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THE FILIPINOS AND their CHARGES AGAINST THE AMERICANS.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
[March 4, 1899.
not seem surprising under the circumstances. | ciple in regard to
opium, having made a If by some mischance Great Britain were recommendation to the Government that involved in war with a foreign power and bonded warehouses for the storage of the But the es-
lost her hold on Iudia we do not suppose drug should be established stom-house
the Indians would be particularly anxious to welcome the French, or Russians, or any other people as our successors; on the contrary, they would probably give the new claimants more trouble in establishing their right to rule than we had in suppress- ing the mutiny. A similar course seems not unreasonable on the part of the Filipinos.
The time certainly seems to have arrived when the Americans should definitely state so that the what their intentions are, Filipinos may know how they stand and whether resistance is called for. If it is intended, as a recent vote of Congress seems to show, to grant the natives autonomy, it might as well be granted before as after the conquest and so save bloodshed, ericans had originally no cause of quarrel with the Filipinos, nor the Filipinos with the Americans, and we must confess that the native struggle for freedom inspires us with some sympathy.
7/1
The Am-
(Daily Press, 27th February.) The Filipinos are likely to increase public sympathy with their cause by bringing baseless charges of inhuman ́conduct against the American troops. The report that women and children have been wilfully shot down can find no credence; we might as well be asked to believe that the Americans have been guilty of cannibalism or other outrages against humanity; the tale is in fact so inherently impossible that It cannot be treated seriously. That women have been killed when they have been in the line of fire is no doubt true, but that any American soldier has consciously or in- tentionally directed his aim against a woman we do not for a moment believe. The tale, however, may be taken as an indication of the ferocity of the hatred the Filipinos now entertain for the Americans and the dis- trust with which they regard them. The Americaus appeared first ou the scene as deliverers, but are now pursuing a war of
"about the insurgents having lots of guns is nonsense ;”- HO a Washington conquest, a transformation which the Fili- pinos construe as rank treachery. The Fili-private is reported by the Manila Times to pinos are, moreover, being regaled with tales have said "I watched them with a field of outrages perpetrated upon negroes in the
glass during the first day's fight and dis- Southern States, and are being told that
"covered that in many parts of their line "the rear ranks were armed with wooden under American rule they may look for
guns. When a man in the front rank was similar treatment. Talk of that kind is calculated to inflame the people's mind and
hit, he dropped his rifle or handed it to make them ready to fight un ler the impres
"the rear rank man, who immediately dis- "carded his wooden thing and stepped to sion that they are fighting for freedom and
"the front.' "The Manila Times, it should against oppression.
be remarkol, is pro-American and anti- Filipino. If the abovs tale is true all we can say is that men who will fight like that must command respect and adiniration. They will not enhance their reputation or contribute to their success, however, by telling lies about the Americans shooting
Other arguments are also used which, if they do not appeal so directly to the people as the tales of outrages upon negroes, no doubt carry some force amongst those who are able to appreciate them. The absence of any permanent civil service in the States and the professed doctrine that to the victor belong the spoils are mentioned. What, it is asked, would be the fate of the Filipinos with a fresh set of officials sent out every four years to and make their fortunes govern them out of them in that term. Then there
is the protectionist policy of the United States, which may or may not be imposed in the Philippines if the islands are annexed, but it has been imposed in Hawaii and a very strong party in the States are in favour of its imposition in the Philippines, professing that they cannot see any use in holding the islands if they are not to be made an exclusive market for American goods. That means that any Filipino who wants to buy an article of foreign manu- facture must buy an American article and pay for it more than it is worth, the excess being a bounty to be exacted from him for the benefit of the American manufacturer. That is the policy pursued in the French colonies and which causes discontent amongst the natives and irritation amongst foreign traders, and sometimes French traders also, for its tendency is to re- strict business and make the latter suffer in common with others. America might a more enlightened policy in the pursue Philippines, but she has as yet given no guarantee to that effect. In fact she has given no guarantees at all, but asks the natives to submit unconditionally and trust to Providence that they may find their new -masters kinder thau their old ones. An indefinite promise is held out to the effect that they will be given self-government when they are ready for it, but no indica- tion is given of whether the period of education will be counted by years or cen- turies. The resistance of the Filipinos does
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women and children.
"All this talk
THE KOWLOON CONCESSION.
(Daily Press, 25th February.) The Hon. E. R. BELILIOS has placed on the notice paper for Monday's meeting of the Legislative Council a long list of questions with reference to the new Kowloơn territory and the delay in its transfer. The replies to these questions will be awaited by the public with much curiosity, but whether they will embody all the information that Mr. BELILIOS asks for is problematical. Presumably, however, the delay is due to negotiatious with reference to the Customs question. In this connection it may be noted that the Germans, who are understood to be organising the administration of their new possession of Kinochau on the Hong- koug model, have in this respect made au exception and "in order to facilitate traffic "between the German territory and the
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Chinese hinterland a Chinese Customs
"office has been established on German soil near the quay; this arrangement saves "merchauts the time and expense which "would be involved in unpacking their
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goods a second time when passing into "Chinese territory." Apparently the Ger man view coincides with that expressed by Mr. BYRON BRENAN with reference to the trade of Hongkong in the Canton Consular Report for 1897, namely, that "if it is conceded that all mer- "chandise arriving in Canton
from Hongkong must pay a duty it. is "not conceding very much more to say that "the duty shall be paid before starting." The Hongkong General Chamber of Com- merce has practically accepted this prin-
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course
tablishment of a Chinese would be decidedly unpopular, and there
other considerations besides senti are mental ones that render such a inexpedient. In this matter we cannot, but think that Germany has made a mistake at Kiaochau. In our own case, however, if any scheme could be devised by which the Chinese révenue, not on opium alone, but on the whole import trade, could be secured without introducing Chinese jurisdiction into the colony it should be hailed with satisfaction. In the report already alluded to Mr. BRENAN, it may be remembered, said: "A steamer leaving Shanghai for a Yangtsze port has been loaded under Chinese Customs supervision, the Custom- house have a correct manifest of all cargo on board, and security has been taken for "the payment of all duties. When a steamer from Hongkong bound for a West River port arrives in Chinese waters the Customs have no knowledge what is on board and great frauds on the revenue are possible "before the vessel arrives at the first treaty port, over a hundred miles up the river. "It is inevitable that the Customs regula- tions should be more stringent in the case “of a steamer arriving from a foreign port than in that of a steamer plying between "two Chinese ports. There is here room "for an arrangement equally convenient "and advantageous to merchants, steamers, "and the Chinese Customs-some system
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by which a vessel clearing from Hong- "kong for a Chinese port could be loaded, "under Chinese Customs inspection; but in "matters of this kind sentiment has greater weight thau practical convenience, so pro- bably nothing will be done." Passing over Mr. BRENAN's sneer at Hongkong
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Bentiment it must be admitted that if legitimate trade could be relieved from the stringent regulations that have to be imposed for the prevention of smug- gling it would be an advantage, and China, in consideration of an arrange ment which would secure her revenue,
the establishment
might possibly be found willing to surren- der the rights over Kowloon city which she has unwisely been allowed to retain by the which involved the introduction of foreign terms of the Convention. No arrangement jurisdiction into the colony would be ac- of bonded warehouses for opium and the ceptable, but with
consequent suppression of the smuggling of the drug a large point will have been gained. in favour of the protection of the Chinese revenue, and some arrangement by which movements of the salt junks might possibly the Customs might be informed of the
not be objected to. With the contraband trade in these two articles suppressed there would be little inducement for junks to try with regard to both steamers and juuks to evade the Customs, and the regulatious might be considerably relaxed..
JINGOES, LITTLE ENGLANDERS, AND IMPERIAL EXPANSION.
(Daily Press, 1st March.) Mr. ASQUITH in a recent speech declared that ninety out of every hundred members of the Liberal party were in favour of Imperial expansion. Lord Charles Beres- FORD, on the other hand, tells us that we do not want to see any more of the chart. painted red. The "Little Englander" has been defined by Mr. CHAMBERLAIN 18 8 man who honestly believes that the expausion of the Empire carries with it obligations which
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