Show OUR QUESTION the gratifying official intelligence to la tec elved that the situation at manila has hafl somewhat improved this to is in the form of a bulletin from general otis to the war department announcing briefly that ahe the better class of filipinos who are hostile to spanish rule are gaining in influence and it is otherwise shown that Aguin aldos prestige to IS waning it to is not at all welcome news that the fever patients are increasing in the bo hospitals due the xen gen era eral announces chiefly to the carelessness of the men the dispatch was tolerably lengthy but as some portions had a bearing upon the negotiations of the peace commissioners at paris these were withheld from the public for the present A writer in colliers weekly is of the opinion that the problem will assume a graver aspect when congress begins to deal with the islands thus assuming that they are to be in this way controlled troll ed referring to a recent announcement no of gen otis bus that he needed no more troops the writer says that the general holds manila dewey holds the bay the native whom there are eight or ten millions more or less belonging to a variety of heterogeneous races with the malay predominating occupy the rest of the square miles which constitute the area of the group these natives are of all forms and conditions of men from fairly intelligent tell igent races to races which are scarcely above the level of cannibals they are alike in their total ignorance of our form of civilization and of the representative system of government what is to be done with them sir james bryce gays bay let them alone the more you have to do with them the sorrier you will be by and by whitelaw areld says organize the islands as a territory and govern them from washington let it be understood that they are never to be cut cuta up into states or to take part in making laws for the present states of the union so far it would seem the whole ques Is a maitner of o f opinions some of which are formed pt at great distances from the situation and by reason of information forma not wholly satisfactory one thing may be s set et down as conclusive without waiting for the definitive action of the commission the islands will not be returned to spain it is almost equally certain that they will not be turned over unreservedly to the na cou course arse would be more unsatisfactory to the powers no doubt than the absorption of the entire group by the united states in this case there would be something approaching s stability ta with reasonable protection tor for life and property in either of the other rases bases all safeguards would be so enfeebled as to amount tok to nothing at all in a practical way the rule of spain would be a return to the former unsettled condition of things with less power to enforce or maintain order I 1 ind nd native control would be simply a plunge into info barbaric conditions which would make the islands untenable to any civilized race manifestly there ts Is but one of two things to be done and this not altogether on our own account but largely on other nations and the filipinos account the united states ates must take complete possession or retain enough territory to amount elways to a nucleus a around rou n d which W hl C h civilization and good order may be gradually built up and extended extence it is argued by the weekly writer riter that to hold the islands against tho the insurrections which would be sure to break out now and then would require an army of men about twice as many as we now have there and twice as many as spain with less power behind them and less figh capacity has ever had it Is idle to discuss the matter in this way the new territory Is on our hands as shown we cannot rd run away neither can we remain and divide sovereignty with any other power the question then Is what Is the most moot needful and at the same time most efficient and economical plain of controlling the fis islands lands that it to la a vexed question may easily be conceded because self evident but buta wick are not to be permitted an it on that account or it would seeing any other |