The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-08-23
THE PRESIDENT
In NEW ENGLAND


fact Of our having threatened thus to
guarantee the local tyrants ana wrong
doors against outside interferences by
ourselves or others would have put q
premium of every species Of tyranny and
anarchy within the islands.
The Course Adopted.
Finally. there was the course which
we adopted-not an easy course. one
fraught with danger and difficulty, as Is
generally the case in this world when
some great feat Is to be accomplished
as an incident to working out national
destiny. We made up our minds to stay
in the isIands-to put down vioience-to
establish peace end order-and then to In
troduce just and wise civil rule accom-
panied by a measure Of self government
which should increase as rapidly as the
islanders showed themselves fit for 1t.
Well, II was certainly formidable task;
but think of-the marvelously successful
way in which 1t has been accomplished.
THE first and vitality important feat
was the establishment of the supremacy
of the American flag and this had to be
done by the effort of those gallant fellow
Americans of ours to whom so greet
debt is due-the officers and enlisted men
of the United States army regulars and
volunteers alike. In a succession of cam
paigns, carried on in unknown tropie
juggles against an elusive and treacher-
Gus foe vastly outnumbering them. under
the most adverse conditions Of climate.
our troops completely broke the power of
the insurgents. smashed their armies and
harried the broken rubber bands into sub
nilsson.
War of BTigandage.
"In its latter stages the war against
our rule sank into mere brigandage; and
what our troops had TO do was too hunt
down the parties of Ladrones. II was
not task which IL vas humapely pos
sible to accomplish in month or year;
but month by month, year by year. with
unwearied and patient resolution, our
army in the Philippines did the task
until the last vestige of organized insur-
rection was stamped out do not refer
to the Moros with whom we have ex-
ercised the utmost forbearance, but who
may force us to chastize them II they
persist in attacking our troops.
Among the Filipnos proper however,
neace has come. Doubtless here and
there sporadic outbreaks OF brigandage
will occur from time to time, but or
ganized warfare against the American
flag has ceased. Out army In the islands
has been reduced until 1t is not fourth
of what 1t wns at the time the outbreak
was at its height.
Step by step as the army conquered,
the rule of the military was supplanted
by the rule of the cIvl authorites-the
soldier was succeeded by the civilian
magistrate.
Good Men Chosen.
1.-The utmost care has been exercised in
choosing the best type of Americans for
the high civil positions and the actual
work of administration has been done so
far as possible by native Filipino Of
ficials serving under these Americans.
The success OF the effort has been won
derfuI. Never has this country had
more upright or an ADLER body OF public
representative than Governor Taft Vice
Governor Wright and their associates and
subordinates in the Philippine Islands.
1t is very difieult matter practically
to apply the principles of an ordinary
free government TO an oriental people
struggling upwards out Of barbartsm and
subsection. Ii is task requiring infinite
frmness. patience. tact and broad minded
ness All these qualities have been
found in the civil and military officials
who have been sent over to administer
the islands.
1T was. Of course. inevitable that there