Evening star., 1915-11-30
VICIOUS" SAYS GARRISON,
UNJUST" REPLIES MIR. TAFT,
IN TILT OVER PHILIPPINES.
Mr.. Garrison Arraigns Former
President for Lending Name
to Publication.

Secretary Garrison of the War De-
partment has issued formal statement
sharply arraigning former President
William H. Taft for having lent his
name to what are termed statements
,nendacious in character and mtschiev-
Gus in intent with relation to condi-
tions in the Philippine Island under tns
present administration. Circulation OF
show plainly that the republican poll
ticsans are attempting to lay the iouh-
dation for campaign material with re-
spect to the Philippine ISLANDS.
Secretary Garrison's Statement.
"Tt is becoming very plain that the
republican politicians are attempting 10
lay the foundation for campaign ma.
terial with respect to the fhlllppIiiss
Islands. There have recently aPpeaaeu
a series of interviews or articles eX-
hibiting a shameless intention In TINS
matter These statements are menoa-
cious in character and mischleyous II.
intent Many of them proceed nlum.
sources SO inconsiderable as TO carry
little if any weight, even II undenleo.
Others however, are fathereu py men
whose names and prominence SUP
posedly lend weight to their uttesat .t.e .
II is inconceivable that even partisan
zeal w ould lead these men TO SO s1uitiis
themselves. xooa
Realizing that the honor and gooo
faith of this nation were inFoiVea III
its relations to the Filipino people, !
have absolutely abstained from any
partisan comment or conduct Win re-
spect to this subject. The uniteo
States took over an enormous respon-
sibility. which should be carrteu si.S .rd
the highest spirit of GOOD 1aitn any
aItruism, and all those VINO respeIs
the good name of this country snouiu ,iu
at least refrain from misrepresehedlis,
and false statements concerhihe
tons :; .he
islands BY the United States was con.
ceived in the best spirit ana mas III en
main been carried out IN III. hnwe
worthy way Such mistakes as I'D
been made were only such as are ~
eyitable in the conduct of human az
fairs THAT government has been con
tinued in the same spirit ny tns p 80
administration. and conditions, gov
ernmentally considered, were never
better than they are in the Philippine
The bill which was pending in the
last Congress- and which VIII pe
h-ought hefore the next Congress, is eX-
actIv in line with all that has heretofore
been done in the Islands, ana Is siii
ply the next proper loglcai s'ep " "
taken toward developing the peopIe
.sarsaf for saIf-eoyernment No honest
reading and consideration OF the meas
ure can lead TO any other coiSius -
Because the preamble OF the' oii
peated in concrete language ina ~ -
has been substantially stated to De lhe
posirion of this country from the s,lIie
OF President Mckinley on down, - has
been falsely labeled an indepehue!isoe
bill and the impression mas peeh VIZ
" conveyed that II alters in some Eitai'
radical way the orderly progress OF tle
seIf-dsysloprner Of the Filipino peopie'
Such an interpretation creates al
soIutely false impression
President Taft, when governor gen
eraI OF the Philippine Islands, was the
6rst one 70 announce that the motto
of the American administrator "as.
THE Philippines for the FIiplnos- ne
cisms against him for taking this posi-
tion. He constantly stated that TINS
was the only position which any one,
acting in good faith and with the hoi.oi
IT his government in his keeping, couiu
take; that from the very oeginnins s .his
this was the announced poicy OF this
country, constantly iterated ana rele-
Grated by the Presidents OF TINS coun-
Iry. by its represeneatdives sa niainiy nnd set
Forth as has President Tart the mai
cious Misrepresentation, the mehoa
etous statements and the VICIOUS
raults that proceed from those IN the
Philippine Islands who are no. permit
ted to exploit the natives ana the coun-
try for their own beneht
president Taft was absolutely 1ustl-
attacks, which makes il all the more
amazing to find him indulging IN e6-
sctly the same conduct toward those
who are now occupying positions oi
trust and responsibility IN tHe hii1P
nine government.
There lately appeared series OF az
ticles in a newspaper called the OAK
land Tribune. Subsequently tney we're
published in a pamphlet entitied Inc
Unhappy Conditions in the Philpp,ns
Islands by o. Garfield Jones. former
member of the Philippine depar.nieIi. NJ
OF education, with an introduc.ion es
ex-President William Howard 1aII
former governor general Of the Phlnp-
pines In the introduction ex-Presi-
..I nav. read with much interest Mr..
q GARFIELD Jones article on present
conditions in the Philippines. published
recently in the Oakland Tribune. 1t Is
@sV-bat he saws of the demoraliza-
,on. in the present government, due 10
+ha blind and foolish policy OF Presi-
dent wilson and Governor General Har-
r!son. is confirmed By every report that
receive from the Islands.
Source of Confirmation.
"r-ndoubtedly any Islander or lying
statement can be confirmed by reports
received from the islands MT IaIt
has pointed out with entire ciearhess
where such reports come from. He
said, when suffering from similar mis-
representation, speaking with respect
70 the American press and the three
rewzpapers in the islands who were
supposed to speak the American pub
lie opinion in the islands. that they
we're engaged in holding the Filipino
up 10 contempt, exposing all his sup
posed vices and giving him no credit
whatever for any virtues. and II may
he tat this represents the feeling of
the majority of the resident Americans
in Manila Bat can We not, In the end,
be Just and give to the whole Filipino
people their due? Should we wish the
Filipino people to Judge of Americans
by the drunken, truculent American
loa fers who infest the small towns of
these islands, living on the fruits of
the Ia Dor of Filipino women and give
us more trouble than any other element
in the ISLANDS,
"Mr. Taft says that what Mr.. Jones
states in his article was not news to
him. Mr.. Taft IL unquestionabiy
news to Mr.. Jones. because he made it
UP himself.
In a letter written to Cen Mcintyre,
fairs of the War Department dated Oc-
tober IS. 1915. Mr.. Jones says:
When / reached Berkeley August
H. Mr.. Loornis of the Oakland Tribune
asked me for an ti-administration
article, / told him that | had as much,
II not more, 10 say for the administra-
tion than had gatnst II. But ! gave
him " nat he asked for by making the
article discussion of the treatment of
Americans in the Philippine Islands.
He published this in two Sunday is
sues. and is now republishing il in
pamphlet form with an Introduction by
IBr.& .t.ya r.