Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1902-11-27

east, and the west. men from Pennsyf-
vania and from Tennessee. no less than
men from the Rocky mountains and the
Pacific slope-and to all alike we give
honor. for they acted as American sol.
diers should. Cruelties were committed
here and there. The fact that they were
committed under well-nigh intoleraole
p~rovOcation affords no excuse Tor sucn
cruelties, nor can We admit as Jusuhca-
ton that they were retaliatory in kind:
Every effort has been made to detect ana
punish the wrOngdoers and the wrong
doing itself has been completely stopped;
But these misdeeus were exceptional, ana
their occurrence in no wise alters the TACT
that the American army In the Phnlp-
pines showed as a whole not only splen.
did soldierly qualities but a high order Of
humanity in dealing with their foes. A
hundred thousand of our troops went 70
the Philippines. Among them We're some
who offended against the right. well, are
we altogether immaculate at homer l
think not. / ask for no special considera-
ton to be shown our friends and kins-
men, our sons and brothers, VINO during
three years so well upheld the national
honor in the Philippines. ask merely
That we do the same equal justice to the
soldier who went abroad and raced death
and lived hard as We show to his Fellow
who stayed at home and lived easily ana
In comfort; and If we show that equal
Justice we will doff our hats to the man
who has put The whole country under oo-
legations by the victory he helped to win
In the Philippines.
But the soldiers work as a soldier was
not the larger part oil whath he did. When
once the outbreak was over in any place,
then began the work of establishing civil
administration Here, too, the soldier dld
his part, for the work of preparing for the
civil authority was often o by the OF.
ticers and men of the regular army, ana
well done, too. Then the real work OF
building up a system OF self-government
for the people who had become our wards
was begun, under the auspices OF the Phil
ippine commission, Judge Taft being made
governor, and l having had the honor
myself to appoint Gen, Wright as vice.
governor. During the critical period When
the insurrection was ending and the time
was one of transition between a state OF
war and a state of peace, at the time
that ! issued a proclamation declsring
that the state of war was over ana that
the civil government was now in complete
command, Gen. Wright served as goo.
ernor of the archipelago. The progress. 81
n as regards order and justice under
the administration OF Gov. Wright ano
his colleagues has been astounding.
There is no question as to our not
having gone far enough and fast enough
in granting self-government to the Fill
pinos; the only possible danger has peer
lest we should go faster and farther thar
was in the interest of the Filiptnos them
selves. Each Filipino at the present day
is guaranteed his life, his liberty, and tnt
chance to pursue happiness as he wishes
so long as he does not harm his fellows
in a way which the islands have nevel
known before during all their recorded
history. There are bands of ladrones, O.
b%rlgands, still in existence. Now ant
then they may show sporadic increase
This will be due occasionally to disaf
fiction with some of the things that on
government does which are best-for .eX
ample, the effort to quarantine aga1ns
the plague and to enforce necessary saE1
tary precautions, gently n tactfull.
though it was made, produced violen
hostility among some of the more gno
rant natives. Again a disease like tn
cattle plague may cause in some givel
province such want that a part of tn
inhabitants revert to their ancient haDl
of b~rigandage. But the islands have new
er been as orderly as peaceful, or a
prosperous as now; and In no othe
oriental country, whether ruled by Asi
atics or Europeans, Is there anything al
preaching to the amount of tndlVldua
liberty and of self-government which GU
rule has brought to the Filipinos. tn
nation owes a great debt to the peoll
through whom this splendid work 70
civilization mas been achieved, n there
fore on behalf of the nation l have com
here tonight to thank in your presenc
your felloW-townsman, because he ha
helped us materially to add a new pag
to the honor roll of American history
. | Gen. Wright. | greet you, l thank yGt
| and | wish you well.