The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-06-05
JONES PHILIPPINE BILL
Is ATTACKED BY TAFT
Former President Says Author of
Measure Is blind TO Every
Fact In Cnsc.
HOODWINKED nY POLITICIANS
To Leave Islands to SeIf-Govcrnmcnt
Would lie Remarkable Evidence or
LnciS OF Suntty.
Especial to Tho T,mes-Dispntch1

Especial to Tho Times Dispatch1
| Now ork, Juno 4.--"Are wo to let
mo Philippine Isalnds go. and turn
them over to an oligarichy of elo-
| qucrt and attractive orators who
really believe in aristocracy, and who
| nave no real conception of civil ana
individual liberty. and certainly no ca-
| pacitS by training and education for
| successful popular govcrnment?'
asked former President William How
ard Taft I'm ~ statement given to-day.
| The minute that the strong back
| ground of powerful government Is
withdrawn, tho differences between tae
| fiiptnos and tho Moros, who are
mutinous and have no sympathy with
| the Filipinos and have Il racial hatred
Tor them, VIII at once develop. The
| Moros have notified US that they Will
not stand Filipino government, and
, the Filipinos say that they cannot take
| over tho island unless they take over
! all of them.
For us to leave the islands and to
! guarantee to tho nations of the world
| In exchange for the treaties Of neu-
trality with respect to the islands. that
| law and order will be preserved ana
! there will be no civil commotion,
would be an evidence of lack OF sanity
that l cannot think that the American
people Will ever display.
III they should. 1t would not DO
year before we would have to go back
| Into the islands in order to maintain
tho peace that we had guaranteed TO
| tho world.
The great body of the adult Filipi-
nos to-day. stepped in ignorance, do
not Know their own rights under the
government under which they are now
living. The supreme difficulty OF main
tanning n government of free civil in
stltutions there Is In giving the un-
educated and tho poor an understands
Ing OF what their rights are. They do
lf
rights by the methods secured to them
now by appeal to the courts. and TO the
constituted police authorities.
The politics OF this country have
not the slightest influence upon INC in
this matter. feel that | know so
much more about the problem and its
diihculties than any of the gentlemen
In this administration that I have Il
duty and right 10 call their atten-
ton to some of the dangers that bcsct
them, and to some of the mistakes that
have been made If reports that have
come from Manila as to what IL being
done there are authentic.
Il judge that tho administration Is
In situation where it wishes to do
something In order to vindicatc the
party stand. but I confidently hope that
they will he content with what they
nave already done. and not go FUR
Their into dangerous channels that will
ultimately lead to disaster
THE author of The Jones bill--Mr.
Joncs-has been pcrmcatcd with a
hatred for the Republican Philippine
! policy that blinds him to every fact
that comes to his notice in tho Official
statistics. and even In the testimony of
! his own Democratic collca CUES and
, that makes him seize upon the utterly
false and prciudccd accounts of mat
tcrs In the islands given to him by
I use arrcd officials and employees whose
separation from the service was ncces-
/ Sary for the good of tho islands
'iie has allowed himself 10 fall into
| the most ludicrous and shocking mac
curacies of statements that arc only
| to be explained by an obession that
| has deprived him of any Intelligent
use of his faculties In the examination
| of records available to him and weigh
ing Of evidence that Is ut his hand.
| lie has allowed the intriguing of the
politicians OF the Philippines. who
have sought to exercise influence In
| WASHINGTON completely to hoodwink
him as to the circumstances in the Is
lands and brought him to the advocacy
OF n bill which would be absurd In its
operation and which would destroy the
! benefit OF everything that has been
done in the islands up to this time"