Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-07

distress occasioned primarily by the ter
rible cattle disease which almost annihiiat-
ed the carabao or water bunalo, the cmel
and most important domestic animal In the
islands. Coming as this disaster did upon
the heels of the havoc wrought by the In
surrectionary war great suffering has been
caused and this misery for which this
government is in no way responsible will
doubtless in turn increase the difficulties OF
the Philippine government for the next
year or so. In consequence there Will
doubtless here and there occur sporadic In
creases of the armed brigandage to which
the islands have been habftuated from
time immemorial, and here and there FOR
their own purposes the bandits may choose
to style themselves patriots or Insured
tionists; but these local difficulties viii be
of little consequence save as they give oc-
casion to a few men here at home again 70
try to mislead our people.
Not only has the military problem In the
Philippines been worked out quicker and
better than we had dared to expect, but
the progress socially and In civil govern
ment has likewise exceeded our fondest
hopes.
The best thing that can be done in ham
ding such problem as that in the Philip
pines, SO peculiar, so delicate, SO difficult
and so remote is to put the best man pos
sible in charge and then give him the
heartiest possible support and the freest
possible hand. This is what has been done
with Governor Taft. There is not in this
nation a higher or finer type of public ser
want than Governor Taft He has rendered
literally inestimable service, not only to
the people of the Philippines, but also to
the people of the United States by what
he has done in those islands. He has been
able to do it because from the beginning ne
has been given absolute support by the
War Department under Secretary Root.
With the cessation of organized resistance
the civil government assumed its proper
position of headship. The army in the
Philippines is now one of the instruments
mirable work. The civil government, of
which Governor Taft is the head, is su-
preme. and it will do well In the future as
it has in the past, because 1t will be backed
up in the future as it has been in the past.
Remember always that in the Philippines
the American government has tried and Is
trying to carry out exactly what the great
est genius and most revered patriot ever
known in the Philippine Islands-Jose
Enthusiastically advocated. This man,
shortly before his death, in a message to
his countrymen. under date of December
16, 1896, condemned unsparingly the fnsur
rection of Aguinaldo terminated just be-
fore our navy appeared upon the scene.
and pointed out the path his people should
follow to liberty and enlightenment.
Speaking of the insurrection and of the
pretense that Filipino independence Of a
wholesome character could thereby be OBJ
tanned, he wrote:
The Words Of Rial.
ment was begun. I offered of my own ac-
cord, not only my services. but my life
and even my good name to be used in any
way they might believe effective in sitting
the rebellion. I thought of the disaster
which would follow the success of the
revolution. and 1 deemed myself fortunate
If by any sacrifice l could block the prog
ress Of such a useless calamity.
my countrymen, 1 have given proof that
T W. W GhQrfV
country and I still seek it. But as a first
step l insisted upon the development Of
the people in order that. by means of edu-
cation and Of labor, they might acquire
the proper individual character and force
which would make them worthy of it. In
my writings 1 have commended to you
study and civic virtue, without which our
redemption does not exist. can
not do less than condemn, and I do con-
denim, this absurd and savage 1nsurrectfon
planned behind my back. which dishonors
with those who otherwise would argue in
our behalf I abominate it's cruelties and
disavow any kind of connection with 1t,
regretting with all the sorrow Of my soul
themselves to be deceived. Let them re-
turn then, to their homes. and may God
pardon those who have acted in bad faith"
This message embodied precisely and ex-
actfy the avowed policy upon which the
American government has acted in the
Philippines What the patriot RiZal said
with such force in speaking Of the insur-
rection before we came to the islands ap-
plies with tenfold greater force to thaee
who foolishly or wickedly opposed the mild
and beneficent government we were 1nstt-
tuting in the islands. The judgment of the
martyred public servant, Rial, whose
birthday the Philippine people celebrate,
and whom they worship as their hero and
ideal, sets forth the duty of American SOW
ereignty. duty from which the American
people will never finch
Economical Administration.
While we have been doing these great
and benefcent works In the islands we
have yet been steadily reducing the cost
at which they are done. The last Congress
repealed the law for the war taxes, and the
War Department has reduced the army
from the maximum number Of 100000 al
lowed under the law to very nearly the
minimum of 10000.
Moreover, the last Congress enacted some
admirable legislation affecting the army,
passing first of all the militia bill, and then
the bill to create general stan. The mill
tia bill represents the realization of a re-
form which had been championed ineffect-
lively by Washington. and had been fruit
lessly agitated ever since At last we have
taken from the statute books the obsolete
militia law Of the revolutionary days and
have provided for efficient aid to the Ma
tional Guard of the states. I believe that
no other great country has such fine natu-
raj material for volunteer soldiers as we
have and it is the obvious duty of the ma
ton and Of the states to make such pro-
vision as will enable this volunteer SOL
diery to be organized with all possible
rapidity and efficiency in time of war; and,
furthermore, to help in every way the
National Guard in time Of peace. The mi
litia law enacted by the Congress marks
the first long step ever taken in this direc-
ton by the national government.
The general staff law Is of immense i'm
portance and benefit to the regular army.
individually l would not admit that the
American regular, either officer or enlisted
man. Is inferior to any other regular sof-
dier In the world. In fact, II It were worth
while to boast. / should be tempted to say
that he was the best. But there must be
proper training. proper organization and
administration In order to get the best serv-
ice out of even the best troops. This Is
particularly the case with sucha small
army as ours, scattered over so vast a
country. We do not need large regular
particularly the case with such q small
regular army the very best that can pos
sibly be produced. Under the worn-out
and Ineffective organization which has
hitherto existed a sudden strain is abso-
lutey certain to produce the dislocation
and confusion we saw at the outbreak of
the war with Spain; and when such dtslo-
cation and confusion occurs dt Is easy and
M fy,ro1 hut tdy>o1 X