The Glenwood post., 1904-12-10


to abandon our naval programme Our
voice is now potent for peace. and Is 50
potent because are not afraid Of war.
But our protestations upon behalf OF
peace would neither receive nor deserve
the slightest attention If were I'M
potent to make them good.
The Army.
Within the last three yenrs the United
States has set an example in disarma-
ment where disarmament was proper.
By law our army is fixed at a maximum
of one hundred thoIsand and minimum
of sixty thousand men. When there was
insurrection in the Philippines 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 1t with due
regard to its efficiency. The guns now
mounted require twenty eight thousand
men. II the coast fortificatons are to be
adequately manned Relatively to the
nation. it is not now 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 maneuvering, espe-
| Cially in connection with the regulars.
| For this reason We are to be congratu-
| lated upon the success of the field ma
| eHuvers at Manassas last fall, maneuvers
| in which 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
| minutlve army ours; and while the
| army Is so small are not to be ex-
| cused If We fail to keep it at very high
! grade Of proficiency.
Great progress has been made in pro-
| tecting our coasts by adequate fortii-
! cations with sufficient guns. We should.
| however. pay much more heed than at
| present to the development of an extern
| sive system Of floating mircs for in
| all our more important harbors These
| mines have been proved to he IA most for
| mGable safeguard against hostile fleets.
The Philippines.
In the Philippine islands there has
been during the past year 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
| accurately, the many tribes and even
| races, suudcrCd 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 have a right to hope
| utterly incapable of existing in inde-
pendence at all or of building up civ
| ilizatiou of their own. l firmly believe
that we can help them to rise higher and
| higher in the scale of civilization and
| Of capacity for self government and l
most earnestly hope that in the end they
will be able to stand, II not entirely alone.
! vet in some such relation to the United
States as Cuba now stands. This end
is not yet in sight. and 1t may be in
definitely postponed If our people
foolish enough to turn the attention of
! the Filipinos away from the problems of
| achieving moral and material prosperity
of working for n stable orderly. and Just
government, and toward foolish and dam
| gerous intrigues for a complete independ-
| ence for which they 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 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 ought in good
lblNl 10 lIN 10 10 snare OF ln6
| worlds work and this particular piece
Of work has been imposed upon us by
| the results of the war with Spain. The
| problem presented to US in the Philip
pine islands is akin to. but not exactly
like, the problems presented to the other
| great civilized powers which have pos
sessions in the Orient More distinctly
than any of the powers we are endeav-
| oring to develop the natives themselves
so that they shall take an ever-increas-
ing share in their own government, and
as far as iG prudent we are already ad-
mitting their representatives to a gov
ernmental equality with our own. There
| are commissioners judges. and governors
I in the islands who are Filipnos and who
have exactly the same share in the gov
ernment OF the islands as have their col
leagues who Americans, while in tho
lower ranks. of course. the great major
| ity OF the public servants are Filipinos.
| Within two years we shall be trying the
| experiment of an elective lower house in
the Philippine legislature.
/ Meanwhile our own people should re-
/ member that there is need for the high
est standard Of conduct among the Amer
| leans sent to the Philippine islands. not
| only among the public servants but
/ among the private individuals who go
| to them. 1t is because l feel this so
deeply that in the administration OF these
| islands l have positively refused to per-
| nit any discrimination whatsoever for
/ political reasons and have insisted that
| in choosing the public servants consd-
| Grafton should be paid solely to the
| worth of the men chosen and to tha
| needs of the islands. There is no high
| er body of men in public service
than we have in the Philippine islands
under Gov. 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 n vigilant and disinter-
| csted support of our public servants in
the Philippines by good citizens here in
the United States. Unfortunately hither-
to those of our people here at home who
| have specially claimed to be the cham
! pions of the Ftlipinos have in reality
| been their worst enemies. This will
| continue to be the case as long they
! strive to make the Filipinos Independent.
and stop all Industrial development of
the islands by crying out against the