The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1902-12-05

! president for access to and use of sound
| ings taken by the United States steamship
/ Nero for the purpose of discovering a
practicable route for a transpacific cable.
/ the company urging that with access to
| these sounGings ii could complete its cable
| much sooner than if it We're required TO
| take Soundings upon its own account.
Pending consideration of this subject ii
appeared important and desirable to at
tach certain conditions to the permission
to examine and use the soundngs if il
should be granted
In consequence of this solicitation of the
| cable company certain conditions We're
| formulated. upon which the president was
| willing to allow access to these sound
| ings and to consent to the landing and
| laying of the cable, subject to any altera-
| tons or additions thereto imposed by the
congress This was deemed proper. espe-
cially as it was clear that a cable con-
nection of some kind with China, for
eign country, was part of the company 5
plan. This course was. moreover i'm ac-
cordance with a line of precedents, includ-
ing President Grants action in the case
of the first French cable, explained to the
congress in his annual message of De-
cembcr, 1875. and the instance occurring
in 1879 of the second French cable from
Brest to st. Pierre. with a branch TO
Cape Cod.
These conditions prescribed. among 9TH
er things, a maximum rate for CONNIE
cial messages and that the company
should construct a line from the Philip
pine Islands to China, there being a pres
emit as is well known, a British line from
Manila to Hongkong.
The representatives. of the cable compa-
ny kept these conditions long under con-
sIderation. continuing in the meantime to
prepare for laying the cable. They have
however, at length accedcd to them, and
an all American line between our Pacific
coast and the Chinese empire by way of
Honolulu and the Philippine Islands is
thus provided for and is expected within
few months to be ready for business.
Among the conditions is one reserving
the n ar "a
peal any or all of them. a copy of the
conditions is herewith transmitted
OF Porto Rico it is only necessary to say
that the prosperity of the island and the
wisdom with which it has been governed
have been such as to make it serve as an
example of all that is best in insular ad-
ministra ton.
On July 4 last. on the one hundred and
twenty sixth anniversary of the declara-
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 Moha m
medan Moros, but with the late insurrcc-
tionary Filipnos 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 be-
fore known during the recorded history of
the Islands, but the people taken as a
whole, now enjoy a measure of self gov
eminent greater than that granted to any
other orientalS by any foreign power and
greater than that enjoyed by any other
orientalS under their own governments
save the japanese alone. We have not
gone too far in granting these rights Of
liberty and self government but we have
certainly gone to the limit that in the in
terests of the Philippine people themselves
1t was wise or just to go. To hurry mat
tiers, to go faster than we are now going,
would entail calamity on the people of
the islands No policy ever entered into
by the American people has indicated it
self in more signal manner than the poll
cy of holding the Philippines The tri-
umph of our arms, above all the triumph
OF our laws and principles has come soon
er than we had any right to expect. Too
much praise cannot be given to the army
for what it has done in the Philippines
both in warfare and from an administra-
tive standpoint in preparing the way for
civil government, and similar credit be-
longs to the civil authorities for the way
in which they have planted the seeds Of
self government in the ground thus made
ready for them. The courage the I'M
flinching endurance, the high sodiery eff
cheney and the general kind heartedness
and humanity of our troops have been
Strikingly manifested. There now remain
only some 1900 troops in the islands. All
told, over 100000 have been sent there. OF
course there have been individual in
stances of wrongdoing among them. They
warred under fearful difficulties of eli
mate and surroundings, and under the
strain of the terrible provocations which
they continually received from their foes
occasional instances of cruel retaliation
occurred. Every effort has been made to
prevent such cruelties and finally these
efforts have been completely successful
Every effort has also been made to de-
tect and punish the wrongdoers. After
making all allowance for these misdeeds
it remains true that few indeed have been
the instances in which war has been
waged by civilized power against semi
civilized or barbarOuS forces where there
has been so little wrOngdoing by the vic
tors as in the Philippine Islands On the
other hand. the amount of difficult, inpor-
tant and beneficent work which has been
done is well nigh incalculabe
Taking the work of the army and the
civil authorities together. it may be ques-
toned whether anywhere else in modern
times the world has seen n better exam
pie of real constructive craftsmanship
than our people have given in the Philip
given those Filipnos - in the aggregate
very numerous-who have accepted the
new conditions and Joined with our repre-
SentativeS to work with hearty good will
for the welfare of the islands.
The army has been reduced to the mini
mum allowed by law 1t is very small for
the size of the nation and most certainly
should be kept at the highest point of eff
cheney The senior officers are given scant
chance under ordinary conditions to eX-
ercise commands commensurate with their
rank under circumstances which would fit
them to do their duty in time of actual
war A system of maneuvering our army
In bodies of some little size has been be-
gun and should be steadily continued
Without such maneuvers il is folly to eX-
pect that in the event of hostilitieS with
any serious foe even a small army corps
could be handled to advantage. Both our
officers and enlisted men are such that
we can take hearty pride I'm them No
better material can be found. But tn
must be thoroughly trained. both as indi-
viduals and in the mass The marksman-
ship of the men must receive special at
tention. In the circumstances of modern
warfare the man must act far more on
his own individual responsibility than
hpfnrn hn hiepI nd xriH off
cheney of the unit is of the utmost i'm
portance. Formerly this unit was the
regiment 1t is now not the regiment, not
even the troop or company; it is the indi-
vidual soldier Every effort must be made
to develop every workmanlike and SOL
dierly quality in both the officer and the
enlisted man.
] urgently call your attention to the
need Of passing bill providing for gen.
eral staff and for the reorganization of
the supply departments on the lines of the
bill proposed by the secretary of war last
year. When the young officers enter the
army from West Point, they probably
stand above their compeers in any other
military service. Every effort should be
made by training by reward of merit by
scrutiny into their careers and capacity
to keep them of the same high relative
excellence throughout their careers
The measure providing for the reorgan-
lzalon of the militia system and for Sc
curing the highest efficiency in the nation
al guard. which has already passed the
house. should receive prompt attention
and action. 1t is of great Importance that
che relation Of the national guard to the
alllltla ana volunteer forces of the United
States should be defined and that in place
OF our present obsolete laws a practical
ard efficient system should be adopted.
Provision should be made to enable the
secretary of war to keep cavalry and ar
tillery horses worn out in long perform
ance of duty Such horses fetch but
triile when sold. and rather than turn
them ~ iper hon,