The Washington times., 1915-01-02
NOT FIT
T0RULE, TAFT SAYS
Former President Tells Sena.
tors islanders Would Cut
Each Others Threats.
CONTINUED from First Page

Continued from First Page.)
are now in Europe" he said. but that
lis a cruelty of war Even now at home
the rights Of the citizens are protected"
Attacks Rebel Ricarte.
Taft made bitter attack on Ricarte,
the man said to be back of the present
revolution. He declared 1t was men Of
this class, who live in Hongkong,
on the collections made from gullible
people in the islands on whose ambi-
tions they preyed, who stirred up the
revolutions.
In pointing to what some Of the Fill
pinos thought qualified them for self
sovernment, he told of a delegation
which pointed out that they had enough
educated men to make two shifts for
all the offices.
II advised them he said. that it
was not enough men to I'LL offices which
constituted fitness for self-sovernmcnt,
but public opinion
Taft said that only 10 per cent Of the
population Of ,i. the island is n the slight
and that among these there was much
dread of independence because Of a
rear that no peace would come after the
Americans An, left: He denounced the prae-
tended all the way through the islands.
pointing out that a lower man in rank
would commit murder at the order Of
fllS SupeT1OT. Syhtem, ne SdlQ maze
the elimination Of revolutions impossible.
No Restraint on Speech.
Gentlemen. I'm in a position where
I can say Just what I think, and I'm
going TO do 1t. whether you like 1t or
not" said the former President, laugh
ing out loud and plainly enjoying the
experience OF being out from under
political restraint and of feeling able to
talk out in meeting ~
when you ask me what time do I
put on giving the islands independence.
] answer that / put 1t at such a time
as shall give to those people an oppor-
tunity to learn English. and that'll take
| certainly more than one generation and
perhaps two. II you count generation
| as thirty years"
You can't make a generation over"
said Mr.. Tart. You can't make a gem
Grafton Of adults. 30 per cent of whom
| eminent"
He reminded the committee that one
or the drawbacks was that IT was now
| impossible to educate all the children
| because OF lack OF funds. He told the
| committee education had to be spread
| !hrough the islands and kept up until
pie. '~'
Sent BY Mckinley.
Mr.. Taft began by discussing The
varying views of elements in this coun-
| Try. and in the islands. on the subject
of how to deal with the mand did not
hesitate to discuss American politics In
| THIS connection. He said when McKin-
ley asked him to go TO the Philippines
as governor general he told the Presi-
dent he did not want 20 So But McKm-
| ley insisted and said:
| We've got the bear b., the tail and
| we've got to stay and hold it,"
The former President, In telling Of the
| various views entertained as to what
| to do with the islands in the carlv days
Of American occupation said there was
a view that the Philippines were for the
| Filipinos and this was the view ne held
The purpose he had as governor gen.
erai was to do everything possible &c
INT the people for self-sovernment
I'm this We had to fight the military
and the merchants" said he
1t was on the question of what was
meant by self-government that Mr.
ing it hadn't been stated by anyon.
with more force than by the Prcsi
dent in his work on self-government
He read into the record an extract
1t began with the statement thai
acter." Mr.. Wilson said this countr,
could not give the Filipinos self,
government, but had for a time L
supply government until self-gov
eminent developed.
Wilson Points Way.
THAT states exactly what we hae
in mind. That states the policy tha
ought to be pursued" said Mr.. Taft
Mr.. Taft said after Mr. Bryan wa!
! defeated in 1900 the insurrection IL
the mountains quickly crumbled
THE Democratic promises of indie
pendence have been the great OBJ
| struction ever since, and now thcs,
promises have come back to plagu,
the party in power" said Mr.. Taft,