New-York tribune., 1916-02-18


Philippines and Cuba in legal status
has already been made clear; and II II
quite sufficient to mark the lmpropri-
ETY. of attempting TO treat them alike
The Philippines were coded to u.s.
Cuba was not We own the Philippines
as absolutely as we own Alaska; we do
not own and never have owned Cuba
We entered the Philippines as proprl-
ctors and sovereigns taking possession
of our own property, with the under
standing that we were TO remain there
forever; We entered Cuba as temporary
and provisional administrators oil
others property, with an understand
ing that we were presently to withdraw
and surrender the island 10 its inhab-
itants for their own government.
incidentally. it would be as great a
breach of faith for US TO get out OF the
Philippines as it would have been for
US to refuse to get out OF Cuba!
But there ere other radical differ
ences between the two, OF really greatee
importance for present consideration
than that of legal status. II only that
one existed. our abandonment of the
islands would be nothing more than &
breach of national trust and prosti-
tuition of our national honor-thlngs
which TO some politicians at Washing
ton appear to be negligible trifes. Bu.
the other differences would mean lar
more and far worse than that. they
would mean, in addition to all that. the
rlunging OF the islands into evils so
unspeakably gross that some power
would quickly be compelled, for the
sake Of humanity, to intervene and TO
assume the duties which we had
shirked.
Cuba is one island. occupied by two
races having the same religion, tn.
same language, the same political and
social ideals, and living together IN
perfect harmony and sharing the gov
ernment between them. The Philip
pines arc thousands OF islands, occu-
pied by several distinctly different
races. widely varying in religion, IN
language and in political and social
ideals. invetcrately hostile each 20 the
others and inhexibly determined not TO
unite in o common government. le'
this bill treats the Philippines AS
though they were as homogeneous and
as united as Cuba. 1t actually seems
TO have been drafted by somebody who
supposed that a Filipino government a;
Manila would be perfectly acceptable
10 and unhesitatingly accepted by all
/ the people of all the islands, just as a
I Cuban government at Havana IS ac-
ccptable 20 all the provinces of Cuba
There could be no greater delusion.
There could he no greater disaster 70
the islands and their people than would
inevitably be caused by proceeding
upon that theory.
The Philippines are inhabited by
three or four distinct races, with nu-
merous tribal subdivisions. These
have never. since our knowledge OF the
islands began. been in political or So
l cial accord. They have often been IN
open and always in potential warfare.
/ During the centuries OF Spanish SOW
/ ereignty, the overlordship OF Spain was
/ all that kept thcm-and it did not al
ways keep them-from flying at each
others throats. During our posses
sion of the islands it has similarly
/ teen only American authority that has
kept the peace-and perhaps a certain
faith in our bencvolence and integrity,
which the pending bill purposes to
/ show TO have been misplaced. Inc re
suit Of any slackening of our authority
was grewsomely demonstrated during
Aguinaldo's rebellion, when the short
! lived Filipino rule in the Cayagaa Val
D lev. the Visayas and elsewhere was mt
erally an orgy OF atrocities.
The United States army officers and
/ the officials of the War Department
understand all this, and that is one OF
/ the reasons why they are so infiexbly
opposed to the policy of scuttllng Ihat
is one of the reasons why Secretary
Garrison so scathingly condemned the
pending legislation, and resigned from
the Cabinet rather than 10 acqulesce
IN il or to assume responsibility Tor IT'S
execution. But some Senators and
Representatives, in common with the
President, seem to be ignorant OF these
things; or else 20 be careless concern
/ ing them.
Apart from all other differences,
rivalries and animosities, the question
OF the Christian tribes presents
what should be an insupersble objec-
tion TO abandonment of the islands.
There are more than score OF these
tribes. They are divided among two
distinct races. the Negrito and the
Malay. The former are very low in the
scale of mentality, and do not seem
capable of any considerable degree OF
civilization. Yet it would scarcely
COMFORT with American principles TO
abandon them. either 10 relapse into
The hcad-hunting and at times canni-
lalistic savagery from which we have
redeemed them. or to become the poems