Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-12-10


Masses 'eTt IN. raneuvers IN which a
larger number of regulars and national
& ard too part than was ever Cfore as
scmbled together In time OF peace. No
other civilized nation has relatively TO its
population such a dimirUt,ve army as
Que and while the arm is so snail we
are not to be excused If We II TO keep
il at very high grade of proficiency II
must be necessarily practicc1 The stand
ard for the e1liStcd men should be kept
very hiSh. while ut tho same time the
service should be made as attractive as
possible. and the standard for the officers
should be kept even higher. which as re-
CARDS the upper ranks can best be done
by Introducing some system of selection
and rejection into the promotions we
should be able in the event Of some sud
den emergency to put into tie field one
first class army corps which should be as
n whole at least the equal of any body
OF troops of like number belonging to any
other ma ton.
Great progress has been made IN pro-
tecdng our coasts by adequate fo~'ifica-
tio1s with sufficient guns We should
however. pay much more heed than at
present to the development of an ex-
tensive system Of floating mines for use
In all our mora important harbors. These
mines have been proved TO be a mos; for
tAANoVAS SaAt6udIG aSdlllSl nOSlne meets.
Medals of Honor In the Navy.
I.earnestly call the attention of the con-
gress TO the need of amending the exist
Ing law ating to the award OF congress
sional medals OF honor in the navy so as
to provide that they may be awarded to
commissioned officers and warrant Off
GERS as well as to enlisted men These
Justly priced medals are given In the army
alike to the officers and the enlisted men.
and It 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 of the navy.
The Philippines.
In the Philippine Islands there has been
during the past year a continuation of tho
steady progress which has obtained ever
since our troops definitely got the upper
hand of the insurgents. The Philippine
people, or. to speak more accura tely. 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 ele-
ments of good and some elements which
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 a civilization of their own
L firmly believe that We can help them to
rise higher and higher in the scale of civ
flizatOn and of capacity for self govern
ment and l 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 IL may be
indefinitely postponed IL 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 a stable orderly and Just
government and toward foolish and dam
gerouS intrigues for complete independ-
ence for which they are as yet totally un-
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. ] do not overlook the fact that
In the development OF our interests in the
Pacific ocean and along It's coasts the
Philippines have played and will play an
important part and that our interests
have been served ip more tha-1 n-,a ,-ra,-
by the possession of the islands. But our
chief reason for continuing TO hold them
must be that we ought I'm good faith to
try to do share Of the worlds work
and this particular piece Of work has
been imposed upon us by the results of
the war with Spain. The problem pre-
scented 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 re points OF resemblance in our
work to the work which Is being done
by the British IN India md E-ypt. by the
French in Algiers. by the Dutch i'm Java.
by the Russians I'm Turkostan. by the
japanese i'm Formosa hat more distinctly
than ANY or these powers We are endcav-
oriug to develop the natives themselves
SO that they shall take an over incrca sing
share I'm their own government and rs
far as is prudent we are already adj.
hitting their representatives, TO n gov
ernncntnl equality with our own. There
are commissioners. judges and governors
In the islands who are Filipinos and who
have cNocty the same share I'm the gov
ernment or the islands as have their col
leagues who are Americans while in the
lower ranks Of course the great majority
OF the public servants are Fillpinos.
Within two years we shall ho trying the
experiment OF an elective lower house in
the Philippine legislature. II may be that
the Filipnos will misuse this legislature
and they certainly will misuse IL III they
are misled by foolish persons here ut
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 I'm their own government But IL
they act with wisdom and self restraint
II they show that they are capable of
electing n legislature which In its turn is
capable or taking n sane and efficient part
AZ 'iC aNtusii WOTf OF lney
can rest assured that fun 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 Ii IS good thing
to try the experiment OF giving them a
legislature, but IL is far better thing to
give them schools. good roads. railroads
which viii enable them TO get their prod
ucts to market. honest courts, an honest
and efficient constabulary and an 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
are studied intelligently and in a spirit
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.
Meanwhile our own people should re-
member 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. II
Il because / feel this so deeply that In
the administration of these islands have
positively refused to permit any discrim-
nation whatsoever for political reasons
md H-,EA fy0Sf fal Nl,nN A.