I

Shall the Filipinos Keep Their Land?

T

10 one who looks closely at the government of dependencies remote from the mother country, certain little-noted problems appear. One of the common ones is the troublesome conflict of interests between the natives and the resident citizens of the governing country. The Government often finds it an extremely difficult problem to harmonize these interests.

The citizens of the home country go to the dependency to gain wealth; and, especially in a new country, they are not always too scrupulous regarding the means employed. The resources of the dependency ought to be exploited, but not the natives. The distinction is often not made by the wealth seekers.

The Government in the Philippines owns millions of acres of valuable land-forest, mineral, and agricultural. Other valuable land is owned by the natives. These lands ought to be developed for the good of all; they ought not to be exploited by speculators. Already, even before the Government can grant titles, Americans and foreigners are striving to put claims on valuable hotel sites, hot springs, prospective mines, fine farming lands, profitable forests. The Government, by act of Congress, has wisely decided to keep the forests in its own hands, to lease simply the right of cutting timber under Government direction. The agricultural lands also need to be no less carefully protected.

If the Filipino, the American, and the Chinese are given equal chances for obtaining land in fee simple, the State will lose the chief benefit of Government lands; the Filipino will sell his birthright. The Filipinos have many amiable qualities. In many cases they have large intelligence, but hundreds of thousands, even millions, are still thriftless and disposed to discount the future by seizing the pleasure near at hand. If they are given freely the right to sell their lands, the shrewd

American or Chinese before many years will be rapidly becoming landlords, and the Filipinos will be tenants not much more fortunate than serfs bound to the soil. Java, through her free-land policy in the earlier part of the century, has now Chinese landholders with immense possessions, whose Malay tenants are absolutely under their control. The Javanese Government has been compelled to consider the need of buying these Chinese landlords out for the sake of the natives, as we are finding ourselves compelled to buy out another undesirable class of landlords--the Friars.

if our Government has the interests of the Filipinos at heart, it will see to it that they are aided in making their leases, and that they secure terms which will prevent their land from being cropped; they should be allowed to sell their lands only with the permission of the local government, which would guard their interests. The intelligent, of course, making just bargains, would be given a free hand; the simple would be protected. The composition of provincial boards, with Filipino governor and American supervisor and treasurer, appointed, as they are, on merit, would prevent corruption.

Unless care is taken, large corporations and wealthy individuals will get great tracts of land, ostensibly for growing sugar, tobacco, hemp, and fruit, which they will cultivate only in part, holding the rest idle for speculative purposes. If we in the Philippines heed the century-old lessons of India and Java, gained through many experiments, and sometimes rather severe experience, we shall in the main have the State hold its lands, leasing them on liberal terms by a perpetual grant, so that the holder may keep possession as long as he pays his rent and cultivates. his land, while the State will retain the right to revise the rentals at regular somewhat long intervals, and will insist that those who fail to cultivate their lands shall forfeit their claims. Should the Government adopt a policy of this kind, there will doubtless be a great

outcry on the part of many "patriots," who will claim to have sacrificed much by going to the Philippines, but who are anxious to make wealth soon, so as to return with a competence to "God's country." It is probably true that there will be less platting of town sites, less granting of franchises, and less advertising of somewhat doubtful resources; but there will be more real prosperity and fewer corrupt dealings, while our country will fulfil much better its obligations to the Filipinos. Every effort should be made to promote prosperity, but care should be taken to prevent injurious exploitation.

II

Chinese Labor

THERE is a real dearth of labor in the Philippines. In Manila, since the American occupation, wages of common laborers have doubled and trebled. For some purposes the labor is not competent; for other purposes, it is not sufficient. The native Filipinos, as a rule, though dexterous and good-natured, are not strong, or well suited for heavy manual labor, and in far too many cases they are thriftless and disinclined to steady work. The question of getting their labor is not primarily one of wages, though, doubtless, in individual cases, the men who are making most complaint regarding Filipino workmen are looking for cheap labor. But no wages, which in the face of competition from abroad can possibly be paid, will tempt a large proportion of native Filipinos to steady labor. Moreover, there are not enough who can be taken from their fields to do the large amount of new developing work which lies near at hand.

The Chinese now in the Philippines make their living by trading and speculating, not, with a few exceptions, by heavy labor. They are shrewd traders, self-restrained and keen, who live largely on the thriftless Filipino.

The country needs roads, railroads, harbors, and none can be built without strong manual laborers. The tobacco, sugar, and hemp plantations, with proper attention, could be developed to an enormous extent. Laborers are needed for getting out timber, for building ships, for developing commerce, but such labor is not forthcoming. One firm of shipbuilders has offered to establish a large plant in

Manila Bay if they can be permitted to bring in some skilled Chinese laborers to serve both as workmen and as teachers for Filipino apprentices. One successful tobacco planter from Sumatra, who had large experience with both Malay and Chinese labor, wished to establish a large tobacco plantation in Luzon, but on learning that Chinese laborers could not be secured, returned from Hong Kong to Sumatra without even visiting the Philippines. The Filipinos like to be clerks, bookkeepers, drivers of ponies, or boatmen. They are unusually skilful as draftsmen, telegraphers, and in work requiring manual dexterity rather than strength. Many of them in the provinces raise vegetables and other products. to sell, while others are skilful fishermen. If the country were to be developed by the introduction of large capital, very many more of these could be employed well in the lines in which they succeed best. Probably far more money would be paid to Filipinos than without such capital; but to any one who has looked into the problem, the need for manual laborers seems imperative; capital will not be introduced without it; and the only labor of that class which it seems practicable to get on living terms is Chinese.

The experience of other Oriental countries, as well as of our own country, argues against opening the Philippines freely to the Chinese; but there would be practically no danger in admitting them in groups, under contract, with their employers under bonds to keep them employed in the way specified in the contract, to feed, house, and care for them properly, to see that they do not desert and enter other lines of trade, and to return them to their own country when their task is done. No more Chinese are wanted to engage in mercantile work, or to drive wages down below reasonable rates; but it is useless to expect, within a reasonable time, to have built the roads, railroads, and irrigating canals that are needed, to have the larger plantations properly carried on, and the other resources of the islands suitably developed, unless some foreign labor can be introduced; and there can be no doubt that the Chinese are best fitted to meet the needs. If proper restrictions are made on immigration, the coming of the Chinese will be not merely for the benefit of the Chinaman and the American employer, but for that of the Filipino as well.