The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1915-01-11

these things and must abide 10y them.
We have no right now TO measure our
duty or our obligations 10y what would
hayo been our rights had we not ptr.
sued the course we did pursue.
Great Responsibility.
"We deliberately chose to assume nm
enormnus responsibility, with self
Gbuegation unparalleled, so far ny |
know, nye iu the somewhat similar
case Of Cuba. II was finely conceived,
and 1t behooyes the nation 10 zee that
II ls finely carried out. lgnorane "
and preJudlces Increase the difficulty,
and attempts TO reap partisan adyan
tages add TO 1t.
"Our citizens know W pitiably little
about this grent problem They dod
not realize. save In very vague way,
how the honor Of the nation which
Is collectively their honor, thing
which they individually, hold NJ dear
is vitally involved In proper con.
siderntlon and treatment Of this mat
ter n they did sO II would require
great effrontery to attempt to divert
them from It's proper settlement by
paltry lies aud shameful misrepresen.
taiiOns That such do now affect the
public mind Is due entirely to lack "
knowledge on the part u the public.
The terms and provisions OF the
H.. lnF Ut..t
known OF understood by our people. II
they had IT. provisions In mind, they
would laugh In derisiOn at those who
suggest that II is madvlsable 10 con.
slider this bin now because ~ the ex
istlng war. The very slightest con.
sidcratiun Of thu actual provisions OF
this bill would convince any Inquirer
that there was nothing whatever In II
which made II inahvlsable or lnappro-
pirate to consider the matter at tlll.,
Time It Is not too stroiig a state
nent to say that were every nation OIL
earth including our own, at war there
II nothing IN this bill which would
make its consideration inappropriate
on that account
For Self Government
The bill Ii 81 framed as 10 provide
another step nlong the line of self
government The wisdom and pro
prlety Of Il can only be- determined by
keeping In mind the two viewpoints
first adverted tu ana by considering
the history of our relations to the
philippines and the present situation
therein" O"
Here Secretary Garrison traced tn,
history Of the Philippines 81
islands with total population Of be-
tween eight and nine millions, most Of
Malay origin-pointing ont that the
revolt against Spain and, later the rls
ing against the United States were this
only occasions which had tended Il
produce ahUmoreniety among the island
es. lie quoted at length from MESA
gesPand speeches by former Presidents
Mckinley. Taft and Roosevelt TO show
that In each succeeding administration
after the Philippines came into III,
hands Of the United States the Filim
nos had been taught that "the Philip
pines are for the Filiplnos," that sat
isfaction over the progress Of the Isl
anders had been expressed, and thu
hope OF ultimate selfgovernment heiC
ont.
Mr. Taft he quoted as saying In !
message In 1912; I'VE should
tndeayor IN secure for the Filipino
economic independence and to NJ then
for complete self.government, with th,
power 20 decide eventually. according
to their own largest GOOD whethe,
such self-goyen,ment should be &C
companied by independence
In 1919 Mr. Garrison added, Pres
ident Taft described the promise Il
the Democratic platform 10 recognis'
the Independence OF the philippine
Islands "as soon as stable govern
ment Gun be established" az "nn nj
firmation of q policy slightly differ
ing from that repeatedly announced b.