The state herald., 1905-10-06
THE PHILIPPINES
AS SEEN BY MEMBERS OF THE
TAFT PARTY.
REPORT At SAN FRANCISCO
All Agree That Filininos Are Not Vet
Fitted for independenees- Great
Possibilities In Soil and Location
Education PRINCIPAL Need.

Wednesday have s,immartzed their I'M.
pressIons as follows: $50
Congressman Cooper Of Wisconsin,
chairman Of the House committee OF
insular affairs, said: 81. ,,,.. Z,
Zone effect of the trip will be. IL.
large measure. to take the question Of
Immediate Philippine Independence
out Of politics, Personal study of the
situation has. ! think. convinced the
members of our party. Democrats and
Republicans. that the inhabitants of
the Philippine Islands are not now cap
able Of free selfgovernment. This con-
clusion is admitted to be true by edu-
Gated conservative Filipinos them.
selves. kgk5AtN ttt~ kst
1.-The United States has done many
noble, wonderful things in the islands
but les most glorious work is the es-
tablishment there Of splendid sys-
TEN of American common schools.
These schools, steadily increasing In
number, attended now by 375, 900 chill
dren out Of an enrollment of more than
100000, will, more than any other In
fiuence, help to abolish the multitude
OF dialects and tongues and regenerate
the people OF the Philippines"
Congressman Foss. chairman of the
House committee on naval affairs,
said: sUs .- rr 5
II made this journey largely for the
purpose OF making stuay Of questions
coming within the scope of the COM
mittee of which am chairman.
Congressman Hepburn, chairman of
the House committee on foreign and
interstate commerce. said:
"My visit to the Philippines was
disappointment to me in two respects:
that my idea Of the extent and value
OF the islands as productive territory
was far below the truth. | regard Lr.
zon as the finest and most productive
island in the large group that extend
from Japan southwark along the Asi
attic coast. | was disappointed in tha
the people of the Philippines have no
proved the equals in labor and skill o .
their neighbors and have not taken
from the soil the riches that nature
mas planted. Filipinos need education
and physical development, and they
must be taught the dignity Of labor.
The United States has much TO do in
these islands" " m
Congressman Charles +. Scott Of
Kansas said: ....
.'lt was surprise 10 most OF us TO
learn that only nine per cent. of the
tillable land is under cultivation and
that vast areas OF the most fertile soil
in the world is vet untouched. The de-
velopment of this fruitful land, the
opening of the great deposits of coal,
iron and other minerals, and the utili'
zation Of the 5.0O0.Oo0 acres OF hard.
wood forests offers rich field for the
Investment of American capital and for
enterprise.
with the resources properly devel.
oped, the Philippines will support i0..
900 900 people as easily as they now
maintain 100000. They are the rich.
est group Of tropical islands in the
world and the Time will come when
the United States will count then
among It's proudest possessions"
Senator Patterson OF Colorado:
"The Philippines. the more YOU know
of them. the more serious appears the
problem. ] am convinced that in ihei,
government We are getting farther ant
further away from Secretary's Taft'y
patriotic and humane policy the Phil.
ippines for the Filipinos and ultimate
independence. The gulf between the
native and the American is widening.
My visit to China has convinced me
more than ever OF the wisdom and ne
cessity OF Chinese exclusion. believe
the boycott will soon be over, hut In
any event American methods and civ.
iliZation " OF greater moment than
Chinese commerce.
Japan won me from the first. An
admirable people In many ways. The
disgust after the treaty was an or.
ganized effort 10 prevcn, the Emperor
from ra,!fying IL. Japan is the mos,
formidable competitor that the United
States and England viii have for the
commerce Of Asia, and In n few years.
II they hold their own agains, Japan.
Many economic and Industrial
changes must take place"
Secretary Taft said OF the conditions
In the archipelago: ..... .......
THE political situation IN some re.
specis was not ms good as II ought TO
be-. A wave NJ ladronism has swept
over the province Of Cayite. and II has
been found necessary to suspend the
writ of habeas corpus In that province
and Balangas. the noiehboring prov.
ince. The same was true OF Samar,
but the use Of troops In Snmar and the
use Of scouts and constabulary In Ca.
vito had put nm end 10 this business;
however. there were Two or three men
responsible for The keeping up OF Ia.
dronlsm. who had not been captured.
Some of the Younger men OF cducn.
lion haze been advocating immediate
Independence. II therefore becomes
necessary 10 state with considerable
emphasis the policy of the aiminlstra.
tlon ON this subject. and TO say that
In the opinion " the administration
there WIS M possible hope for indie.
pondcncc short Of generation, he.
rnuse the people could not he fitted for
F'lf government In thni Time. indeed,
II viii probably take II much longer
period.
While the conditions In the Philip,
pines were not M favorable ms we
would like TO have them, aud probably
viii not be- favorable niil the dopros.
sing conditions shall be- followed by n
prosperous HonHon. still. progress is he.
Ing made The government is more
ctllcle inefficient men arc being
eliminated nnd things nro settling TO
business. Economy II being praetlcod
more and more In the government, FIJI,
ipinor are being introduced very ran.
Idly tu take the place. nf Amptirnns