The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-10-18
B
4


TED sins IA Con siots
Record: el4
people Of the United States
haxesunde TIL utdanca and control
2 hi ptnes an archtpe Sof
1 600 Islands the population Of which
lis about 100000 souls. OF these
,ooDs 900 are. Christians and GOT, 900
ARE Moros or other pagan tribes he
4 problem of the government OF the
Moros is the same as that which Eng
land has had in the government OF
the Straits Settlements or India The
government of 100000 Christian
sFflipinos is very different problem.
and one which it has fallen to the lot
of the United States only. to solve.
The attitude of the american people
toward the Philippine Islands may
be described as follows: There are
those who think that the Declaration
of Independence forbids our accept-
ing or maintaining sovereignty Ger
them; there are those who, without.
respect to the Declaration of indie
pendence believe that colonial posses
sions are likely to lead to expense
and corruption and Decentralization,
have little faith in the solution Of the
problem by teaching the Filipino the
art Of self-government, and are anS-.
ious to get rid Of the islands before
they have done any harm to the Uni
ted States.
Then there are those who hold hat
fate brought these islands under our
control. and that thus duty was i'm
posed upon us of seeing to it that they
were not injured by the transfer. AS
friend of the Fiipinos it is my anx-
ious desire to enlarge that class of
Americans who have real interest in
the welfare of the islands, and who
believe that the United States can
have no higher duty or function than
to assist the people of the Islands to
prosperity in a political development
which shall enable them to secure to
themselves the enjoyment of civil lib
erty. EApplause.]
In the philippine Islands 30 per
cent of the inhabitants are still in
hopeless condition of ignorance am NJ
terly unable intelligently to WELD po-
litical control. They are subject. like
the waves of the sea, to the Influence
of the moment and any educated Fiji 1
pino can carry them in one direction
or the other, as the opportunity and
the occasion shall permit. Ths-Io per
cent. of the Filipinos who are cdlt-
Gated have shown by what they have
done and what they have aspi"ed to
and what they are that they NAY be
taught the lessen of lf-sovernment
and that their fellows by further edu-
cation may be brought up to q condi |
ton of discriminating intelligence
which shall enable them to make 4
But that it will take more than one
generation to accomplish this every
one familiar with the facts must con,
My own idea Of the mission of the |
United States in the Philippine |
Islands is that it ought to be main
tanned and encouraged by the people |
of the United States without regard
to the question of its cost or its profit
able results from a commercial or fl.
nancia1 point of view. -
The islands themselves give every
Indication of furnishing revenue suf
fcient to carry out the plans which
the United States may properly carry
out in the material and intellectual
development of the country and its
people.
The Philippine Archipelago is the
only country in which can he pro-
luced what is known as MANILA
hemp" or what is called in the Spanish
language "abaca." This is a fiber of
enormous strength, of from { to IS
'eet in length, which is stripped from
he stalk of a banana plant-noc the
ordinary banana plant, but plant of
he same family. which does not pro-. r
luce fruit. Many parts of the Islands
ire Very rich in cocoanuts. Tie Co
,oanut grove is planted 200 to a hcc-
are: that is, 200 to 214 acres. 1t
axes four or five years for co 2oanpt
rees to bear. After that they will L
oear for 100 years, and low price, a
rec for annual rent is $40 gold
ear an acre.
The sugar and tobacco industries
n the islands are capable of a con
siderable increase. The island ofg.Sc- .
,ros contains sugar land as rich as
my in the world, and the provinces
# Cagayan, Isabella and Union cen b
ain tobacco lands, which, next to r.