Los Angeles herald., 1908-01-27
TAFT SA VS.
PHILIPPINES
NOT READY
SELF-G0VERNMENT MUST BE
DELAYED
NATIVES HAVE MUCH TO LEARN,
DECLARES SECRETARY
Cabinet Officials Report on Conditions
in Islands Sent to Congress
with Recommendation
for Future

b. Associated Press.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 26.--Nine years
after the battle of Manila bay Secre-
tary Taft records the results of the
American occupation of the Archipelago
and forecasts the future of the Fill
pinos in an exhaustive report, trans
mitted to congress by the president,
with a letter written by the chief ex-
ecutive. commencing in the highest
terms the secretary's conclusions.
The president declares that ruin
would have followed the adoption of
any other policy toward the Philippines
than that outlined by William McKin-
ley and carried forward through these
nine years, and asserts triumphantly
that there is no brighter page in his
tory than that dealing with the rela-
lions between the strong and the weak
in these islands. He adds that the
Filipinos ''have yet a long way to
travel before they will be fit for COM
plete self-government."
Political Future of the Islands
Regarding the islands and the politi-
cal future Secretary Taft says:
There are in the Philippines many
who wish that the government shall
declare a definite policy in respect to
the islands so that they may know
what that policy is. I do not see how
any more definite policy can be de-
clared than was declared by President
Mckinley in his instructions to Secre-
tary Root for the guidance of the Phil
ippine commission, which was iucor-
porated into law by the organic act of
the Philippine government, adopted
July l. 1902 That policy is declared
TO be the extension of self-government
to the Philippine islands by gradual
steps from time to time as the people
of the islands shall show themselves fit
to receive the additional responsibility,
and that policy has been consistently
adhered to in the last seven years now
succeeding the establishment of civil
government.
Having taken some part and sharing
in the responsibility for that govern
ment, of course my views of the re-
suits are likely to be colored by my
interest in having the policy regarded
as successful, but eliminating as far
as is possible the personal bias. 1 be-
lieve it to be true that the conditions in
the islands today vindicate and justify
that policy.
TT necessarily involves in its ulti-
mate conclusion as the steps toward
self-government become greater and
greater the ultimate independence of
the islands, although of course if both
the United States and the islands were
TO conclude after complete self-govern-
ment were possible that it would be
mutually beneficial TO continue gov
ernmental relation between them like
that between England and Australia,
there would be nothing inconsistent
with the present policy In such result.
ANY attempt to fix the time in
which complete self-government may
he conferred upon the Filipinos in their
own interest. is I think most unwise.
The key of the whole policy outlined by
MrK ad0nfn6
congress was that of the education of
the masses of the people and the lead
ing them out of the dense ignorance in
which they are now, with view to
enabling them intelligently to exercise
the force of public opinion without
which a popular self-government Is
impossible.
More Time Required
ut seems to me reasonable to say
that such a condition cannot be reached
until at lease one generation shall have
been subjected to the process of pri-
mary and industrial education, and
that when it is considered that the peo-
pie are divided into groups speaking
from ten to fifteen different dialects,
and that they must acquire a common
medium of communication, and that
one of the civilized languages, 1t is not
unreasonable to extend the necessary
period beyond a generation.
by that time English will be the
language of the islands and we can be
reasonably certain that great ma
jority of those living there will not
only speak and read and write Eng
fish, but will be affected by the knowl-
edge Of free institutions, and will be
able to understand their rights as
members of the community and to seek
to enforce them against the pernicious
system of caciquism and local bossism,
HoU at tpU TpnOrt
to describe.
''But it is said that great majority
of the people desire immediate indie
pendence. 7 am not prepared to say
that If the real wish of the majority of
all the people, men. women and chill
dren, educated and uneducated, were
to be obtained, there would not be
very large majority in favor of imme-
diate Independence. 1t would not,
however, be an intelligent Judgment
based on a knowledge of what indie
pendence means, of what its RESPONSE
biiities are or of what popular gov
eminent in it's essence is. But the
mere fact that a majority of all the
people are in favor of immediate indie
pendence is not a reason why that
should be granted. if we assume at all
the correctness of the statement, which
impartial observers cannot but fail to
acquiesce in, to wit: that the Filipinos
are not now fit for self-government.
'eThe policy Of the United States is
not to establish an oligarchy, but a
popular lf-government in the Philip
pines. The electorate to which it has
been thought wise to extend partial
government embraces only about
Is or 20 per cent of the adult male popu-
lation, because 1t has been generally
conceded by Filipinos and Americans
alike that those not included within
the electorate are wholly unable to ex-
ercise political responsibility.
Now, those persons who demanded
and were given a hearing before the
delegation of congressman and senators
that visited the islands in 1905, to urge
immediate independence contended that
the islands are fit for self-government
because there are from to 10 per cent
of the intelligent people who are con-
stituted by nature a ruling class, while
there are 80 per cent that are a servile
and obedient class, and that the pres
ence OF the two classes together argues
a well balanced government
"Such a proposition thus avowed re-
veals what is known otherwise to be
the fact that many of those most en-
phatic and urgent in seeking inde-
uendence in the Islands have no thought
OF a popular government at all. They
are in favor of close government in
which they, the leaders OF particular
class. shall exercise control of the rest
OF the people. Their views are thus