The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1900-09-27
IN CUBA AND PORTO RICO.


new territory.
IN CUBA AND PORTO RICO.
Progress of the Establishments of Free Gov
eminent in the Islands
Eve 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 a
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 S43 900 to less than $4,000. An
election has been ordered to be held
on the 10Th of September under a
fair election law already tried in the
municipal elections, to choose members
of a constitutional convention, and the
convention by the same order is to as
gemble on the first Monday of Novem-
Der to frame constitution upon which
an independent government for the
island will rest. All this is a long step
in the fulfllment Of our sacred guar
antees to the people of Cuba.
"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 government in
which the inhabitants participate elect
their OWL legislature, enact their own
local laws, provide their own system
Of taxation, and in thes1 respects have
the same power and privileges en-
joyed by other territories belonging to
the United States, and much larger
measure of government 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, 85 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 a tariff of Is per
cent of the rates under the Dingley
| act, and our goods going to Porto Rico
pay 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
/ 81, 513, OS495. The United States mill
tary force in the island has been re-
duced from II, 900 to 1900, and native
Porto Ricans constitute for the most
part the local constabulary.
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS QUESTION.
Policy of the Administration Fully Stated
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-belng, not for our
ACKNOWLEDGMENT nor for pride of 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.
Long before their leader had reached
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
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 inGepen-
dence. To such let me repeat the facts.
On the Goth of May, $685. Admiral
Dewey was instructed by me to make
no alliance with any party or faction
in the Philippines that would incur
liability to maintain Their cause il the
future and he replied under date Of
June 6. 1898: Have acted according
to spirit of DEPARTMENTS instructions
from the beginning, and l have en-
tered into no alliance with the insur-
gents or with any faction. This squad
ron can reduce the defenses of Manila
at any moment. but it is considered
useless until the arrival of sufficient
United States forces to retain posses
SION In the report of the first Phil
ippine commission, submitted on Nov.