The Madisonian. (Richmond, Ky.) 1913-1914, 1914-05-12
PROOF OF ADVANCE.
PROGRESS OF PHILIPPINES IS
SHOWN BY CHARGES OF CIVIL
SERVICE VIOLATIONS.
SOME, AT LEAST, BAsELEss
Administration Replies to Criticism
Are Prepared, But President VIII
son May Not Care to Make an
Issue of the Matter.
Rx GEoRGE CLINTON.

BY GEORGE CLINTON.
Neutrality-suspicious. of the best evil
dences perhaps, if one may say it with
"a twinkle that the Philippine islands
are advancing under the American
rule is to be found in the charges
which are being made daily by some
men that the civil service law is being
violated in the land of our wards.
For some time past the administra-
ton of affairs in the Philippines has
been the subject of severe criticism
from men who under former admins
trations held Office in the islands. 1t
is insisted that American employees IN
high positions are being discharged
without reason and that other things
are being done counter to the spirit OF
progress and good government
The administration IN Washington
has in its hands completely prepared
defense against the charges which
have been made, but the question is
whether or not President Wilson and
his secretary of war, in whose depart
ment the control OF Philippine mat
tiers largely is lodged. will care to
make an issue of the matter unless 1t
goes farther than it has gone It seems
to be today In some cases a plain
question of veracity between the men
who make the charges and those who
are ready to answer them
There are so many charges made
against the administration of affairs in
the islands that it would be strange If
few of them at least were not based
on utter misinformation, or. perhaps
the administration defenders would
say, on something approaching false
hood In this matter there is to be
found proof that when men go to the
work of finding fault and Of making
accusations they should be sure OF
their ground.
One Serious Mlsstatement.
Perhaps the men who charge viola
tons of the civil service and other
things in the Philippines are sure of
their ground in some cases, but in one
case at least they made error and seri-
Gus error.
Recently in letter which was given
wide publicity a former official in the
Philippines who held Office under two
presidents said: Fifteen American
heads of divisions In the bureau of
posts alone have been removed" This
was rather startling charge and the
answer to it was Immediately pre-
pared. Here it is as it comes from a
high officer Of government:
1.-THE value Of statements loosely
made Is apparent when the facts are
set forth. The truth is that in the bu-
reau of posts there are but three di-
visions, the postal division, the tele-
graph division and the postal saving
division, and the further fact is that
one of these three division chiefs has
resigned"
The question of the "FilipiniZation"
of the service in our eastern islands
enters largely into the matter which is
now the subject of controversy. Both
Republican and Democratic admins
trations promised that worthy Filip1-
nos should be given office in order that
home rule might be established to as
great an extent as possible and that
the Filipino people might be made to
feel that they had every chance to ad-
vance in their own service. The
thought of course always has been to
prepare the Filipino for ultimate indie
pendence-
Another Charge and Reply.
NJ, nh Sc roodo that tho
Democrats in FilipiniZing the service
have shown favor and have given ad-
vancement to those Filipinos who were
educated under the Spanish rule, who
are rather aristocratic in their ten
denotes and who do not truly repre-
sent the common folk of the islands.
The answer which has been made
to this charge is that while it is true
advancement has been given to the
better educated F1lipinos, men who
got their training under Spanish rule
the appointees are patriots devoted to
their country and that moreover their
! appointment was natural, because the
class from which they come is the only
class which as yet is sufficiently edu
Gated to supply men for the higher pc
! sitions of government.
The Democratic majority in con
gress has not yet taken up seriously
| the matter Of the fixing Of date wheI
Filipino independence can be declared
Some time ago there was belief thai
the year 1921 would be named as the
outside limit of the time Of the Ameri
can occupation. 1t is admitted, how
ever, by many administration men tina
it may be wise not to fix date, but t.
wait until education has a longer time
to work its beneficent results amonl
the people Of the islands, in order tina
when they once get their liberty the.
may know how to rule themselves am
to protect their interests against tn
lust of any foreign nation for dominion
Not So Risky.