Logo
Prev
Bookmark
Rotate
Print
Next
Contents
All Pages
Related Articles
Browse Issues
Help
Search
Home
'
National Geographic : 1905 Aug
Contents
THE PHI Orient and of most of the Oriental liars ; and they, becoming established there, became very well known in Manila in my time as " Shanghai roosters." They occupied most of their time in libelling the American government. I am bound to say that Mr Foreman has established his claim to take a position on that roost. The next of these British critics is Mr A. R. Colquhoun, a gentleman of a very different order from Mr Foreman, if we may judge by the writings of the two. Mr Colquhoun has been the correspond ent of the London Times, was at one time in the colonial service of Great Britain, was the district governor, or commander, of a district in Burma, is a gentleman in every way, and has written two very interesting books-one "The Mastery of the Pacific,' and the other "A Greater America." Mr Colquhoun traveled with the commission when we were establish ing civil governments in the islands. He was about three weeks in the islands at one time, and about ten days at another. I have a great respect for him, and read what he had to say with keen interest. I shall not take up what he had to say, because what he has had to say has been amplified and treated with more elabora tion, and possibly with more authority, by another Englishman or Scotchman, Mr Alleyne Ireland, now connected with the Chicago University, and whose ex perience in the investigation of tropical colonies makes what he says worthy of consideration, and makes it, also, most interesting. THEY SAY WE ARE SPENDING TOO MUCH FOR EDUCATION Now, his first criticism of the Philip pine government is that it has devoted three million dollars a year, or at least 25 per cent, and perhaps more, of its total revenue, for education, and he says that that money would be much better ex pended in the construction of roads and in the material development of the coun try. He says this because experience in LIPPINES 363 English colonies makes him think that the Filipino needs material development much more than he does mental develop ment, by no means admitting, however, that he has mental development sufficient to dispense with any of it. Upon this subject those of us who are responsible for the course pursued in the Philippines must take issue. The question as to which is right of the two policies de pends upon and goes back to the pur pose of the colonization. We blundered into colonization; we did not go into it with malice aforethought. We found ourselves in possession of the islands because we could not help it, and then we determined that we would do the best we could with them, working out a policy as nearly consistent with the prin ciples of our own government as was possible. Now, then, that means in the end a government of the people, by the people, and for the people; but a gov ernment of the people, by the people, and for the people is absolutely impos sible unless you have the great body of that people with intelligence enough to exercise the strong public opinion that is necessary to sustain and restrain any popular government. If it be true, as Mr Ireland says, that tropical peoples are incapable of self-government and incapable of education up to self-govern ment, then I agree that the argument is with him And he assumes as the basis of his argument the experience that the English have had in their colonies. OUR COLONIAL PROBLEM IS EN TIRELY DIFFERENT FROM ENGLISH COLONIAL PROBLEMS Well, you judge of how experience ought to lead you in your conclusions by how far that experience has gone. I am not aware as yet of any attempt on the part of England to try the peo ples of tropical colonies in self-govern ment or to educate them up to the point where they may be capable of self-gov ernment. Again, experience is useful
Links
Archive
1905 Sep
1905 Jul
Navigation
Previous Page
Next Page
