The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-10-07
TAFT TALKS
 PHILIPPINES Work Done by the Unittd
 States. N STATE OF PUPn xcB inhabitants are Without E III ical Experience.
  Says suase rsrk<rs resatss. = ts tis Futurs ef the Arenspezase ' = radsa.lse al ssa.1 =
 other eresSlens.
' STATE OF PUPn xcB

stf, VI %A. - -
 Indianapolis, Oct s.--wiiliam H Tart. Secretary of War. and United states Senator Bsveridge were tho speakers tonight at the closing meet ing held fin connection with the Con- vention of the National Republican League of the United States. A torch light procession escorted the speakers to the hall where large crowd had gathered. President J. Hampfcn Moore of Philadelphia, who was re elected today as the head of the Leaxua was called home unexpectedly and sid B. Bedding, of Little Rock. Ark. Ma tional Vice President of the LeaEue pre- sided and introduced the speakers An enthusiastic demonstration great a secfetary Taft who devoted sub- stantialiy all of his speech to tha issnea respecting the Philippine Tslands. He dwelt at some length on the situation in which The United States without fault, fours ss==if. after the protocol with Spain was sisned.y saying that there was no other c6urne for tho United States to take than to assume the sovereignty of the islands@ ITO turn the islands back to Spain" he said. would have been false to Che reasonable hope of the insurEents. and to turn the islands over to Aguinaldo would have found the people sufferinn from oppression. far greater than to continue them under the rule of SpAln.~
 fn Conditfen ef IKnoranee.
 He described the condition of the people in the islands showing that per cent. spoke Spanish and that the remainder were in a condition of ixt norancs hard for the Americans to un- derstand.
 There are.- he said. seven million Christians. but they are in a state of Christian pupiiage or childhood, Ut. terly without political experience. and subject to the, control Of first one and then aSHther,s of unecrupuious. unsdu< cated dsmaRogues Of their own race 2 ! xfe described at length the plan of educaadp by q f'sous ana 4mefiesf< te4chnr1 wlse hays ha4n zuooFfHd to teach ten 6r fifteen thousand Eiiiplrto teachers the English language, enab- ling them. In turn. to teach the prim- ary and second courses.
 where there had been in the iirst year enrolled In the schools about no per cent of the youth of school age. and in the present year 1t was 10 per cent. of the school age, this does not include the attendance at night schools"
 Continuing. he said:
 There are enrolled iri schools in which only the English language is spoken and taught, 2s3,000 pupils. and the average attepdance Is about 7a per cent.Y
 Describes Govermments. He described the municipal Govern ment, which, he said. Is completely autonomous. and the provincial gov ernment. which is partly autonomous. as schools In self government, and pointed out that in two years from 1 next January a popular assembly would be elected by the people of the Philip pine Islands who should take equal part with the commission in legislation for the islands. He also described the material improvements that have been made or will be made In the islands.
 Further, he said:
 'In reaching the present conditions | in the islands. the administration has | encountered the constant opposition or the Democratic Party.
 "JudRe Parker's decision as to what is to be done with the islands Is as | indefinite as 1t Is upon other issues. He did not say whether or not he re- garded the people of the Philippine | Islands fit for self government.
  cratic party into power. In respect tp ! the Philippine issue. Is to be stated in the alternative. If they come into power | the Filipinos regard them as pledgtpg | themselves to give the islands ifnrne- | diate Independence. But should they fall to keep this pledge. the insurrec- | tionary element would be certain 70 charge the Government with bad faith. | On the other hand if they granted im- | nA Hf1- aster could come to the Philippine Isl- ands and 1t would be a disgracefui Abandonment of the duties and burden which fate has placed upon the United States"
 Cost of the Philippines Government | Secretary Taft discussed the question of the cost of the Philippines to the United States and pointed out that down to May. 1902. the cost as ofii- eially reported by the Secretary of War | did not exceed $169. .o00,0 900; that the | $20, ,0oo. .0o0 to be paid under the treaty,
 added to this increased 1t to $1ss,0oo,- | 900. and that the cost per year to the l United States for maintaining tha \ scouts and the additional cost of main | taining i3,000 troops in the islands in- stead of in the United States. all taken ltogether, did not exceed sS,OVV,00O year
 | The civil government ne sdiu, sS selfssustaining and no expense what ever for the civil government Is I'm posed upon the United States
 1 .sThe statements of Judge Parker and Mir. Davis in respect to the Philippines are greatly exaggerated. and I do not
 know where Judge Parker obtained the authority to make the statement that the Philippines cost the United states s65o. .0oo, 900. Wherever he got it, 1t is certainly without foundation"
 Senator Beveridge also was accorded a warm reception when he arose 70 speak, following Secretary Taft.