The Grit-advocate., 1902-09-26
PRESIDENTS POLICY
AS TO PHILIPPINES AND CUBA.
Large Measure Of Self Government for
the Fiiipinos.-Reciprocity with
Cuba.-Address to Spanish War
Veterans in Detroit.

Il banquet rendered him in Light Guard
nrmory by the Spanish war veterans,
the opening of whose third annual re-
union he attended this morning. 1t
was a brilliant event. Nearly 500 men
sat at the tables on the floor of the big
Grmory. and the galleries We're crowd
ed to their utmost capacity by bril-
liantly gowncd women and their es-
corts. The armory was decorated In
green and white maple branches, and
electric lights We're everywhere.
When the President arose to begin
his address, which was the first of the
evening, he received an ovation. The
men on the floor stood up and cheered
again and again. while the clapping of
hands from the gallery was like the
crackle OF muskctry. The President,
after speaking of Michigans important
part in the Spanish American war;
said:
"'rhe war itself was an easy one
The tasks left behind us. though glor
ious, have been hard You. the men of
the Spanish war, you and your COM
rades in arms who fought in Cuba and
Porto Rico and in the Philippines, won
renown for the country, added to its
nloIul SIdllueNT anu W llS Hldltl III
prosperity, but you also left duties to
be done by those who came after you.
''ln Porto Rico the duty has been
merely administrative and it has been
SO well done that very Y need be
said about it. In = ''.S-rnIiippines the
problem was one C..rtXtreme difficulty.
But after three<yGars of bitter fighting
peace has -Leen won by the valor of our
- nj "a, I'll In
introduced, so that the islanders have
now greater opportunities for life. lib
erty and the pursuit of happiness than
ever they have enjoyed before during
their recorded hist try.
Last week | ordered taking of the
census of the islands and two years
hence. according to the law OF Con-
gress, the first steps will be taken in
the direction Of giving the Philippine
people a legislative assembly. No other
Oriental country in the possession of
an alien power-indeed, no Oriental
country at all. save only .Tapan-has
been given any such measure Of self
government and personal freedom as
we have already given to the Filipnos.
"One Of the most important recent
measures has been the providing of
cable for the Philippines, this being
necessary both from commercial and
from n military standpoint
with Cuba the matter is different.
We pledged ourselves solcmnly at the
outbreak of the war with Spain to give
to Cuba independence. The world at
large snecrcd at the pledge and even
some of our own people scoffed at the
thought that we intended to keep it.
But we have kept it in good faith
and with Il keen regard for the welfare
of the Cubans. We did not turn Cuba
loose to sink into a welter of anarchy.
We first administered the affairs of the
island until order had been brought
out of chaos. until the cities has been
cleaned, the courts purified. an educa-
tional system started and II just and eff
ticient government introduced. Then
we turned the new republic over to
the hands of those whom its people had
elected as its servants and bade it god
speed i'll its journey of independence.
But neither our duty to- nor our
interest in the island have come to an
end with the establishment of its indie
pendencc. Cuba's immediate proXim-
ity to the United States rendered it's
well being of such interest to us that
we were forced to interfere in it's in
terest by force of arms. For the same
reason its future cannot but be a mat
ter of grave concern to u.s.
I'VE do not desire Cuba to stand TO-
ward any other nation in the same re-
lations of intimate friendship and al
lance that We desire to see it adopt
toward us. 1t must therefore be in a
certain sense Il part of our interna.
tiOnal political system, and it accented