The Green Forest tribune., 1908-11-13

prehend He gave them schools and the opportunity of education, one of the dearest wishes of the whole peo- pie. No man who was not in the Philippines in the early days of the American occupation will ever under stand thoroughly with what pitiful eagerness the Filipino people desired to learn. Men, women and children, white-haired grandfathers and grand mothers craved above everything the opportunity to go to school and receive instruction in the simplest rudiments. It is difficult to tell how deeply that eager desire touched MT. Taft and how earnestly he responded to it.
 But education was only a begin hing MT Taft gave the Filipinos the opportunity to own their own homes. It was another concrete example of simple justice. When they saw him negotiating for the friar lands, and at a great expense to the American government, securing for the Filipinos the right to buy those lands on easy terms. it went home to the dullest among them that he was working un- selfishly in their behalf.
 And they saw his justice in their courts. For the first time in all their experience the poorest and humblest Filipino found himself able to secure an even-handed, honest decision, with out influence.
 Even that is not all. They saw Mir. Taft literally and faithfully keep ing his promise and calling Filipinos to share in their own government, not merely in the subordinate and lowly places which they had been able to purchase from their old masters, but in the highest and most respon- sible posts. They saw men of their race called to membership in the commission, in the supreme court, and in all the other branches of their government And they believed the promise of even wider experiences of self-gevernment 10 come.
 Three times in the course of his service for the Filipinos the opportuni- ty to re-enter his judicial career came to him, each time with an offer of a place on the supreme bench which had been his lifelong goal. Each time he refused it. Not even President Roosevelt understood the call to MT. Taft from the Fillpinos, and when he offered Supreme Court judgeship to MT. Taft he accompanied it with al most a command. But MT. Taft de- clined How the Filipinos felt was shown when on hearing of the danger that MT. Taft might be called away from Manila, they aocked in thous ands about his residence and begged him not to go. When ultimately he did leave the islands it was only to come home as secretary of war, in which office he could continue his di- rection of Philippine affairs and make sure that there should be no deviation from the successful line of policy he had marked out.
 Secretary of War.
 It is not important here to discuss in detail MT Taft's administration of the War Department since he sue ceeded Elihu Root as secretary of war on February 1, 1904. He has been at the head of it during the years of it's greatest range of activity. He is not merely secretary of the army, as al most all his predecessors were. He is secretary of the colonies. Under his di- al ,ott ,f hD .,f importance affecting every one of the over-sea possessions of the United States. The affairs of the army alone have often proved sufficient to occupy the whole attention of an able secre- tary. MT. Taft has had to handle not only those and the Philippine and Cuban business, but to direct the con struction of the Panama canal as well. And at not infrequent intervals he has been called on to participate in the direction of other weighty affairs of the government. He has been the general advisor of President Roose- welt and has been called into consul tation on every important matter which has required governmental ac- tion.
 Building the Canal.
 When Mir Taft became secretary of war this country had just taken pos session of the canal zone, under trea- ty with the Republic of Panama, and of the old canal property, including the Panama railroad, by purchase from the French company The work was all to do The country expected the dirt to begin to fly at once The newspapers and periodicals were full of cartoons representing Uncle Sam in long boots with a spade on his shoulder, striding down to the isth- mus to begin digging. But before there could be any real excavation there was a tremendous task to meet First of all the isthmus must be changed from a disease-breeding pest hole to place where Americans could live and work in safety The canal zone must be cleaned up mosquitoes stamped out and the place made sweet and healthy. Habitations must be constructed for many thousands of workmen and their families. The cities of Panama and Colon, at the terminal of the canal, must be made thoroughly sanitary and supplied with water and sewers An organization for the work of canal construction must be perfected and millions of dol lars worth of machinery and supplies must be purchased and transported to the isthmus.
 All these things, however, were of a purely business character. It re- quired only time and ability to handle