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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (April 19, 1907)
- "" ' ji - ' -- 'U- nUtjmiJ iliMH N The Commoner; VOLUME 7. 'NUMBER H 6 r i ! j? I ' I i,' n i i -'jj .1 .'.'i M" : M j, . i in PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE- WHEN? (Written l).v James IL niounl, laic Judge of Ilia Court of First Instance of the Philippine Islands, for tlio North American Review. Copyright by tho Review and loprodueod by permission.) After woven yearn spent at the "storm-centre" of "Expansion," llio Urol of the Boveri iih a vol iinlecr officer in Cuba, the next two In a like ca pacity In tho I'hillppiiiPH, and the remainder in the last-named country iih United States Judge, tho writer wan llnally Invalided homo last (spring, sustained In spirit at parting by cordial farewells, oral and written, personal and olllclal. Having now been invited by the editor of tho Itevlew to prepare an article embodying his views as to our Philippine problem, ho naturally enters upon a discussion of the subject with some degree of dlilldonco, because It Involves calling In question tho wisdom and righteousness of a policy Inaug urated and carried out by a smhll group of dis tinguished men, under whom he shared In this nation's work beyond seas for a very considerable fraction of tho average duration of life. How over, ho can truly say to all former fellow workers: "I have eaten your bread and salt, I have drunk your water and wine, Tho deaths ye died I have watched beside And the lives tbat ye led wore mine. "Was there aught that I did not share In vigil or toil or ease, One Joy or woo that I did not know, Dear friends across the seas?" In Charles Dickens' novef "Bleak House," thoro Is a chapter entitled "Telescopic Philan thropy," wherein Is introduced tho famous Mrs. Jollyby, the mother of a large and interesting family, "a lady of very remarkable strength of character, who devotes herself entirely to the pub lic," who "has devoted herself to an extensive variety of public subjects, at various .times, and is at present-devoted ,to the subject of Africa, with a general view to the cultivation of the coffee berry and the natives;" to the great prejudice of her domestic concerns, and the neglect of her own children, the latter continually getting Into all kinds of mlsehloC while her attention is diverted from home. Seeing that tho present administra tion proposes to continue its policy of "Benevo lent assimilation" in tho remote Philippines in definitely, at whatever cost, the analogy between its attitude and Mrs. Jellyby's misplaced philan thropy toward "the people of Borrioboola-Gha, on the left bank of the Niger," is by no means remote. Mr. Bryan maintains, substantially: (1) That tho Filipinos want Independence. (2) That, if protected from the great land-acquiring powers, "so far as their own internal af fairs are concerned, they do not need to be sub ject to any alien government." (.3) That wo shquld at once disclaim any inten tion of exercising permanent sovereignty over the archipelago, and declare It to be our purpose to remain only long enough to see a stable govern ment started, and then leave them to work out their own destiny. Mr. Taft would probably have taken issue with Mr. Bryan on the first proposition up to the time he visited the islands in tho summer of 1905, ic companled by a party of senators and congress men. He will hardly do so now. Senator Dubois, of Idaho, who was a member of the congressional party referred to, has since said In the New York "Independent:" "All the Filipinos, -with tho exception of those who are holding positions under and drawing sal arles from our government, favor a government of their own. There is scarcely an exception among them. There. is nobody in the islands, no organization of any kind ordcscrlption, which favors tho policy of our government toward them." Senator Newlands, of Nevada, also a member of tho congressional party aforesaid, has declared, in tho number of this Review for December, 1905, that practically tho whole people desire independ ence. Congressman Parsons, also a member of tho same party, lias since said: "There is no ques tion that Jill tho Filipino parties are now in favor of independence." Captain J. A. Moss, of tho Twenty-fourth in fantry, a member of General Corbln's staff, U quoted by Mr. Bryan, in "The .Commoner" of April 27, 190G, as saying, in an article published in a Manila paper while Mr. Bryan was in the islands, with reference to the wishes of "the jrreat majority" of the Filipinos, that "to please them, we cannot get out of the islands too soon." Mr. Bryan's second proposition, with -which Mr. Taft takes issue, is that "so. far as .their own internal. affairs are concerned, they do not need to bo subject to any alien government," provided, of course, they arc protected from. 'the danger of annexation by some one of the great nations. If this proposition be sound, subject to the proviso, tho proviso can easily be met. Tho foremost citi zen of the world today, the man who brought the Japanese-Russian war to a conclusion and thereby won the high regard of all mankind, can, and if so requested by 'Jie congress probably will, within a comparatively short period, negotiate a treaty with the great nations, securing the neutralization of tho islands, and the recognition of their inde pendence whenever the same shall bo granted to them by the United States. If the powers should thus agree to consider the Philippines neutral ter ritory forever, Mr. Roosevelt would have done for them exactly what has already been done for Bel gium and Switzerland by treaty between the great powers of Europe. When the resolution of Con gressman McCall, of Massachusetts, proposing this, was under consideration before tho house committee on Philippine affairs on April 7, 1900, It met with a very considerable degree of' sympa thy, as is manifest from tho official report of r.he hearing, the main objection apparently being that, because there are a number of different dialects, tho Filipinos are a heterogenous lot, and there is no spirit of Philippine nationality. Governor Taft said to the senate committee in February, 19,02: "While It is true that there are a number of Christian tribes, so called, that speak different lan guages, there is a homogeneity in tho. people In appearance, in habits, and in many avenues of thought. To begin with, they are all Catholics." The Philippine Census, published by the war department in March, 1905, says (Vol. I, page d47): "A town in the Cagayan valley presents the same, style of architecture, the same surrounding barrios, lias tho same kind of stores and similarly dressed people, as a Christian municipality of the island of Mindanao." And says the same government publication (Vol. II, p. 0), in drawing a comparison between Itself and the schedules of the twelfth census of tho United States: ' " "Those of the Philippine census are somewhat simpler, the. differences being due mainly to the more homogenous character of the population of the Philippine Islands!" Tho existence of a general and conscious as piration for a national life of their own, the Real Presence of a universal longing to be allowed to pursue happiness in their own way and not in somebody else's way, is, to the best of such knowledge and belief as the writer obtained after two years' service in tho army that subjugated them, and four years in the Insular .Tudiclary, one of the most obvious and pathetic facts in the whole situation. During the organized fighting, no American ever discovered that the enemy was crippled, or his effectiveness diminished, by the lack of a common language. And as for the Na tional Spirit, those people have been welded into absolute unity by the events of the last eight years. Rizal was shot for writing a political novel in which 1ho Spaniards thought there was too much recognition of the "Nationalist" idea. And if we should get into a war with a first-class power, and Agulnaldo, or Juan Cailles, the man who crumpled Hie gallant Fifteenth Infantry in 1901, should raise the standard of revolt, let the impartial reader ask any American now in die Philippines, or any American who has spent much time there, how many natives between Aparri aiid Cagayan do Misamls would fail to understand and rally to the cry "Viva La Republica Filipina!" Let us hope that if the McCall resolution ever comes up again, the committee will have become satisfied, beyond the peradventure of a doubt, that there does, in fact, exist among all the peo ple of tho Philippine Islands a consciousness of racial unity, which draws them together as against all outsiders, and is not marred by any race problem such as exists in Cuba. The independence of the Philippines should come about within a few years that is, as soon as practicable because it is best for both coun tries. We are governing them against their con sent and at an enormous cost to both peoples, if the untold millions we have spent on "benevolent assimilation" since February 4, 1899, had been spent on rivers and harbors and canals, and the improvement of our interior water transportation generally, the railroad rate question would have solved itself without the need of a rate bill. And tills is not tho only one of Mrs. Jellyby's neglected .-children, not the only domestic problem ivhich presents a subject for strenuous altruism -sufficient to occupy all. the patriotism and . statesman ship of this great country with its eighty millions of people. If all tho splendid ability and grim fortitude that have been concentrated during the last few years upon "telescopic philanthropy" in the Philippines had been steadily focussed upon the economic and social problems which are clam oring ever more loudly and ominously fon solu tion at home, Hearst and Hearstism would never have arisen to voice a profound and widespread discontent having in it an element of righteous ness. But, returning to the core of Mr. Bryan's sec ond proposition, namely, that "so far as their own internal affairs are concerned, they do not need to bo subject to any alien government," he further says: -"" "There is a wide difference, it is true, between th general intelligence of the educated Filipino and thejaborer on the street and in the field, but this Is not a barrier to self-government. Intelli gence controls in every government, except where it is suppressed by military force. 'Nine tenths of the Japanese have no part in the law making.' In Mexico, the gap between the "edu cated classes and tho peons is fully as great as. if not greater than, the gap between the extremes of Filipino society. Those who question the ca pacity of the Filipinos for self-government forget that patriotism raises up persons fit ted for the work that needs to be done." And here is the testimony of one of the-.mbst distinguished congressmen who have visited the islands: "I have little orN no doubt that there are a- suf ficient number of wise and intelligent Filipinos .to establish and maintain a government in the Philippines, that will compare in liberality and effectiveness with a very great many of the gov ernments that have been in successful operation for a century or more." Edmund Burke once said, in a speech for which Americans have long delighted to honor his memory: "The general character and situation of a people must determine what sort of govern ment is fitted for them. That, nothing else- can or ought toA determine." ... - ..-' The congressman last above quoted talks, of ' twenty years as a safe period of tutelage, Sena tors Newlands and Dubois of thirty years, Mr. Bryan of live, or ten, or fifteen. But the gentle man last named insisted at the convention of 1904. and still insists, that we should make them a def inite promise of independence now, "the same to bo executed as soon as practicable. To this, the proposition of the democracy, Mr. Taft's answer is: "The gentlemen that are looking for office un der an independent government, have very little concern about independence that is to come after they are dead; and if you permit their independ ence, and make it a definite promise, you will have a continued agitation there as to when' they ought to have independence." The imputation of selfishness put by this state ment upon all Filipinos who desire independence is uncalled for. "The gentlemen that are looking for office under an independent government" could undoubtedly get office under the present . government if they would only stop wanting in dependence. And "if you permit their independ ence, and make it a definite promise," you will have no agitation to hasten the day, provided the promise itself fix the day. During nearly four years of service on the bench in the Philippines, the writer heard as much genuine, impassioned and effective eloquence from Filipino lawyers, saw exhibited in the trial of causes as much in dustrious preparation, and zealous, loyal advo cacy of the rights of clients, as any ordinary nisi prius judge at home is likely to meet with in the same length of time. Some of these lawyers are ex-officers of the insurgent army. Each of them has his clients, and is the center of a circle of influence. All of them, without exception, want in dependence. Of course the law of self-preservation precludes them from proclaiming this from the house-tops, especially if they are holding office under the government. But in their heart of hearts, the clearest hope that each of them cher ishes is that he may live to see the Stat of the Philippine Republic risen In the Far East Let a date be fixed by the United States congress for turning over the government of the archipelago to its people, a date which will afford to the great majority of the present generation a reasonable expectation of living to see the independence of Ji country, and all political .unrest, including most of the brigandage in tho islands, will ntonce cease. The jiows will spread i'-like- wildfire' ;t borrow a -famous phrase of our sunshiny seer ' Si. ifcr'. . mhX ., Msy-Wfoftflaifr