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length and breadth of the land without such safeguard. I might well sign myself Anti- Humbug, bat am content to remain
OLD CHINA HAND. • Hongkong, 6th March, 1897.
THE NEGRITOS.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
to inaugurate a new system of government suited to the requirements of an Asistic race. This was olearly admitted by the Hon. John Barrett in the paper he read before the Shanghai Cham- ber of Commerce a few days ago. These are his words :-
'My friends of Shanghai, were I asked now by you directly what is the great desideratum for American success in the Philippines, I would reply unhesitatingly and yet deliberately men, men, men. Given first an Act of Congress pro-
March 11, 1899.
The contradictory nature of the two state- ments is remarkable. One Commissioner, says distinctly that no recommendations will be made as to governmental forms or methods, while the other, who is subordinate to Mr. Schurman, states positively the Commission will advise as to the best mode of government to be adopted in the islands. Thus the hapless Fili- piños, as well as merchants of various nation- ablities who have large commercial interests in these unhappy islands, are left in as much
the Commission as they are, and have been for months past, regarding-
£
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS.” DEAR SIR,-One of your contemporaries, speaking of the "cession" of the island of Ne- gros, quotes Mr. John Whitehead, the natura-viding for a special Civil Service for the Philip-doubt as to the real objects iu view respecting
list, as being the best living authority on the Philippine Islands. This will be news to many, including even Mr. Whitehead himself. Un doubtedly the latter has travelled extensively in the Islands on zoological researches, and thus come in contact with the inhabitants of several of them, but knowing Mr. Whitehead many, years before your contemporary's correspondent arrived in the East, I have never yet heard rom his lips that he made any special study of the ethnology or authropology of the islands The oorrespondent can hardly have reported him correctly, because I cannot imagine have fallen into such an error and wished to mislead the public to believe the island of Negros was populated by Spaniards, well-to-do Indian sugar planters, and the "Negrotis!" The Spaniards may possibly represent per cent. of the population, the well-to-do Indian sugar planters per cent, the Chinese per
# cent., and the Negritos 3 to 4 per cent.; the rest, the great toilers and moilers, are Visayans pure and simple, of the same race and origin as the Tagalogs of Luzon and neighbouring islands. The Negritos of Negros and Luzon, etc.,-now fast dying out-are the aboriginal and uncivilized inhabitants of the Archipelago, similar to those found in the mountains of Celebes and other Dutch islands and the Sakais" of the Malay Peninsula, and of a totally distinct race from the Malays, who in prehistoric times migrated to the Archipelago and form now its ten millions of inhabitants, and with whom Legaspi formed his “blood pact.”
man of Mr. Whitehead's talent would
Another contemporary gives another version of the "cession" of Negros. Which of the two is right? Other Manila papers state that 4,000 men are under arms ready to repel any American invasion! Time will show whether the three representatives who went up to Manila were really genuine representatives of the people, or simply paid hirelings for poli- tical bunkum, emanating from
"the high pre- sure put on by the exalted emotions that dere- lop only across the Atlantic."
"
VERITAS VINCIT. Hongkong 7th March, 1899.
PHILIPPINES AFFAIRS.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS SIE,-In the course of your interesting leader on Tuesday last, 28th February, you refer to arguments which, in the discussion of the many vexed questions connected with the peculiar state of affairs prevailing in the Philippines, no doubt carry some force amongst those who are able to appreciate them," and you aver that it is asked-" What would be the fate of the Filipinos with a fresh set of officials sent out every four years to govern them and make their fortunes out of them in that term ?" As one who has lately taken considerable interest in Philippines affairs and endeavoured to obtain a peaceful and just settlement of questions at issue, in the interest of all (natives and for- eigners) who have important commercial inter- ests at stake in the islands, I plead guilty to having expressed the opinion that the extension of the United States Consular system to a semi- military-semi-colonial administration of the Philippines would not be likely to bring forth satisfactory results either as regards the Fili- pinos who are undoubtedly entitled to con- sideration-or the foreigners engaged in com- merce in those islands. Many American Sena- tors and many prominent citizens hold this opinion.
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pines, out of which politics will be barred and bolted, then given, secondly, men of quality and integrity, for we have plenty of them to fill the necessary positions, and the problem of Ameri oan government of the islands will be for ever solved. Then if this comes, there must follow reform and improvement in the Diplomatic and Consular service, and the United States will enter upon a new and grander epoch of foreigu relations, which will benefit herself and other nations alike. Still led by a President whose conduct of the affairs of state during the war and the trying period following the cessation of hostilities has demonstrated his right to rank with our greatest Executives, we may hope for legislation which if it does not at one stroke accomplish what is desired will ultimately achieve the end. Whatever the result, the responsibility at the beginning will rest with him. On the one hand, he can veto evil and form good legis. lation; on the other hand, if no special service is provided, it remains for him to select the men who will first fill the posts of trust-aud as the men so the government."
1 think we may take it for granted that Mr. Barrett, at least, is competent to express a trustworthy opinion on this question. I quite agree with him that the great desideratum is "men, men, men." Men, trained colonial ad- ministrators, are required. If the United States Government has not at its command suitable men then it follows that, assuming the
conquest of the islands, with all its attendant horrors and dislocation of trade, is successfully accomplished, the inhabitants of the islands will besubjected to a series of experiments by amateur colonial administrators. Apart from the ques- tion of the right of the Filipinos to the measure of self-government which responsible and duly authorised United States officials promised them, I ask-Is it fair, is it right, that a people who have shown so much ability for self-government in face of the great difficulties caused, in the main, by the vacillation of the United States Executive should be subjected to experiments of such a nature? Is it not natural that they object to being experimented upon? They have been subjected to Spanish "experiments for 300 years and found the process so unplea- sant that they resolved to rid themselves of their oppressors or perish in the attempt, and the blood of hundreds of thousands has in recent times been freely shed in the cause of Liberty, Legality, and Peace.
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(a.) the all-important tariff question; they are deemed by Mr. Mckinley to be fitted (b.) the kind of indefinite promise that when for it the Filipinos will be granted self-govern.
mént.
39
As you very rightly point out in your leader of Tuesday last, the United States have given. no guarantees at all, but ask the Filipinos to submit unconditionally and frust to Providence that they may find their new masters kinder than the old ones." The resistance of the Filipinos, as you assert, is not surprising under the circumstances. If they did not resist under such circumstances they would be it only for the rule of others; they would give strong evidence of total unfitness for self-government.
*
that the time seems to have arrived when the As regards the expression of your opinion
Americans should definitely state what their intentions are" I believe every unprejudiced reader
of your journal is ready to say Hear, hear." It is the indecision, the vacillation of the United States Executive The tension, long suspense caused by failure of that has baused recently so much ill feeling.
the United States to definitely state what their intentions are in respect of their promises to the Filipinos, the tariff to be imposed on imports position of Aguinaldo and dis redit his envoys, and exports, the studied attempt to falsify the
journal said the other day by establishing & bis friends and advisers, au-as an American
advisers at a critical time and prevent alarming censorate of telegrams "cut him off from his
news from reaching the States from Manila," has been more than most na'ious could stand.
Yet up to the time of the recent and deeply regrettable hostilities near Manila and the bombardment, without the observance of due warning, of Iloilo, there was no inarchy in the country. The Post and Telegraph services were in operation and working smoothly, trade was being carried on by the usual routes and in the usual way, while a set of government offices and
national Congress had been established at Malolos which, I submit, will not suffer by comparison with similar institutions in Young Japan. The only anarchy existing for months past is that which has recently been caused, of the States. It was Lord Salisbury who as I intimate, by the vacillation and aggression
B
few years ago, when speaking at the Lord Mayor's banquet, said that England could not be held blameless for the shocking state of affairs then prevailing in Ireland. He added--and he then, as now held office as Prime Minister-England has been guilty of the crime of vacillation. 'She had b own hot under one ministry (in her dealings with Ireland) `and cold nuder another, there had been no fixed policy. This unsettled the minds of people and encouraged and engendered suspicion and gusta of passionate and often ill informed feeling among great masses of population which it was most difficult to repress. He then went on to say that this crime of vacillation should cease and England would gradually by the adoption of a fixed policy, tempered with justice, confer on the people of Ireland the blessings of Peace. Now, it is just this crime of vacillation that the United States Executive is, I consider, guilty of in respect to their dealings with the Philippines, as everybody who has taken the smallest interest in Philippine affairs since May last must be fully aware. It may be due to many causes; and I suggest that one of them is the realisa
Closely allied with this question of the pre- paredness of the United States to administer the country in a satisfactory manner is the possession of knowledge of the requirements of the people who are to be governed. Now, we have it on the authority of Commissioner Soburman (as reported in a telegram dated Washington, 16th January, and published in the San Francisco Chronicle) that the object of the Philippines Commission is "solely for the purpose of acquiring information concerning the social considerations obtaining in the islands. It will make no recommendations as to govern- mental forms or methods. Its purpose is educational solely." Seen by a representative of the China Mail on the 27th February Pro- fessor Worcester is reported to have said :—
"The Commission would sit in Manila and hear the testimony of witnesses from all classes of the communities in order to advise as to the best mode of government to be adopted in the Islands. The Commission was invested with certain discretionary powers, but it was to not chiefly as an advisory board to the President. It was quite possible before the Commissioners|tion by some American statesmen that, as Mill completed their work that they should have to visit the important provinces. They wanted to do the best they possibly could for the people of the Islands, and no efforts were to be spared in obtaining the most reliable informa-
Generally speaking, there are no permanent officials in the United States (if we except the naval and military services) and there is no Co- lonial Service. In the United States there are very few if any employees who can be regarded as fit, by reason of their experienceʻand1abilities, 'tión.”
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says in his "Representative Government":
"To determine the form of government most suited to any particular people we must be able among the defects and shortcomings” which belong to that people to distinguish which Are the immediate Impediments to progreš, to
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