The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1902-12-04

and to discharge Its Just obligations 70
foreigners. When this Is done they can
rest assured that, be they strong or weak
they have nothing 10 dread from outside
interference. More and more the increas-
International political and economic .rela:
tions render It incumbent on all civilized
and orderly powers to insist on the proper
policing OF. the world.
was addressed to the secretary of state
asking whether permission would be
granted by the president to a corporation
fornia coast to the Philippine Islands by
way OF Hawaii A statement of condi-
tions or terms upon which such corpora
ton would undertake to lay and operate
a cable was volunteered
1nasmuch as the congress was shortly to
convene and Pacific cable legislation had
been the subject of consideration by the
congress for several years, II seemed to
me wise to defer action upon the applica
tion until the congress had first an oppor.
tunity to act. The congress adjourned
without taking any action, leaving the
matter In exactly the same condition In
which 1t stood when the congress con-
vened.
Meanwhile 1t appears that the CONNER
cial Pacific Cable company had promptly
proceeded with preparations for laying its
cable. 1t also made application to the
president Tor access to and use or sound
ingS taken by the United States steamship
Nero for the purpose of discovering a
practicabesrou for transpacitic cable,
the company urging that with access to
these soundings ii could complete its cable
much sooner than If it were required to
take soundings upon Its own account.
Pending consideration of this subject 1t
appeared important and desirable to at
to examine and use the soundings IL 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 sound
ings and to consent to the landing and
laying Of the cable subject to any altera-
tions or additions thereto imposed by the
congress. This was deemed proper, espo-
cially as II was clear that n cable con-
nection OF some kind with China, for
eign country, was " part of the company s
plan. This course was, moreover, In 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-
cember. 1876. and the instance occurring
in 1879 of tho second French cable from
Brest to st. Pierre, with branch to
These conditions prescribed among 9TH
er things. maximum rate for CONNER
cial messages and that the company
should construct n line from the Philip
pine Islands to China, there being at pres
ent. as is well known, n 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 acceded to them. and
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 power OF the congress to modify or re-
peal any or all Of them. A copy of the
conditions is herewith transmitted.
or Porto Rico II is only necessary to say
that the prosperity of the island and the
wisdom with which 1t has been governed
have been such as to make II serve as an
example of all that Is best in insular ad-
ministration.
On July last, on the one hundred and
twenty-sixth anniversary of the declara-
tion of our independence, peace and am
nesty were promulgated in the Philippine
Islands. Some trouble has since from
time to time threatened with the Moham-
medan Moros, but with the late insurrec-
tionary Filipinos the war has entirely
ceased. Civil government has now beon
introduced. Not only does each Filipino
enjoy such rights to life, liberty and the
fore known during the recorded history Of
the islands, but the people, taken as a
whole. now enjoy measure of self CAV
ernment 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
certainly gone to the limit that in the in
terests of the Philippine people themselves
ters. to go faster than we are now going,
would entail calamity on tho people of
the islands. No policy ever entered into
by the American people has indicated it
cy of holding the Philippines. The tri-
umph of our arms, above all the triumph
e er rt o
much praise cannot be given to the army
for what It has dono in tho Philippines,
both in warfare and from an administra-
tive standpoint, in preparing tho way for
civil government, and similar credit be-
lengs 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 un-
fiinching endurance the high soldierly eff
clancy and the general kind heartedness
strikingly manifested. There now remain
only some Is. 900 troops in the islands All
told. over 100000 have been sent there. or
course there have been individual in
stances of wrongdoing among them. They
warred under fearful difficulties of eli
mate and surroundings, and under the
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 Tor tneSe mlSdeedS
1t remains true that few indeed have been
the instances in which war has been
waged by a 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, impor-
tant and beneficent work which has been
done IL well nigh incalculable.
Taking the work of the army and the
civil authorities together. 1t may be ques-
toned whether anywhere else In modern
times the world has seen better exam
pie of real constructive craftsmanship
than our people have given in the Philip
pine Islands. High praise should also be
given those Filipinos - 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
the size of the nation and most certainly
should be kept at the highest point OF etfi-
cheney. The senior officers are given scant
chance under ordinary conditions to ex-
ercise commands commensurate with their
rank under circumstances which would Mt
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