Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1901-12-09

as never before, and it is being admins
tered efficiently and honestly. It's people
are now enjoying liberty and order under
the protection of the United States, and
upon this fact we congratulate them and
ourselves Their material welfare must be
as carefully and jealousy considered as the
welfare of any other portion of our coun-
try. We have given them the great gift Of
free access for their products to the mar
kets Of the United States. The attention
of congress is asked to the need OF legisla-
ton concerning the public lands of Porto
Rico.
CUBA.
In Cuba such progress has been made
toward putting the independent govern
ment of the island upon firm fOoIIng that
before the present session Of congress
closes this will be an accomplished fact.
Cuba will then start as her own mistress;
and to the beautiful queen Of the Antilles,
as she unfolds this new page of her destiny,
we extend our heartieSt greetings. In the
case of Cuba there are weighty reasons of
morality and of national interest why the
policy of reciprocity should be held to have
a peculiar application, and the president
most earnestly asks your attention to the
wisdom, indeed to the vital need, of pro
viding for a substantial reduction in the
tariff duties on Cuban imports into the
United States.
THE PHILIPPINES.
The Philippines are rich tropical islands,
inhabited by many varying tribes, repre-
Senting widely different stages Of progress
toward civilization. Our earnest effort is
to help these people upward along the
stony and difficult path that leads to self
government. We hope to make our ADMIN
istration of the islands honorable to our
nation by making it of the highest benefit
to the Filipinos themselves. 1t is no light
task for a nation to achieve the tempera-
mental qualities without which the insti-
buttons of free government are but an
20
cessfully governing themselves, because for
more than q thousand years they have
been slowly fitting themselves, sometimes
consciously, sometimes unconscfously, to-
ward this end. What has taken us thirty
generations to achieve, we cannot expect to
see another race accomplish out of hand,
especially when large portions of that race
start very far behind the point which our
ancestors had reached even thirty genera
lions ago. In dealing with the Philippine
people we must show both patience and
strength, forbearance and steadfaSt resolu-
ton. Our aim is high. We do not desire
to do for the islanders merely what has
elsewhere been done for tropic peoples by
even the best foreign governments. We
hope to do for them what has never before
been done for any people of the tropics-to
make them fit for SelfgOvernment after the
fashion of the really free nations.
History may safely be challenged to show
a single instance in which a maSterful race
such as ours, having been forced by the eX-
lSOncloS OIL Wdf 10 TAKE pOSScSSIOH VI du
alien land, has behaved to it's inhabitants
with the diSinterested zeal for their prog
ress that our people have shown in the
Philippines. To leave the islands at this
time would mean that they would fall into
a welter of murderous anarchy. Such de-
sertion of duty on our part would be a
crime against humanity. The character of
Gov Taft and of his associates and subOr-
dinates is proof, if such be needed, of the
sincerity of our effort to give the islanders
constantly increasing measure of self
government, exactly as fast as they show
themselves fit to exercise it. Since the
civil government was established not an APP
pointment has been made in the islands
with any reference to considerations of pO-
litical influence, or to aught else save the
fitness of the man and the needs of the
service. The only fear is lest in our over
anxiety we give them degree of independ-
ence for which they are unfit thereby in
viting reaction and disaster. AS fast as
there is any reason able hope that in a
given district the people can govern them
selves, self government has been given in
that district. There are still troubles
ahead in the islands. The insurrection has
become an affair of local banditti and ma
rauders, who deserve no higher regard than
the brgands of portions of the old world.
Encouragement, direct or indirect, to these
insurrectOS stands on the same footing as
uragement to hostile Indians in the
DAYS when we still had Indian wars. Ex-
actIy as our aim is to give to the Indian
who remains peaceful the fullest and
amplest consideration, but to have it I'M
derstood that we will show no weakness If
he goes on the warpath, so we must make