The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-01-14
DHILIPP1NE POLICY -.
i SEVERELY SCORED

nesota, who created q sensation through
out the country last summer while in the
Philippine Islands by making public
declaration that the government Of the
insular possessions, under instructions
from the Washington administration,
had hammered his investigation Of con
ditions in the Islands, recently dis
cusscd the Filipinos. In an interview
in Washington he told how much pro-
gress the Filipinos had made towards
that condition. which would permit Of
self-government in the Islands, which
is the aim of the Jones measure at pres.
ent being debated in the senate of the
congress at Washington. Represents
tive Miller said: 49,, IL .
Capacity for selfrgovernment ap.
pears to be, in large measures, a habit.
A people possessing it are hardly con
scious of the elements composing It. It
also appears that il takes people u
long time to develop this habit. Anglo.
Saxon self governments 10 the evolution
Of more than a Thousand years. The
basic element Of this capacity may be
hard to determine. Former President
Taft before the senate committee on
the Philippines. stated there can be no
self-government except where there is
healthy public opinion. Alongside
this would place the capacity for, or
habit Of aeJuiescing, oDthe part Of the
outyoted minority, in the authority md
supremacy OF the majority. gsEt
These Elements Lacking ~.
"One win look in vain for the exist
ence Of these elements among tthe great
mass of the Filipino people today. -.
''When the news reached Manila, in
November, 1912, that at last Mr.
Bryan 8 party had been victorious in
an election in this country, an evening
was given over, by d large number OF
natives who belonged to the independ.
once crowd, to bonfires aud rejoicing.
l was informed when in the Islands two
years ago, that these natives then con.
fidently told each other they would re.
eeive their independence ON Christmas
as that was the great gift days Christ.
mas passed with no Independence, and
then they said, OF course not on
Christmas, but on July THAT is the
day on which it will coma. That day
also passed, and no Independence. w.
,"An instruction is the easiest thing
TO start in the Islands. The great mass
of the people are extremely credulous,
easily led, and become the victims OF
unscrupulous, or ambitions persons. Spo,
radio seditions have always been fairly
common. For years they haven't
amounted to anything, as they were
CT 7ried on by only few ignorant, mis-
guided people who never really knew
what they were after, and who were
pOwerloss to do any real harm. They
were little more than ridiculous.
"During the summer of 1914, how
ever, things looked very, much more
serious. 1t becamH apparent that the
natives were not entirely satisfied with
this present government, They had not
forgotten the language Mr.. Bryan used
during the campaign of 1000. A great
many companies of boy scouts, were
organized and logan to drin in Manila
and in some of the provinces. A cas-
ual glance revealed that these boys
were all men, or practically all, They
got very busy with daily drills. II was
reported to the governor general that
a seditiOus or insurectionary move
mCnt was on foot ard on a scale vas, ly
larger than any before. The goYernor-
general laughed and refused to inter,
fere. .tyE +a A..
Governor General Riled stBE 5 Nv
& 1.-THE eonsiabulary discovered plot
to start an iRsuRrection out in theproy-
ince just east of Manila. General X ggs
of Baltimore, appointed a member of
the Philippine commits on by President
Wilson, was then in charge of the de.
partment of commerce ard police, II is
reported that he took prompt and eff,
cient measures. The instruction was
to start at an appointed place at an APP
pointed hour. Several companies of
cOnstabulary were marched out there
and arrested the men as they were gath
ering.
"This proceeding enraged the COVER
nor general, who said there was no in
surrectiOn and sent an officer to bring
the constabulary in. 1t is reported on
highest authority that General Rigs
appealed to President Wilson, inquiring
whether the governor general could
Overrule him, the commissioner, and di,
rectly control the cOnstabulary, and
that the President sustained the COVER
nor-general. In his wrath the COVER
nor general severely censured certain
high ranking officers in the constable.