Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-12-08

4 efniIlent q government based upon
4 Justice. and we have shown that we
1 have governed them for their good and
4 not for our ACKNOWLEDGMENT.
At the present time, as during the
past ten years, the inexorable logic of
facts shows that this government must
he supplied by us and not by them.
I We must be wise and generous. We
must help the Filipinos to master the
difficult art Of self control. which Is
| simply another name for self govern-
8mcnt. But we cannot give them self
! government save in the sense of gov
crning them SO that gradually they
may, If they are able. learn to govern
| themselves. Under tile present system
of just laws and sympathetic admin
| istration we have every reason to be
lievc that they are gradually acquiring
the character which lies 1T the basis of
laself government and for which. IL it
| be lacking, no system OF laws, no pa
per constitution, will in any wise serve
as substitute. Our people III the
| philippines have achieved what may
| lcgitimately be called Il marvellous sue
cess in giving to them n government
which marks on the part of those In
authority both the necessary undcr-
standing of tue people and the ncces-
sary purpose to serve them disinter-
! cstcdly and in good faith. l trust that
within Il generation the time will ar
rive when the philippines can decide
for themselves whether it is well for
them 70 become independents or to con-
tinue under the protection of Il strong
antee to the islands order at home and
protection from foreign invasion. Hut
no one can prophesy tile exact date
when it will be wise to consider in
dependence as a fixed and definite
lpolicy. 1t would be worse than folly
TO try to set down such date in adj
/ vance, for it must depend upon the
way in which the Philippine people
themselves develop the power Of self
| mastery.
Porto Rico.
/ again recommend that American
citizenship be conferred upon the peo-
pie of Porto Rico.
Cuba.
| In Cuba our occupancy will cease in
about two months time. The Cubans
have in orderly manner elected their
own governmental authorities, and tile
island will be turned over to them.
Our occupation on this occasion has
\ lasted a little over two years. and Cuba
has thriven aud prospered under it.
Our earnest hope and one desire is
that the people of the island shall now
govern themselves with Justice. so that
peace and order may be secure. We
will gladly help them to this end, but
1 would solemnly warn them to re-
member the great truth that the only
! way a people can permanently avoid
being governed from without is to
show that they both can and will gov
ern themselves from within
Japanese Exposition.
! The japanese government has post
poned until 1917 the date of the great
international exposition, the action be-
| ing taken so as to insure ample time
In which to prepare TO make the ex-
| position all that it should be made.
| The American commissioners have
visited Japan, and the postponement
will merely give ampler opportunity
for America to be represented at the
4 exposition. Not since the first inter-
national exposition has there been one
Of greater Importance than this will
be, marking as 1t does the fiftieth an
niversary of the ascension to the
! throne of the emperor of Japan. The
extraordinary leap to a foremost place
;imong the nations of the world made
by Japan during this half century is
something unparalleled in all previous
| history. This exposition will fifty
commemorate and sisnalize the giant
progress that has been achieved. 1t
| is the first exposition of its kind that
has ever been held in Asia. The Unit
ed States because of the ancient
friendship between the two peoples,
because each of us fronts on the Pa
cific and because of the growing COM
mercial relations between this country
| and Asia, takes a peculiar interest in
seeing the exposition made a success
i'll every way.
take this opportunity publicly to
state my appreciation OF the way in
which in Japan, in Australia, in New
Zealand and in Ill the states OF South
America the battle fleet has been re-
ceived on its practice voyage around
the world. The American government
cannot too strongly express its fppre-
citation OF the Astounding and generous
hospitality shown our ships in every
port they visited.
The Army.
As regards the army. call attention
TO the fact that. while our junior Off
GERS and enlisted men stand Very high
the present system of promotion by
seniority results in bringing into the
higher grades many men of mediocre
capacity who have but Il short time TO
serve. No man should regard it as his
vested right to rise 10 the highest rank
in the army any more than in any 9TH
er profession. 1t is Il curious and by
no means creditabe fact that there
should be so often failure on the part
of the public and its representatives to
understand the great need from the
standpoint Of the service and the na-
ton of refusing to promote respectable
elderly incompetents. The higher
places should be given to the most de.