Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-12-06

Great progress has been made in pro-
| tectins OR coasts by adequate fortifica-
tons with sufficient guns. We should.
| however. pay much more heed than at
present to the development OF am ex
tensive system of floating mines for use
| in all our more important harbors. These
mines have been proved TO be a most for
micable safeguard against hostile fleets.
Medals of Honor In the Navy.
/ earnestly call the attention OF the con-
gress to the need of amending the exist
| ing law relating to the award OF congress
sional medals of honor in the navy
| to provide that they may be awarded to
commissioned officers and warrant Off
GERS as well to enlisted men. These
| Justly priced medals are given in the army
alike to the officers and the enlisted men.
and 1t Is most unjust that the commits
stoned officers and warrant officers of the
| navy should not in this respect have the
same rights their brethren in the army
and as the enlisted men or the navy.
The Philippines.
In the Philippine Islands there has been
during the past year continuation OF the
steady progress which has obtained ever
since our troops definitely got the upper
hand OF the insurgents. The Philippine
people. or. to speak more accurately. the
many tribes and even races, sundered
from one another more or less sharply.
who go to make up the people of the
Philippine Islands. contain many eie-
we have right to hope stand for prog
ress. At present they are utterly incapa-
BILE of existing in independence at all or
of building up civilization of their own
/ firmly believe that we can help them to
rise higher and higher in the scale of civ
ilization and of capacity for self govern
ment, and 1 most earnestly hope that in
the end they will be able TO stand. if not
entirely alone. yet in some such relation
to the United States as Cuba now stands.
This end is not yet in sight, and 1t may be
indefinitely postponed if our people are
foolish enough to turn the attention of
the Filipinos away from the problems of
achieving moral and material prosperity.
of working for stable orderly and just
government and toward foolish and dan
gerouS intrigueS for complete independ-
ence for which they are as yet totally I'M
fit.
On the other hand. our people must
keep steadily before their minds the fact
that the justification for our stay in the
Philippines must ultimately rest chiefly
upon the good We are able to do in the
islands l do not overlook the fact that
in the development of our interests. in the \
Pacific ocean and along its coasts the
Philippines have played and will play an
important part and that our interests
have been served in more than one way
by the possession of the islands. But our
chief reason for continuing to hold them
must be that we ought in good faith to
try to do our share of the worlds worn,
and this particular piece of work has
been imposed upon us by the results of
the war with Spain. The problem pre-
sentcd to us in the Philippine Islands Is
akin to but not exactly like the problems
presented to the other great civilized pow
ers which have possessions in the orient
There are points of resemblance In our
work to the work which is being done
by the British in India and Egypt. by the
French in Algiers, by the Dutch in Java,
by the Russians in Turkestan, by the
Japanese in Formosa, but more distinctly
than any of these powers we are endeav
oring to develop the natives themselves
so that they shall take an ever increasing
share In their own government, and as
far as is prudent we are already ad
uniting their representatives to a gov
ernmental equality with our own. There
are commissioners, judges and governors
I'm the islands who are Filipinos and who
have exactly the same share in the gov
eminent of the islands have their col
leagues who are Americans, while in the
lower ranks of course the great majority
Of the public servants are Filipinos.
Within two years we shall be trying the
experiment of an elective lower house In
the Philippine legislature. 1t may be that
the Fiipinos will misuse this legislature.
and they certainly will misuse 1T IL they
are misled by foolish persons here at
home into starting an agitation for their
own independence or into any factious or
improper action. In such case they will |
do themselves no good and will stop for |
the time being all further effort to ad- |
vance them and give them greater
share in their own government. But II |
they act with wisdom and self restraint,
If they show that they capable OF |
electing legislature which in its turn is |
capable of taking a sane and efficient part |
in the actual work OF government, they
can rest assured that full and increas-
ing measure of recognition will be given |
them. Above all, they should remember |
that their prime needs are moral and in |
dustrial. not political 1t is a good thing |
frx. narf,,, <xfxr no..
legislature. but 1t is far better thing to |
give them schools, good roads, railroads |
which will enable them to get their prod
ucts to market. honest courts an honest |
and efficient constabulary and all that
tends to produce order. peace. fair deal
ing as between man and man and habits
of intelligent industry and thrift If they |
are safeguarded against oppression and
II their real wants, material and spiritual. II
are studied inteligently and in a spirit II
of friendly sympathy much more good
will be done them than by any effort to
give them political power. though this
effort may In its own proper time and |,
place be proper enough. III
Meanwhile our own people should re-
that there is need for the highest
standard of conduct among the Americans
sent to the Philippine Islands. not only
among the public servants. but among the |
private individuals who go to them. 1t
1t because 1 feel this SO deeply that in
the administration Of these islands have
positively refused to permit any discrim-
nation whatsoever for political reasons
and have insisted that in choosing the
public servants consideration should be
paid solely to the worth of the men |
chosen and to the needs OF the islands.
There is no higher body OF men in our
public service than we have I'm the Philip |
pine Islands under Governor Wright and
his associates. So far as possible these
men should be given free hand. and
their suggestions should receive the
hearty backing both of the executive and
Of the congress. There is need of a vigil
ant and dlsinterested support of our
public servants in the Philippines by good
citizens here in the United States. I'm
hitherto those of our people
here at home who have specially claimed
10 be the champions of the Filiplnos have |
n reality been their worst enemies This
will continue TO be the case as long as
hey strive to make the FilfpinoS fnde- |
pendent and stop all industrial develop
nent of the islands by crying out against
he laws which would bring IL on the
ground that capitalists must not Eek
1loit" the islands. Such proceedings are
not only Jnwige. but are most harmful |