Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-21
TO COMMERCIAL CLUB
At BANQUET ON ANNIVERSARY
OF THE HAY TREATY.
Declared Islands Must Be Ours for
Generation or More-Plea for
Better Treatment.

Secretary Taft, guest Of honor last night
at the annual banquet OF the Commercial
| Club at Kansas City, in responding to the
toast 1.-The Philippines" said that the Phil
ippine Islands must be ours for more than
generation, and that probably those called
on to act as legislators would not live to
see the day when separation consistent
with the welfare OF the Philippines be
made"
The occasion of the banquet was the an
niyersary of the signing of the John Hay
commercial treaty. Plates were laid for
6Du at the Midland Hotel. Senator Warner
was POSTMASTER.
Secretary Taft told of what had been
done in the way of education and improve
ment OF conditions In the Philippines He
said, in part
Secretary Taft's Remarks.
Eight years ago, by curious chain OF
circumstances, eight million people In the
far off distant isles of the Philippines were
thrust under the protection and guardian
ship of the government Of the United
States I shall not stop to rehearse this
strange history. the result of which finds
us responsible for the education, heaitn.
welfare and progress of a nation OF oriental
Ma1ays who have not yet emerged from the
state of Christian puilage in which they
were ruled by Spain for 300 years.
A small part of the people-Say from to
10 per cent-are educated, refined and ar
tistic. The remainder, while Christian. are
afflicted with the weaknesses and defects
and dependent character OF men and wo-
men always subject to a paternal govern
ment, never exercising self control or re-
straint unambitious, lacking in energy, In
different to the kind of government. hav-
ing no motive for the accumulation OF
wealth
On the other hand, they are gentle people,
a graceful people, an artistic people, a do
nestle people. loving their wives and their
families courteous, quiet, long suffering
people. When reused to opposition, or led
by educated and intriguing leaders they
show the stolid. heartless cruelty Of the
fiesta, they love the dance. they love the
beauties Of the Catholic worship they love
the bright skies and the beautiful dawns
and sunsets Of their island houses.
Capacity for Education.
They are people with whom one cannot
become thoroughly acquainted without hk-
ing. They have a capacity for education,
and especially for manual training not ex-
ceeded by any race know of. The natural
| lazness OF tropical race has been en-
| phasized among them by the attitude OF the
| Spaniard toward manual labor. The Span
| lard looked upon manual labor as the mark
OF slavery. The nobility and Independence
OF labor he never recognized. Hence has
arisen the difficulty with respect to the OBJ
culture and for public works. But these
people have Christian ideals They are not
Buddhists nor Mohammedans. They look
to Europe and Amortization the best.
| Their more educated have felt the inspira-
| ton Of a desire for liberty. Dimly
| they have realized the responsible
| ties that civil liberty and self
government impose upon them, but never
| theless they have felt so strongly the de-
| sire that they have yielded up their Ives
| in seeking it. They inhabit archipelago
| Of wondrous beauty and of marvellous pro-
| ductive power Roughly speaking. 1t en-
| braces 10000 square miles. Had they the
| motive for acquisition. and the intelligent
| industry of more northern races. the pros
| perity of these islands would know no
| bounds.
Work Of the Dutch in Java.
Under system of forced labor, intelli-
| gently directed by the Dutch the Island
| Of Java. containing only $4,000 square miles,
| has increased the agricultural product and
| the capacity for support of that island. so
| that the population, which was but four
millions in the first decade of the nineteenth
| century, had become twenty-nine millions
at its close. Such q development Is impos-
| sible in the Philippine islands because the
| people will never be subjected to the rule
which compelled this constant labor. They
| must be induced to labor through an en-
| larging Of their wants. thus furnishing
| motive for application and industry which
| in the ease with which life can be lived
now Is wanting l have described the peo-
pie as they were when they came under our
protection, and when we became responsible
| for their progress. We are giving them a
| government in which they exercise as much
control as they can be safely trusted with
We are establishing a system of educa-
ton. primary and manual training, which
ultimately will give them. instead Of twelvs'
different dialects. common language and
which will fit their adept hands to the
skilled mechanical labor of which they all
are capable.
Our Efforts in the Islands.
We have sought 10 introduce in the lives
of the people a greater attention to the laws
of health We have cleaned their streets
We are introducing water supply We are
introducing sewer systems. and we are
striving to defend them against the dread
full epidemics to which people living in the
tropics and paying no attention whatever to
the rules of hygiene are frequently subject
We have encouraged education of every
kind. We have yearly sent large delega-
tons to boys and girls from the Philippines
only our language and our civilization but
to breathe in the spirit Of our free tnstitu-
lions.
We have purchased from the ecclesiastical
orders four hundred thousand acres OF the
best land in the islands for the purpose of
distributing II in small parcels among the
tenants, to be paid for on long and aasv