New-York tribune., 1904-10-25
TAFT IN BROOKLYN.
SPEECH ON PHILIPPINES.
Other Speaker Calls Er-President
CLereIand a Cozcard.


pines before the Americans took charge, and
the improvements the United States Govern
ment has made there They followed the ac-
count eloquent in its straightforward simpleness
until when he demanded, after telling Of the
horrors i'm the Aguinaldo revolt, Now. ask you
as reasonable men. could we turn this
country with its 100000 people to a govern
ment Of military despotism like thatY the nan
rang with the indignant shouts NO no.
Never" Men and women shouting, stamp
ing and waving forest of small flags, applaud
ed the Secretary of War as he said; 1t seems
to me the question answers itself"
The entire meeting was an overflow OF cor
dialjtv for Secretary Taft and. through him. for
the Executive he represented. As he told OF
the lack of education in the islands when the
Americans went there and the eagerness with
which the Filipinos of every class were grasp
ing at 'the equality Of opportunity" for which
the American schools stood to them. as he de-
scribed the inefficient laws, open to negligence
and corruption, which the Spaniards had left
and contrasted them with the honest, efficient
court system fostered by the Americans Secre-
tary Tafts voice and the quivering of his big
frame denoted the conviction with which he be
Iieved in the benefits the United States govern
ment had given to the Filipinos. Yet he would
not have this government continue its control
indefinitely.
when the Fillpinos are filed with the desire
for independence" said he. when they under
stand what it and how to care for it, 1
am strongly in favor of giving it to them; yes
even anxious to; but should he recreant to
our trust If we let them so before they are able
10 exercise the power of popular self-governmen-
ment.'
Secretary Taft told of the noble work done by
the American teachers who had gone there to es-
tabIish schools. When the dread cholera swept
over the islands most Of these teachers. instead
of going TO comparative safety, stayed with the
ratives nursing them and burying them Many
of them, said he, went down under the disease
Don't you think he asked that when a
leader Of a great party designates these civil
servants as tho dregs of America it is enough
to rouse intense indignation in one who knows
thenP''
The meeting was organized by the Union
League Club. of brooklyn. which created di-
vertissement Ly marching around the hall,
headed by a band, waving flags and singing old
campaign songs. Frederick F. Gunnison acted
as chairman. The only speaker besides Secre-
tary Taft was Walter Chandler. who made a
rather warm attack on ex-President Cleveland,
contrasting his war record with that of Presi-
dent Roosevelt which was inspiring the shout
of "militarism."
Secretary Taft. who replied to Judge Parker's
Long before the insurrection was suppressed the
Philippines Commission was sent out to assist ths
army in bringing about tranquility the theory
that II we founded civil government in the parts
that were free from disturbance, and It showed
them what the Americans intended. peace might
more easily be brought about and do not state
the thing TOO strongly when say & that that did
and Major Mchinleys election in 1899 there were
organized among the educated people in the island
party whose chief flnction was peace under the
sovereignty Of the United states and the party
a4d spread ike wildhre, and that party had
much 10 DO with tranquillizing the islands as any
Now the main question that presented itself TO
the people Of the United States and To those who
were IN responsible control representing the
Cned states AZ the time Of tho making Of the
treaty in December, 1885, ratified by the Senate in
1898, was what course should be taken should We
turn the islands back 70 Spain? -
Aguinaldo claimed that Dewey promised him
independence. Dewey denied that he ever made
any such promise or ever held out any such hope.
Now, there are people IN the country who IN suGh
8sppens tRst there is record eyidenee that what
Dewey says IS 9ue. l have mSssi seen s4S a qocuSS
Aguinado sent to his comman nders who were deal
CHEF Of the Pbilippine Republc-for that is what
they called Agunaido-had not made an agree
rnent with the United states, but had only united
with them for the purpose of driving the spaniards
out of the islands. Now that that is correct
that. it would have been unjust TO the Philippine
people and dishonorable to us TO turn back the
islands TO Spain, a government from which the
Philippines were most anxious 70 escape,
rasd@ @ os ell, "a ner "a cent of them in stale Of
ignoTs0ee ps0pse Wholly Incapable Of s9f-go8e7nment
Not that they haven the capacity TO be made into
are not good Christian material for the purpose as
already explained. but in their present conditions
Of ignorance utterly incapable Of exercising po-
said to Filipino friend of mine. one Of the
hest men in the islands one day, wnen ! had been
troubled with of their factional discussions:
of these Islands you would be throat-cutting in six
months" Why" said he, "the stern Of your last
/ vessel would NOT disappear beyond Corregidor be
Now could We therefore I ask you-I ask you
of tb y,flitary espotism Of the chsr
OF Moros who hate the Christian Fillpnos as they
hate the devil; half million non-Christian tribes
! I'm the mountains who fear the oppression Of the
Christian Filipinos. as they have reason to fear.
And all those people were under our control. and
they. were wards. and under our as much
/ as the other; Now, was il an occasion for our
abandoning the Islands and turning them over 10
military despot, TO an oligarchy of few generals?
/ But am told that the Declaration Of Independ-
in laying down the doctrine that the rights OF
| the governed violated when we refused to turn
these islands over to Aguinaldo. Well. deny II.
and deny IL for several reasons first, because if
would not turn them over to the Filipino people, we
oliGarchy Of military despots, would turn them
Of the 3ioros ana the non-Christisn tribes. and
without the consent of millions Of the Christian
! I deny that the Declaration Of Independence has.
! II properly construed. such meaning The Dec
Iaration OF Independence in that statement refers
| 70 the government OF people who have sufficient
wrote the Declaration Of Independence? II was
cratic friends always refer their apostle. Now,
Thomas Jefferson did not construe the Declara-
uol OF independence in such a way as TO require
as 10 give up the Philippine Islands or TO abandon
Jhein az the time when we were called upon to
over them or not, for Thomas Jefferson. in writing
d con <lIisrdcan is republics said tat Whne he wei
GolLiea sen government while he welcomed their