The Delta independent., 1902-09-26
PRESIDENTS POLICY
As TO PHILIPPINES AND CUBA.

Veterans In Detroit.
Detroit, Sept 23.-President Roose
| velt's two-day visit to Detroit came to
| an end yesterday at the conclusion OF
| a banquet rendered him in Light Guard
| armory 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
armory, and the galleries were crowd
| ed to their utmost capacity by bril-
! liantly gowned women and their es-
| corts. The armory was decorated Ill
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 ciapping of
hands from the gallery was like the
crackle of musketry. The President.
after speaking of Michigan's important
part in the Spanish American war.
! said:
THE 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
moral grandeur and to its material
, prosperity. but you also left duties to
| be done by those who came after you.
"In Porto Rico the duty has been
| merely administrative and ii has been
| SO well done that very little need be
said about it. In the Philippines the
/ problem was one of extreme difficulty.
But after three years of bitter fighting
peace has been won by the valor of our
soldiers and civil government has been
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 history.
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
I country at all. save only Japan-has
been given any such measure of self
government and personal freedom as
we have already given to the Filipinos
"One of the most important recent
measures has been the providing of q
cable for the Philippines. this being
necessary both from commercial and
from a military standpoint.
with Cuba the matter is different.
We pledged ourselves solemnly at the
outbreak of the war with Spain to give
to Cuba independence. The world at
large sneered at the pledge and even
some OF our own people scoffed at the
thought that we intended to keep it.
But we have kept 1t in good faith
and with n keen regard for the welfare
of the Cubans. We did not turn Cuba
loose to sink into n welter of anarchy.
We first administered the affairs OF the
island until order had been brought
out Of chaos. until the cities has been
tional system started and just and ef-
ficient government introduced. Then
we turned the new republic over to
the hands of those whom its people had
elected as its servants and bade il god
speed in 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
pendence. Cnba's immediate proXim-
ity to the United States rendered its
well being of such interest to us that
we were forced TO interfere in its in
terest by force of arms. For the same
reason its future cannot but be mat
ter of grave concern TO us.
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 Ii adopt
toward us. 1t must therefore be in a
certain sense part of our interna,
uonal political system. and it accepted
this position when it accepted the Platt
amendment. But 1t is out of the 1ues.
ton for us to expect that 1t will assume
such position toward us In regard to
international politics without at the
same time sharing somewhat in the
benefits of our economic system.
1T was for this reason that President
Mckinley urged, and that l have since
urged and shall continue to urge the
reed of establishing closer relations
t'ith Cuba by reciprocity. We urge re-
ciprocity because it Is for our interests
TO control the Cuban markets, because
we are bound to place CubanS on pc
culiar standing economically when
they consent TO our interests. as well
as their own. to assume a peculiar
status internationally. and because il
is fitting for great and generous Re
pubic to stretch out helping hand to-
ward her fcebler sister just starting to
tread the path of Independence. The
case stands by itself. and there can be
no other like it.
Il do not believe a particle of harm
will come to any American interest
from the adoption of reasonable
measure of reciprocity with Cuba. l
am certain that the adoption OF such a
measure will be in the interests of our
people rs whole. Above all, while
fully acknowledging the high.mindet-
ness and moral sincerity of those Of my
associates with whom on this point l .
differ. l yet feel most strongly that by
every consideration of n generous and
farsighted public policy we are bound
to prove to Cuba our friendship with
her in her struggle for the material
well being which must underlie healthy
development" -