The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-08-23

are responsible for the government of
the island have administered it. More
over, in shaping the government of the
island we have acted with good sense
well as with good faith. We have
not been frightened or misled into Civ
ing the people of the island form of
government unsuitable to them: ana
while providing that they should gov
ern themselves so far as possible, we
have not hesitated in their own interest
to keep the power of shaping their des-
tiny.
I'm Cuba the problem was larger.
more complicated and more difficult.
Here, again, we kept our promise abso-
lutely. After having delivered the island
from it's oppresSors, we refused to turn
it loose offhand with the certainty that
it would sink into chaos and savagery:
For over three years we administered
it on a plane higher than it had ever
reached during the four centuries s1ncs
the Spaniards first landed upon its
shore. We have brought moral and
physical cleanliness into the govern
ment- We stamped out yellow fever-
in itself an inestimable service both to
the Cuban people and to the people OF
our own southern states. We estabe
lished a school system We made lie
and property secure, so that industry
could again begin to thrive.
Then. when we had laid deep and
broad the foundations upon which civil
liberty and national independence must
rest, we turned the lSldnQ over u tiic
hands of those whom the people had
chosen as the founders of the new re-
public. 1t is a republic with which our
own great republic must ever be closely
knit by the ties of common interests
and common aspirations. Cuba must
always be peculiarly related to us in
international politics. She must in in
ternational affairs be to a degree a part
of our political system. In return, she
must have peculiar relations with u
economically. She must be, in sense,
part of our economic system. We ex-
pect her to accept political ATTITUDE
toward us which we think wisest both
for her and us. In return, we must be
prepared to put her in an economic po-
sition as regards our tariff system which
will give her some measure OF the pros
perity which we enjoy. We cannot, IN
my judgment, avoid taking this atti-
| tude if we are to persevere in the course
| which we have outlined for ourselves as
| a nation during the past four years;
| and, therefore, I believe that it is only
| a matter of time-and, I trust, only a
| matter of a very short time-before we
enter into reciprocal trade relations with
Cuba.
| is probably to be the greatest engineer
| ing feat-the greatest feat of the kind
| of the twentieth century. Before we
| start upon the construction of the canal,
| certain questions of detail and of our
| relations with the people owning the
| soil have to be settled. When this has
| been done, the first question will come
| upon choosing the commission which is
| to supervise the building of the canal.
| Here, again, we have to deal with an
| enterprise vast and SO farreaching
| in it's effects that but one thought is
| permiSsible-how to get the very best
men in the nation, the men of the high
! est engineering and business and adj
ministrative skill. who will consent to
undertake the work If possible, l
! should like to see these men represent
| different sections and different political
parties. But these questions are sec
| ondary. The primary aim must be to
| get men who, although able to contrl
| much greater salaries than the nation
| is able to pay, nevertheless possess the
| patriotism and the healthy ambition
which will make them willing to put
their talents at the governments serv-
4 ice.
so much for what has been done in
| the Occident. In the Orient the labor
| was more difficult.
1T is rare, indeed, that a great work,
/ a work supremely worth doing. can be
done save at the cost not only of labor
and toll but of much puZZling worry
during the time of the performance.
greatness. like the individual who
achieves greatness, can do so only at
the cost of anxiety and bewilderment
and heart wearing effort Timid people
| people scant of faith and hope, and
| good people who are not accustomed to
| the Toughness of the life of effort-are
| almost sure to be diSheartened and dis
mayed by the work and the worry, and
| overmuch cast down by the shortcom-
ings, actual or seeming, which in real
life always accompany the first stages
| even of what eventually turn out to be
the most brilliant victories.
"An this is true of what has happen
ed during the last four years in the
Philippine islands. The Spanish war it
self was an easy task. but it left us
certain other tasks which were much
! difficult nr1o of roe &c
that of dealing with the Philippines
The easy thing to dothe thing which
appealed not only to lazy and selfish
men but to very many good men whose
thought did not drive them down to the
root of things-waS to leave the islands
. Had we done this. a period of wild
chaos would have supervened and Their
some stronger power would have step
ped in and seized the islands and have
taken up the task which we in such q
case would have fiinched from perform
ing. A less easy but infinitely more
, absurd course would have been to leave
. the islands ourselves and at the same
time to assert that we would not permit
anyone else to interfere with them. This
particular course would have combined
all the possible disadvantages of every
other course which was advocated L
would have placed us in humiliafins
!, | position, because, when the actua1S tes
came, it would have been quite out O.
!. the question for us. after some striking
deed of savagery had occurred in tn,
. ! islands, to stand by and prevent the re
entry of civilizatio into them; Will,
. the mere fact of our having Threatened
s. thus to guarantee the local tyrants ant
, wrong doors against outside interior
| ences by ourselves or otherswo hav,
: put a premium upon every species O
! | tyranny and anarchy Within the islands
: Finally. there was the course whicl
< we adOpted-not an easy course, on
, fraught with danger and difficulty, a
: is generally the case in this world whel
q some great feat is to be accomplishe,
: as in incident to working out nationa
e destiny. We made up our minds to sta,
e in the islands-to put down violence
to establish peace and order-and the
= to introduce just and wise civil rule
= accompanied by measure OF Self-gov
Y eminent which should increase as rap
n idly as the islanders should themselee
n fit for it. Well. it was certainly
q formidable task; but think of the mar