Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-20

would have stepped in to do the work
which we had shirked: 1t cannot be too
often repeated that there was no question
that the work had to be done All the
question was whether would do it well
or i'll; and. thanks to the choice of men
like Governor Wright, it has been done well.
The first and absolutely indispensable
requisite was order-peaee, The reign of
lawless violence of resistance to legitimate
authority, the reign of anarchy. could no
more be tolerated abroad than it could be
tolerated here in our own land.
What the Flag Stands For.
The American flag stands for orderly lib
erty, and it stands for it abroad as it
stands for 1t at home The task of our
soldiers was to restore and maintain order
in the islands. The army had the task to
do, and it did it well and thoroughly The
fullest and heartieSt praise belongs to our
soldiers who in the Philippines brought to a
triumphant conclusion war. small indeed
compared to the gigantic struggle in which
the older men whom | am addressing took
part in the early sixties? fbut inconceivably
harassing and difficu1t, because it was
waged amid the painless jungles of great
tropic islands and againstta foe very elusive,
very treacherouS and often inconceiya bly
cruel both toward our men and toward the
great numbers Of peace-loving Filipinos
who gladly welcomed our advent The SOL
diers included both Regulars and volun-
teers men from the north, the south the
east and the west, men from PENNSYLVANIA
and from Tennessee no less than men
from the Rocky mountains and the Pacific
siope-and to all alike we give honor for
they acted as Amer1ead vsoldiers should
Cruelties were committed here and there
The fact that they were~committed under
well-nigh intolerable provocation affords no
excuse for such cFueltiesS nor can we ad-
nit as justification that they were retalta-
tory in kind. Every effort has been made
to detect and punish the wrongdoers and
the wrongdoing itself has been completely
stopped But these misdeeds were excep-
tional and their occurrence in no wise al
ters the fact that the American army in
the Philippines showed as whole not only
splendid soldieriy qualities but high or
der OF humanity in dealing with their foes
Wrongdoers Were Few.
A hundred Thousand of our troops went
to the Philippines. Among them We're some
who offended against the right. Well, are
we altogether immaculate at home? I
think not. 1 ask for no special consider
alton to be shown our friends and kinsmen,
our sons and brothers, who during three
years so well upheld the national honor in |
the Philippines. l ask merely that we do |
the same equal justice to the soldier who |
went abroad and faced death and lived hard |
as we show to his fellow who STAYED at
home and lived easily and in comfort: and |
IL we snow that equal Justice will dofY |
our nals 10 she man who has put the whole |
ne helped to win In the Philippines
But the soldiers work as a soldier was |
NOT the larger part Of what he did When |
once the outbreak was over in any place
then began the work of establishing civil |
administration. Here, too, the soldier did |
MS part. for the work Of preparing for the |
civil civil authority was often done by the Off |
GERS ana men OF the regular army, and well |
done. too. Then the real work of building |
up system of self-government for the peo-
pie VINO mad become our wards was begun, |
under the auspices of the Philippine COM |
HaSslon, Judge Taft being made governor,
and 1 having had the honor myself to APP |
point Gen. Wright as vice governor.
Civil Authorities in Control
During the critical period when the insur- |
rection' was ending and the time was one |
or transition between state Of war and a |
state OF peace. at the time that I issued a |
proclamation declaring that the state of |
war was over and that the civil govern |
ment was now in complete command Gen.
Wright served governor of the archpel- |
ago The progress of the islands, both in |
material Well-being and as regards order |
anu Justlce, under the administration of |
GOV Wright and his colleagues has been |
astounding. o..
There is no question as to our not having |
gone far enough and fast enough in grant 1
ing seif-government to the Filipinos: the |
only possible danger has been lest we should |
go raster and farther than was in the inter- |
est VI Inc rIl1plnOS themselves. Each Fill
plno at the present day is guaranteed his |
lie, his liberty and the chance to pursue |
happiness as he wishes, so long as he does |
not harm his fellows, in a way which the |
Islands have never known before during all |
their recorded history. There are bands of |
!adrones. of brigands. still in existence. |
NOW ana T then they nay show sporadic in
disanection with some of the things that |
our government does (which are best--for |
example, the effort to quarantine against |
the plague and to enforced necessary SAM |
tary precautions gently and tactfuliy |
though 1t was made, produced violent hos
tiifty among some of the more ignorant ma
tives. .L-e{Y
Famine Sometimes Starts Trouble.
Again. disease likes the cattle plague |
may cause In some given province such |
want that part of tile Inhabitants revert |
to their ancient habit of ,brigandage. But |
the Islands have nevey been as orderly, as |
peaceful or as prospeDnsvas now: and in |
no otner oriental country whether ruled by
Aslatlcs or Europeans ia there anything
approaching to the arnountSof individual lib |
erty ana or self-government which our rule |
has brought to the FHipinos. The nation |
owes great debt to the people through |
whom this splendid work for civilization |
has been achieved, and therefore, on behalf |
OF the nation have come here tonight to 1
thank In your presence your feliow-towns- |
man. because he has helped us materially |
to ada new page to the honor roll OF |
American history. Gen. Wright, I greet
you. thank you and wish you we'll