The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1912-12-12

evolve homogeneous people fit to
determine, when the time arrives,
their own destiny. We are seeking
to arouse national spirit and not, as
under the older colonial theory, to
suppress such spirit. The character
OF the work we have been doing is
keenly recognized in the Orient and
our success thus far followed with not
little envy by those who, initiating
the same policy, find themselves hamp-
cred by conditions grown up in ear
lier days and under different theories
of administration. But our work is
far from done. Our duty to the Fill
pinos is far from discharged. Over
half million Filipino students are
now in the Philippine schools helping
to mold the men Of the future into
homogeneous people, but there still
remain more than million Filipino
children of school age yet to be reach
ed. Freed from American control the
migrating forces Of a common edu-
cation and a common language will
cease and the educational system now
we'll started will slip back into inefii-
cheney and disorder.
An enormous increase In the COM
mercial development of the islands
has been made since they were viz
tually granted full access to our mar
kets three years ago, with every pros
pect of increasing development and
i,,I, +rio Ernod from
American control such development
Is bound to decline. Every observer
speaks Of the great progress In public
works for the benefit of the Filipinos,
| Of harbor improvements, of road and
| railways, of irrigation and artes1an
| wells, public buildings, and better
| means of communication. But large
parts of the islands are still unreach-
ed, still even unexplored, roads and
| railways are needed in many parts,
irrigation systems are still to be in
stalled and wells to be driven. Whole
villages and towns are still without
means of communication other than
| almost impossible roads and trails.
Even the great progress In sanitation,
| which has successfully suppressed
smallpox, the bubonic plague, and
Asiatic cholera, has found the cause
Of and a cure for beriberi, has segre-
gated the lepers, has helped to make
Manila the most healthful city in the
Orient, and to free life throughout the
whole archipelago from it's former
dread diseases, is nevertheless incom-
plete In many essentials of perma-
nence in sanitary policy. Even more
remains to be accomplished. If freed
from American control sanitary prog
ress is bound to be arrested and all
that has been achieved likely to be
lost.
If the task we have undertaken is
higher than that assumed by Other
nations. it's accomplishment must de
mand even more patience. We must
not forget that we found the Filipinos
wholly unframed in government. VI
tc our advent all other experience
sought to repress rather than encour
age political power. 1t takes Ions
time and much experience to ingram
| political habits of steadiness and ell
cheney. Popular self-government ultl
mately must rest upon common habit:
of thought and upon reasonably de
veloped public opinion. No such foun
dations for self-government let alon'
independence, are now present In thu
Philippine Islands. Disregarding ever
their racial heterogeneity and the lacl
of ability to think as a nation, 1t i
sufficient to point out that under lit
eral franchise privileges only about
per cent. of the F'ilipinos vote an
only per cent. of the people are sal
to read the public press. To confe
independence upon the Filipinos nov
Is, therefore, to subject the great mas
of their people to the dominance OF a
! oligarchical and, probably. exploitin
minority. Such course Will be
cruel to those people as 1t would b
| shameful to us.
Our true course is to pursue steat
ily and courageously the path we hav
thus far followed; to guide the FIJI
pinos into self-sustaining pursuits; t
continue the cultivation of sound pol
teal habits through education and p'
litical practice; to encourage the d
: versitication of industries, and to rea
lie the advantages Of their industris
: education by conservatively approve
+ cooperative methods, at once chec]
Ing the dangers of concentrate
wealth and building up sturdy, II
i dependent citizenship.
q Regulation Of Water Power.
}. There are pending before congress
a large number of bills proposing
:. grant privileges of erecting dams II
j. the purpose of creating water pow
J.. in our navigable rivers. The pendene
d of these bills has brought out an II
" portant defect in the existing gener
l. dam act. That act does not, IN N
r opinion, grant sufficient power to tt
Q federal government in dealing wit
8 the construction of such dams to exa
r. protective conditions in the intere
I