El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-01-02
TAI IS AGAINST
PHILIPPINE BILL
Tells Senate Committee the
Islanders Are Untitled
For Self Government.

Washington, D. c., Jan. at win
take more than one generation and
probably more than two to prepare the
! Filipino for self government, in the
opinion of VIM. II. Taft, former presi-
dent, who today gave his views on
the administration bill for ultimate in
dependence of the Philippines before
the senate committee working on that
measure.
I'm at last in position where 1
can say just what I think" said Mr..
/ Taft You called me here. I'm go
ing to tell you just what know about
things.
.5e cannot the former president
said, give the Philippines self gov
eminent because it cannot be given.
We cannot present the Filipino peo-
pie with character. 1t must e ac-
quired. One way to acquire it is
through hard knocks, as the Anglo
Saxon race acquired it
Tried Self Government Plan.
when we went to the PHILIPPINES
we tried to give it to them by main
tanning a constitutional form of gov
eminent as an object lesson and by
educating the people in the language
of free institutions. We tried to have
the government participated in, but
not controlled by the natives.
-fOWf W nat L4lllG w L LlilllA W III BC
necessary to train the Fiipinos for
self government? The time that shall
give to those people an opportunity
to learn English so that they shall be
an English speaking people. That will
take more than one generation and
probably more than two, if you count
80 years as a generation. You can't
educate all of the people. Tou haven't
got the money.
Holding "Bear by the TniI.7
h rr-.e ~
t. the Philippines 1 told him that
thought We ought not to be in the
islands He explained to me that we
had the bear by the tail and We had
to stay. Our first purpose in being
in there is to get out.
Democratic promises of Philippine
independence, Mr.. Tar said further,
e have been the great obstacle in our
own work over there. Even now it is
causing trouble. This man Ricarte,
who is charged with fomentin~ the
present disturbance, is a professional
revOlutiOnist come down from my time
in the islands He lives in Hong Kong
on funds he collects for revolutiOnist
purposes in the ISLANDS. The present
outbreak is the result, undoubtedly of
his agitation in trying to justify his
collections. He probably argued that
D Democrats in the United States prom
Used independence at a fixed time: that
the time had now been postponed and
that the promise had been broken"
The Filipino people do not under
stand republican self government in the
sense that we know it. the former
president said.
What would be the result II they
were given self government at Once?"
asked chairman Hitchcock.
Throat Cutting Would Result
"a Filipino in whom 1 have great :
confidence" said Mr. Taft, said to |
me, your steamers would not be 1
around COrregidor Island before the /
throat cutting would begin I really 1
believe that is true. We find the same \
condition in Mexico.
Il am describing an actual condition /.
that exists there. I'd be glad to have |
the United States get out of the Phil ]
ippines and I have a great regard for
the poor people out there They don't !
like me because I've told them the
truth.
Says Dtaz Would Arise.
IF you give these people independ-
ence, now, or by 1920, you will have
arise in the Philippines, or they would
get into a condition that caused the fall
Of Diaz in Mexico"
But" he said, I do not believe that
any OF the nations now engaged in the !
European war would look on the pos
session Of the Philippines as a naval
base"
Japan Doesn't Want Islands.
Mr. Taft declared that in his opinion
Japan had no desire to take the Phil
ppines.
Il twice visited Japan ana conferred
with the authorities on that very
point" ne said, ''and it's my opinion
hat their experiences nave been quite
enough in that direction"