The Teton peak-chronicle., 1904-12-08

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 ond all similar matters Is to bo
a mere boastful sham we can not afford
TO abandon our naval programme. Our
voice Is now potent Tor 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 inn
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
BY law our army is fed at a maximum
OF one hundred thousand and minimum
OF sixty thousand men. When there was
insurrection 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 1t with due
regard to its efficiency. The guns now
mounted require twenty-eight thousand
men. II the coast Notifications are to be
adequately manned. Relatively to tho
nation. 1t 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
GERS OF the army should be accustomed
| to handle their men in masses. as Il 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 are to he congratu-
| lated upon the success OF the field ma
| enuvers 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 d.
| minutive army as ours; and while the
| army Is so small we are not to be ex-
| cused II We fail to keep it at a very high
! grade of proficiency.
| Great progress has been made in pro-
| tecting our coasts by adequate fortih-
| 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 a most for
| midable safeguard against hostile tieets.
The Philippines.
| In the Philippine islands there has
been during the past year continuation
OF the steady progress which has OBJ
| tained 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 elements of good. and some ele-
ments which We have right to hope
stand for progress. At present they are
utterly incapable of existing In inde-
rendence at all or OF building up civ
ilizat1on 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 I
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 II our people are
| foolish enough to turn the attention Of
the Filipiuos 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 a 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. 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 Fart. 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 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-
orng to develop the natives themselves
that they shall take an ever increas-
ing share In their own government. and
| ns far as Is prudent we are already adj
mtttng their representatives to gov.
ernmental equality with our own. There
are commissioners. judges. and governors
In the Islands who are Filipinos and who
have exactly the same share in the gov.
| ernmcnt of the Islands as have their col.
leagues who are Americans. while In the
lower ranks. of course. the great major
| ty Of the public servants are Fiipinos.
| Within two years we shall tie 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
cans sent to the Philippine Islands. not
'nly among the public servants but
imong the private individuals who 90
| 10 them 1t Is because I feel this SO
| deeply that in the administra tion OF these
Islands l have positively refused to per-
| nit any discrimina ton whatsoever for
political reasons and have insisted that
in choosing The public servants consid-
| grafton should be paid solely to the
| worth of the men chosen and to the
needs OF the islands. There Is no high
er body of men in our public service
ihan We have in the Philippine islands
under Gov. Wright and his associates.
| So far as possible these men should Be
given n free hand. and their suggestions
should receive the hearty backing both
of the Executive and Of the Congress.
| There Is need of a vigiant and disinter-
osted support OF our public servants IN
the Philippines by good citizens here IN
the United States. Unfortunately hither.
10 those of our people here at home who
'nve specially claimed 10 be the cham.
rions OF the Filipinos have In reality
| lceu their wOrxl enemiea. Thi1 Wil}