The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1912-12-11

U Tut II should be e!lolmDerP
that the demand must be. and in the
minds Of most Porto lticans is. entire
ly di~s;lssociated from any thought Of
statehood.
The Philippines.
A bill is pending in congress which
revolutionizes the carefully worked out
scheme of government under which the
Philippine Islands are now governed
and which proposes to render them vir-
tually autonomous at Once and absO.
1utely independent in eight years. Such
u proposal a only be founded on the
assumption that we have now discharg-
ed u trusteeship to the Filipino PEG.
pie and our responsibility for them to
the world and that they are now pre-
pared for self government as we'll as
national sovereignty. A thorough and
unbiased knowledge Of the facts clear
ly shows that these assumptions are
absolutely without justification.
AS to this l believe that there is no
substantial difference of opinion among
any Of those who have had the respon-
sibility of facing Philippine problems
in the administration of the islands,
and believe that n one to whom the
future Of this people is a responsible
concern can countenance a policy
fraught with the direst consequences
to those on whose behalf it is osten-
sibly urged.
Our duty to the Filipinos is far from
discharged. Over half a million Fill
p1no students are now in the Philip
pine schools helping to mold the men
Of the future into a homogeneous peo-
pie. but there still remain more than
a million Filipino children Of school
age yet to be reached. Freed from
American control the migrating forces
Of a common education and a common
language will cease and the education
al system now well started will slip
back into ineficiency and disorder.
An enormous increase in the com
mercial development of the islands has
been made since they We're virtually
granted full access to our markets
three years ago. with every prospec:
of increasing development and diversi-
fed industries. Freed from American
control such development is bound -
decline.
If the task we have undertaken is
higher than that assumed by other a
tons, it's accomplishment must de-
mand even more patience. We must
not forget that we found the Filipinos
wholly unframed in government. Up
to our advent all other experience
sought to repress rather than encour
age political power. 1t takes long time
and much experience to ingram po-
litical habits of steadiness and eff
cheney. Popular self government ulti-
mately must rest upon common habits
of thought and upon a reasonably de-
veloped public opinion.
A present declaration ever of future
Independence would retard progress by !
the dissension and disorder it would
arouse. On our part it would be a dis
ingenious attempt. under the guise of
comforting a benefit IN them. to relieve |
ourselves from the heavy and difficult
burden which hus far we have been
bravely and consistently sustaining.
1t would be a disguised policy of scut-
1t would make the helpless Fill
Pine the football of oriental politics.
under the protection of a guaranty of
their independence. which we would
be powerless to enforce.
Regulation Of Water Power.
There are pending before congress a
large number of bills proposing to
grant privileges of erecting dams for
the purpose of creating water power
In u navigable rivers. The penden-
cy of these bills has brought out an
important defect in the existing gen
eral dan act. That act does not, in
my opinion. grant sufficient power to
the federal government in dealing
with the construction of such dams to
exact protective conditions in the in
terest Of navigation. 1t does not per-
NIT the federal government, as a con
dition Of its permit, to require that a
part Of the value thus created shall be
applied to the further general i'm
provement and protection of the
stream. I believe this to be one of the |
most important matters of internal i'm
provement now confronting the gov
eminent.
In my opinion constructive states
manship requires that legislation
should be enacted which will permit
the development of navigation in these
great rivers to go hand in hand with
the utilization of this byproduct Of
water power. created in the course of
the same improvement, and that the
general dam act should be so amend
ed as to make this possible.
I deem it highly important that the
nation should adopt a consistent and
harmonious treatment of these water
power projects, which will preserve
for this purpose their value to the gov
eminent, whose right it is to grant the
permit. ANY other policy is equiva-
lent to throwing away a most valua-
BILE national asset.
The Panama Canal.