The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-12-07

iHS
4 bill is pending in congress which
revolutiOniZe> 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 ab>o-
lately indeI euient in eight years. Such
a proposal can only he founded Oh the
assumption that we have now dis Larg
ed our truSteeShip to the Filipino peO-
pie and our responsibility for them 10
the world ana that they are now pre-
pared for self government as we'll rs
national sovereignty \ thorough and
unbiased know ledge of the facts clear
~ shows that these assumptions are
absolutely without Justification.
As 10 this | believe that there is nn
substantial difference of opinion among
any Of those who have had the ve>pOn-
sibility 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 4 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
Pine students are now in the Philip
pine schools helping to mold the men
Of the future into a homogeneous neo-
pie. 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 education and common
language will cease and the education
al system now we'll started will slip
back into inefficiency and disorder.
An enormous increase in the com
mercial 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 diversi-
fed industries. Freed from American
control such development is bound to
decline.
If the task we have undertaken is
higher than that assumed by other ma
tions, its 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-
liticai habits of steadiness and eff
cheney Popular self government ultf-
mately must rest upon common habits
of thought and upon reasonably de-
veloped public opinion.
A present declaration even of future
Independence would retard progress by
the diSsenSion and disorder ii would
arouse On our part it would be a dis
| ingenious attempt. under the guise OF
comforting benefit on them, to relieve
ourselves from the heavy and difficult
| burden which thus far we have been
| bravely and consistently sustaining
| 1t would be disguised policy of scut-
| tie 1t would make the helpless Fill
! pino the football of oriental politics,
under the protection Of 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 tC
| grant privileges of erecting dams fol-
the purpose Of creating water power
in our navigable rivers. The penden
cy of these bills has brought out ar
important defect in the existing gen
| eral dam act. That act does not. In
| my opinion. grant sufficient power tC
the federal government in dealing
with the construction Of such dams tC
| 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 g
| part of the value thus created shall bt
applied to the further general i'm
| provement and protection of th'
stream. | 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 thes'
great rivers to go hand in hand will
the utilization of this byproduct o
water power. created In the course o
the same improvement. and that tn,
general dam act should be so amend
ed as to make this possible
i | deem it highly important that thu
nation should adopt a consistent ant
harmonious treatment of these waite
power projects which will prcSerV,
for this purpose their value TO the gov
eminent. whose right it is to grant TIT
permit Any other policy is equiva
lent to throwing away a most valua
BILE national asset.
i The Panama Canal.
During the past year the work o
construction upon the canal has prl
crossed most satisfactorily. About ;
per cent of the excavation work la
, been completed. and more than % pc
cent of the concrete for all the locks i
in place. In view of the great intere>
!, which has been manifested as to som
slides in the CuIebra cut am glad I
. say that the report of Colonel G0ethal
, should aIlay any apprehension on thi
point Ii i gratifying TO note tina
none of the slides which occurred duI
ing this wear would have interfere
with the passage Of the ships had th
canal in fact been in operation, an
when the slope pre><ureS will have fee
finally adjusted and the growth of veg
citation will minimize erosion in til
borl-s ~ rho ,7,t -ba cFifa nroblpT1 vi