The Times of last Saturday published an interesting article from
its special correspondent in the Philippines. He says that the Filipinos believe, or pretend to believe, that they are already fit for self-government. They regard American administration with a certain superciliousness, and think they could manage things better themselves. The Americans are paying the price—the inevitable price—of doing their duty in educating the natives. We of course are going through the same experience in India. Except in Manila, all the Municipal Councils are in the hands of the natives. But although in the Legislature and Judiciary and in the public Departments there are many native officials, the scheme of government is so arranged that the natives have the semblance rather than the reality of power. Probably one reason why the Americans do not command as much respect as they deserve is that the natives, born to Spanish ceremonial and Spanish elaborateness of manner, have a prejudice against the great simplicity and directness of democratic habits. Democracy has in fact violated something very like caste. But the correspondent thinks that though ground has been lost by the Americans, it is now being appreciably regained.
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