Weekly Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1908-1909, 1908-12-11

tlonal government must provide the neces
sary harbor improvements on each island
| SO that the agricultural products can he
carried to the markets of the world 7rbe
coastwise shipping needs of the isiondS
ana the allen contracts Iaoor law should
be so modified in its application to HaV,aii
as TO enable American and Europeau ;shnr
TO be brought thither. '''
we have begun to improve Pearl Harmon
Ior naval base and to provice the neccS
Sary military Notifications for the protec
ton of the islands, but l can not foo
strongly emphasize the need of appropria-
tlons for these purposes of such an amount
as will within the shortest possible time
make those islands practically impregnable.
! 1t is useless to develop the industrial con
| ditionS of the islands and establish there
bases of supply for our naval and mer-
Shant meets unless we insure, far as
| foreign seizure.
One thing to be remembered with all our
! ioruhcatlonS Is that IL is almost useless
| TO make them impregnahle from the sea if
they are left open to land attack This
( Is true even of our own coast, but il Is
qouOly true of our inSular possessions. In
taWall, for instance, ii is worse than use
leSS TO establish naval station unless we
establish 1t behind Notifications so strong
! thal no landing force can take them save
| tons
The Philippines.
Real progress toward self-governmcnt is
being made in the Philippine Islands The
gathering of Philippine legislative body
kS
absolutely new in Asia, not only as regards
Asiattc colonies of European powers hut as
regards Asialc possessions of other Asiatic
| powers and, indeed, always excepting the
! striking and wonderful example afforded Inv
| the great Empire of Japan. it opens an
! entirely new departure when compared with
Asiatic powers which are their own mas
! tiers. Hitherto this Philippine legislature
! has acted with moderation and self
| restraint and has seemed in practical
| fashion TO realize the eternal truth that
| there must always be government. and that
| the only way in which any body OF indi
| vidualS can escape the necessity of being
| governed by outsiders Is to show that they
! are able to restrain themselves, to keep
! down wrongdoing and disorder The Fill
/ plno people, through their officials, are
| therefore making real steps in the direction
| of self government. | hope and believe that
| these steps mark the beginning of a course
which will continue till the Filipinos be-
| come fit to decide for themselves whether
! they desire to be an independent nation.
| But 1t Is well for them land well also for
! those Americans who during the past decade
| have done so much damage to the FilipnoS
| by agitation for an immediate independence
for which they were totally untit) to re,
| member that self-govcrnment depends and
must depend, upon the Filipinos themselves.
| All we can do is to give them the oppor-
| government. II we had followed the al
| vice of the foolish doctrinares who wished
Us at any time during the last ten years
| to turn the Filipino people adrift we
duty and have inflicted a lasting wrong
upon the Filipino people. We have acted
| in exactly the opposite spirit. We have
given the kilipinos constitutional govern
| ment; a government based upon Justice;
and we have shown that we have governed
| them for their good and not for our ag
| grandiZement At the present time, as dur
ing the past ten years, the memorable logic
of facts shows that this government must
| be supplied by US and not by them. We
must he wise and generous; must help
| the FtlipinoS TO master the difficult art of
| Self-control, which is simply another name
! for Sclf-gOvernment. But we can not give
| them self government save in the sense of
governing them that gradually they may
if they are able, learn to govern themselves
| Under the present system of just laws and
| sympathetic administration, we have every
reason to believe that they are gradually
acquiring the character which lies at the
| basis of selfgovernment, and for which! If
| it be lacking. system of laws, no paper
| constitution, will in any wise serve as
| substitute Our people in the Philippines
| have achieved what may legitimatcly be
! called a marvellous success In giving TO
them a government which marks on the
| part of those in authority both the neccs-
| sary understanding of the people and the
! necessary purpose to serve them dlSlnter-
estedly and in good faith. l trust that
| within a generation the time will arrive
when the Philippines can decide for them
| selves whether 1t Is well for them TO be
| come independent, or to continue under the
protection of strong and diSinterested
power, able to guarantee to the islands
order at home and protection from foreign
| invasion. But not one can propheSy the
! exact date when it will be wise to consider
| independence as a fixed and definite policy.
| 1t would be worse than folly to try to set
| down such a date in advance for 1t must
| depend upon the way in which the Philip
pine people themselves develop the power
of selfmastery.
Porto Rico.
I again recommend that American citi-
zenship be conferred upon the people OF
| Porto Rico.
| Cuba
In Cuba our occupancy will cease in
| about two months time; the Cubans have
! in orderly manner elected their own govern
mental authorities, and the island will be
! turned over to them. Our occupation on
this occasion has lasted q little over two
years, and Cuba has thriven and prospered
under it. Our earnest hope and one desire
| is that the people OF the island snail now
| govern themselves with justice, so that
peace and order may be secure. We will
gladly help them TO this end but l would
! sOlemniy warn them to remember the great
| truth that the only way people can per
manently avoid being governed from with
out is to show that they both can and will
| govern themselves from within.
National Guard.
Now that the organized militia, the Ma
| tional Guard, has been Incorporated with
| the army as part of the national forces, 1T
| behooveS the government to do every rea-
sonable thing in it's power to perfect Its
efficiency. 1t should be assisted In It's In
| than heretofore. The continuous services
of many well-trained regular officers will be
| essential in this connection. Such officers
| must be specially trained at service schools
| best to qualify them as instructors of the
| National Guard. But the detailing of Off
| GERS for training at the service schools and
for duty with the National Guard entails
detaching them from their regiments which
are already greatly depleted by detachment
! of officers for assignment 70 duties pre-
scribed by acts of the Congress.
A bill Is now pending before the Congress
creating a number of extra officers in the
army which if passed. as it ought to be,
| instructors of National Guard and assigned
to that duty. In case of war it will be OF
| the utmost Importance to have a large num-
| Der of trained officers to use for turning
raw levies into good troops.
There should be legislation to provide
| complete plan for organizing the great body
! of volunteers behind the regular army and
national guard when war has come. Con-
gressonaI assistance should be given those
| who are endeaVoring to promote rifle prac-
! tce so that our men, In the services or out
! of them, may know how to use the rifle.
| While teams representing the United States
won the rifle and revolver championships Of
| the world against all corners In England
! this year. it is unfortunately true that the
! great body Of our citizens shoot less and
I less as time goes on To meet this we
should encourage rife practice among
| schoolboys, and indeed among all classes,
| we'll as in the military services, by every
| means in our power. Thus, and not other
| wise may we be able to assist in preserving
! own against the strong nations of the
| earth, voice for peace will carry to the
| ends of the earth. Unprepared, and there
| fore unfit we must sit dumb and helpless to