The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1912-12-13

| dressing itself during the past year.
comprehensive plan OF reorganization ws'
prepared by the war college division OF
the general stan. This plan was thor
| oughly discussed last summer ut q series
| OF open conferences held by the secretary
OF war and attended by representatives
from all branches OF tho army and from
| congress. In printed form II has been
throughout the army and the national
guard. and widely through institutions OF
learning and elsewhere in the United
States. In IL. for the nrst time. We have
. tentative chart for future progress.
The National Guard.
Under existing Law the national guard
constitutes. after the regular army. the
rrst line OF national defense It's or
ganiEation. discipline. training. and equip
ment. under recent legislation. have been
assimiiated. az far a. possible. to those
OF tho regular army. and its practicei
efficiency. under tho effect of this train
ing. has very greatly increased. Our citi-
ZEN soldiers under present conditions
have reached q stage OF development be-
yond which they cannot reasonably be
asked TO 20 without further direct as
sistAnco In the form OF pay from tho fed
eral government. On the other hand. such
pay from the national treasury would not
be justified unless II produced a proper
equivalent In additional efficiency on tho
part OF the national guard. Tho organized
militia today cannot be ordered outside or
the limits OF the United States. and thus
cannot lawfully he used for general mill
tary purposes. The officers and men ers
ambitious and eager 20 make themselves
thus available and 10 become an efficient
national reserve OF citizen soldiery. They
are the only force OF trained men. other
than the regular army. upon which we
can rely. The so-called military pay bill.
IN the form agreed on between tho au-
thoritiss OF tho war department and tho
representatives OF tho national guard, In
my opinion adequately meets these con-
ditions and offers proper return for the
pay which II Is proposed to give to the
national guard. believe that Its enact
ment into law would be very long step
toward providing this nation with nrst
line OF citizen soldiery. upon which It's
main reliance must depend In case OF any
national emergency Plans for the or
ganization OF the national guard into tao
teal divisions. on the same lines as those
adopted for the regular army. are being
formulated by tho war college division
OF tho general stan.
Porto Rico. Mr.. Taft says continues
to show notable progress and he urges
the senate to pass the bill granting the
Porto Ricans American citizenship.
Philippines.
tinues tho message. which revolution
ICES the carefully worked out scheme
OF government under which the Philip
pine islands are now governed and
which proposes to render them virtu-
ally autonomous at once and absolutely
Independent In eight years. Such
proposal can only be founded on the
assumption that we have now dis
charged our trusteeship to the Filipino
people and our responsibility for them
TO the world, and that they are now
prepared for self-government as we'll
as national sovereignty thorough
and unbiased knowledge OF the facts
clearly shows that these assumptions
are absolutely with Justification. As
to this. I believe that there is no sub
stantial 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 no one TO whom the
future OF this people is responsible
concern can countenance policy
fraught with the direst consequences
to those on whose behalf II Is ostsn-
sibly urged.
In tie Philippine islands we have
embarked upon An experiment unprece-
dented In dealing with dependent
peoples. We are developing there
conditions exclusively for their own
containing - tribes and races. speak
ing a great variety of languages, and
with n population over 80 per cent. OF
which could neither read nor write.
Through the unifying forces OF
common education, of commercial
and economic development. and OF
gradual participation In local self govern
ment we are endeavoring to evolve a
homogeneous people ht 10 determine,
when the time arrives their own destiny.
We are seeking to arouse a national spr-
II and not, as under the older colonial
theory, to suppress such spirit. The
character OF the work we have been do
ing is keenly recognized In the Orient,
and our success thus far followed with
not a little envy by those who, initiating
the same policy, find themselves hamp-
cred by conditions grown up in earlier
days and under different theories OF ud-
ministraton. But our work Is far from
done. Our duty 10 tho Fflipinos is far
from discharged oyer half a million Fill
pino students are row In tho Philippine
schools helping to mold the men OF the
future into n homogeneous people, but
there still remain more than a million
Filipino children OF school age yet TO be
reached. Freed from American control
the integrating forces OF common edu-
cation and a common language will cease
and the eucational system now well start
ed Will slip Dack into lneinCiency anu us
order.
An enormous increase IN the CONNER
cial development OF the islands has been
made since they were virtually granted
full access TO our markets three years
ago. with every prospect OF increasing
development and diversified Industries.
Freed from American control such devel-
opment is bound to decline. Every OBJ
server speaks OF the great progress In
public works for the beneft OF the FIJI
pinos, OF hartor improvements, OF road
and railways, OF irrigation and artesan
wells. public buildings. and better means
OF communication. Dut large parts OF
the islands are still unreached. still even
unexplored. roads and railways are need
ed I'm many parts. irrigation systems are
still to be installed and wells TO be driven.
Whole villages and towns are still with
out means OF communication other than
almost impossible roads and trails. Even
the great progress In sanitation. which
has successfully suppressed smallpox, the
hubonic plague. and Asiatic cholera. has
found the cause OF and n cure :or bert-
beri. has segregated the lepers. has help
ed 10 make Manila the most hcalthtul city