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About Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 25, 1900)
The Republican IJrokon Bow , Nebraska THe Question of tin © Hour. Conclusions Arrived nt After Intended V' rornnnnl Investigation Bon. Minors - s Grout Speech Delivered In the Semite Jummry U , 1000 , The secretary read the joint resolu tion ( S. 11. r 3)deflning ) the policy of the United States relative to the Philip pine Islands , as follows : Be it resolved by the Senate nnd Iiouso of Representatives of the United States of Ameri ca In Congress assembled , Thai the Philippine Islands nre territory of Ihe Untied Slales ; that It Is the Intention of the United Stales to retain them as such and to establish and maintain such govcintncntal control throughout the nrchlpcl- ngo us the situation may demand. Mr. BEVERIDGE. Mr. President , 1 address the Senate at this time because. Senators and Members of the House on both sides have asked that 1 give to Congress and the country my observa tions in the Philippines and the far East , and the conclusions Avhich those observations compel ; and because of hurtful resolutions introduced and ut terances made in the Semite , every Avord of which Avill cost and is costing the lives of American soldiers. Mr. President , the times call for can dor. The Philippines arc ours forever , "territory belonging to the United States , " as the Constitution calls them. And just beyond the Philippines are China's illimitable markets. We Avill not retreat from either. Wo Avill not repudiate our duty in the archipelago. AVe will not abandon our opportunity in the Orient. We will not renounce our part in the mission of our race , trustee , under God , of the civilization of the world. And AVC Avill move for ward to our work , not howling out re grets like slaves Avhipped to their bur dens , but with gratitude for a task worthy of our strength , and thanks- giAing to Almighty God that Ho has marked us as his chosen people , hence forth to lead in the regeneration of the world. COMMAXI ) TIIK PACIFIC. This island empire is the last latin left in all the oceans. If it should prove a mistake to abandon it , the blunder once made would be in-retrievable. If it proves a mistake to hold it , the error can be corrected when AAC will. Every other progressive nation stands ready to relieve us. ISut to hold it will be no mistake , our largest trade henceforth must be Avith Asia. The Pacific is our ocean. More aud more Europe will manufac ture the most it needs , secure fiom its colonies the most it consumes. Where bhall AVC turn for consumers of our sur plus ? Geography answers the ques tion. China is our natural customer , filie is nearer to us than to England , Germany or Russia , the commercial ipoAvers gf the present and the future. " "Tliey'trave ' moved nearer to China by securing permanent bases on her bor ders. The Philippines give us a base .at the door of all the East. Lines of navigation from our ports to the Orient and Australia ; from the isthmian canal to Asia ; from all Ori ental ports to Australia , converge at and separate from the Philippines. They are a self-supporting , dividend- paying fleet , permanently anchored at spot selected by the strategy of Prov idence , commanding the Pacific. And the Pacific is the ocean of the com- ancree of the future. Most future Avars Avill be conflicts for commerce. The poAver that rules the Pacific , therefore , is the poAver that rules the world. And , with the Philippines , that poAver is and Avill forever be the American He- public. VAI.UK OF C'HIXA'S TltADE. China's trade is the mightiest com mercial fact in our future. Her for eign commerce Avas S285,78noo : ! in 1807 , -of Avhich AVC , her neighbor , had less than 0 per cent , of Avhich only a little anoro than half Avas merchandise sold lo China by us. We ought to have 50 percent , and AVC will. And China's foreign commerce is only beginning. Her resources , her possibilities , her wants , all are undeveloped. She has only .110 miles of rnihvny. I nave seen trains loaded Avith natives and all the activities of modern life already ap pearing along the line. I5ut she needs , and in fifty years Avill have , 20,001) ) miles of raihvay. Who can estimate her commerce then'.1 The statesman commits a crime against American trade against the American grower of cotton and wheat iind tobacco , the American manufac- 1urer of machinery and clothing who fails to put America where she may command that Iradc. Germany's Chi nese trade is increasing like magic. She has established ship lines and so- vnred a tangible foothold on China's very soil. Kussia's Chinese trade is plowing beyond belief. She is spend ing the revenues of the Empire to fin ish her railroad into Pekin itself , and is in physical possession of the im porial province of Manchuria. Japan's Chinese trade is multiplying in volume wnd value. She is bending her energy to her merchant marine , and is located nlong China's very coast ; but Manila is ! & ? nearer China than Yokohama is. The " /J * Philippines command the commercial ' ' "f situation of the entire East. Can America best trade Avith China from San Francisco or NOAV York ? From San l''rancisco. of course.lut ! if San Francisco were closer to China than New York is to Pittsburg , Avhat then ? And Manila is nearer Hongkong than Habana is to Washington. And yet American statesmen plan to surrender this commercial throne of the Orient where Providence and our soldiers' lives have placed us. When history conies to Avrito the story of that sug gested treason to American supremacy and therefore to the spread of Ameri can civilization , lot her in mercy write that those Avho so proposed Avere merely blind and nothing more. UKBOimCKS AND lAIMKNbU 8IZB OF Till : ISLANDS. Hut if they did not command China , India , the Orient , the Avhole Pacific for purposes of offense , defense , and trade , the Philippines are so valuable- them- belves that AVO should hold them. I have cruised more than 2,000 miles through the archipelago , every moment a surprise at its loveliness and wealth. 1 have ridden hundreds of1 miles on the Islands , every foot of the way a revela tion of vegetable and mineral riches. No land in America surpasses in fer tility the plains and valleys of Luzon. Hice and coll'e , sugar and cocoanuts , hemp and tobacco , and many products of the Temperate ns well as the Tropic zone grow in various sections of the archipelago. I have seen hundreds of bushels of Indian corn lying in a road fringed with banana trees. The for- cuts of Negros , Mindanao , Mindora , Paltian , and parts of Luzon are invalu able and intact. The wood of the Philippines can supply the furniture of the world for a century to come. At Cebu the best informed man in the island told me that 40 miles of Ccbu's mountain chain are practically moun tains of coal. Pablo Mnjia , one of the most reliable men on the islands , con firmed the statement. Some declare that the coal is only lignite ; but ship captains who have used it told me that it is better steamer fuel than the best coal of Japan. I have a nugget of pure gold picked up in its present form on the banks of a Philippine creek. I have gold dust washed out by crude processes of care less natives from the sands of a Philip pine stream , lloth indicate great de posits at the sourou from which they eoaie. In one of the islands great de posits of copper exist untouched. The mineral wealth of this empire of the ocean will one day surprise the world. 1 base this statement partly on per sonal observation , but chiefly on the testimony of foreign merchants in the Philippines , who have practically in vestigated the subject , and upon the unanimous opinion of natives and priests. And the mineral wealth is but a small fraction of the agricultural wealth of these islands. And the wood , hemp , copra , and other products of the Philippines sup ply what we need and cannot ourselves produce. And the markets they will themselves afford will be immense. Spain's export and import trade , with the islands undeveloped , was SI 1,534 , 731 annually. Our trade with the islands developed will be $ ? 12. > ,000,000 annually , for who believes that we can not do ten times as well as Spain ? Consider their imperial dimensions. Luzon is larger and richer than New York , Pennsylvania , Illinois , or Ohio. Mindanao is larger aud richer than all New England , exclusive of Maine. Manila , as a port of call and exchange , will , in the time of men now living , far surpass Liverpool. Behold the exhaustless - haustless markets they command. It is as if a half dozen of our States were set down between Oceanica and the Orient , and those states themselves un developed and unspoiled of their primi tive wealth and resources. Nothing is so natural as trade with one's neighbors. The Philippines make us the nearest neighbors of all the East. Nothing is more natural than to trade with those you know. This is the Philosophy of all udvcrtisinir. The Philippines bring us permanently face to face with the most sought-for cus tomers of the world. National pres tige , national propinquity , these and commercial activity are the elements of commercial success. The Philippines give the first ; the character of the AmcricarJteieople supply the last. It is a providential conjunction of all the elements of trade , of duty , and of power. If we are willing to go to war rather than let England have a few feet of frozen Alaska , which affords no market and commands none , what should we not do rather than let Eng land , Germany , Russia , or Japan have all the Philippines ? And no man on the spot can fail to see that this would be their fate if we retired. PHII.Il'lMXK CI.IMATi : . The climate is the best Tropic climate in the world. This is the belief of those who have lived in many Tropic countries , with scores of whom I have talked on this point. My own experi ence with tropical conditions has not been exhaustive ; yet , speaking from that experience , I testify that the cli mate of Iloilo , Sulu , Cebu , and even of Manila , greatly surpasses that of Hongkong. And yet on the bare and burning rock of Hongkong our con structing race has builded one of the noblest cities of all the world , and made the harbor it commands the focus of the commerce of the East. And the glory of that achievement illumines with a rarer splendor than that of Waterloo the flag that floats above it , for from Hongkong's heights civiliz ation is irradiating all the Orient. If this be imperialism , its final end will be the empire of the Son of Man. Yet fifty years ago this English out post of empire was a smooth and tree less mountain , blazing like a ball of lire beneath the tropic suns , The Philippines are beautiful and rich , with the healing seas pouring round and through them and fanned by a thousand winds. Even in the hottest season , under severest conditions , I found the weather tolerable and often delightful ; and in Luzon , Panay , Cebu , Negros , and Sulu 1 have been in the sun and rain without protection from either for hours at a time , traveling from place to place on horseback , on foot , or in a boat , rising at dawn , re tiring at midnight , week after week , without injury to health. General Mai-Arthur , commanding a force which had been lighting continu ously for three months and which was under fire practically every hour , was in excellent health every time I saw him at San Fernando , our extreme front. General Lawton , that perfect soldier , whom 1 have seen ride , order , plan , and execute all day , and then ride , order , plan , and execute all night , until the Tagals named him "the soldier of the night , " told mo that his health was perfect. General Otis , that devoted servant of the Republic , who toils ceaselessly , does not fall ill , nor grow weary , nor complain. 1 could give the names of scores of our officers and de scribe their feats of endurance wit nessed by me that would have taxed their strength even in America. Yet they do not succumb. I have seen cor respondents exert themselves in all kinds of weather without food or sleep in a way that would prostrate them in the hottest days of our summer in Chicago cage or New York. Major Hoyt , chief medical olllcer with MacArthur , told mo that San Fernando is as healthy as the average American town. The Eu ropean business men of Colm , Iloilo , aud Manila work as hard and as many hours a day as those of New York , and a finer body of physical manhood can not be gathered at random in America. This proves that this garden of the seas is not the sweltering , steaming , miasmatic swamp-that it has been de scribed. OHAIiACTEIt OF TIIK I'KOl'K AOUIXALDO. It will bo Aard for Americans who have not studied them to understand the people. They are a barbarous race , modified by three centuries of contact with a decadent race. The Filipino is the South Sea Malay , put through n process of three hundred years of su perstition in religion , dishonesty In dealing , disorder in habits of industry , aud cruelty , caprice , and corruption in government. It is barely possible that 1,000 men in all the archipelago nre capable of self-government in the Anglo-Saxon sense. My own belief is that there are not 100 men among them who comprehend what Anglo-Saxon self-government even means , and there are over 5,000- 000 people to be governed. 1 know many clever and highly educated men among them , but there are only three commanding intellects aud characters Arcllani , Mabini , and Aguinaldo. Arellano , the chief justice of our su preme court , is a profound lawyer and a brave aud incorruptible man. Ma bini , who , before his capture , was the literary and diplomatic associate of Aguinaldo , Is the highest type of sub tlety and the most constructive mind Unit race has yet produced. Agniualdo is a clever , popular leader , able , brave , resourceful , cunning , ambitious , un scrupulous , and masterful. Ho is-i'ull of decision , initiative , and authority , and had the confidence of the _ masses. He is a natural dictator. Ills ideas of ffovernmont are absolute orders , im plicit obedience , or immediate death. He understands the character of his countrymen , lie is a Malay Sylla ; not a Filipino Washington. These conclusions were forced upon me by observing the people in all walks of life in the different islands , and by conversations with foreign merchants , priests , mestizos , pure Filipinos , and every variety of mind , character , and opinion from San Fernando , in Luzon , on down through the entire archipelago to the interior of Sulu. These conver sations were had informally nt dinner tables , on journeys , and the like , and always under conditions favorable to entire frankness and unreserve. Their chief value is that they are the real opinions of their authors and not pre pared and guarded statements. I will read to the Senate salients points from a few of my notes of these conversa tions , reserving the names of the per sons interviewed , except that of Pablo Majia , of Cebu , who was assassinated a week after I met him , and whose fate I will not risk bringing down on oth ers. Their names and residences arc here in this book , and will be gladly given to any Senator or to the Senate in executive session. The conversa tions themselves , of course , are many of them quite extended. I give here only the brief extracts , which may be helpful to a correct understanding of the subject immediately in hand. One of the principal merchants of the Philippines and the far East said , among many other things : The whole country Is Incalculably rich. With only oidlnury goodgovernmentcommcrce would bo Immense. Spanish rule was corrupt , but commerce iiccustomcu itseir to tno conditions and nourished in spite of them. So rich is the country that commerce will survive any sltim- allen , however bud , if it is only Hxed and cer tain. The people are incapable of self-govern ment. The few exceptions are no examples of the masses. For years to coino u verv blroug govcinmont will bo necessary. The cttumto is very good. I have lived here eighteen years , and my health was never better. One of the principal business men of the Philippines and the far East said : I have no fault to find with the climate. My health is very line , lluslne.ss here , largo us it Is , Is only n hint of what will bo under a good government. I think it folly to tallt of giving the natives any part in the government. They uio incapable. Of cour.se there tire , possibly , half a dozen who might bo capable , but I doubt the result of such an experiment , even with the best. Anything but n btrong government at llr.st will result in disaster. Do not put courts Into their hands at all , except the minor and village courts , of course. You might give them municipal self-government in the smaller mu nicipalities , but even then only undur careful supervision. The most eminent educator in the Philippines , of very wide information about the people and the country , said : It Is a most marvelous country. The climate is the ideal tropical climate of the world. Also , It presents every variety of climate. Only a moderate distance from Manila , in the provfnce of Uengnet , there are oaks , pines , frost , and you must use blankets at night. It Is the richest and most variegated portion of the earth's sur face. My health has always been good. You must introduce a strong , decisive , and pure gov ernment. The natives might possibly bo per mitted to take a practical part in municipal af fairs. Self-government Is out of the question. I fear the Insurrection will last for months. The na tives are like buffalo bulls -they get mad and then want to light , no mutter whether right or wrong. You cannot successfully deal with them by gentle means ; they absolutely misun derstand such treatment. While In arms they must bo fought , fought ceaselessly and remorse lessly. Otherwise they will keep it up forever. The most eminent scientist of the far East , better informed on the Phil ippines and their people and more ex perienced in the whole situation than any man now living , said : The climate is the best tropical climate In the world. My health is excellent and has been for years. Nearly everything can bo ralswd in the Islands. Also nearly all climates can be had in the various altitudes practically accessible. It will take a long time to prepare the people for self-government. Certainly they are not so now. I think everything must for years bo liinily controlled by the Americans. One. of the large planters and busi ness men of the interior of Luzon , a pure Filipino , with intimate relations with the insurgents : It Is hard to say how long the contest will last. The very common people < -aro little about the matter , but have been told and believe many bad things about the Amoi leans. What Filipinos want Is to govein themselves. No , of course , they do not know anything about gov ernment except that.Spain gave them , which was most coirupt. If you gave tlioso Islands n government wheio justice would bo adminis tered freely nnd without price , propei ty pro tected , and free speech secured , you ask mo If the common people would bo batisiicd. I do not know. The common people do not know what they want. Are thov capable of self-government of voting intelligently ? What difference does that make ? They would vote just exactly as the better classes say. I employ several hun dred men. Well , I expect and would see to it that they have the same opinions I have. Humph ! it would bo Impossible otherwise. What the Filipino leaders talk about and Insist upon Is a guaranty. By this they mean Filipinos to have exclusive government in the Islands , the United States to kocp a lluet hoio to protect that gov ernment and the Islands generally In every pos sible slt\iatlon , and this ugieemcnt witnessed by u third nation , stiung enough to compel the United States to carry out its contract. The people are not capable of self-government , but the leaders are , 01 will bo after t > otno practice ; so it is just the sumo thing. A pure Filipino , a physician , a man of wealth , in the interior of Luzon one of the most intelligent men of the many I met and talked to : It Is hard to say how long this struggle will continue. The leaders say they want Indepen dence : the common people probably want so cialism. To bo tlelinlto and particular , they probably do not know what they want. No , they uro not capable of self-government. If you glvu them pure government , f reo speech nnd all that , they would not understand nnd appreciate it at llrst ; would not bellovo it , as It were. Hut when , after u while , three or four years , say , they come to understand your good Inten tions and actually experlcnco good govern ment , there will bo no trouble. Oh , yes ; the Islands uro marvclously rich. After good gov- eminent Is once In operation , they will pay their way many tlmon o\er My people uro not a bnd people ; they don't understand ; they uro chlldiun yet. The principal llrltish merchant of Iloilo said : The climate U simply splendid , oven here ou the sen. A very short distance Inland you must have lire every nl ht. I have been hero more than twenty years , and my health Is anil nl- \fnys has been most excellent. The only tlmo I ever felt heat badlv was In New York last Sep. lembtir. It goon \uthout Mvylng that the coun try Is enormously rich. Its ro onrcos Imvo not jcloven begun to be developed. Vast as com merce Is or was. It Is only a suggestion to what may be. The natives are n kind , affectionate people when properly treated. They mu suspi cious , though , and once aroused , very obstinate. Surely they arc capable of self- eminent In municipal matters. Further than that 1 think It not safe to go at present. The common people ple probably do not understand the meaning of t > clf-go\ eminent IIH we ilo , There is no doubt that Ihey would bo com pletely dominated by their leaders. 1 should think It u very risky business to put the courts In the hands of the native , oven if you allow them a largo measure of self-govcrnmui.\ wise. You see ; they do not understand the just and pure administration of law through courts. How should they ? The \Uiolo secret of your success will bo to adopt some dellulto plan , stick to it , govern justly and llrmly , bo patient , do not expect everything In a day , and very gradually and wisely Introduce thorn Into the government. Hut all will fall If you send any but pure and Incorruptible men here. A highly educated aud bright Span ish mestizo , claiming to be pure Filipino pine , employed in Iloilo , said : No one can tell when the lighting will ccaso , It all depends upon what Agulnuldo says. Tlio common people nave nbsoluto faith In him. Ills order among thee now In rebellion In this Inl and would bo promptly obeyed. The common people say they are lighting for their Independ ence. They mean by this the tight to manage their own government ; make and execute their own laws. Their Ideas of n proper relation be tween the Philippine Islands and people of the United States is that of n protectorate. The loaders absolutely control the peoplo. A man of property expects his working people to have the same opinion as he 1ms. I do myself. It is , pernaps , true tnat uio masses no noi un derstand what self-government means. I think that that ( hero are enough capable and educated men among our people to control government , but I do not believe that the great mass of the people are at all lilted fcr self-govomunmt now and will not bo for u long time. You should have uniform laws over the entire archipelago. If you have one thing at one place nnd another at another place , each will think and say Unit Uio other Is better treated , nnd you'wlll have constant and set Ions dlstutbancc. Already thu people of this Island are very angry bccnuso Ne gros Is given u United States constitution. That Is a profound mistake. Uon't experiment. Se lect your plan and execute it. Kngllsh ought to bo niyilo the one lungugo of the Islund , A rich planter of Panay , pure Filipino pine , but moderate in views , said : The common people have no opinions nnd are not capable of voting. If the Filipinos estali- llshed a government , of course the properly and educated rluss would , beyond doubt , urn such government. Not nioio than 2. > per cent of the people arc lilted to take part In the selection of publlo onleors. Tho'people itiu at present In capable of self-government , though they might bo intrusted with purely municipal affairs. Ks- tubllsh precisely the same laws through the archipelago. Kngllsh should bo universally taught. The common people know and euro nothing nboitt self-government or any other government. They nro principally Interested in simply living. Self-government can only mean government by the upper classes. A prominent but verjr conservative business man of Panay : You may bo n long tlmo subduing this iusur- rcctlon. The people ere not yet capable of self- government In the nichtpchigo. It is well , though , to trust them with muhlclpal adminis tration , provided everything Is under your llnal supervision. The pioposltlon lo have the same commercial laws everywhere Is to plain for ar gument. The cllm itu is not bad at all. You see that for yourself. It Is very cool here , you see , this evening. My own health has been .ex cellent , and is now. Theio Is very little filcjl- ness among the Kngllsh here. " " A leading mestizo of Negros : > ' ' The Island of Negros Is far ahead of any other island In the culture of Its people. Our chief-do- slro now is to get utterly away from Spanish customs , laws , and traditions. 1 think wo are quite capable of self-govei mnent under American protection. If the Philippine islands are tmulo into a Federal system wo would expect to boone ono of the States. Certainly wo can manage the local affairs of the Island. Kxcluslvo of Uio savages of Iho mountains , I should nay Unit ! or 6 per cent of the people are now capable of in- lelllgenly voting. 1 think the voting should bo by those who own , can read and wrlw , or are established Eroperty nnd heads of l\unlllcs , with doll- nlto residences. 1 would Un out who bhould vote by having a committee In each lawn , tnako out a list and then notify the ones chosen. Cer tainly I would expect the common people lo follow the advice of the lenders and vole for whom the leaders said. I should think my own employes would take my view of a situation. If you give us a government where justice is ad ministered without corruption or delay , proper ty protected without a fee , free speech insured , commercial language provided , the people will bo satisfied. Spain did none of this , but the reverse. That is , and was , our complaint. Kngllsh should bo Immediately made the language of the whole archipelago. 1 do not think the same political Isws should prevail throughout the Islands. Ono iilaco should have laws adapted lo It ; another , laws adapted to It. The reason for this Is Hint the people of the various Islands are of different degioos of culture. Of course , though , I think the whole urchipclugo a commercial unit. Pure Filipino and large planter of Ne gros : I Iwvo working for mo about 100 men. They are good , average examples of the common people plo of the Island. I should say that not over ; i or 4 per cent of them arc capable of solf-govem- ment or In any true sense undersland the term. If the ballot were given them , or even If it were restricled to those 1 ! or-I per cent , I should ex pect them to vote as the leaders might Indlcnlo. I think Iho Kngllsh language should be Imme diately adopted throughout the entire uri-hlpel- ago. It would simplify mailers Incalculably. No , I do not believe the same laws should prevail everywhere. We of Negros aio more cultivated than in Panay. Wo deserve betler laws. Very large planter and influential man of Ncgl-os , claiming to be pure Filipino , but with some Chinese blood : The cltnmtn Is most excellent. The wealth of these Islands is beyond imagination. Wo have only begun to develop our resources. For ex ample , wo have not touched our minerals prac tically. IVands you see yonder are really hotter for agricultural purposes than this low. Hat coast land. No : it Is not yet occupied , and the title to it is still In the government. I have several American plo\\s. They do goou worn , wocio not use moio m-causo they me not brought lo us. The native plow has served our purpose mid our inertia makes it In convenient to change , if ellurt Is necessary. Yes ; enterprising agency would sell many plows , 1 have several carriages made in Ameri ca. I have from 1,000 lo l.fiOJ men working for me. Of Ihcso practically all are capable of Kelt-government. Would they vote as I wished ? Mosl asMitcdly Ihey would. Hv all means make Kngllsh Iho language of iheso islands us speed ily us posslblo.it will Increase commerce and gut us farther away from Uio old and haled 10- glme. I regard these Islands as n commercial unit , and think uniform laws should prevail through out thu archipelago. Your young men could come hero nnd buy land and soon get enormous ly rich. You need not fear that wo leaders would bo ublo to control elections. The government Itself would nuinlnnto all Urn ofllcers or candi dates ; so you see , the people would hii\e to vote for good men. What would I do If any man spoke against or criticised the government ? Why , anyone rising against the government would bo tried and shot if condemned. Pablo Majia , pure Filipino , rich , able , honest , and moderate. He was stabbed to death in Cebu , and this is why 1 withhold the names of the others : I do not think anyone could usk for a boiler cllmnto than this. It Is much better than Hongkong. The icsouicesof ibis Island have not begun lo bo developed. Our coal Is very good , much beller limn Japan coal. Theio fs copper lee , on this Islund , not yet woiked. I am sorrv to say that very few of our population uro capable of self-government. Of course the wealthy and educated classes are entirely competent to run the government. I do not expect nor desire uny government ex cept ono founded on and directed bv America. Oh , yes ; to such extent ns the ballot may bo given , there Is no doubt that we of Iho upper classes can conirol. I employ 100 men now In good times more. All Iheso would \olo as I say. say.An An educator of Cebu , who has lived among thu Filipinos for twenty-live years , and one of the ablest men 1 ever met : For general hcallh and for all human condi tions 1 consider this cllmulo unexcelled in Iho worlu. When I left Kuropo twonty-llvo years uifo and cumo hero my health was wretched. Hero I tun never ill. The icbourcus of these isl ands uro simply marvelous. Think of the agri cultural richness of Nugrosl Think of Uio min eral wealth of Cebu. For W mlloh ihls chain of mountains buck of us is one continuous coal mine. The coal U excellent. U is far bettor than the Japan coal. Aud tnoro uro very rich copper deposlis over yonder ; nobudy over worked ficui jet. There la u'old here , loo. Horn , I will make you n present of this gold dust ; it was ncoopml up from ono of our streams here. It proves the existence of very heavy do- poslis at the point from which these fragments wore washed down , In another Island there uro very rich gold deposits , Iet mo present you with Ihls nugget. It was picked up just ns you see It. I have seen nuggets from there ns largo im your thumb pure , solid gold. Why are they not wotkctir Oh , wohaxo been so fur out of the wotld , you know , the world has forgotten us. And , then , the strnngo apathy of the Span ish ( lovernmcnl mid peoplo. Hut that Is all tjood hick for you. Thpso people nro not eupa- bio of self-government. That ought lo be ap parent to any ihouiMtlful iKirson. They are iitrangely childish. They do not themselves understand clearly what they are lighting for. Independence to Uio common people means an- urehy. or , rather , socialism. To the upper classes U means ru'o ' and domin ion. If Uio ballot were placed In Uio hands the of people , they would vote ns their lenders said. It would bo well to niale Kngllsh the languaga of all Iho Islands -but , dear mo , whnl a fearful tlmo you will have teaching It , Why , mv dear friend , wo have been leaching Iheiu Spanish for three hundred years - working hard , too and yet they i > eiik It very badly even now. They arc not bright ; really , they nro ottipld. They resemble very much the caribou. They learn with great dtfllculty. Come Into the Islands with practical common sense , not scholustlcnllv , theoretically , or experimentally. The Islands can bo miuln n grlal blessing lo you , anil you lo them , and they also can bo made u great curse. A gentleman living in Sulu and who has spent his entire life in various tropical countries said : The resources of thcso Islands nro not even guessed. This land wo stand ou grows cocoa , sugar , rice , coffee , and hemp , and all of the fin est < iuallly. As to the health the conditions uro perfeci. I am thoroughly acquainted with Aslallo and i'aclllc Tropics , and I consider ihls the Ideal climate of them nil. I hope you are not contemplating such a thing as self-govern ment for the arehlpelugo. It would bo u hide ous mist alto. Tiiey nro utterly incapuuio 01 participating in government. May 1)0 In some places municipal government , might , lo a limited extent , bo put In the hands of Iho more competent natives , but even then , I fear , It would work badly. Hut government of the archipelago by natives would mean contin uous civil war. 1 want you people to succeed , but you will Ignomlnlously and frightfully fall if you put up a weak or n ImlMicuited govern ment here. I have spent my life hero. In Hor- neo , Juvu , Slralls Selllomenls , and olhoi' such places , nnd I know Ihls people thoroughly. You Imvo a glorious opportunity hero and you must not ruin it. 1 will close those few extracts , which are a fair sample af a great number of others , all of which I am willing to submit to the Senate at any time , by reading a few suggestions made to mo by the first statesman of the far East , who had had practical experience with similar problems. In the course of a long interview he said. You must establish government over the Isl ands , because It Is Incalculably to your Interest In the future , and because , If you do not , an other power will undoubtedly take them , In volving Uio world In u war for which you will bo responsible. As to the form of government , you should have u governor-general of great ability , tlrm- ness , and purity ; under him suhonicers of ills- trlcls , and under them still lower olllclnls for Iho munlclimlllle.s , all appointed by Ihclr su periors nnd not chosen by Iho peoplo. You should employ the ablest natives In the Gov ernment service In some way so us to enlist them on your side. The courts aio the most Important consideration of all. Uon't put the miitvcs In charge of ihem whatever else vou do , in Iho armed forces , don't give any native su perior position for a long tlmo. Uon't do too much for them In the beginning. Uo It grad ually , as the years go _ bv. I think your course Is clear. Uon't tie.it'with them until you defeat - feat them. You must do that. You can nut treat and light. Make Kngllsh the language of Uio courts , schools , and everything else , f.et mo Impress on you the necessity of conferring your benefits on them quite gradually. If you glvo them too much they can not npprcclnta nor understand nor rightly use it , nnd It will thus bothrown away ; but If you glvo them the blessing of free institutions gradually , yon furnish n source of constant gratitude. In the other way you exhaust - haust yourself at thu beginning , and besides fail in your good Inlenllons. AVI ! WII.L J1O1.1) IT 1'AUT , AND HOLD IT FUUKYKIl. Hero , then , Senators , ! * the situation. Two years ago there was no land in all the world which we could occupy for any purpose. Our commerce was daily turning toward the Orient , and geog raphy and trade developments made necessary our commercial empire over the Pacific. And in that ocean we had no commercial , naval , or military base. To-day we have one ot the three great ocean possession of the globe , located at the most commanding commercial , naval , and milit'ary points in the east ern seas , within hail of Indiashoulder to shoulder with China , , richer in its own resources than any equal body of land on the entire globe , and peopled by a race which civilization demands shall be improved. Shall wo abandon itV That man little knows the common people of the Republic , little understands Uie instincts of outrace - race , who thinks wo will not hold it fast and hold it forever , administering just government by simplest methods. \Ve may trick up devices to shift our burden and lessen our opportunity ; but they will avail us nothing but delay. We may tangle conditions by applying academic arrangements of self-govern ment to a crude situation ; their failure will drive us to our duty in the end. MIUTAUV prniATio.v OTIS mnxmi > . The military situation , past , present , and prospective , is no reason for aban donment. Oureampaign hits been as per fect as possible with the force at hand. \Ve have been delayed , first , by a fail ure to comprehend the immensity of our acquisition ; and second , by insuf ficient force ; and , third , by our efforts for peace. In February , after the treaty of peace. , ( ieneral Otis had only : ! ,7'J2 officers and men whom he had a legal right to order into battle. The terms of enlistment ot the rest of his troops had expired , and , they fought voluntarily and not on legal military compulsion. It was one of the noblest examples of patriotic devotion to duty in the history of the world. Those who complain do so in igno rance of the real situation.Ve at tempted a great task with insulllcient means ; we became impatient that it was not finished before it could fairly be commenced ; and I pray we may not add that other element of disaster , pausing in the work before it is thor oughly and forever done. That is thu gravest mistake we could possibly make , and that is the only danger be fore us. Our Indian wars would have been shortened , the lives of our soldiers and settlers saved , and the Indians themselves benefited had we made con tinuous and decisive war ; and any other kind of war is criminal because ineffective.Ve acted towards the In dians as though we feared them , loved them , hated them a mingling f fool ish sentiment , inaccurate thought , and paralytic purpose. Let us now be in structed by our own experience. This , too , has been Spain's course in the Philippines. 1 have studied Spain's painful military history in these isl ands. Never sufficient troops ; never vigorous action , pushed to conclusive results and a permanent peace ; always treating with the rebels while they fou/htthcm ; always cruel and corrupt when a spurious peace was arranged. This has been Spain's way for three hundred years , until insurrection has become a Filipino habit. Never since Magellan landed did Spain put enough troops hi the islands for complete and final action in war ; never did she in telligently , justly , firmly , administer government in peace. At the outbreak of the last insurrec tion , in August ; Isyo , Spain had only 1,500 Spanish soldiers in all the Philip pines , nnd 700 of these \vero in Ma nilla , In November of that year she had only 10,000 men. The generals Irt command of these were criticised and assailed in Spain. It is characteristic ! of Spain that the people at home do not support , but criticise their general * in the field. The Spanish method han always been a mixed policy of' peace and Avar , a contradiction of terms , an impossible combination , tendering war ineffective and peace impossible. Thin Avas Compo's plan. It Avas Itlanco'u plan. Those who Avould make it cm- plan Jwlll inherit Ithuico's fatu ninl failure. TIH'B MIUTAHV I'OI.IOY. Mr. President , that must not bo our plan. This Avar is like all other Avars. It needs to bo finished before It U stopped. 1 am prepared to vote either to make our Avork thorough or even IIOAV to abandon it. A lasting peace can bo secured only by overwhelming forces in ceaseless action until univer sal and absolutely final defeat is in flicted on the enemy. To halt befon > every armed force , every guerrilla band , opposing us is dispersed or extermi nated Avill prolong hostilities and leave alive the seeds of perpetual insurrec tion. tion.Even Even then AVC should not treat. To treat at all is to admit that AVC are Avrong. Aud any quiet so secured will be delusive and Meeting. And a frlso peace Avill betray ns ; a sham truce Avill curse us. It is not to servo the pur poses of the hour , it is not to salve u present situation , that peace should bo established. It is for tlio tranquillity of the archipelago forever. It is for an orderly government for the Filipinos pines for all the future. 11 is to give thin problem to posterity solved and settled ; not vexed and involved. It is to estab lish the supremacy of the American Republic over the Pacific and through out Iho East till tnoiend of time. It has been charged that our con duct of the Avar has been cruel , Sen ators , it has been the reverse. I have been in our hospitals and seen the Filipino Avounded as carefully , tender ly cared for as our own. Within out lines they may plow and sow and reap and go about the affairs of peace Avith absolute liberty. And yet all tills kind ness Avas misunderstood , or rather not undei-htood. Senators must remember that AVO not dealing \vith American * or Europeans. We are dealing Avlth Orientals. Wo are dealing with Orient als Avho are Malays. Wo are dealing Avith Malays instructed in Spanish methods. They mistake ikindneSs for Aveakucss , forbearance for fear. It could not bo otherwise unless you could erase hundreds of years of sav agery , other hundreds of years of Orientalism , and still other hundreds of years of Spanish character and ens' torn. OITU KI'KOHTH TO SIX'UUI' I'liAC ! ' . . Out- mistake has not been cruelty ; it " has been kindness. It has been "tho application to Spanish Malays of Meth ods appropriate to New England- Ev ery device of mercy , every method of conciliation , has been employed by the peace-loving President of tho" American Republic , to the amazement of nations experienced in Oriental revolt. Ueforo the outbreak our general in command appointed a commission to make some arrangement Avith the native' inutual- ly agreeable. I know the nui ibci-H of the commission well ( Jcneral Hughes. Colonel Crowdor , and Ueney " Smith moderate , kindly , tactful inlilJ of the Avorld ; an ideal body for such negotia tion. It Avas treated Avith contempt. Wo smiled at intolerable insult and insolence until the lips of every native in Manila Avero curling in ridicule for the cowardly Americans. Wo re frained from all violence until their armed bravos crossed the lines in viola1 tion of agreement. Then our sentry shot the offender , and he should have been court-martialed had ho failed to shoot. That shot Avas the most fortu nate of the Avar. For there is every reason to believe that Aguinaldo had planned the attack upon us for some nights latur. Our sentry's shot brought this attack prematurely on. He ar ranged for an uprising in Manila to massacre all Americans , the plans for Avhich , in a responsible officer's hand writing , arc in our possession. This shot and its results made the awful scheme impossible. Wo did not strike till they attacked us in force , without/ provocation. This left us no alternu live but war or evacuation. AVOItIC OK TIIK COMMISSION' . The patience of our peace , lo ring President was not even then exhausted. A civil commission Avan sent to Manila , composed of the president of one of our great universities , a distinguished diplomat and an eminent college pro fessor who had special knowledge of the country and people and also ( Jen- oral Otis and Admiral Dewey. These men uxlmused the expedients of peace. and always were met Avith the Malay's ready evasion , the Spaniard's habitual delay. 1 urn personal witness that in/ " effort Avas neglected by our commission to acsuro the Filipino people of our good intentions stud beneficent pur poses. The commission entertained the mestizos of Manila in a way that Avould have honored the Senate of the United States ; the brown faees of the common people sneered. The com mission treated natives , accustomed to blows , Avlth kindest consideration ; the agents of Aguinuhlu told tales of our pusillanimity to the ignorant rural masses. This ivnmrKnhlo man sent so- called commissions , ostensibly to treat , but really to play with ours. Ills commissions were composed of generals in uniform. The populunee gaped in open admiration when they appeared in Manila. Our representatives ot peace talked to them , argued with them , entertained them ; thu people were impressed with their importance. President Schurman even rode with them through the city. The masses were confirmed in their reverence for their brothers who were thus honored and distinguished. Then the be spangled representatives of the .Malay dictator return to their lord , and the sole effect of thcso pacific efforts waste to make : 'r > oduo , natives in Manila think that tlio only Avay to win the respect of the American 'Republic ii to light it. No , Senators , the friendly methods of peace have been thoroughly tried only to make peace more difficult. The Oriental does not understand our at tempt to conciliate. Every effort of our commission which did its work at Manila so earnestly , so honestly , so thoroughly , and Avhich , with Ameri cans or Europeans , Avould have so bril liantly succeeded , only delayed the peace it attempted to hasten. There is not now and never was any possible course but ceaseless operations in the field and loyal support of the war at home.