The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-02-18

tL lIIe ' lIlDllOS nave oeSIl lilS GIiOL OE
 their ways and are now enthusiastic ad-
 mirers of American institutions. But
 on this subject there are wide differ
 ences of opinion. Men as well informed
 about the archipelago as Governor Taft
 entertain gloomy and pessimistic views about the situation there, Because of
 these conflicting opinions it is difficult
 Tor Americans to decide whether the
 pessimists or the optimists have the
 better of the facts and the argument.
 There is no man of intelligence who
 does not desire to be further enlight-
 ened on the subject. At present he
 scarcely knows which way to turn.
 One highly interesting fact which has
 been brought out and emphasized in the
 discussions in congress of the situation
 in the Philippines is the fact that Un-
 Gle sam is paying remarkably high sal
 aries to American officials in the archi- pelago. So ample is his generosity, so
 unbounded his resources, so bountiful is
 the remuneration with which he re-
 wards the labors of his servants in the
 Philippines, that one is not surprised to
 find optimism existing to an exceptional degree in official circles in Manila. Re gently the war department prepared a table setting forth in detail the number | of officials employed under the civil government of the islands, together With the salary received by each. This table will make the mouths of stay-at- home patriots water. For instance, it is stated that Governor Taft's salary is
 $20,000 a year, while each of his four fellow members of the Philippine com
 mission receive $15,000. The secretary to the governor gets $7500, the auditor
 for the island $6000 the chief justice
 and associate justice $7,500 each, the
 judges of the Manila courts $5,500 the superintendent of public instruction, the
 commissioner of health and the attor-
 ney-general $5,000. In addition there is swarm of minor officials receiving sal aries ranging from $S00O to s4,000. All the servants of Uncle Sam in the Phil
 ippines are paid in gold, and gold dol lar in the archipelago is worth two sil- i yer dollars-the money in general cir culation
 Officials paid as handsomely as those | who conduct the civil government of | the Philippines are not likely to take a pessimistic view of the situation in the { islands They are faring so much bet ter in the way of salaries than they would in the United States that they f have the strongest reasons for cultiva- ting spirit of cheerfulness and looking at the archipelago through highly col cred glasses. There is no public official in the United States who gets as large a salary as Governor Taft. except the president There are only three states a in the Union which pay their governors | a salary one-half as large as that paid to the civil governor of the Philippines. Governor Taft gets four times as large a salary as a United States senator or member of the house of representatives. The vice-president of the United States does not get half as much salary as the head of the Philippine civil government, while in the matter of income the chief justice of the supreme court is equally Governor Taft's fellow of the Philippine commission, with their $15,OO0 salaries, are more highly remunerated than any of the civil or military officials in the service of the United States government, with the exception of few of our ambassa- dors.
 Can it be expected that gentlemen thus highly favored by fortune will see anything in the Philippine situation to discourage the American people? Is it in human nature for man who has a good thing" to look upon the dark side Df life as long as fortune smiles upon lim? It is not surprising, therefore. hat at the present time there is more optimism to the square inch in Manila han in any other spot in the world. Nobody would suggest that there is anything sordid or sinister in this opti- hist--on the contrary, it seems to be the = most natural mental condition imagina- 'le. We are doing pretty well, thank 'ou,' is the way otficialdom in Manila eels, and with good reason. Why, therefore, shouldn't Uncle Sam feel that le is doing equally well, and, having made his servants happy, why houldnt everybody be satisfied with he situation and ''let well enough lone?" It would be crime, in view of he salary paradise in the Philapines, or man to be other than an invinci lie optimist in that idyllic region.-Bal- more Sun.