The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1919-05-15
PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE.

PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE.
1t is, and it has been from the date of
American occupation, the avowed pur-
pose of the people of the United States
to withdraw their sovereignty over the
Philippine Islands and to recognize their
independence as soon as stable govern
ment was established by the Filipinos.
A Mission from the Philippines is now in
this country and the reliability of its
members is vouched for by Francis Bur-
ton Harrison, an American, who has for
six years been governor general of the
islands He says 81 have found the ma
tive Filipino official to be honest, efficient
and as capable of administering execu-
tive positions, as any men | have met
anywhere in the world These officials
are TODAY governing one thousand munich
palities and forty-two Provinces economl-
cally, efficiently and for the good of the
entire people" With this testimony be-
fore US, we may certainly give credence
to what the members of the Mission say
about what the people whom they repre-
sent have accomplished. They tell US
that the present 10, 900, 00G Filipinos and
their ancestors have been civilized and
Christians for three hundred years and
that the census of 1918 showed that the
n-Christian population was then only
$40, 900. They also inform US that they
have had colleges and schools for hum
dreds of years and that their university
of Santo Tomas is twenty-five years
older than Harvard, that more than fifty
years ago, when they had a population of
only ,000, 900 people, they had 841 schools
for bows and 1888 for girls, that in 1892,
eight years before the coming Of the
Americans, they had 2,137 schools, that
seventy per cent of their people above
ten wears of age can read and write and
that this percentage of literacy is higher
than in any country in South America or
in Spain OF in many of the countries in
Europe 1t is further shown that the idea
that the Filipinos are poor, lazy ard living
in low scale of existence, is entirely an
error The Acting Governor General, Mr.
Yeator, has officially cab!ed to our War
Department that there are million and
a half farms in the Philippines and that
ninety-six per cent of these farms are
owned by Filpinos. This means that out
of the total population of 10000, 600 at
least $1,000 600 of them have homes of
their own, and they tell us that 81 per
cent Of the city and village property con-
sisting of building and lands is owned by
native Fihpinos. More than twenty years
ago Admiral Dewey considered these peo-
pie better fitted for self government than
were those of Cuta. Mr. John Barrett,
than whom there is no better authority,
compared them favorably with the Japan
ese government When the constitution
under which they are living was adopted,
no less an authority than the late Sena-
tor George F. Hoar approved it.
The Filipinos have been our wards for
almost twenty years and have given US
very little trouble during that period.
They were loyal during the late war, gave
US a submarine destroyer, oversubscribed
Liberty loans and Red Cross funds and
offered an armed and equipped division
to our government. The area of the is
lands is only little less than twice that
Of New England Their exports are
about SIP, 000, coo annually while their
imports are about 553, 900, 900. This leaves
balance of some SIG. 900, 900 in their
favor and would seem to ensure their flu
ture solvency. Bread fruit, cocoanut,
orange, mango, Tamarind and other fruit
trees flourish. The islands yield manila,
tobacco, cotton, sugar. coffee, indigo,
rice, wheat, maize, spices and, in short,
nearly all tropical productions. There is
gold, ron, copper, coal, saltpeter, quick
silver sulphur, mother of pearl amter
and tortoise shell. Oxen, horses, sheep,
goats and swine of excellent breeds are
raised. If the Philippines were in the
Caribbean sea they would be worth much
to the United States. But they are east
of Asia and nasmuch as more than half
their trade is with this country and we
have land enough without them, it would
seem to be not only Justice to them but
wisdom on our part to let them govern
themselves. Why should not such a
country with all these things in its favor,
be an independent nation2
pANDERING TO SOCIALISM,