Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-01-06
SELF GOVERNMENT
FOR PHILIPPINES
|MPRACT|CAL.TA TAFT
Former President Declares Ma
tjves of islands Are Not
Yet Capable of Direct
ing Affairs.
WANTS TO SEE THEM FREE
One Time Governor Says They
Must Be Educated--Chaos
Soon Would Follow indie
pendence, He Says.
WANTS TO SEE THEM FREE

Washington. Jan. At VIII taNe more
than n generation ana probably more
han two to prepare the Fiii!inos for
self government in tho opinion OF VIII
liam il. Taft. former president. who,
.odaN, gave his views on the admin
istration bill for ultimate independence
of the Philippines before the Senate
committee working on that measure.
Il N ut last liz d position where | can
gay just what ! think." sald Mr.. Taft.
You called me hero. Im going to tell
You just what | Know about things.
I'VE cannot the former president
said. give the Philippines self govern-
mcnt. because it canine De given. We
cannot present The Filipino people with
II character. lit must be acquired. one
Way !" acquire Vt is through hard
knocks. as the .An~glo-Saxon race re-
1;tircn it.
Tells Federal Aims.
When we went to the Philippines.
Nc tr.cd to Sive it 10 then by MAIN
t:,inins a constitutional form OF gov
eminent as an object lesson and by
rllc@ting tho people in the lalGue of
Sice institutions. We tried to have the
80, ern,nent participated in, btt not
Z 9ilI,@led b. the natives.
Now. what time do ! think viii be
- = 80 WIN = l'iAAo ~. ~
government? The time that shall give
10 those people an opportunity to learn
l;r%lsh 50 that they shall be AZ Eng
lish speaking people. That will take
more tban n generation and prob
ably more than two. il you count so
wears AS Il generation.
YOU can't educate all OF the people
YOU haven't got tho money.
Couldn't Let Co.
>"When President Mckinley sent mo
to\the Philippines. l told him that l.
thought we ought not TO DE IN The
Islands. He said TO me that We had
the bear by the tail and that we had
To stay. But the idea then was that
we would get out just as soon as we
oonld. Our first purpose in being in
there is to get out"
Democratic promises of Philippine
Independence" Mr.. TAFT said further,
have been the great obstacle in our
awn work uver there. Even now it is
causing rouble This man Ricartc,
who is charged with fomenting the
present disturbance. is a professional
revolutlonist, come down from my time
i'm the Stands. lie lives in Hong
Kong on funds he collects for revolu-
ZIONIST purposes in the islands This
present outbreak is the result, I'M
doubtedly, of his agitation in trying to
justify his collections. He probably
argues that democrats in the United
states promised independence al. Il fixed
time: that the time now has been post
poned n that the promise has been
broken"
Mr.. Taft opposed in detail the admin
istration bill for greater measure Of
self government for the Stands. dec!ar-
ing that no measure could be framed
better calculated to stir up trouble in
the Philippines.
The Filipino people do not under
stand republican SaIf gDvarpp,apf i'm tin.
sense that we know it," the former
president said.
What wou! be the result if they
We're given self government at once"
asked Senator Hitchcock.
"A Filipino. in whom I have great
confidence said Mr.. Taft. said to
me: Your steamers would not be
round Corregidor island before the
throat cutting would begin / verify
believe that is true. We find the same
loses a political fight has his head for
a forfeit: That's what developed when
Aguinaldo was in power.
I'm describing an actual condition
that exists there. I'd be glad to have
the United States get out OF the Phil
ippines. and have a great regard for
the poor people out there. They don't
like me because I've told them the
truth. If o give those people inde-
nendence now or by 1920 you will have
this. terrible situation develop. Either
a Diaz would arise in the Philippines
or they would get into a condition that
caused a Diaz in Mexico.'
The former president said the obli-
cation of the United States to defend
the Philippines might be a source of
weakness in time of war;"
But" he continued, 81 do not he
ieve that any of the nations now en-
gagged in the European war would look
IN the possession of the Philippines as
4 naval base as a ource Of weakness"
BROTHER OF DR.. ANNA
llaValAnn NgVnsss - ~-.-