The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-12-04

fashion Of the really free nations.
LOCAL Sell
In our anxiety for the welfare and
progress of the Philippines it may be
that here and there we have gone too
rapidly in giving them local self-govern-
ment. 1t is on this side that our error,
if any, has been committed No compe-
tent observer sincerely DESTROYS of find
ing out the facts and Influenced only by q
desire for the welfare of the natives can
assert that we have not gone far enough.
We have gone to the very verge of safety
in fastening the process. To have taken
single step further or faster in advance
would have been folly and weakness and
might well have been crime. We are ex-
treme1y anxious that the natives shall
slow the power of governing themselves.
We are anxious first for their sake and
next because it relieves US of a great bur-
den. There need not be the slightest fear
of our not continuing to give them all
the liberty for which they are fit
The only fear is lest in our overanxiety
We give them a degree of independence
fo.' which they are unfit, thereby invit-
ing reaction and disaster. AS fast as
there is any reasonable hope that in a
given district the people can govern
themselves self-governnent has been CIV
EN- in that district. There is not a local.
ity fitted for self-goyernment which has
not received it. But it may be that in
certain cases it will have to be with
Themselves unfit to exercise 1t. Such in
stprces have already occurred. In other
words there is not the slightest chance
of our-failfng to show a sufficiently hui
manitarian spirit. The danger comes In
the opposite direction.
PHILIPPINE LEGISLATION.
The time has come when there should
be, additional legislation for the Philip
pines. Nothing better can be done for the
Islands than to introduce industrial en-
terprises. Nothing would benefit them SO
much as throwing them open to indus
trial development. The connection be-
tween idleneSs and mischief is proyerbial,
and the opportunity to do remunerative
work is one of the surest preyentives OF
war. OF course no business man will go
into the Philippines unless it is to his in
terest to Go So and it is immensely to the
interest of the islands that he should go
in. 1t is therefore necessary that the
congress should pass laws by which the
resources of the islands can be developed,
so that franchises (for limited terms of
years. can be granted to companies doing
business in them and every encourage
ment be given to the incoming of bust
ness men of every kind
Not to permit this is to do a wrong to
the Philippines. The franchises must be
granted and the business permitted only
under regulations which will guarantee
the islands against any kind ofaimproper
exploitation. But the vast natural wealth
of the islands must be developed, and the
capital willing to develop it must be given
the opportunity. The field must be thrown
open to individual enterprise, which has
been the real factor in the development of
every region over which our flag mas
flown. 1t is urgently necessary to enact
suitable laws dealing with general trans
portation, mining, banking, currency,
homeSteads and the use and ownership OF
give free play to industrial enterprise, and
the commercial development which will
surely follow will afford to the people OF
the islands the best proofs of the SINGER
ity of our desire to aid them.
[ call your attention most earnestly to
the crying need of cable to Hawaii and
the Philippines, to be continued from the
Philippines to points in Asia. We should
not defer day longer than necessary the
construction of such cable. 1t is de-
manded not merely for commercial but
for political and military considera tons.
Either the congress should Immediately
provide for the construction Of govern.
ment cable or else an arrangement should
be made by which like advantages tc
those accruing from government cable
may be secured to the government by
contract with a private cable company
THE IsTHsIIAN CANAL.
No single great material work which
remains to be undertaken on this CONT
lean people as the building Of cana
across the isthmus connecting North anG
South America. It's Importance to the
nation is by no means limited merely tC
prosperity, and yet with view to these
effects alone it would be to the last de.
gree important for us Immediately to be-
gin it. While its beneficial effects would
perhaps be most marked upon the Pacific
coast and the gulf and south Atlanti,
states, it would also greatly benefit othel
sections. It is emphatically a worl
which it is for the interest Of the entire
country to begin and complete as soon al
possible; it is one of those great works
which only a great nation can undertake
with prospects of success and which wher
done are not only permanent assets ir
the nations material interests, but stand
ing monuments to its constructive ability
4 am glad to be able to announce to yoI
that our negotiations on this subject witt
Great Britain, conducted on both sides il
a spirit of friendliness and mutual good
will and respect, have resulted in my
being able to lay before the senate
treaty which if ratified will enable us tC
begin preparations for the iSthmian canal
at any time and which guarantees to this
nation every right That it has ever asked
in connection with the canal. In this
treaty the old C9ayton-Bulwer treaty, sc
long recognized as inadequate to supply
the base for the construction and mainte.
nance OF necessarily American ship ca
nal is abrogated. 1t specifically provides
that the United States alone snail do the
work Of building and assume the respon-
sfbility of safeguarding the canal anG
shall regulate its neutral use by all ma.
lions on terms of equality without the
guarantee or interference of any outside
nation from any quarter. The signed
treaty will at once be laid before the SEN
ate, and if approved the congress car
then proceed to give effect to the advan.
ia geS 1t secures us by providing for the
building of the canal
THE MONROE DOCTRINE.
The Monroe doctrine should be the car
dinal feature of the foreign policy of al
the nations of the two Americas as it is
of the United States. Just seventy-eight
years nave passed since President Mon
roe In his annual message announced thai
the American continents are henoefortf
not to be considered as subjects for future
colonization by any European power Ii
other words, the Monroe doctrine Is dec.
laration that there must be no territorial
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT by any non-Americar
power on American soil. It is in noWise
intended as hostile to any nation in the
old world Still less is it intended to give
cover to any aggression by one new world
power at the expense of any other. 1t Is
simply a step, and a long step, toward as
surfing the universal peace of the worlt
by securing the possibility of permanent
peace on this hemisphere.
Our attitude in Cuba is a sufficient guar
antee of our own good faith. We nave
not the slightest desire to secure any ter
ritory at the expense of any of our neigh
bors. We wish to work with them. han6
in hand, so that all of us may be uplifte6
together, and we rejoice over the goo6
fortune Of any of them, we gladly hail
their material prosperity and political sta.
bility and are concerned and alarmed il
any of them fall into industrial or polit.
fcal chaos. We do not wish to see any ole
world military power grow up on this
continent or to be compelled to become g
military power ourselves. The peoples of
the Americas can prosper best If left tt
work out their own salvation in their owr
way.
THE NAVY.
The work of upbuilding the navy must
be steadily continued. No one point of
our policy, foreign or domestic, is more
important than this to the honor and ma
terial welfare and, above all, to the peace
of our nation in the future. Whether we