Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-02

Congress for several years, 1t seemed TO me
wise to defer action upon the application
until the Congress had first an opportun-
ity to act. The Congress adjourned without
taking any action. leaving the matter in
exactly the same condition In which 1t
stood when the Congress convened.
Meanwhile 1t appears that the Commercial
Pacific Cable Company had promptly pro-
ceeded with preparations for laying Its
cable. 1t also made application to the
President for access to and use Of sound
ings taken by the Of 8. 8. Nero. for the pur-
pose Of discovering a practicable route for
trans-Pacifc cable. the company urging
that with accesstothe soundings 1t could
complete its cable much sooner than IL it
were required tp take soundlngs upon Its
own account. Pending consideration OF this
subject, 1t appeared important and de-
sirable to attach certain conditions to the
permission to examine and use the sound
ings. If 1t should be granted.
In consequence OF this solicitation Of the
cable company, certain conditions were
formulated, upon which the President was
willing to allow access to these soundings
and to consent to the landing and laying OF
the cable, subject to any alterations or ad-
ditions thereto imposed by the Congress.
This was deemed proper, especially as 1t
was clear that a cable connection OF some
KIND with China, a foreign country, was
part OF the company's plan. This course
was, moreover, in accordance with q line OF
precedents, including President Grants &C
ton in the case Of the first French cable,
explained to the Congress in his Annual
Message of December, 1875. and the In
stance occurring in 1879 Of the second
French cable from Brest to st. Pierre,
with a branch to Cape Cod.
These conditions prescribed. among other
things, maximum rate for commercial
messages and that the company should
construct line from the Philippine ISLANDS
to China, there being at present. as Is we'll
known, British line from Manila to
Hongkong.
The representatives Of the cable company
kept these conditions long under consider
alton, continuing, in the meantime, to pre-
pare for laying the cable. They have, how
ever at length acceded 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 reservtng the
power Of the Congress to modify or repeal
any or all of them. A copy of the condi-
tons is herewith transmitted
OF Porto Rico 1t 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 it serve as an
example Of all that fs best in insular ad-
ministratfon.
Triumph Of Philippine Policy.
d 10 a 10
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 threa tened 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 happi-
ness 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 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 interests ofsthe Philippine people them
selves it was wise Or just to go. To hurry
matters, to go faster than we are now go
Ing would entail calamity on the people of
the islands. No policy ever entered into by
the American people has INDICATED Itself
in more signal manner than the policy Of
holding the Philippines The triumph of
our arms. above al the triumph Of our
laws and principles. has come sooner than
we had any right to expect. Too much
praise cannot be given to the army for
what 1t has done in the Philippines both in
warfare and from an administrative stand
point in preparing the way for civil govern
ment, and similar credit belongs to the
civil authorities for the way In which they
have planted the seeds Of self-goyernment
In the ground thus made ready for them.
The courage, the unfnching endurance, the
high solderly efficiency and the general
kind-heartedness and humanity of our
troops have been strikingly manifested.
There now remains only some fifteen thou
sand troops in the islands. All told, over
one hundred thousand have been sent there.
OF course, there have been individual in
stances Of wrongdoing among them. They
warred under fearful difficulties of climate
and surroundings; and under the strain Of
the terrible provocations which they con-
tinually received from their foes, occa-
sional instances Of cruel retaliation occur
red. Every effort has been made to pre-
vent such cruelties. 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 it remains
true that few indeed have been the in
stances in which war has been waged by a
civilized power against semiclvilized or bar
barous forces where there has been so lit
tie wrongdoing by the victors as in the
Philippine Islands. On the other hand, the
amount Of difficult. important, and benef-
cent work which has been done Is well-nfgh
incalculable.
Our Constructive Craftsmanship.
Taking the work of the Army and the
civil authorities together, 1t may be oues-
toned whether anywhere else In modern
times the world has seen a better example
of real constructive craftsmanship than our
people have given in the Philippine Islands.
High praise should also be given those
Filipinos, in the aggregate very numerous,
who have accepted the new conditions and
Joined with our representatives to work
with hearty good will for the welfare of