Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1908-01-31
PRESIDENT PROUD
OF FILIPINO ACTS
NO BRIGHTER PAGE IN HISTORY OF
INTERNATIONAL DEALING,
SAYS PRESIDENT.
TAFT MAKES SPECIAL REPORT.
Secretary Declares Islanders Are Still
Unfit for Self Government and Makes
Recommendations
FREE TRADE TO UNITED STATES.

WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. 81
President Roosevelt in submitting to
Congress the report of Secretary of War
Taft on his recent trip to the Philippines
declares no great civilized power has
ever managed with such wisdom and dis
interestedness the affairs of a people
committed by the accident of war to its
hands.
If we had followed the advice of the
misguided persons who wished US to
turn the islands loose and let them suffer
whatever fate might befall them, says
the President they would have already
passed through a period of complete and
bloody chaos and would now undoubted-
" be the possession of some other power
which there is every reason to believe
would not have done as we have done;
tbat is. would not have striven to teach
them how to govern themselves or to
have developed them, as we have de-
welcomed them. primarily in their own in
, tereStS.
No Brighter Page in History.
sSaye only our attitude toward Cuba,
/ question whether there is a brighter
mage in the annals Of international deal
/ ing between the strong and the weak
than the page which tells of our doings
! in the Philippines"
! The President expresses the opinion,
as does Secretary Taft in his report, that
| il will be a generation, maybe longer, be-
! fore the Filipinos are fit for complete
! self-goyernment. He concurs III Secre-
! fairy Taft's recommendations, which are:
/ First-That legislation be adopted by Con
gress admitting the products Of the Philip.
| clo tO he markets Of the IpitnI
States with such reasonable limitations as
NAV remove fear Of interference with the
tobacco and sugar interests in the United
States
Second-That the present restrictions be
removed as to the acquisition of mining
claims and the holding of lands by corpora
lions in the Philippines.
Third-That further legislation be passed
authorizing the Philippine government, if
it chooses, to open and conduct an agriGul-
tural bank, with capital not exceeding
| 100000.
/ Fourth-That the coastwise laws Of the
/ United States be made permanently inap
! plicable to the trade between the ports OF
/ the islands and the ports of the United
! States
Denies Failure of Policy
! In answer to the critics who have
made what he terms "the most astound-
ing and unfair statements in respect to
the cost to the United States of the Phil
| ippines," Secretary Taft figures out a
total expenditure of $5.0O0,OOO, and he
vigorously denies the failure of the Phil
ippine policy. He says the severe criti-
cism to which the policy of the govern
ment in the islands has been subjected
by English colonial statesmen should not
! hinder pursuit of it in the least. 1T is
of course opposed to the policy usually
pursued in the English government i'll
dealing with native races, because III
common with other colonial powers, most
of England's colonial statesmen have as
sumed that the safest course was to
keep the native peoples ignorant and
quiet" says the secretary.
Speaking of trade between the Philip
pines and the United States, Secretary
! Taft says it is doubtful whether there
are enought United States vessels to
carry it on, and if rates are raised trade
| will cease He believes corporatio
may safely be permitted to hold 10000
acres of land if any limitation is to b.
! imposed.
Says Peace Now Prevails.
On the present condition of the islands
the secretary of war declares peace pre-
walls today in a greater degree than ever
in their history. He says the people are
Loyalty supporting the government il
the maintenance of order.
Secretary Taft asserts that the agency
of the army in bringing about order IL
the islands must never be minimized
that the hardships of the campaign il
has had to carry on were great. At one
time in the campaign against guerrilla
warfare, the report says, there were
more than 500 different posts and more
than $4,000 men in arms. He is certain
peace could have been restored in NJ
other way than in the service rendered
by the army. He says the American
soldiers exhibited toward the natives
sympathy the character of the warfar,
carried on did not invite.
Medical School Established.
The report tells of the establishment
by the government of medical school
the graduates of which will spread owe
the islands into localities which hav
never known physician.
The average value of Philippine ex
ports, including gold and silver coin
from 1908 to 1907 was $32,27O726 Fo
the fiscal year ended June 30, the insula
revenues were S11 149 619.25 and tn
expenditures $S,4OS,012.S4. The tota
bonded Indebtedness, according to tn
report is $13. 800. 900.
Secretary Taft says there is now n
question between the government an
the Roman Catholic church unless tn
AgEpyan schism can be said to be in
volved.
On a question of reduction of til
tariff on sugar and tobacco Secretar
Taft says:
$50 confident am | that the develop
ment, which the sugar and tobacco inter
ests of the United States fear il tn
Philippines from an admission of thos
products free to the United States. wi
not ensue to the injury of those interest
that l would not object to a limitatio
on the amount of sugar and tobacco i
its various forms. manufactured and III
manufactured, which may be admitte
to the United States from the Philip
pines, the limitation being such reason
able amount as would admittedly nc
affect the price of either commodity i
the United States or lead to a great e1