Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-12-06

DECEMBER 6, 1904. ed States to the Monroe doctrine may force the United States, however re- Iuctantly, in fragrant cases of such Wfongdoing or impotence, to the exer- else of an international police power. RIGHTS OF AMERICAN CITIZENS ABROAD
 It is necessary for us firmly to insist up on the rights of our own citizens abroad without regard to their creed or race; without regard to whether thew ~-c''" born here or born abroad It has proved very difficult to secure from Russia the right for our Jewish fellow citizen to receive passports and travel through Russian territory. It is a wrong against which we are entitled to protest to refuse himsg his passport without regard to his conduct and char acter, merely on racial and religious grounds.
 THE NAVY.
 The strong arm of the government in enforcing respect for it's just rights in international matters is the navy of the United States. I most earnestly recommend that there be no halt in the work of upbuilding the American navy. We have undertaken to build the isth- milan canal We have undertaken to secure for ourselves our just share in the trade of the orient. We have un- dertaken to protect our citizens from improper treatment in foreign lands. We continue steadily to insist on the application of the Monroe doctrine to the western hemisphere Unless our attitude in these and all similar mat ters is to be mere boastful sham we cannot afford to abandon our naval programme. Our voice is now potent for peace and is so potent because we, are not afraid of war. But our prot estations upon behalf of peace would neither receive nor deserve the slight est attention if we were impotent to make them good.
 THE ARMY.
 Within the last three years the Unit ed States has set an example in dis armament where disarmament was proper. By law our army is fixed at a maximum of 100000 and a minimum of 60,o00 men. When there was insur- rection 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 itis possible to keep it with due regard to it's efficiency. We should be able, in the event of some sudden emergency, to put into the field one first class army corps, which should be, as a whole, at least the equal of any body of troops of like number belong ing to any other nation
 Great progress has been made in pro- tecting our coasts by adequate fortifl- cations with sufficient guns. We should, however, pay much more heed than at present to the development of an extensive system of floating mines for use in all our more important har- bors. These mines have been proved to be most formidable safeguard against hostile fleets.
 THE PHILIPPINES.
 In the Philippine Islands there has been during the past year continua- tion of the steady progress which has obtained ever since our troops definite , ly got the upper hand of the insur- gents. The Philippine people, or, to speak more accurately, the many 1: tribes and even faces sundered from one another more or less sharply who go to make up the people of the Philip pine Islands, contain many elements of good, and some elements which we have right to hope stand for prog ress. At present they are utterly in- capable of existing in independence at all or of building up a civilization of their own. I firmly believe that we can help them to rise higher and high CT in the scale of civilization and of capacity for self government, and most earnestly hope that in the end they will be able to stand, if not en- tirely alone, yet in some such relation to the United States as Cuba now stands. This end is not yet in sight, and it may be indefinitely postponed if our people are foolish enough to turn the attention of the FiIipinos away from the problems of achieving moral and material prosperity, of working for stable, orderly and just govern ment, and toward foolish and danger ous intrigues for complete independ- ence for which they are as yet totally l 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 in the Pacific ocean and along it's coasts fhe PhilinnineS have played and will play an important part and that our interests have been serv- ed in more than one way by the pos session 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 re- suits of the war with Spain. We are endeavortng to develop the natives