The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1912-12-12


dressing itself during the past year. A
comprehensive plan Of reorganization vas
prepared by the war college division Of
the general stan. 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 and
throughout the army and the national
guard. and widely through institutions of
learning and elsewhere in the United
States. In II. for the first time. We have
q tentative chart for future progress.
The National Guard.
Under existing law tho national guard
constitutes. after the regular army, the
first line OF national defense. Its or
Ranization. discipline. training. and equip
ment. under recent legislation. have been
assimilatcd. as far as possible. to those
of the regular army and Its practical
efficiency. under the effect OF this train
ing, has very greatly increased. Our citi-
zen soldiers under present conditions
have reached a stage OF development be
yond which they cannot reasonably be
asked to go without further direct as
sistance In the form OF pay from the fed
eral government. On the other hand. such
pay from the national treasury would not
IN IL prouu'eu p'op'I'
equivalent ip additional efficiency on the
part OF the national guard. The organized
militia today cannot be ordered outside Of
the limits of the United States. and thus
cannot lawfully be used for general mill
tary purposes. The officers and men are
ambitious and eager to make themselves
thus available and TO become an efficient
national reserve of citizen soldery. They
are the only force of trained men. other
laT a a.
can rely. The so-calied military pay bill.
In the form agreed on between the au-
thorfties of the war department and the
representatives OF the national guard. In
my opinion adequately meets these con-
ditions and offers 4 proper return for the
pay which II is proposed to give to the
national guard. I believe that its enact
toward providing this nation with hrst
line of citizen soldiery. upon which Its
main reliance must depend In case of any
national emergency. Plans for the or
ganization of the national guard into tao
tical divisions. on the same lines as those
adopted for the regulrr army. are being
formulated by the war college division
of the 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.
bill is pending in congress. con-
tinues the message. which revolution
lies tho carefully worked out scheme
of government under which the Philip
pine islands are now governed and
ally autonomous at once and absolutely
Independent in eight years. Such
can only be founded on tho
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 fgovernment as well
as national sovereignty A thorough
and unbiased knowledge of the facts
clearly shows that these assumptions
are absolutely with Justification. AS
10 this. I believe that there Is no sub
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 a responsible
concern can countenance. policy
rraught with the direst consequences
to those on whose behalf it 10 osten-
sibly urged.
In the Philippine islands we have
embarked upon an experiment unprece-
dented in dealing with dependent
exclusively for their own
welfare. We found an archipelago
"a tribes and races speak
ing great variety of languages. and
with population over 80 per cent. OF
which could neither read nor write.
the unifying forces of
common educa ton. of commercial
and economic development and of
gradual participation In local sclf-govern-
ment We are endeavoring to evolve
people fit to determine,
whSn the time arrives. their own destiny
We are seeking to arouse a national spir-
II and not. as under the older colonial
theory. to suppress such spirit The
of the work we have been do
Ing ls keenly recognized in the Orient.
and our success thus far followed with
not little envy by those who. Initiating
the same policy. fnd themselves hamp-
cred by conditions grown UP in ecrlier
days and under different theories of ad-
But our work Is far from
done. Our duty to the FiipiAos IL far
from discharged. Over half a million Fill
pino students are now In the Philippine
schools helping to mold the men Of the
future into a Homogeneous people. but
there still remain more than q million
Filipino children of school age yet to be
reached. Freed from American control
the integrating forces OF a common edu-
cation ana a common language will cease
and the EDUCATIONAL system now we'll start
Il will slip back into inefficiency and dis
=. der.
- enormous increase In the CONNER
ciai 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 deve4-
opment Is bound to decline. Every OBJ
server speaks of the great progress In
public works for the benefit of the Fill
pinos. of hartor improvements. of road
and railways. of irrigation and artesian
wells. public buildings. and better means
of communication. But large parts of
the islands are still unreached. still even
roads and railways are need
ed in many parts. irrigation systems are
still to be Installed and wells TO be driven
Whole villages and towns are still with
ont means of communication other than
almost Impossible roads and trails. Even
the great progress In sanitation. which
has successfully suppressed smallpox. the
bvbonic plague. and Asiatic cholera has
found the cause of and cure for beri-
beri. has segregated the lepers. has help
ed to make Manila the most healthful city
in the Orient. and to free life throughout
the whole archipelago from its former
dread diaeaaea is nevertheless incom-