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Show A BOGUS COMPARISON. Mr. Bryan's Commoner draws a contrast between be-tween the course pursued toward Japan and toward to-ward the Philippines. It describes Japan as peopled peo-pled by Pagans, the Philippines as peopled by Christians, says "They have worshipped the true God, erected homes and struggled for freedom." It points to Japanese progress and adds: "Peace marked the dealings with the heathen Japanese; slaughter and sword mark the dealings with the Christian Filipinos." And it would be difficult to crowd more utter rot into so small a space. Japan was a great nation na-tion when Marco Polo visited there seven hundred years ago. It had about the most perfect government govern-ment on earth, for it had even then caught the secret of feeding a vast population on a small area, and so adjusting matters that few of all the millions mil-lions were desperately poor and none very rich. There was no cause to try to improve the condition of the Japanese, for any change woulcl have made that condition worse There was no occasion to interfere, for not only was the Government more nearly perfect than almost any other, but every resource of the Islands was already utilized. In the Philippines are some thirty-three tribes. The one most advanced when under Spanish rule sometimes fought for some concessions from Spain, never for freedom. The Commoner has often praised the heroism of Aguinaldo. We can estimate esti-mate both his enlightment and Christianity from the fact that he had his foremost lieutenant assassinated as-sassinated through jealousy. The struggle which the Commoner pictures so touchingly was but a struggle for loot and power, the struggle of some adventurers of one tribe to rob their fellow tribesmen and to enslave the neighboring tribes. The Japanese are of an ancient, trained, levelheaded level-headed race. The Filipino is a mongrel mixture of Spanish, Malay and Chinese. The native Japanese is a born worker, the native Filipino is a treacherous snealc. The Japanese has a grateful nature, the Filipino will contract for a consideration to assassinate his greatest benefactor. bene-factor. The testimony of American officers who have served in the islands is all one way and exactlj the contrary of the testimony of the Commoner. The testimony of the best educated Filipinos is that their countrymen are not fit to be trusted with self-government. The decent class among the Filipinos, those whom Mr. Bryan weeps over, are rejoiced at the change that has come, for it insures them full reward re-ward for their earnings, safety and a promise o( education for their children and as much liberty as Mr. Bryan himself enjoys. The tears of the Commoner are crocodile and vain. |