot but OF the restoration OF
public order. This was a purely mill
tary question. and it was satisfactorily
solved although Mr.. Worcester IL of
the opinion Of those who think Il might
have been solved sooner. He quotes at
first hand a conversation between Gen.
Lawton, who was soldier pure and
simple. and his superior Gen. Otis. who
was q soldier "lined" with a lawyer and
whose communications with the leaders
Of the Filipino insurgents. OF which
many are given here. partakc more Of
the nature OF subtle legal arguments
than Of military orders. lacked only by
power. This conversation has appar-
emily never lecn printed before and Is
certainly worth printing. II wish tn
record the fact that, shortly after his
return from the San lsidoro campaign
Gen. Lawton asked me to accompany
him on a visit to Gen. Otis and to act
as witness. did SO. In my presence
I.awton said to Otis that II the latter
would give him two regiments. would
allow him to arm, equip and provision
them to suit himself. and would turn
him loose, he would stake his reputation
as IL soldier and his position In the
! United States army on the claim that
within sixty days ne would end the In
surrcction and would deliver to Gen.
Otis one Emilio Aguinaldo, dead or
alive. The General laughed at his offer
Gen. I.awton asked me some day to
make the facts public. As life Is All
uncertain thing. ] deem IL proper to do
| so now"
After this IL Ia interesting to come
upon the opinion Of the same Gen
Iawton that most army officers were
unified by their training 10 perform
civil functions" No American will now
dispute Secretary Roots declaration
after the Spanish war, that in the
course Of that war the Military .Acad-
envy had far more than repaid It's cost
to the country from Its foundation. al
most century before. And this. one
would say, In the qualifications OF It's
graduates as administrators not less
than soldiers. However that may be
the diminution Of friction between the
military and the civil authorities. in the
Philippines has been one OF the mos,
remarkable features Of our government,
out there. As fast Al an army officer
was able to report that his district wa
''patihed." in the sense that organized
and forcible resistance to the authorit y
Of the United States WAS no longer
offered or Immediately to be appre-
hended In II. he seems 10 have taken
pleasure In handing II over to the civ!
authority. whether that was represented
by the first or the second Of the Philip.
pine commissions.
| A soldier takes no pleasure in do!na
the duty OF "A policeman. But in the
most thoroughly pacined districts som.
organized force IL needed to check out.
breaks against law and order. with
the withdrawal Of the army such q
force WAS organized in the Philippine
constab ulary. OF this body Prof. Wor,
cester gives an interesting account. II
has an obvious advantage over tho army
In economy. the rank and file OF q
being Filip!nos. receiving less pay thar
soldiers and also contsnted with much
less expensive standard OF living" !,
has other advantages. set forth here II