Little Falls herald., 1913-12-05
PHILIPPINE CONTROL.
Must Hold Ultimate independence In
View and Strive to Fit Fiiipinos For
Self Government at Future Date.

Must Hold Ultimate independence In
View and Strive to Fit Filipinos For
Self Government at Future Date.
These are all matters Of vital do
mestic concern. and besides them. out
side the charmed circle Of our own ma
ti6nal life III which our affections com.
mand US. AS we'll us our cOnScienceS.
there stand ont our obligations toward
our territories over. sea. Here we are
trustees. Porto Rico. Hawaii. the Phil
ippines. are ours. indeed, but not ours
to DO what we please With. Such ter
ritOries. once regarded as mere posses
sions. are no longer to be seltiShly eX-
plotted: they are part Of the domain of
public conscience and Of Serviceable
and enlightened craftsmanship.
We must administer them for the
people who live in them and with the
same sense Of responsibility to them as
toward our own people in our domestic
affairs. No doubt we shall success
fully enough bind Porto Rico and the
Hawaiian Islands to ourselves by ties
of justice and interest and affection.
but the performance Of our duty to
ward the Philippines is Il more diff
cult and del,atable matter. We can
satisfy the obligations of generous JUS.
tice toward the people Of Porto Rico
by giving tho ample and familiar
rights and privileges accorded our own
citizens in our own territories and our
obliga tons toward the people Of Ha
waii by rerfcctin: the provisions for
self government already granted them.
but in the Philippines we must 80 fur.
ther. We must hold steadily in view
their ultimate independence. and we
must move toward the time Of that
Independence as Steadily as the way
can be cleared and the foundations
thougl,tf:'lly and perm2ncntly laid
Actin: under the authority conferred
upon the president By congress. have
already accorded the people Of the is
lands Il minority in both houses of
their legislative body by appointing
FIVE instead Of four native citizens to
the membership Of the commission.
believe that it, this way we shall make
proof Of their capacity in counsel and
their sense Of responsibility in the ex
ercise of political power and that the
success Of this step will be sure to
clear our view for the steps which are
to follow.
Step by step we should extend and
perfect the system Of self government
in the islands, making test Of them and
modifying them rs experience discloses
their successes and their failures: that
we should more and more put under
the control Of the native citizens of the
archipelago the essential Instruments
Of their life. their local instrumentali
ties of government their schools. all
the .cOu:mon interests of their cOnlmu.
mites and so by counsel and experience
set up !: government which all the
world will see to be suitable to peo
pie whose affairs are under their own
control. :
At last, l hope and believe. we are
beginning to gain the confidence of the
Filipino peoples. BY their counsel and
experience. rather than by our own.
we shall learn how best to serve them
and how soon it will be possible and
wise to withdraw our supervision. Let
US once find the path and set out with
firm and confident tread upon it, and
we shall not wander from it or linger
lron If 1ag