The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-04-24


William Jennings Bryan.
dence. How. then. can Congress ex-
pect to legislate wisely for people who
are not only separated from America
ny the widest of the oceans. but dif-
fer from the people OF tn" United
States III color, race, history. ana ira
Iitions@ How a a body of men. how
ever benevolent ana Intelligent, nope
by q few months residence TO so ideu-
tify themselves with the F%ilipinos as
10 make rules and regulations SUITED
TO their needs
The Filipinos also present an arSu-
lneut against the cNDensivcness OF
American rule, and his argument is
not only un&HSWcrablc. but il IS dI-
rected against an evil which is with
out remedy. If Americans are - hold
office in the Philippines, they must be
well paid. They must not only receive
As much as they would receive in the
United States for the same work, but
they must receive more in order to
compensate them for serving SO far
from home. This is not only theOreti-
caIIy true. but the theory is eXempIi-
ned in the pay roll. The governor
general receives $50. 900 a year, two
Gftha of the salary of the President
If the United states, and yet, what a
contrast between the duties and re
r~ponsibiiities of the two positions. And
what Il difference. too. in the wealth
If the two countries and in the ability
Of the of the two countries
10 pay the salaries!
The three American members Of the
commission teXcluding the governor
~yeneral) receive $4,000 per year, al
most twice the salary Of cabinet Off
,erS II three times the salary of Sen
ltors ana members of Congress. 1t is
true that these salaries do not appear
rs salaries paid for work on the COM
mission. but as ach American men,
Der of the commission receives $4,000
as head of a department and $5,GOo, q:
4 member of the commission. his total
income is $4,000, while the Filipino
members of the commission receive
but $4,000.
The members OF the Philippine sd
preme court receive $1,000 each (tlle
Filipino members OF the court re-
| ceiving the same as the A!nericanS) Il
sum much larger than that usually
raid to Judges in the United States in
courts of similar Importance. This
high range of salaries runs through
The entire list of civil officials, n
there is no chance OF lowering II. EN-
ccpt in the case of judges, the Hlll-
! pinO officials, as q rule, receive on
| SlGtfoDI' less IMAM Tic Amer aus VI
| forming similar work, and this Is a
| constant source OF complaint. To
| Americans il is q sufficient answer TO
| say that hieh salaries are necessary
to secure able and efficient officials
from the United States. hut the Till
pinO is quick to "Nh1. then,
do YOU insist upon sending as Amer
leans to do what Oul people can dn
and would DO for less compensation
Not only must The salaries of Amer
leans be high. but Americans must be
surrounded with comforts to WRIcn
| the aVerage Filipino is not accustomed
No one can remain in the Philippines
long without hearing of the Benguet
! road and the enormous amount eN-
| PENDED in is construction. There is a
mountain resort in Benguet province,
in north central Luzon. Wiiicn the com
mission thought might he developed
into a summer capital or a place to
which the families Of h officials, II
not the officials themselves, might re
treat during the heated term. the
railroad running from Manila to pa
aupan would carry the health-seekef
to Within so or 40 miles of Rengdot,
and an engineer estimated that a
wagon road could be constructed the
rest of the WaN for $4,000. 1t SEEM
ed worth while 10 the commission 10
: appropriate that much for 4 purpose
which promised 50 much tor the
| nt2lIn ana comfort oi llcSC CiStS1'
in the benevolent work of establishing
! stable government. The commission
could hardly be blamed fCr relying
upon tile opinion of the engineer, and
he engineer doubtless meant We'll
But the first appropriation scarcely
made an impression, and the second
engineer estimated that the cost would
be Il little greater. Having invested
$4,000. the commission did not like
70 abandon the plan. and so further
appropriations were made Untl- more
than $2.500.000 in gold have been
drained from the insuiar treasury, and
the Ben@uet road is o yet completed.
Ii il is ever completed, it viii re-
quire a constant outlay of q large sum
ANNUALLY to keep it in renair.
Having met the members Of the COM
mission and other Americans residing
lin the Philippines, l am glad to tes-
tffy that they are as q rule men Of
tcharacter, ability and standing. The
lpersonnel of Philippine official life is
mot likely to be improved, and so long
as We occupy the islands under Il colo
IniaI policy. the Benguet experiment is
liable to be repeated in various forms.
land vet the Filipinos point to the Ben
guet folly TO illustrate both igno- ance
lof local conditions and pa-tiality to-
ward the foreign population.
The third question: Are the Fflipinos
competent to govern themselves Is
the one upon which The decision mus
finally turn. Americans will not long
deny the fundamental principles upon
which our own government rests, nor
will they upon mature reflection assert
that foreigners can sympathize as fully
with the Filipino as representatives
chosen by the Filipinos themselves.
THE eXpensiNenesS of g foreign govern
lment and its p~roneness to misunder-
stand local needs will be admitted by
!those who give the subject any
thought, but the Well-meaning per