The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-03
THE PHILIPPINES.
Greatest Measure of Liberty Possible
at Present Allowed Natives.

On July 4 last, on the northumberland
twenty-sixth anniversary Of the Declare
ton of our Independence, peace and am
nesty were promulgated in the Philippine
islands. Some trouble has since from time
to time threatened with the Mohammedan
Moros, but with the late insurrectionary
Filipinos the war has entirely ceased. Civil
government has now been introduced. Not
only does each Filipino enjoy such rights
to life, liberty, and the pursuit OF happiness
as he has never before known during the
recorded history of the islands, but the
people taken as a whole now enjoy a meas
ure Of self-government greater than that
granted to any other Orientals by any for
eign power, and greater than that enjoyed
by any other Orisntals under their w
governments, save the japanese alone. We
ave not gone too far in granting these
rights of liberty and self-government; but
we have certainly gone to the init that In
the interests OF the Philippine people them
selves IL was wise or just to 60. To hurry
matters, to go faster than We are now go
ing, would entail calamity on the people
No policy ever entered into by the Ameri-
can people has INDICATED itself In more
signal manner than the policy OF holding the
Philippines. The triumph OF our arms, above
| all the triumph Of our laws and principles,
has come sooner than we had any right to
expect. Too mucn praise CANNOT DC gwen
to the army for what IL has done In the
Philippines both in warfare and from an adj
ministrative standpoint In preparing the
way for civil government; and similar
credit belongs TO the civil authorities for
the way I'm which they have planted the
seeds Of self-government In the ground
thus made ready for them: TIL courage. the
unfinching endurance, the high soldierly
efficiency, and the general kind-hearted-
ness and humanity Of our troops have been
strikingly manifested. There now remain
only some fifteen thousand troops I'm the
islands, All told. over one hundred thous-
and have been sent there. OF course, there
have been individual instances OF wrong
doing among them. They warred under
fearful difficulties OF climate and sur
/ roundings: and under the strain OF the ter
rible provocations which they continually
received from their foes. occasional in
stances of cruel retaliation occurred. Every
effort has been made TO prevent such cruel
ties, and finally these efforts have been
completely successful. Every effort has
also been made to detect and punish the
wrongdoers. After making all allowance
for these misdeeds, IL remains true that
few indeed have been the instances in
which war has been waged by a ciyilized
power against semicivilized. barbarous
forces where there has been so little wrong
doing by the victors as in the Philippine
islands. On the other hand. the amount OF
difficult. important and benehcent work
which has been done is well-nigh incalcul-
able.
Taking the work OF the army and the civil
authorities together, II may be questioned
whether anywhere else In modern times the
world has seen a better example OF real
constructive craftsmanship than our peo-
pie have given In the Philippine islands.
High praise should also be given those
Fliipinos, IN the aggregate very numerous.
who have accepted the new conditions and
joined with our representatives 20 work
with hearty good viii for the welfare OF the
islands.
OF Porto Rico II is only necessary to say
that the prosperity OF the island and the
wisdom with which il has been governed
have been such as TO make IL serve as an
example OF all that Is best In insular adj
ministration.