The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-12-06

to be made from time to time as their
action is taken. Wherever civil govern
ments are constituted under the direc-
ton of the commission such military
posts, garrisons and forces will be con-
tinued for the suppression of insurrec-
ton and brigandage and the maintenance
of law and order as the military COM
mander shall deem requisite, and the mill
itary forces shall be at all times subject
under his orders, to the call of the civil
authorities for the maintenance of law
and order and the enforcement of their
authority
Later reports from the commission
show yet more encouraging advance to,
ward insuring the benefits of liberty and
good government to the Filipinos, In the
interest of humanity and with the aim
of building up an enduring, self-support-
ing and self-administering community in
those far eastern seas. l would impress
upon the congress that whatever legisla-
ton may be enacted in respect to the
Philippine, Islands should be along these
thrown upon this nation an unsought
trust which should he unselflshly dis
charged, and deyolved upon this govern
m me! moral as well as material respon-
sibility toward these millions whom we
have freed from an oppressive yoke.
have upon another occasion called the
Filipinos 1.-The wards of the nation" Our
obligation as guardian was not lightly as
sumed: it must not be otherwise than
honestly fulfilled, aiming first of all to
benefit those who have come under our
them that our flag may be no less beloved
In the mountains of IuZon and the fer
tile zones of Mindanao and Negroes than
IT Is at home. that there as here it shall
be the revered symbol of liberty, enlight-
eminent and progress in every avenue of
development.
The Filipinos are a race quick to learn
and to profit by knowledge He would be
ha an.Sht IF
temporaneous history in view, would fix
limit to the degree of culture and ad-
vancement yet within the reach of those
people If our duty toward them be faith
fully performed.
The message then touches upon Porto
Rico and Cuba, reciting the history of
the adoption of the Constitution of the
latter country.
GOV. WOODS SPEECH QUOTED.
The message contains the following ex-
tract from the speech of Gov. Wood to
the constitutional convention In Havana:
AS military governor of the island.
States. ] call this convention to order
1T will be your duty. first, to frame
and adopt q constitution for Cuba, and
when that has been done to formulate
what in your opinion ought to be the
States
THE constitution must be adequate to
secure stable, orderly and free govern
ment.
When you have formulated the rela-
tons which in your opinion ought to ex-
list between Cuba and the United States
the government of the United States will
doubtless take such action on it's part as
shall lead to final and authoritative
agreement between the people of the two
countries TO the promotion Of their COM
mon interests.
"All friends of Cuba will follow your
deliberations with the deepest interest,
earnestly desiring that you shall reach
Just conclusion. and that by the dignity.
Individual self-restraint. and wise con-
servatism which shall characterize your
proceedings the capacity of the Cuban
people for representative government
may be signally illustrated.
THE fundamental distinction between
true representative government and die
tatorship is that in the former every rep
resentative of people, in whatever office,
Its of his defined powers Without such
restraint there can be no free constitu-
tional government. Under the order pur-
snant to which YOU have been elected and
convened you have no duty and no au-
thority TO take part in the present gov
ernment of the island. Your powers are
strictly limited by the terms of that or
der"
Dor will transmit to the congress the
constitution as framed by the convention
for its consideration and for such action
as it may deem advisable.
1 renew the recommendation made in
my special message of Feb TO- 1899 as to
the necessity for cable communication
between the United States and Hawaii,
with extension to Manila Since then
circumstances have strikingly empha-
sized this need. Surveys have shown the
entire feasibility of n chain of cables
which at each stopping place shall touch
on American territory, so that the sys-
tenn shall be under our own complete
control. Manila, once within Geographic
reach. connection with the systems of the
Asiatic coast would open increased and
profitable opportunities for more direct
cable route from our shores to the Orient
tic, continental and transasian lines. I
urge attention to this important matter.