The Oskaloosa herald., 1911-09-28

Franciscans-the people of the Philip
pine Islands were made a Christian
people and have continued to be SC
down to the present day. OF the g..
| 100000 in the islands there are but
half million of Mohammedans and
4 non-Christian tribes.
"The FfIipinos are the only people
in the orient that as people have
ever been brought TO Christianity,
They are people who have, In my
judgment, great future before them
| Il they are treated with the consider.
alton and with the common sense and
clear-headed appreciation of their
! needs which we, as their guardian,
owe to them.
America As Their Guardian.
beginning a war for the freedom
of Cuba, it fell to our lot to take over
the Philippine Islands, and to assume
guardianship and trusteeship to-
ward the people of those islands which
has not yet ended. and which ought
not to end for years to come. We
have done there In ten years what, l
venture to think, no one looking to
the problem would have said was pos
sible in that short time; and it is the
accomplishments Of the government
there, 1t is the things actually done
that makes me hopeful that the time
will be shorter than is now generally
supposed by clear-headed thinkers
when we may say to the people OF
the Philippines: We have prepared
you for self-government; you are in
condition where the extension OF 1t to
you is in. your own interest and Is
safe, and we launch you upon the
ocean of complete and Independent
governmental responsibility
81 bring this question up now be-
cause it has formed an issue between
the two parties in this country; at
least this is so If you can Judge by
the platforms of the two parties. l
venture to think that the platform OF
that party which advocates an early
separation of the Philippines from the
United States does not represent the
voice of the members of the party as
a whole, and that when the question
comes up as practical one for cutting
the bond which now unites the Philip
pines to the United States, many will
hesitate to give effect to the declara-
lions of the party platform.
MY own connection with the Phil
ippine government was limited to the
first four years, and the government
has now been in operation eleven
years. / can speak, therefore, of the
success of that government without
actual or seeming self-praise. The Fill
ipino people today are admirably gov
erned. They have school system in
which there are 4S1 900 enrolled pupils
IT consists of upwards of 5000 primary
schools, of proportionate number OF
sity They. have a number of nor
NAL schools, and the feature Of indus
trial education has been pushed with
all the vigor possible, so that now
about $4,000 of the 100000 pupils are
receiving instruction in useful arts.
English to Be Their Language.
When We went there We had to de-
eide what language should be the lam
guage of the people, for there were a
of different dialects, and only
about seven per cent. of the people
spoke Spanish. Today, under the ed
vocational system which has been car
ried forward with energy and with
large expenditure and with effective
ness, more people speak English in
the islands than speak Spanish or
than speak any one of the native dia-
lects. In a generation English will be
the language Of the islands, and 1t will
be a great advantage because English
is the language of the Orient. 1t is
the language of free institutions; it is
the language which will bring those
who use it into free communication
with modern thought and modern
progress.
The islands for a long time were
with robber-bands-a feature
that extended far back into the Span
ish rule They have been captured
and destroyed, and, today, the islands
are more peaceful than ever in their
history.
We have made arrangements for
the construction OF about a thousand
miles Of railway, but business depres-
sion has prevented the construction
of more than half this mileage
The finances OF the islands have
been managed with consummate abil-
ity, and they are on a most encourag-
ing basis. A revenue tariff, and a sys-
TEN of internal revenue taxes on spir-
its and tobacco, furnish a large rev.
enue. The revenue is not large enough
for the doing of things which would
facilitate the progress of the Islands
toward a governing condition. II
this government were to appropriate
50 900, 900 a year more to education
than can be devoted to 1t by the Is
lands. 1t would reduce the number OF
years in which the people can be pre-
pared to take over their own govern
ment
They were subjected to the dread.
full destruction by rinderpest OF three
fourths of their farm animals, and
they have had the visitations that