Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-22
SITUATION IN
THE PHILIPPINES
Secretary Taft Gives Result
of His Observations.
REAL PEACE IN ISLANDS
Important Accomplishment of the
United States.
AN EDUCATIONAL STANDPOINT
Much to Encourage the Supporters
of the Policy Pursued There and
Hope for the Future.
REAL PEACE IN ISLANDS
Important Accomplishment Of the
United States.
AN EDUCATIONAL STANDPOINT

AS soon as he has disposed of the vast
amount of departmental business which
has accumulated during his long absence
Secretary Taft will begin the preparation
of an extended report on his observations
in the Philippines. In an interview last
night Mr.. Taft discussed at much length
the situation in the islands, from both
political and material viewpoint. and ex-
pressed himself as highly gratified with
the progress that had been made and the
outlook for development in all lines.
THE whole situation, he said, brief
ly. may be summed up in this way: Peace
prevails throughout the Philippines to-
day in a greater degree than ever in their
history, either under Spanish or American
rule. Agriculture is nowhere impeded by
fear on the part of the farmers of preda-
tory bands. Under the policy inaugurated
by President Mckinley in reference to
the establishment of a temporary govern
ment in the Philippines a community con-
ssting of 100000 people, inhabitating 800
different islands, many of whom were In
open reoellion against the government of
the United States for four years, with
all the disturbances following from. rob-
Der and predatory bands which broke out
from time to time. due to local causes.
have been brought to state of profound
peace and tranquility, in which the peo-
pie as whole are Loyalty supporting the
government in the maintenance of order
This Is real peace, comprising all the
word implies This Is the first and pos
sibly the most important accomplishment
OF the United States in the Philippines.
From an Educational Standpoint.
From an educational standpoint, too. I
found much to encourage the supporters
of our policy in the islands and those
who share in our hopes for the future.
The Fflipinos are in a state of tutelage
ripe TO receive modern western concep-
tons OF religion and politics as they
This Is the reason why 1 believe that the
Wnoie Christian Filipino people are capa:
ole oy training and experience of becom-
ing self-seYerning people. The COM
mon Filipino agricultural laborer sends
ms children to- school to learn English
There Is no real difference between the
educated and the ignorant Filipino that
cannot be overcome by the education of
When do you think the people will he
sufficiently well educated to enable them
to govern themselves the Secretary was
asked.
-2he Philippine government has not
funny enough to educate in primary and
indudSi9p schools all the present genera
ton AsSchool age" he replied. 'and un-
less SOME other source of funds or gov
ernrnent% means Is found it will take
longer uhn generation to complete the
prihBdry And Industrial education of the
comMoh people. Until that is done we
ought not to lift our guiding hand from
\ the islands.
Total Enrolment in Schools.
E.The total enrolment in the schools for
the year, not including the iIoro prov
inees, where the schools are conducted
unser a separate system. was Only a few
thou3nds under 100000. For school pur-
poses and new buildings this year the
central government has appropria ed three
and half million pesos. The maintenance
OF primary schools. imposed by law upon
the municipalities. involves expenditures
OF nearly million and half pesos an
nralIy.
II m{xht refer to certain admitted short
cominu4 - the conduct of municipal af-
fairs iuIhe>I Ihilippines, which, however,
should not have the effect of discourag aging
those who are interested in the success of
The experiment. To offset these Ii might
be remarked that even in the United
States municipal government has not been
shining success. l do not hesitate to
say that autonomous municipal govern
ments are making good progress and are
gradually accomplishing the purposes for
which they were created. We are in this
Quandary: When we who are responsible
for the policy of autonomy in municipal
and provincial governments assert that it
is progressing satisfactorily we find that
our words are apt to be construed by en-
thusiastic theorists who are convinced OFF,
hand OF the complete fitness of the Fill
ipinos to govern themselves, and so fully
establishing the correctness Of their
views.
''On the other hand, when the defects
in such local governments are pointed
out the cry is raised by pessiniists and
adherents of the English crown colony
system that this is an admission of
failure as well as a concession that we
have gone too far in intrusting local
governmental power to the Filipinos.
The truth, as 1t Is conceived by me-
lies between the two extreme positions
The result indicates neither that the
Filipinos are fitted at once for complete
seh-goyernment, nor does 1t justify the
view that they may not be made ulti-
mately capable of complete seif-gov
ernment by a gradual extension of par
tial self-government as they rnay be-
come more and more fit to exercise it,"
Not Fit for Jury System.
Mr.. Taft was asked IT, in his opinion.
the people were fit for the Introduction
of the jury system, and could they
safely be permitted to bear arms.
No. to both questions" he said
There are among the people men prone
to violence. and who. with the use of
arms, would at once resort to ladron-
ism, or robbery. a means of liveii-
hood The temptation would be too
great.
Before jurors can sit impartially be-
tween society ana the prisoner at the
bar the community must become suf-
fciently imbued with the sense of re-
sponsibility for the government and
with its Identification with the govern
ment. Without this responsibility and
Identification jurors are certain always
to favor the prisoner and to synpa thize
in the prosecution against him"
Mr.. Taft said that he was delighted
with the course of the first Philippines
assembly and the manifest determina-
tion of a majority of its eighty MEM
bers to pursue conservative courses In
dealing with public affairs.
Many successful candidates for the as
sembiy-" he said. "seem to have embraced
the cause of the immediati tistas as without
having any settled ideas as to how such
a policy could be carried out. Thty joined
the party because its cry was po.rilar and
because they thought this was easy
method of being elected. or rather because
they thought that without this election
would be difficult. When the assembly
met IL was apparent that the great ma
Ill a.