The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1904-12-16

proper treatment In foreign lands w.
continue steadily to insist on the anni,.
cation Of the Monroe doctrine to the
western hemisphere. Unless our attituds
In these nnd all similar matters ia 4, he
a mere boastful sham we can not afYorS
to abandon our naval programme. Our
voice Is now potent for peace, and Ia so
potent because We are not afraid of war
But our protestations upon behalf on
peace would neither receive nor deserve
the slightest attention II we were Inn.
| potent to make them good.
The Army.
Within the last three years the Unite6
states mas set an example In disarma.
| ment where disarmament was prone,
BY law our army Is fled at a maximum
| Of one hundred thousand and q minimnr,
OF sixty thousand men. When there wa,
instruction In the Philippines we Kent
the army at the maximum. Peace CAM
In the Philippines. and now our arm,
has been reduced to the minimum a,
| which It Is possible to keep 1t with dns
| regard to its efficiency. The guns NOW
| mounted require twenty-eight THOUSAND
men. II the coast Notifications are to hs
adequately manned. Relatively to thu
| nation. It Is not now so large as the M.
lice force OF New York or Chicago rela.
lively to the population OF either civ
We need more officers; there are mt
enough to perform the regular armv
work. II Is very important that the on.
GERS at the army should be accustomed
to handle their men in masses, "a II IL
also important that the national guard
Of the several states should be accus.
toned to actual field maneuvering. esns.
cially In connection with the regular.
For this reason we are to he coneratn.
lated upon the success Of the field ma.
enuvers at Manassas last fall maneuyers
In which larger number OF regulars
and national guard took part than was
ever before assembled together in tima
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 ex.
cused " we fail to keep II at q very high
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 al
present to the development Of an exten.
sive system Of floating mines for use in
all our more important harbors. These
mines have been proved to be q most for.
midable safeguard against hostile fleets.
The Philippines.
In the Philippine islands there has
been during the past year a 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. sundered from one another mora
or less sharply. who 60 to make up tho
people of the Philippine islands, contain
many elements OF good, and some ele.
ments which we have q right to hope
stand for progress At present they are
utterly incapable Of existing In indie.
oendence at all or Of building up q civ.
ilization of their own. firmly believe
that we can help them to rise higher and
higher In the scale OF civilization and
Of capacity for 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
10 not yet In sight. and 1t may be In.
definitely postponed II our people are
foolish enough to turn the attention Of
the Filiplnos away from the problems Of
achieving moral and material prosperity
Of working for stable. orderly, and just
government. and toward foolish and dan.
gerous intrigues 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 Tho
islands. ! do not overlook the fact that
In the development OF our interests In
the Pacific ocean and along It's 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 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'
oring to develop the natives themselves
20 that they shall take an ever increas.
ing share in their own government, ana
as Tar as Ia prudent we are already ad'
uniting their representatives to q gov
ernmental equality with our own. There
are commissioners judges. and governors
In the islands who are Filipinos and VINO
have exactly the same share In the gov
eminent Of the islands as have their col
leagues who are Americans, while in the
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 10
the Philippine legislature.
Meanwhile our own people should re-
member that there Is need for the hgn'
est standard Of conduct among the Amer.
lcanS sent to the Philippine islands no!
'nly among the public servants ou'
among the private individuals who 80
to them. 1t Is because feel this 80
deeply that In the administration OF these
islands I have positively refused to per.
nit any discrimination whatsoever I"
political reasons and have insisted tna'
IN choosing the public servants cons'o.
ton should be paid solely to !ns
worth Of the men chosen and to Inv
needs Of the islands. There h no h'gn'
Ar body Of men In our public serv'cs
han we have In the Philippine isianas
under Gov. Wright and his associate
SO far az possible these men should "
given a free hand. and their SUGGESTION
should receive the hearty backing oo."
u the Executive and OF the Congres"