The sun., 1916-02-06

MANILA. Jan. I'm all my wander
ings up and down the China coast and
in the interior OF China | have met
men who talked about me situation in
the philippines with moui nful voices and
sad wagginss Of the head. az IL the
whole American establishment here had
gone to the dogs aud the record of its
altruistic oriental experiment was moth.
ing hut shame and disgracc.
After an absence Of fifteen and half
pines. where sper. the hrst two years
o. American occupation. I cant uuder-
stand what these croakeis are mourn.
ing about. walk ont in the street
for tine better tna; nave taken place in
Mania--in organization. sanitation. con-
struciion. education; In fact in almos'
Every conceivable way except the cos;
the Americans come around.
| wopder what there is here FOR the
critics 10 roll under their Tongues. |
ride out in the provinces. where sixteen
years aso no American went without
being shot at on almost every turn ot
the road. and ird ;hc people peaceful.
prosperous and contertcf. busy about
thei' work gathering ia the biggest CROP
ever raised in the islands.
sees No Food for the Critics.
Motor cas- travel the new. tnc ruaus.
and ! cannot sec what II is that ais
the critics with r-ssimism ard dismay.
To paraphiase a celebrated saying Of
Uncle Joe Cannon abcu; :hc united
States. /, seems ~ me that the Ameri-
can administration Of the Philippine
Islands has been and is a HI ~ l
success.
Between the summer uf iS?a and the
middle OF June. 1907. I went about th"
Philippines from the north end OF Luzon
down 20 Mlndauan. covered l.usou c\-
tensivcly and travelled more or less -
Panay. Ccbu. Samar. Ley,e, Joio and
Mindanao. Everywhere We went Il wds
behind the guns. There vas scarcely 0
town that We entered except after a
preliminary fight
II A man undertook 10 travel any road
by himself lie took his LIE in his hands.
TIE people who came back into the towns
and villages after the Americans had
occupied 'h'm were su.,cu. hostile ana
ircachtrous. awaiting fa,oih.e "n-
poitunity to knit" somebody IN tho back.
20 hack OF u MANS head when his at;cr-
ton had been distracted o. TO vath.r in
formation on whicn 10 base a mIdu Gil;
a,tacl. or weakened garrison or spriu-
surprise rush ~ reN"ilie. as they al
"A, BalangiEa
Then We travelled with Labor and
main over roads that wer. uu better than
.hc trails I have been covering IN china
this year unbridg.d. unrepdired and
nothing less than bog holes during the
rains. Wherever We went the story whs
the same Public buildings Were falling
into decay and ruin, public works were
neglected or had never been undertaken
and tho whole ou'look was dismal and
depressing.
Practically all 90 the country ! ira
versed then had been und"r H." uud,s'
puted sway % the FA.ruus "a" Ngu
na'do goyerame! for from ONE 20 t"'
years \ great deal a. Il. especially A
southern Lu:ou aud the southern islands
| had not been toU he! 10y war.
From tha d of the expulsion ~ ~
I Spauiarls IN the faN Co. i>H> until th'
, oncorr!ng of .hc American gl5r.surs il
! The early part OF 1900 the f'ilpinos ha'
/ had free course to run and he g'orii"d
Their Goveramert had had its own way
d unlnterruuted ly any outside fore"
! Nothing hut stress II tu,.r own C.rgum
! stances had In,egfered with tho fre'
/ scope ~ their own management of tNcl
I own affairs.