The Filer record. (Filer, Idaho) 1919-1930, 1920-02-26

NO, 1 am not.
am Filipino" he replied.
~How's thatf" asked the lady. Il
thought they were all ssyages living in
the woods"
well. III tell you how l came here"
he said. "A month before ! left the
Philippines / was living In the woods.
bit the American Governor decided 10
catch as many Wild men as possible.
train them aud send them over here.
So here | am. Just as you see" And
the ST. Louis lady actually believed
him.
That is what you would call fancies
about the Philippines. The fact is,
however. that the 1000. 600 tflipinos
and their ancestors have been civilized
and Christians for 800 years; that the
non-Christisn population. according TO
the census Of 1918. Is only 100000. and
even these are not all uncisiliZed
Another fancy is that not until the
coming OF the Americans were school
buildings seen Ia the Islands. roads
built, or substantial houses erected
Do you know that for hundreds of
years the Filipinos have had colleges
aud schools and that the University OF
Santo Tomas is only twenty years
older than Harvard; That as early as
1866, out of population Of 4.ooO,VoO
people, there were s4l schools for boys
aud s33 for girisf That in 1892. eight
years before the coming of the Ameri-
cans, there were 2.lST schoolsi
ITO grant self-government 10 Luzon
under Aguinsldo would be like grant
ing selfgovernment TO an Apache res
eryati0n under some local chief" Thus
spoke former Pre- sident of the United
States during the Filipino-American
war E1aggerstion could he rn excuse
AT time when the dignity OF the Am.
erican people demanded the extinction
OF Filipino opposition. but do you know
that the Philippine Republic, before the
American occupation OF the Islands.
had the approval OF prominent Ameri-
cans who were on the spot-llke John
Union. who compared II fsvorxbly with
the Japanese government That Ad-
miral Dewey considered the f'ilipinos
better fitted for self government than
the Cubansf That they had drafted a
constitution nj Mslaloz which ELECTED
the approval OF distinguished R-pnb-
licans like the tate Sehs:ar George r.
Hoarr That before the coming Of the
Americans they had produced national
heroes like the msrtyred Jose Rial.
pronounced by n Republican congress-
man. Representative Cooper. 49, the
nobiest victim that has ever fallen into
the clutches OF tyranny
And do you know that the FiIipinOs
have not had for hundreds Of year, any
caste system. blood distinction or royrl
families. and that. unlike their oriental
sisters. they are the only Christian peo-
pie In the orientr
People have pictured an ignorant
mass OF Filipinos. illiferste. poor. liy-
Ing life of sersituds for a few
wealthy land owners and foreigners.
with no houses or farms or property
OF their own. DO you kn0~ that 20
per cent. Of the people shove ten years
Of age can read and write and that this
OF literscy II almost a. high
IS some OF the states OF the Uni0ni
That q Is higher than In any country
Of South Ane RIGA. higher than the M.
eracy Of the Spanish people. aud IN.
above that Of any % the
new countries recognized IA Europei
do you know that there sv q million
and q half farms Ia the Philippines
and that 20 per cent Of these farms
are owned by Fillpinos In other words.
that out " the li.esooS Christian
FiIipinos. 100000 " them AT least live
on their e~n farms with houses Of
their own. independent Of any sbsentes
landlord or foreign mssterf That 81
per cent Of the urban property con
sstinE Of houses and lands 10 owned
By the natives Of the Philippines. sod
only . per cent 10 In the hands % for.
slgnersf Yet ttsss are facts cshisd BY
Acilns Governor Charles knm.fi Yea.
Ter 20 the War Department from the
rerst census estimstss
Hsving soismnly prcpised the riii
pi1os their lnd~psndsurs and having
rurs before tts vcrld a. the champion I
n sslf-csisrmlpstish. the yiiiplhU peo
pic cshno, understand he- Amsrlct
rsn crnslstrstir rfus. 70 make goo
.hsss promises.