Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-09-13

| gratifying that the experience of more
than a year has indicated these
changes, in the marked Improvement
of the public service. The merit sys-
TEN, as far as practicable, is made the
basis for appointments to Office in our
new territory.
IN CUBA AND PORTO RICO.
Progress of the Establishm emit of Free Gov
| eminent in the Islands.
"We have been in possession Of Gu
| ba since the first of January, 1899. We
| have restored order and established
domestic tranquility. We have fed the
| starving, clothed the naked, and min
| istered to the sick. We have improved
the sanitary condition of the island.
We have stimulated industry, intro
duced public education, and taken
| full and comprehensive enumeration
of the inhabitants. The qualification
| of electors has been settled and under
| it officers have been chosen for all the
municipalities of Cuba. These local
| improvements are now in operation,
| administered by the people, Our mill
| tary establishment has been reduced
from $4,000 to less than $4,000. An
| election has been ordered to be held
on the 18th of September under
fair election law already tried in the
municipal elections, to choose members
of constitutional convention, and the
convention by the same order Is to as
semble on the first Monday of Novem-
Der to frame constitution upon which
an independent government for the
| island will rest All this is longfstep
in the fulfillment Of our sacred guar
antees to the people of Cuba.
1--WE hold Porto Rico by the same
title as the Philippines. The treaty
of peace which coded us the one con-
veyed to us the other. Congress has
given to this island a government in
which the inhabitants participate, elect
their own legislature, enact their own
local Jaws, provide their own system
of taxation, and in these respects have
the same power and privileges en-
| joyed by other territories belonging to
the United States and much larger
measure of self-goyernment than
was given to the inhabitants
of Louisiana under Jefferson
While they do not have instant free
commercial intercourse with the Unit
ed States, congress complied with my
| recommendation by removing, on the
first day of May last, IS per cent. of
the duties and providing for the re-
moval of the remaining Is per cent.
! on the LIST of March, 1902, or earlier
If the legislature of Porto Rico shall
provide local revenues for the expenses
of conducting the government
During this intermediate period
Porto Rican products coming into the
United States pay tariff of Is per
| cent. Of the rates under the Dingley
act, and our goods going to Porto Rico
pay a like rate. The duties thus paid
/ and collected both in Porto Rico and
the United States are paid to the gov
eminent of Porto Rico, and no part
thereof is taken by the national gov
eminent. ~ ~ In addition to this
we have expended for relief, education
| and improvement Of roads the sum of
| $1,513.0S4.95. The United States mill
1 tary force in the island has been re-
1 duced from 11,000 to 1900, and native
| Porto Ricans constitute for the most
part the local constabulary.
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS QUESTION.
Policy of the Administration Fully Stated
4 and Defended.
"For the sake of full and intelligent
understanding of the Philippine ques-
ton, and to give to the people au-
thentic information of the acts and
aims of the administration" the presi-
dent presents at length the events of
Importance leading up to the present
situation in the Philippine islands, in
| Guiding the instructions to the commits
sioners appointed to investigate, and to
act in the matter of government of
those islands. He then continues:
Every effort has been directed to
their peace and prosperity, their adj
vancement and well-being, not for our
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT nor for prideof might,
not for trade or commerce, not for
exploitation, but for humanity and
civilization, and for the protection of
| the vast majority of the population
who welcome our sovereignty against
the designing minority whose first de-
mand after the surrender Of Manila
by the Spanish army was to enter the
city that they might loot it and de-
stroy those not in sympathy with their
selfish and treacherous designs. No
body who will avail himself of the
facts will longer hold that there was
any alliance between our soldiers and
the insurgents, or that any promise
of independence was made to them.
| Lung pcIOiS tllelI ieduST udQ TedCneQ
Manila they had resolved, if the com
mander of the American navy would
give them arms with which to fight
the Spanish army, they would later
turn upon us, which they did murder
ously and without the shadow of
cause or justification.
''There may be those without the
means Of full information, who be-
lieve that we were in alliance with
the insurgents and that we assured
them that they should have indepen-
dence. To such let me repeat the facts.
On the 26th of May, 1898, Admiral
Dewey was instructed by me to make
no alliance with any party or faction
in the Philippines that would incur
liability to maintain ther cause in the
future, and he replied under date Of
June 6, 1898: Have acted according
to spirit of departments instructions
from the beginning, and 1 have en-
tered into no alliance with the insur.
gents or with any faction. This squad
ron can reduce the defenses of Manila