Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1904-12-08

of which the Armenians have been the
victims. and which have won for them
the indignant pity of the civilized world.
Rights Of American Citizens Abroad.
Even where 1t is not possible to Sc
cure in other nations the observance Of
the principles which we accept as AK
iomatic. it is necessary for us firmly to
insist upon the rights Of our own citi-
zens without regard to their creed or
race; witnou. regard to whether they
were born here or born abroad
The Navy.
The strong arm of the government in
enforcing respect for its just rights in
international matters Is the navy of the
United States / most earnestly recon-
mend that there be no halt in the work
of upbuilding the American navy. There
is no more patriotic duty before us as
people than to keep the navy adequate
To the needs of this country's position.
We have undertaken to build the 18th
milan canal. We have undertaken to Sc
cure for ourselves our just share in the
trade Of the Orient We have under
taken to protect our citizens from i'm
proper treatment in foreign lands We
continue steadily to insist on the appli-
cation Of the Monroe doctrine to the
western hemisphere. Unless our attitude
in these and al! similar matters is to be
mere boastful sham we can not afford
voice is now potent for peace. and is so
potent because we are not afraid OF war.
But our prOtestations upon behalf of
peace would neither receive nor deserve
the slightest attention If we were i'm
potent to make them good.
The Army.
Within the last three years the United
States has set an example in disarma-
ment where disarmament was proper.
1ar 10 imam
OF one hundred thousand and minimum
of sixty thousand men. When there was
instruction in the Philippines we kept
the army at the maximum. Peace came
in the Philippines. and now our army
has been reduced to the minimum at
which it is possible to keep it with due
regard to its efficiency. The guns now
mounted require twenty-eight thousand
men. if the coast Notifications are to be
adequately manned. Relatively to the
nation. it is not now so large as the po-
lice force of New York or Chicago rela-
lively to the population of either city.
We need more officers; there are not
enough to perform the regular army
work. 1t is very important that the Off
GERS of the army should be accustomed
to handle their men in masses, as it is
also important that the national guard
of the several states should be accus-
toned to actual field n1aneuvering. espe-
cially in connection with the regulars.
For this reason we are to be congratu-
lated upon the success of the field ma
enuvers at Manassas last fall. maneuvers
in which a larger number of regulars
and national guard took part than was
ever before assembled together in time
of peace. No other civilized nation has.
relatively to its population, such a di-
minutive army as ours; and while the
army is so small We are not to be eN-
CuSa6 m 1 a a
grade of proficiency.
Great progress has been made in pro-
tecting our coasts by adequate FORTH
cations with sufficient guns. We should.
however. pay much more heed than at
present to the development of an extern
sive system of floating mines for use in
all our more important harbors. These
mines have been proved to be most for
miaable safeguard against hostile fleets.
The Philippines.
In the Philippine islands there has
been during the past year n continuation
of the steady progress which has OBJ
tanned ever since our troops definitely
got the upper hand of the insurgents.
The Philippine people. or. to speak more
ccurately. 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 elements of good. and some ele-
ments which we hive q right to hope
stand for progress. AT present they are
| utterly incapable of existing in indie
pendence at all or of building up a civ
| ilization of their own. 1 firmly believe
| that we can help them to rise higher and
! higher in the seal" of civilization and
| OF capacity for self-goveI nment. and
most earnestly hope that in the end they
| will be able to stand. if net entirely alone,
| yet in some such relation to the United
sta end
is. not yet in sight. and it may be in
| definitely postponed if cur 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 intrisues for complete independ-
| ence for which they are as yet totally
unfit.
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. I do not overlook the fact that
| in the development of our interests il
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. Bu
|
| them must be that we ought in gooC
| faith to try to do our share of the
worlds work. and this particular piec'
of work has been imposed upon us by
| the results of the war with Spain. TIL,
| problem presented to us in the Philip
| pine islands is akin to, but not exactly
like. the problems presented to the othe
| great civilized powers which have pos
sessions in the Orient. More distinct,
| than any of the powers We are endeav
oring to develop the natives themselve
| so thai they shall take an ever-increas
ing share in their own government. ant
as far as is prudent we are already ad
hitting their representatives to a gov
| ernmental equality with our own. Their
are commissioners. judges. and governor
in the islands who are Filipinos and VIII
have exactly the same share in the gov
eminent of the islands as have their col
| leagues who are Americans, while in tn
lower ranks, of course. the great major
ity of the public servants are Filipfnos
Within two years we shall be trying tn
experiment of an elective lower house 1
the. Philippine legislature.
Meanwhile our own people should re
member that there Is need for the hlgh
est standard of conduct among the Amer
leans sent to the Philippine Islands. nc
only among the public servants bu
among the private individuals who g
4
deeply that in the administration of thes
islands I have positively refused to per
init any discrimination whatsoever 10
political reasons and have insisted tina
in choosing the public servants consid
Grafton should be paid solely to tn
worth of the men chosen and to tn
needs of the islands. There is no nigh
er body of men in our public servic
| than we have in the Philippine island
under Gov. Wright and his associate!
So far as possible these men should B
given a free hand. and their suggestion
should receive the hearty backing bot
of the Executive and OF the Congress
There is need of a vigilant and disintei
ested support of our public servants
the Philippines by good citizens here
the United States. Unfortunately hithel
to those of our people here at home WI
have specially claimed to be the cham
pions of the Filipinos have in realit
been their worst enemies. This WI
continue to be the case as long as the
strive to make the Filipinos Independent