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THE SITUATION IN SOUTH AFRICA AND THE PHILIPPINES.
[August 16, 1902.
ferson. With a population, itself thus steeped in ignorance, reform from within was an absolute impossibility. Such is the task which the Government of the United States has voluntary undertaken in the Philippine Archipelago. It will be seen at once how gigantic it is compared with what has fallen to the lot of the British Govern- ment in South Africa. There at least the germs of everything needed are actually in existence. The people are in race nearly allied; they have shown their capacity for self-government; they have never been under any alien influence, and have enjoyed to a certain extent pretty universally the benefits of rudimentary education; their laws are practically the same as those existing under the adjoining British colonies, and no change in either their religious or social condition is even con- templated. Doubtless it will still require statesmanship of a high order to reconcile them to their change of allegience, but this once effected the remaining process is simple. The task which the States have undertaken in the Philippines, to make the inhabitants of the Archipelago fit for personal government, is no light one; it has, however, been commenced with energy, and from what we know of American perseve- rance, will, we doubt not, be carried through to the end.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
yielded her duties to the Roman Church. I could only obtain it by going to Spain in The consequence of this abnegation of control was that the entire country came (Daily Press, 11th August.)
under the depressing rule of the religious Two important conflicts which, carried on orders, with the result that, failing an contemporaneously, have ei ded almost appeal to its natural government, the people simultaneously, will for the future make at large rose in rebellion. Such was the very essential changes in two hemispheres. 1osition when the United States came to One of these las cen the Boer War in the rescue of the islanders. The rule of the South Africa, the other the Filipino War religious orders was done away with, but in the East Indian Archipelago. The one has the country could produce nothing better, made Great Britain the predominant Power and a state of anarchy was the consequence, in Africa, the other has given the other which the United States had to put down by Anglo-Saxon Power a strong foothold in force of arms. This has at last been accom- the Eastern Seas. In many respects tLe plished, and now the States find themselves wars were similar. Neither had been entered in the position of having to evolve order out on deliberately; each was the issue of appar- of chaos. Willingly the States would ently extraneous events; and both while restore autonomy to their new possession, seemingly waged for the destruction of the but the elements of cohesion are absolutely liberties of peoples struggling to be inde- wanting; and till the people bave learnt the 1endent have really resulted in the acquire-first rudiments of self-government there is ment by toth of a far more tangible free- no power or authority capable of taking up dom. Both countries have now arrived at a the task. To restore the religious orders critical point, and the future of each de- would be to fasten on the unfortunate rends largely on the wisdem with which inhabitants the old yoke found insupportable that crisis is mounted. Here, how after long experience. One of the worst ever, for the moment all similitude ends, abuses of that system was that the greater and le task of the British Government part of the lands under cultivation fell proves of a far different nature from that of into the hands of these orders, with the the United States in the Philippine Islands. result that is inevitable under such condi- The danger in the South African Republics tions, and the States from the beginning was that from the very excess of liberty they promised that this evil should be extin nere in a fair way to drop into the jaws of guished; but common justice forbids that a narrow oligarchy, whose interests were far this should be done without due and from being those of the Burghers, and who reasonable compensation. The Philippines were plotting to hand their fellow-citizens at the moment are too poor to provide the tied and bound into the hands of the necessary funds, and it was necessary there- German Empire. What prospects of inde- fore that they should be meanwhile provided pendence this would have left to the Boer by the States. But though the friars bad race we may judge from the very present been momentarily deprived of their power (xample of the Poks in German Poland. to hurt, they were still for the most part The remaining questions afford compara-cu the spot, ready to return to power tively few complications. The religious question may be said to bealtogether absent. Currency differences do not exist, the two countries having always observed the same fiscal aws. The old Dutch law is still the supreme law of the South African colonies, and Great Britain Las never permitted the question of language to interfere in her re- lations with her colonies, and has always 1espected the bona-fide &1eech of her subjects. We shall, said General Potha at the Cape, while frankly acknowledging our Cutics as for the future British subjects, carefully preserve our old traditions; and Mr. CHAMBERLAIN in Parliament in almost identical language cpcats the same ideas, and further adds that no time will be lost in restoring to the colonies their re- presentative institutions. That there will and must be friction before the two peoples come to work together in perfect Larmony is in the nature of events, but with the frank acceptance by the old leaders of the altered conditious there is no reason, unless some gross blunder be made, why the two peoples with similar traditions in most things should not sit down, and work out their future in perfect amity.
should any slackening of the government take place; and in order to avoid this they needed to be got out of the way. According to the old system they were not servants of the Government, but owed their posts to the Vatican, and without the orders of the Pope could not be disturbed. Accordingly the United States Government applied to the Vatican, but there the usual answer was returned, non possumus: it had made a concordat with Spain, and the orders owed their positions to this, as no change could be made. But even if this were to be accomplished the way was not yet clear. The Filipinos were suffering froni perhaps the most extraordinary currency of any country in the world;. it was not gold, it was not silver, and probably the most correct way to describe it was that it was based on smuggling. In the days when Spain was powerful in the Islands the old silver dollar was the currency at its par value with regard to gold, but Spain had ceased to send out dollars in sufficient supply, and had (mitted to supply or sanc. tion ary ofl er currency, while the import by private means of coins was repressed by law. The consequence was that to meet When we come to the position of the local requirements dollars of all sorts were United States in the Philippines, the muggled, and the amount of smuggling problem recmis one more difficult of satis.increased as the disproportion between the factory solution, and will reed indced the actual and rominal values increased owing creative skill of these entrusted with the to the decreasing value of silver. No task. Here lace, language, traditions and government but the strongest could face list, but not least, religion are all diverse, the difficulties of the situation, and none and apparently unblendable. With the ex-Lut that of the States could face, the pro- ception of Japan Lo Asiatic state has shown blom with any hope of success. Then itself capable of evolving from its inner again the ver present question of education consciousness anything approaching to the had to le faced. With their usual instincts representative institutions of Europe; and the religious orders had in every way the Filipinos have certainly not exhibited ciscourged learning of all sorts, and in the any disposition towards self-governu.ent. Islands ordinary education such as would For nearly four centuries they have been pass current in any, even the most back- under the benumbing influence of Spain, ward, European country was an impos- and Spain to save herself trouble quietly sibility. Anyone requiring anything better
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MARCUS AND OTHER ISLANDS.
(Daily Press, 14th August.) Itappearsas if the Marcus Island difficulty were not settled yet, though, if the State Department at Washington has pronounced the opinion that Captain ROSEHILL, the American claimant, has invalidated his claim by his neglect to perfect his title, there would seem to be little more to be The Japanese are in said on the question. effective occupation of the island, a Japanese warship is there and a representative of the Japanese Government is on an official visit to the place. Captain ROSEHILL on his part only started in a sailing vessel from Honolulu on the 11th July, with a small number of companions, and his arrival at Marcus Island is not likely to change the A new feature has been state of affairs, given to the matter if the report is true which states that the United States Govern- ment has given orders for vessels to visit Wake and Midway Islands, the former of which is some way south-east of Marcus Island, while the latter is presumably not far from Wake Island, though we cannot state its exact situation. On these islands it is said that Japanese settlers have already descended. The United States claim them are at present (on what ground we ignorant), but do not object to the Japanese settlers remaining as long as Japan does not claim sovereignty over the islands.
Here again, as in the case of Marcus Island, we find sudden notoriety falling to the lot of places never before heard of, as far as the general public is con- cerned.
Wake Island was mentioned recently by a correspondent writing to a Kobe paper as being marked in the Century Dictionary Atlas as equally with Marcus Island a possession of the United States.. In the case of Marcus Island this attribution of the place to the United States seems to In the case of Wake have been an error. Island, of which we suppose that almost all Japanese and Americans now hear for the first time, evidence has still to be produced. It is not likely that any of these islands are of high importance except to those who hope to get phosphates from the guanc-deposits on them. They are near the route of steamers
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