The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-12-03
Conditions in the Far East

On July last, ON the one hundred ard
- envy -S4->th am rSary # the dec a "a
'-u'4 oL Oui lAdepeAGe44Ue. peace ana 60
iN5&ly We're promulgated in the Philip
lHhe Islands. Some trouble has since
+ ON time to time threatened with tha
Mohanmedan AIoros, but with the late
lnSUrrecuonary F'ilipinos the war has
entirely ceased. Civil government has
Tow been introduced. Not only does
each Filipino enjoy such rights to life
liberty and the pursuit of happiness as hs.
has never before known during the re.
corded history Of the Islands, but the
people. taken as a whole, now enjoy a
measure OF self-governmeut greater than
that granted to any other Orientals
by any foreign power and greater than
that enjoyed by any other Orientals
under their own governments save the
japanese alone. We have not gone too
faS in granting these rights of liberty
and self-goveTnment; but we have GER
talnly gone to the limit that in the in.
terests Of the Philippine people them
selves it was wise or just to so. TO
hurry matters to go faster than we are
HcW going, would entail calamity on the
people of the islands. 10 policy ever
entered into by the American people
has vindicated itself in more signal
manner than the policy of holding the
Philippines. The triumph of our arms,
above all the triumph of our laws and
principles, 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 be-
longs to the civil authorities for the
way in which they have planted the seeds
OF Sa.f-gOVernm mt in the ground thus
made ready for them. The courage. the
unflinching endurance, the high sosdierly
efficiency, and tins general kind-hearted-
less and humanity of our troops have
been strillinsly manifested. There now
remain only some fifteen thousand
troops in the islands. All told. over one
hundred thousand have been sent there.
or course, there have been individual
Instances of wrong-doing among them.
They warred under fearful difficulties
OF climate and surroundings; and under
the strain of the terrible provoca tons
which they continually received from
their foes, occasional instances OF cruel
retaliation occurred. Every effort has
been made to prevent such cruelties
ar! finally these efforts have been C M
pietely successful. Every effort has also
been made to detect and punish the
v7ong-doers After making all allow
ance for these misdeeds it remains true
that few indeed have been the instances
in which war has been waEad by civil
iZeG power against ser-civiized or
harbarous forces where there has been
so little wrong-doing by the victors as
in the Philippine Islands. On the other
hand, the amount of difficult. important
and benefcent work which has been
done is we'l-nigh inca lculable
Taking the work of the army and the
civil authorities together. it may be ques-
Toned whether anywhere else In modern
times the world has seen better exam
Ole of real constructive statesna nship
than our people have given in the Philip
rine Islands High praise should also be
given those Filipinos, in the aggregate
verv numerous, who have accepted the
row conditions and joined with our rep
,esantatiyes to work with hearty good
viii for the welfare of the islands.