The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1912-12-14

dressing Itself during the past year. a
comprehensive plan OF reorganization was
prepared by the war college DIVISION OF
the general staff This plan was thor
oughly discussed last summer at series
OF open conferences held by the secretary
Of war and attended by representatives
from all branches of the army and from
congress In printed form II has been
distributed to members OF congress ana
throughout the army and the national
guard and widely through institutions or
learning and elsewhere In the United
States In IT, for the first time, We nave
a tentative chart for future progress
The National Guard.
Under existing law the national guard
constitutes, after the regular army, the
first line OF national defense Its or
eauization. discipline, training. and equip
rnent, under recent legislation, have been
assirnilated. as far as possible, 10 'hose
o, the regular army, and 1ts pfacuca'
efficiency under the effect OF this Tram
ing. has very greatly Increased. Our ciu-
zen soldiers under present conditions
have reached a stage Of development De
yond which they cannot reasonably De
asked TO go without further ciFect as
sistance In the form OF pay from the REQ
eral government. On the other hand, such
pay from the national treasury would not
be Justified unless It produced a proper
equivalent in additional efficiency on the
part Of the national guard The organized
militia today cannot be ordered outslde OF
the limits Of the United States. and thus
cannot lawfully be used for general mill
tary purposes The officer. and men are
ambitious and eager to make themselves
thus available and to become an efhcieht
national reserve OF citizen soldiery. IAey
are the only force Of trained men othtr
than the regular army. upon which we
can rely The so-called military pay biil'
In the form agreed on between the au-
thorlties OF the war department and the
representatives Of the national guard. IN
my opinion adequately meets these com
ditions and offers a proper return Tor the
nav which II IS proposed to give to the
national guard, I believe that Its enact
ment into law would be very long step
toward providing this nation with hrst
line Of citizen sodiery. upon which its
main reliance must depend IN case OF any
national emergency. Plans for the or
genfzation Of the national guard into tac-
teal divisions. on the same lines as those
adopted for the regular army. are being
formulated by the war college DIVISION
OF the general staT.
Porto Rico Mr.. Taft says, continues
the senate to pass the bill granting the
Porto Rtcans American citizenship.
Philippines.
bin is pending In congress. CON
t,nues tho message, which revolution
ICES the carefully worked out scheme
of government under which the PhiIlp
pine islands are now governed anu
which proposes to render them vlrtu-
ally autonomous at once and absolutely
independent in eight years Such a
proposal can only be founded on the
assumption that we have now dis
charged our trusteeshp to the Filipino
people and our responsibility for them
to the world. and that they are now
prepared for self government as wei
as national sovereignty. thorough
and unbiased knowledge Of the facts
clearly shows that these assumptions
are absolutely with justification. As
to this l believe that there is no sub
stsntiaI difference OF opinion among
any Of those who have had the respon-
sibiliiv Of facing Philippine problems
in the administration OF the Islands,
and | believe that no 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 Il Is osten-
sibly urged.
In the Philippine Islands we have
! en- ba rked upon experiment unprece-
| dented in dealing with dependent
| peoples. We developing there
/ conditions exclusively for their own
welfare. We found an archipelago
containing "a tribes and races, speak
ing a great variety OF languages, and
| with a population over so per cent. OF
which could neither read nor write.
| Through the untfying forces of a
/ common education, OF CONNIE rcial
and economic development and of
/ gradual participation In local self-govern-
/ ment we are endeavorng to evolve a
| Homogeneous people fit to determine.
/ when the time arrives, their own destiny.
| We are seeking to arouse a national sptr-
| It and not. under the older colonial
| theory. to suppress such a spirit The
! character of the work We have been do
/ ing Is keanly recognized In the Orient
( and our success thus far followed with
| not a little envy by those who. Initiating
| the same policy. md themselves hamp
| cred by conditions grown mp in eorliei
days and under different theories of ad
| ministration. But our work is far from
done Our duty to the f'iliplnos Is fai
| from discharged. over half a million FIJI
/ plno students are now In the Philippine
, schools helping to mold the men of thu
future into a homogeneous people. bu
| there still remain more than a million
| Filipino children OF school age yet to b.
reached Freed from American contro
! the integratinG forces Of common edu
cation and a common language will ceas'
snd the EDUCATIONAL system now we'll start
~ will slip back into inethciency and dis
pder.
"a enormous Increase In the CONNER
ciat development OF the islands has heel
{ made since they were virtually granted
fun access to our markets three year
development and diversified industries
Freed from American control such devA
I opment is bound to decline. Every OBJ
server speaks OF the great progress Il
/ public works for the benefit of the Fill
| rinos of hartor improyem ents. OF roa'
/ and railways. OF irrigation and artesial
| v-plls public buildings. and better mean
! OF communication But large parts o
the islands are stir unreached, sttll eve
unexplored, roads and railways are need
! ed in many parts. Irrigation systems ar
still to be installed and wells to be driver
whole villages and towns are still with
! ont means OF communication other tina
1 almost impossible roads and trails. Eve
the great progress in sanitation, whic
has successfully suppressed smallpox tn
hNhouIc plague, and Aslatir cholera, ha
found the cause Of and a cure for berl
heri has segregated the lepers, has helr
ed to make Manila the most healthful cit
in the Orient, and to free life throughou
the whole archipelago from It's forme