The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-12-10

AID 10 discharge its just obligations to
ioIeisnsrs- " men this is done. they can
iest assured that, be they strong or weak
sneF nave nothing to dread from outside
interference More and more the increas-
ing lnterdependence and complexity of
International political and economic rela-
tons render it incumbent on all civilized
ana orderly powers to insist on the proper
policing OF the world
During the fall of 1901 a communication
was addressed to the secretary of state
ASKING whether permission would be
granted by the president TO a corporation
70 Iay cable from point the Cali
way OF Hawaii. A statement of condf-
IONS or terms upon which such corpora
Ilon %ouIo undertake to lay and operate
cable was volunteered
lnasmuch as the congress was shortly to
convene and Pacific cable legislation had
been the subject of consideration by the
congress for several years, II seemed to
the wise to defer action upon the appIica-
ton until the congress had first an oppor-
tpntty TO act. The congress adjourned
without taking any action leaving the
matter in exactly the same Condition in
which 1t stood when the congress con-
vened.
Meanwhile it appears that the CONNER
cial Pacific Cable company had promptly
proceeded with preparations for LAYING its
cable, IL also made application to the
president Tor access to and use OF sound
lngS taken BY the United States steamship
Nero for the purpose Of discovering a
practicable route for transpac ific cable
the company urging that with access to
these SoundingS 1t could complete it's cable
much sooner than If it were required TO
take Soundings upon its own account
PENDING consideration of this subject 1t
appeared important and desirable to at
tach. certain conditions 30 the permission
TO examine and use the soundings IL it
should be granted.
In consequence of this solicitation of the
cable company certain conditions were
formulated, upon which the president was
Wlilng 70 allow access to these sound
ings and to consent to the landing and
laying of the cable. subject to any altera-
tons or additions thereto imposed by the
congress. This was deemed proper, espe-
cially as 1T was clear that cable con-
elgn country, was a part of the company s
plan This course was, moreover, in ac-
cordance with a line of presidents includ-
ing President Grants action In the case
OF the first French cable, explained to the
congress in his annual message of De-
cember. 1875, and the instance occurring
in 1879 of the second French cable from
Brest to st. Pierre. with a branch to
Cape Cod.
These conditions prescribed, among 9TH
er things, maximum rate for CONNER
cial messages and that the company
should construct line from the Philip
pine Islands to China, there being at pres
ent, as is well known. a British line from
Manila to Hongkong.
The representatives of the cable compa-
ny kept these conditions long under con-
sideration, continuing in the meantime to
prepare laying the cable Y6ey nave,
however, at length acceded to them, and
ain all American line between our Pacific
coast and the Chinese empire by way of
Honolulu and the Philippine Islands is
thus provided for and is expected within
few months to be ready for business.
Among the conditions is one reserving
the power of the congress to modify or re-
peal any or all of them. A copy of the
conditions is herewith transmitted.
OF Porto Rico 1t is only necessary to say
that the prosperity of the island and the
have been such as to make 1T serve as an
example of all that is best In insular adj
lniniStration.
On July 4 last, on the one hundred and
twenty sixth anniversary of the declara-
ton of our independence, peace and am
nesty were promulgated in the Philippine
Islands Some trouble has since from
time to time threatened with the Moham-
medan Moros, but with the late insured
tionary Filipinos the war has entirely
cea sed. Civil government has now been
introduced. Not only does each Filipino
enjoy such rights to life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness as he has never be-
the islands, but the people taken as g
whole, now enjoy a measure of self gov
ernment greater than that granted to any
other orientals by any foreign power ano
orientalS under their own governments
save the Japanese alone. We have not
gone too far in granting these rights oil
liberty and self government, but we have
certainly gone to the limit that in the in
terests of the Philippine people themselves
it was wise or just to go. To hurry mat
tiers. to go faster than we are now going
would entail calamity on the people OF
the islands. No policy ever entered into
Dy the American people has indicated it
self in more signal manner than the poll
cy of holding the Philippines. The tri
umph of our arms, above all the triumph
of our laws and principles, has come soon
er than we had any right to expect. Too
much praise cannot be given to the army
| for what 1t has done in the Philippines
| both in warfare and from an administra
/ tive standpoint, IN preparing the way FOL
! civil government, and similar credit be
/ longs TO the civil authorities for the way
! in which they have planted the seeds o.
self government in the ground thus mads
! ready for them. The courage, the un
! finching endurance. the high Soldierly eff
! cheney and the general kind heartednes:
! and humanity of our troops have beer
strikingly manifested There now remain
| only some 900 troops in the islands Al
/ told, over 100000 have been sent there O.
! course there have been individual in
( stances of wrongdoing among them. The.
/ warred under fearful difficulties of eli
! mate and surroundings, and under thu
/ strain of the terrible proYocattonS which
I they continually received from their Zoe!
/ caSional instances of cruel retaliation
! occurred. Every effort has been made t
/ prevent such cruelties, and finally thesl
I efforts have been completely successful
I Every effort has also been made to de
/ tect and punish the wrongdoers. Ate
/ making all allowance for these miSdeed
I it remains true that few indeed have beer
I the instances in which war has beer
waged by a civilized power against semi
civilized or barbarous forces where Their
has been so little wrongdoing by the vic
/ tors as in the Philippine Islands. On tn
/ other hand. the amount of difficult. impor
/ tant and beneficent work which has beer
done is well nigh incalculable-
Taking the work of the army and tn
civil authorities together, 1t may be queS
toned. whether anywhere else in modern
times the world has seen a better exam
: pie of real constructive stateSmanShil
than our people have given in the Philip
! pine Islands. High praise should also b.
given those FilipinoS - in the aggregate
very numerous-who have accepted tn
new conditions and Joined with our repre-
sentatives to work with hearty good vii
for the welfare of the islands.
The army has been reduced to the mini
mum allowed by law. It is very small TO
the size of the nation and most certalnl,
! should be kept at the highest point of Ell
sciency. The senior officers are given scan
z chance under ordinary conditions 10 eX
erciSe commands commensurate with thet
rank under circumstances which would II
them to do their duty in time of actua
, war. A system of maneuvering our arm!
3 in bodies of some little size has been be
gun and should be steadily continued
2 Without such maneuverS it is folly 10 ex
pect that in the event of hoSt1l1tleS Wit
any serious foe even a small army corp
could be handled to advantage. Both gu
! officers and enlisted men are such tina
we can take hearty pride in them. N
better material can be found. But the
must be thoroughly trained, both as indi
viduals and in the mass. The marhSTnan
ship of the men must receive special at
tention. In the circumstances OF modern
warfare the man must act far more o.
I his own individual responsibility thai
hF-rb ir,if eff