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0CTQBER.7, .1904 ,
The t Commoner
3
PHILIPPINE ISSUE EMPHASIZED
Governor Luke B. Wright, the present ncad of
the Philippine commission, under the guise ot an
ofllcial report, sends a letter to the president which
is intended for campaign use, and the president, of.
course, gives an extract to the public. The letter
is unique to use the word employed by the presi
dent to describe his feat when he shot the fleeing
Spaniard. It is intended to suppress the discus
sion of the Philippine question in the United
States and it contains some specimens of logic
and political philosophy that ought to be em
balmed for the benefit of future generations. The
following is the extract which the republican
presidential candidate thought proper to furnish
the press:
The effect of the continued discussion of
the capacity of the Filipino for self-government
is having its effect hero and makes our
task more difficult than it otherwise would. The
less a man is equipped with intelligence and
those qualities which make him fit for good
citizenship, more easily can he bo persuaded
that ho is possessed of all these qualities.
These people have their full share of am
bition and vanity and they also have their full
share of" recknessness. There is a number
of half formed characters who are ready tor
intrigue in any direction which promises them
profit or power. It is this class which has
largely given force and direction to the
Aglipayan movement and has recruitrd its
ranks from ignorant and dangerous elements.
In this general connection I may say to
you as a matter of information that the agi
tation in the United States for Filipino inde
pendence and the spoken and written utter
ances of the prominent men there who are
urging it, are all brought here and puolished
in the native newspapers and are being made
text for editorials insisting that Philippine
people are now ready to become independent.
The effect of all this is distinctly injurious.
Its tendency is to renew the influence of tho
old' insurrection leaders and make them active
in preaching old propoganda. This, in turn,
has the effect of demoralizing and weakening
the more conservative and thoughtful Fili
pinos' who fear that if they speak out as they
really think, they would be considered enemies
of their people and lose their prestige with
them. Those of more prominence and best
educated and who naturally have their ambi
tions are inclined to join in the general cry.
The purpose of the letter is evident wttether
it was written at the suggestion of the president
or was conceived by Governor Wright himself is
a question upon which the public is not informed.
In 1900, when the Filipinos were in arms against
American rule the republican leaders charged that
democratic speakers kept the war alive by holding
out hope of independence. Now that there is
"tranquility" in the islands democrats are accused
of making "our task" (of governing the Filipinos
against their will) more difficult. And why? Not
because of the inborn love of liberty that always
and everywhere resents an alien rule; oh, no; but
because "These people have their full share of
ambition and vanity," and because there are among
the Filipinos a number of "half formed characters
who are ready for intrigue in any direction which
promises them profit or power." This is similar
to the language . employed in England arid by
colonial governors in 1776 to describe reckless and
"half formed characters" like Patrick Henry, Sam
uel Adams and Thomas Jefferson whose . utter
ances, demoralized, and weakened the "more con
servative and thoughtful" Americans who were
holding office under the crown or-who were made
friendly to English rule by business relations with
English houses. It seems, too, that in the Philip
pines today "The more prominent and best edu
cated, who-naturally have their ambitions, are in
clined, to joiatn the general cry" for indepcnden.ee,
;ust as ambitious men like Washington -and John
Adams joined in the general cry for American
independence. What a hard time we are going to
have in the Philippines! The "prominent and
best educated" are ambitious, the "conservative and
thoughtful" are turned and easily scared while
the "ignorant and dangerous elements" are ready
for revolt! As the "prominent," the "best edu
cated," the "conservative," the "thoughtful," the
'"gnorant" and the "dangerous" include pretty
much the entire population, Governor Wright has
nothing but the army to support the ."tranuuility,"
which prevails in the islands (among the office.
holders). What a gloomy plcturo ho presents of
our happy insular possessions. Wo have spent
some six hundred millions to mako our dear sub
jects contented, while wo havo sent them but
sixteen millions of merchandise (largoly food and
drink for our soldiers) and yet tho mere discus
sion of their capacity for self-government suvon
thousands miles away completely upsota them
what ungrateful wretches they must be.
But the second sentenco is tho political, phil
osophical and literary gem of tho lottcr. Governor
Wright, having carefully studied tho brown peo
ple over whom ho is at present extending his
benevolent sway and having diligently examined
the characteristics of other races, comes to tho
profound conclusion that 'Unloss a man is equipped
with intelligence and those qualities whlcn mako
him lit for good citizenship, moro easily can ho
be persuaded that ho is possessed of all these
qualities." What logic, what learning, wnat in
sight into human nature, what knowledge of tho
science of government are combined and con
densed into that sentence! If he had not already
had greatness thrust upon him by an imperial
commission that assinine proposition ought to
crown him with an infamous notoriety. If people
can be persuaded of their iltness for self-gdvern-ment
just in proportion as they are unfit for it,
then it follows that those best fitted for self
government are hardest to convince of their own
capacity. Thoso perfectly fitted for self govern
ment would, according to this logic, modestly
refuse to believe themselves competent to gov
ern themselves and would, therefore, insiot upon
being governed by others. If Governor Wright's
reasoning is sound we will havo to use tho army
to keep self-government away from the luipinos
while wo deem them incapable of taking care of
themselves and then we will havo to use tho
army to force self-gove'rnment upon them when
we deem them fully qualified. Such are tho in
consistencies to which the republicans are driven
to excuse the inexcusable folly of colonialism to
defend the indefensible crime of imperialism!
When Governor Wright says that tho "best
educated" are "naturally ambitious" and that tho
least capable of self-government can most easily
be convinced of their fitness ho unconsciously
corroborates the statement of Lincoln that God
Himself, placed in every human heart tho lovo of
libeAy, and all history proves that it is an un
quenchable love. People differ in their average
capacity for self government, just as individuals
differ in the self-restraint which they are accus
tomed to employ, but to say that wo are in duty
bound to govern tlio Filipinos because we are
more advanced than they, is hypocritical pretense
as opposed to our religious principles as to our
theory of government. But what is to bo the end
of the policy sugested in Governor Wright's letter?
Four years ago tho republicans insisted that wo
must riot promise Independence because it en
couraged the Filipinos to continue armed resist
ance to American authority; now tho "continued
discussion of tho capacity of tho Filipinos for self
government" makes "bur task more difficult."
But suppose we ceaso discussing tho capacity of
the Filipino and confine ourselves to the discus
sion of the capacity of our own people for self
government, will not such discussions be carried
across the ocean and be 'published in the native
newspapers" and' "be made texts for editorials"?
Surely, the "more prominent" and the "best edu
cated"' of the Filipinos will see the analogy and
apply to themselves tho arguments which we use
In regard to ourselves. What is the remedy then?
Plainly, to stop talking about self-government or
civil liberty. In 1900 tho republican leaders -succeeded
in silencing some of tho opponents of im
perialism by accusing them of encouraging tho
"insurrectionists." If they can win this election
by scaring some more they will bo bolder by tho
next election and will object to our talking of
our own rights and capacities. Governor Taft,
after a few years' training in the Orient, was
placed at the head of the war department where,
in case of labor troubles, he can use his acquaint
ance with the arbitrary methods of imperial power,
and it is only fair to assume that Governor Wright
is, by his super-serviceable zeal, in tho present
campaign, laying the foundation for a cabinet
position, but his successor, stimulated by his ex
ample, may feel justified in reporting, "as a mat
ter of information," that the celebration of the
Fourth of July in the United States and the pralso
of those who fought and died for independence "are
all brought here and published in the native news
papers and aro being mado tho text for odltorUl
insisting that tho Philippine pcoplo aro now icadjr
to becomo independent."
Thero is but ono sottlcmont of tho Phillppln
question which nocords with American principle
and that is tho settlement proposed in th demo
cratic platform and endorsed by Judgo Parker,
Indepchdonco, promised now and glvon an soon as
a stablo natlvo govornmont can bo formed this
will settle tho Philippine question as the Cuban
question was settled and will convert into frlonds,
admlrors and imitutoro tho Filipinos who aro now
enemies whether thoy bo "prominent," 'edu
cated,'" "consorvativo," thoughtful," "ignoiant" or
"dangerous."
JJJ
Judge Parker's Letter.
Judge Parker's lottcr of acceptance Is now bo
foro tho public and it contrasts most favorably
with President Roosevelt's letter. Tho Judge's
treatment of tho subject of Imperialism Is strong
and clear, his discussion of tho tariff question
forceful and his condemnation of militarism em
phatic and statesmanlike
Ho accepts tho president's ohallcngo and an
nounces that ho will, if olected, rovoko the lamous
pension ordor and then recommend tho enactment
of an old ago pension law, and in answer to tho
president's demand that ho namo a specific ex
penditure that is too largo he calls attention to
tho Increase In tho expenses of tho war depart
ment from $34,000,000 In 188G to $115,000,000 in 1904.
Ho answers the president's argument agaiiibt the
employment of tho common law against trusts by
citing the case of tho Western Union Tilegraph
company vs. tho Call Publishing company, lopoitcd
in 181 United States Reports, pago 92. WljlJe ho
devotes considerable space to the tariff quustiqn
ho ovidently regards imperialism as the para
mount issue, connected as it is with the largo
army and with the president's reckless disregard
for the tenets of executive authority. The demo
cratic committee ought to send out both letters In
ono pamphlet. A reading of tho twd ought to
convince anyone that Judgo Parker is the better
man to trust with tho responsibilities of chief
executive.
JJJ
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