The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1902-12-11

world justify an urgent demand fo
the creation Of such position. Sub
stantlally all the leading commercial
bodies in this country have umtod il
requesting its creation. II is desir
able that some such measure as tha
which has already passed the Senate
be enacted into law. The creation OF
such department would in itself be
an advance toward dealing with and
exercising supervision over the whole
subject of the great corporations doing
an Interstate business and with
this end in view the Congress should
endow the department. with large
powers, which could be increased as
experience might show the need.
l hope soon TO submit to the Senate
q reciprocity treaty with Cuba. On
May 20 last the United States kept its
promise to the island by formally
vacating Cuban soil and turning Cuba
over to those whom her own people
had chosen as the first officials of the
new republic.
TIE CUBAN PROTECTORATE.
Cuba lies at our doors, and what
ever affects her for good or for i'll
affects us also. SO much have our
people felt this that in the Plat
amendment we definitely took the
ground that Cuba must hereafter have
| closer political relations with us than
with any other Power. Thus in q
sense Cuba has become part of our
| international political system. This
hat i,,r lao
! should bo given some Of the benefits Of
becoming part Of our economic sys-
tenn. It is, from our own standpoint,
a short-sightcd and mischicvous policy
to fail TO recognize this need. More
over, it is unworthy of a mighty and
generous nation, itself the greatest
and most successful repulic in history,
to refuse to stretch out a helping hand
to young and weak sister republic
just entering upon its career of indie
pcndence. We should always fearless
ly insist upon our rights in the fac of
the strong, and we should with un-
grudging hand do our generous duty
by tie weak. l urge tho adoption of
reciprocity with Cuba not only be-
cause it ls emlnently for our own in
terests to control the Cuban market
and by every means TO foster our
supremacy i'll tine tropical lands and
waters south Of us, but also because
we, of the giant republic Of the North,
should make all our sister nations of
the American Continent feel that
whenever they will permit it we dosiro
TO show ourselves disinterestelly and
effectively their friend.
PEACE IN TIE PHILIPPINES.
On July 4 last, On the one hundred
and twenty sixth anniversary Of the
Declaration Iof Independence, peace
and amnesty were promulgated in the
Philippine Islands. Some trouble has
since, from time to time, threatened
with the Mohammcdan 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 happiness as he has never before
known during The recorded history of
the islands, but the people taken as
whole now enjoy a measure of self
government greater than that granted
to any other Orientals by any foreign
power and greater than that enjoyed
by any other Oricntals under their own
governments, save the Japanese alone.
We havo not gone too far IN granting
these rights of liberty and self-govern-
ment; but we have certainly gone to
the limit that in the interests of the
Philippine people themselves it was
wise or just to go. TO hurry matters,
to 60 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 vim
dicated itself in more signal manner
than the policy of holding the Philip
pines. The triumph of our arms, above
all the triumph of our laws and prin-
ciples, has come sooner 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 administrative
standpoint in preparing the way for
civil government; and similar credit
belongs to the civil authorities for the
way in which they have planted the
seeds Of self-government in the ground
Iluo maui lChuJ lol tilClh' IHC COuL-
age, the unlllnching endurance, the
high soldierly efficiency and the general
| kind-heartedness and humanity of our
troops have been strikingly manifest
ed. There now remain only fifteen
thousand troops IN tho islands. All
told, over one hundred thousand have
been sent there. Of course, there
have been individual instances of
wrong doing among them. They war
rcd under fearful difficulties of climate
and surroundings; and under the strain
of terrible provocations, which they
continually received from their foes,
occasional instances of cruel retaliation
occurred. Every effort has been made
to prevent such crueltios, and finally
these efforts have boen completely
successful. Every effort has also been
made to detect and punish tho wrong
doers. After making all allowances
for these misdccds il remains true that
few indeed have been the instances in