Arizona republican., 1904-12-07

to a governmental 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 government of the
 islands as have their colleagues who are Americans, While in the lower ranks Cf course, the great majority of the
 public servants are Filipinos. Within
 two years we shall be trying the e2l-
 pertinent of an elective lower house in
 tn Philippine legislature. It may be
 that the tilipinos will misuse this leg
 islature, and they certainly will misuse
 t if they are mlsled by foolish persons
 here a- home starting an agitation for
 their own independence or into any factious or improper action. In sucn case they will do themselves no good and will stop for the time being all further effort to advance them and give
 them q greater share in their own gov ernment. But if they act with wisdom and self restraint, if they show that they are ca"able of electing a legisla- cure which in it's turn is capable Of tol1ing a sane and efficient part in the actual work of government, they can rest assured that q full and increasing measure of recognition will be given them. Above all they should remember that their prime needs are moral and
 industrial, not political. It is a good thing to try the experiment of giving them legislature; but it is a far bet
 ter thing to give them schools, good roads, railroads which will nea5le them 70 get their products to market, honest courts, an honest and efficient constab-
 ulary, and all that tends to produce order, peace fair dealing as between man and man. and habits of intelligent industry nd thrift. If they are safe guardedagainst oppression, and if their real wants material and spiritual are studied dntelligently and in a spirit of friendly sympathy. much more good will be done them tkan byby any effort
 to give them political power, though this efforts smay in its own proper time and place be proper enough.
 Meanwhile our people should remem- Der there is 9 need for the highest stan dard of conduct among the Americans sent to the Philippine islands, not only among the public servants but among
 the private individuals who go to them. It is because I feel this so deeply that n the administration of these islands l have positively refused to permit any discrimination whatsoever for political reasons and have insisted that in choosing the public servants consider ation should he psid solely to the worth of the men chosen and the needs of the islands. There is no higher body of men in our public service than we have in the Philippine islands under Gov ernor Wright and his associates. So fas as possible these men should be given a free hand, and their suggestions should receive the hearty backing both fo the executive and of the congress. There is need of a vigilant and disin- terested support of our public srvants in the Philippines by good citizens here in the United States. Unfortunately hitherto those of our people here at home who have specially claimed to be the champions of the Filipinos have in reality been their worst enemies. This will continue to be the case al long as they strive to make the F'ilipinos in- dependent, and stop all industrial de- velopment of the islands by crying Out against the laws which would bring it on the ground that capitalists must not