Daily Arizona silver belt., 1908-12-09


 task of the kind has ever been better performed. The men on the Isthmus, from Colonel Goethals and his fellow commissioners through the entire list of employees who are faithfully doing their duty, have won their right to the ungrudging respect and gratitude of the American people.
 ocean Mail Lines
 I again recommend the extension of the ocean mail act of 1891 so that sat isfactory American ocean mail lines to South America, Asia, the Phillipincs, and Australasia may be established. The creation of such steamship lines should be the natural corollary of the voyage of the battle fleet. It should precede the opening of the Panama Canal. Even under favorable conditions several years must elapse before such lines can be put into operation. Ac- cordingly I urge that the congress act promptly where foresight already shows that action sooner or later will be in evitable
 Hawaii
 I call particular attention to the ter ritory of Hawaii. The importance of those islands is apparent. and the need of improving their condition and de- velopirg their resources is urgent. In recent years industrial conditions upon the islands have radically changed. The importation of cooic labor has practically ceased, and there is now de- veloping such diversity in agricul- tural products as to make possible a change in the land conditions of the territory, so that an opportunity may be given to the small land owner similar to that on the mainland. To aid these changes the national government must provide the necessary harbor improve ments on each island, so that tn agri- sultural products can be carried to the markets of the world. The eoastwise shopping laws should be amended to meet the special needs of the islands, md tn alien contract labor law should be so modified in its application to Hawaii as to nable American and Euro uean labor to be brought thither.
 We have begun to improve Pearl Harbor for a naval base and to provide the necessary military Qualifications for the protection of the islands, but l can not too strongly emphasize the need of appropriations for these purposes oi such an amount as will within tho shortest possible time make those IS lands practically impregnable. It l' useless to develop the industrial condi .ions of the islands and establish there bases of supply for our naval anc merchant fleets unless We insure, as fai as human invenuity can, their saiet. from foreign seizure. =, One thing to be remembered witl all our Qualifications is that 1t is almost useless to make them impregnabie iron the sea if they are left open to ianc attack. This i strue even of our owr coast. but it is doubly true of our m mlar possessions. In Hawaii. for in stance if is wore than useless to cs itablish n naval station unless We estab hsh it behind Notifications so strong that no landing force can take then save by regular and long continued siege operations.
 The Philippines
 Real progress toward self-governmen is being made in the Phillipine Is lands. The gathering of Phillipin' legislative body and Phillipine assem bly marks a process absolutely new II Asia. not only as regards Asiatic colo nies of European powers but as regards Asiatic possessions of other Asiati powers; and. indeed, always excepting the striking and wonderful example af forded by the great Empire of Japan Iit opens an entirely new departur when compared with anything whlci has happened among Asiatlc power which are their own masters. Hitber to this Phillipine legislature has acted with moderation and self restraint, an' has seemed in practical fashion to re alize the eternal truth that there mus always be government and that tn only way in which any body of indi viduals can escape the necessity of be ing governed by outsiders is to show that they are able to restrain them selves, to keep down wrongdoing an' disorder. The Filipino people, througl their officials, are therefore making req steps in the direction of self-govern ment. I hope and believe that thes steps mark the beginning of cours which will continue until the Filipino 1 become fit to decide for themselve whether they desire to be an indepn dnt nation. But it is VII for then (and well also for those Americans wh' during the past decade have done s, much damage to the Filipinos by agi tation for an immediate independence for which they were totally unfit) {, remember that government depend and must depend, upon the Filipino themselves. All we can do is to giv them the opportunity to develop tn capacity for self-government. If w had followed the advice of the foolisl doctrinaires who wished us at any tim during the last ten years to turn tn Filipino people adrift, we should hay shirked the plainest possible duty an' have inflicted lasting wrong upon tn Filipino people. We have acted in ex actly the opposite spirit. We have giv en the Filipinos constitutional govern ment; a government based upon jus tee; and we have shown that we hay governed them for their good and no for our aggrandizement. At the pres cnt time, as during the past ten years the inexorable logic of facts shows tha I this government must be supplied by Il and not by them. We must be wise an' generous; we must help the Filipinos t master the difficult art of self-control