New-York tribune., 1916-01-31

independcnO n real independence NV WV
sor, of independencc which would collapse
in q wear or two and leave the islands n
prey TO anarchy or to the terr'torial eN-
pansion policy Of some other nation
II would be a futile comedy for us 10
try TO get other nations TO JON us IN guar
antocing the independence ot the rh'np
mines. International guarantees are not
in h;gh esteem nowadays. Witness the
tragic case of Belgium. protected ny
scrap of paper" treaty! Such an in'erha-
tionsl agreement certainly could not be
secured during the life Of the present war,
or until the world at large had begun to
forget the Belgian lesson.
If we arc going to relnqulsh our SOW
ercignty over the Philippines 1t would be
eouallv absurd for us to give the Filipnos
, fve-vear guarantee of independence
supported 10y our power alone. Any such
guarantee would have TO be made good by
our continued military occupations; and II
we arc to assume military responsibility
Il would he wiser to retain civil response
b,lity a we'll
The future Of the Philippines under an
independent government can
easily bc read. Government would soon
degenerate into anarchy. Alien lives and
property would he sacrificed, and some
rover. intervening to protect ITS ma
tionals. would annex the islands or assume
Z protcctorate over them
Under the Clarke amendment We should
merely in the end be handing the Phlllp-
rincs over to spoliation, bloodshed and
chaos. We should 10y our moral and pollt-
ical cowardice be setting up IN the Orient
another Hayti-a republic IN name which
would quickly meet the fate which long
ago would have overtaken Hayh had 1t
not been for the guarantees of the Mon
roe Doctrine. and which has been averted
al last and definitely for Haytl only
through the imposition of an American
protectoratc
Nations have consciences as well as IN
dividuals. We should be shining against
duty. against our historic traditions,
against the conceptions of honor and SER
vice which we have lived up TO in the past
ie we should now abandon the Philippines
out of fear or mere WEAKNESS OF a great
national task. President Wilson has
talked so much about serving mankind
in Mexico and elsewhere that many Amer
leans have come to distrust that sort of
altruism in politics. But in the Philip
pines we have begun to do a real service
to the world; and we have done it so far
both generously and well. Is it honorable,
is it in accord with American character
and ideals, to drop that service now and
stink away?
We cannot believe that that is the true
American feeling. We are glad to repro
duce here some paragraphs from speech
made in the Senate last week by Mr.. Suth-
erland, of Utah, one of the real leaders
Of the Senate. He said.
Mr.. President, it is not only question as
TO what is the wise thing to do. but 1t is a
question as TO what is the righteous thing
like an individual. may be obliged to carry
a burden for the sake of righteousness Re
sponsibilities come TO nations as they come
TO individuals. Every individual who IS
strong and self-reliant is obliged TO take
upon himself burdens which he would be glad
to get rid OF if he could do so consistently
with the performance Of duty; and so we
must consider that phase Of the subject in
dealing with the Philippine Islands.
/ Il We turn them over to the people them
selves we cannot escape moral responsibility
for our act any more than the Levite could
escape by passing by on the other side. We
are there. and if We withdraw from those
people the strength Of this government. the
upholding hand Of this government and dis
aster follows. we are morally responsible
for it.
DO not know when the Philippine Islands
will be ready for set-government but ! feel
quite sure that they never will be ready for
independence until they are ready for self
government. independence without the
ability to carry on an orderly government
would be d mockery.
Therein lies the chief vice of the Clarke
amendment and of similar schemes for
carrying out the platform promises of the
Democratic party They affront the moral
sense of the American people. They are
.counsels of cowardice. They pave the way
for base retreat We should plough out
the Philippine furrow, stick to the great
experiment which we have undertaken
Until we finish it with credit to ourselves
ANYTHING less would be unworthy of a
country boasting a high place among the
civilizing nations. 1t would be betrayal
Ct honor and duty which in the days tC
come all true Americans would regret.
A Unique Demand.