The Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., N.D.) 1902-1913, 1902-11-27
/! The Banquet.

play great part in the world. We
cannot escape facing the duties. We
may shirk them if we are built of poor
stuff, or we may take hold and do
them if we are fit sons of our sires--
but face them we must, whether we
will or not. Our duty in the Philip
pine islands has simply been one of the
duties that thus have come upon us.
Gould Not Be shirked.
"The islanders were wholly unfit to
govern themselves, and if we had left
there would have been brief period of
bloody chaos. and then some other ma
ton would have stepped in to do the
work we had shirked.a It cannot be.
too often repeated that there was no
question that the work had to be done.
All the question was, whether we
would do it well or i'll, and, thanks to
the choice of men like Gov. Wright, it
has been done well. The first and alb
solutely indispensable requisite was
order-peace. 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.
Praise for the Soldier.
''The American flag stands for or
Derby liberty, and it stands for it
abroad as it stands for it 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 sold
iers who in the Philippines brought to
a triumphant conclusion war, small
indeed compared to the gigantic strug-
gle in which the older men whom I
am addressing took part in the early
sixties, but inconceivably harassing
and difficult, because it was waged
amid the painless jungles of great
tropic islands and against foe very
elusive, very treacherous, and often
inconceivably cruel both toward our
men and toward the great numbers of
peace-loving Filipinos, who gladly
welcomed our advent.
Establishment of Government.
''But the soldiers work as 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 administra-.
ticn. Here, too, the soldier did his
part, for the work Of preparing for the
civil authority was often done by the
officers and men of the regular army,
and we'll done, too. Then the real work
of building up system of self-govern-
ment for the people who had become
our wards was begun, under the aus
pices of the Philippine commission.
Judge Taft being made governor, and
having had the honor myself to APP
point Gen. Wright as vice governor.
The progress of the islands, both in
material well-being and as regards or
der and justice under the administra-
ton of Gov. Wright and his colleagues
has been astounding.
Never So Prosperous.
'tBut the islands have never been as
orderly, as peaceful, or as prosperous
as now; and in no other oriental coun-
try, whether ruled by Asiatics or Eu-
ropeans, is there anything approach.
ing to the amount Of individual lib
erty and of self-government which
our rule has brought to the Filipinos.
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 l have come here tonight
to thank in your presence your fell
low townsman, because he has helped
us materially to add new page to
the honor roll Of American history.
Gen. Wright, I greet you, thank you,
and wish you well.''
At midnight the presidential party
left for Washington ever the South
ern railroad. Col. L. S. Brown, gem
eral agent Of the Southern, was in
charge of the train.
In Washington Again.
Washington, Nov. 22.-President
Roosevelt arrived here at eight
o'clock yesterday morning over the
Southern railroad. AS he left the
train he shook hands with the en-
gineer and fireman and thanked them
for the safe run they had made.