Omaha daily bee., 1912-01-28

Copyright, l9l2, by FRANK q. Carpenter.
->AsHINGToN D. c.--I want to
IXATI tell you OF Uncle Sans work
Nv" in the Philippine Islands. We
{ have had possession OF them
IElSty5I for over twelve years and IL
G-S is high time we were taking
account OF stock and knowing what has
oeen done. They are. as YOU know,
under the War department, and the bu-
reau OF insular affairs is in constant
communication with them by travelling
officials and by letters and cablegrams,
80 that the exact situation can be at any
time known. ] have spent this week talk
Ing with General Clarence Edwards, the
head OF that bureau. and in looking over
the reports which have recently come. l
have also seen many Of the officers who
are just back from there and as a result
can give you up-to-date newa ,-. o..
The Philippines In 1912.
Most Of us know mighty little of the
Philippines. We think that they are a lot
OF tropical islands on the other side Of
the Pacific. We have heard that the
archipelago bumps its head against the
Island Of Formosa, which now belongs
TO tho Japanese. and that II kicks Il
feet about LOO miles farther south
against the Island OF BorDeo, possession
OF the Dutch and the British. We have
heard that China is on the west and
Hawaii somewhere out In the Pacific on
the east, but just how big the islands
are and what they contain is a problem.
That / shall leave for geography.
will only say that the archipelago. In.
Guiding the water within It. would cover
about one-fourth of the United States
proper il it could be dropped down upon
IT, that II comprises something like 5000
volcanic mountainous Islands and that
from east TO west II is greater than the
distance from Boston to Pittsburgh and
from north to south about as long as
from Philadelphia TO Omaha.
The islands altogether have as much
land as New England. Luzon is bigger
than Ohio; Mindoro and Negroes are each
as large as Delaware; Mindanso would
more than cover Pennsylvania and SamaT
is the size Of Connecticut.
The islands contain, according to our
people. OF these 100000 are savages or
seIni-civiIized. believing in spirits and
witches or In the prophet Mohammed,
and the other 10000 are Christians with
the same God as our own. That was what
We got for the 100000 we paid for the
archipelago at the close OF our var with
Spain.
H.. E.tabIIshinE n Government.
Yes, we got that and more. We got
ono Of the biggest civilizing Jobs OF all
times The people had been miSgoverned
for centuries, justice was bought and sold
and bribery and graft relgned supreme
Eighty per cent OF the people were isno-
rant and all lacked faith IN their rulers.
Taxation was heavy. extortion was com
mon, and none had any rights which the
rulers were bound TO respect. There we're
practically no public improvements. The
roads were impossible for a greater part
Of the year, schools were almost unknown
and every locality had its brigands and
bandits In addition was the chaos
caused by the war. and out of the whole
Unele Sam had not only TO create a gov
crnment of the people and for the people,
but 10 start The wheels Of our modern
civilization.
1t is this work he is doing. I Travelled
about the islands In 1889. when We were
about taking charge. The army was then
re-establishing the governments Of the
towns As soon as q municipality was
conquered the officers called the people
together and had them elect a town
council and mayor. They organized mu-
ulcipalities OF that kind throughout the
archipelago, allowing each town to gov
ern itself and from that they have gone
on until the Philippines are now prae-
ticaIIy seIf-goyernsd. not only as TO the
municipalities. but as 70 the provinces
and. as one great island whole.
Uncle sam Controls the Machinery.
This has been done with our national
government at the back as adviser and