Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-01-02
TAFT GIVES VIEWS
ONF|L|P|NO FREEDOM
Former President Tells Senate
Committee Self Government
Cannot Be Given

Washington. ID. c., Jan. 2.-EX-
President Taft gave his views to-day
on the administration bill for ultimate
independence of the Philippines to the
Senate committee working on the
measure.
He gave the committee detailed
statement of his conception of the
duty of the United States toward the
Philippines and of his work as gov
ernor- general of the islands and later
as Secretary of War and President.
when President Mckinley sent me
to the Philippines" said Mr. Taft. II
told him that l thought we ought not
to he in the islands. He said to me
that we had the bear bye the tail and
that we had to stay. But the idea
then was that we would get out Just as
soon as we could. Our first purpose
in being in there is to get out.
This discussion" said the former
President, must depend a good deal
on what you mean by government.
I can do no better than quote from
the President of the United States"
Here Mr.. Taft read from one of
President Wilson's books a lengthy
definition of elf-government. 1t set
forth that self-government was mot a
mere form of institution, but form
of character, a growing of people
to political maturity"
Cannot Give Character
1--WE cannot" said MIR. Taft, give
the Philippines self-government, be-
cause it cannot be given. We cannot
present the Filipino people with a
character. 1t must be acquired. One
way to acquire it is through hard
knocks. as the Anglo-SaXon race ac-
quired it. When we went to the Phil
ippines we tried to give it to them by
maintaining constitutional form of
government 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. You
cannot make over a people in one
generation. Particularly you cannot
when that is a generation of adults
and vast majority of that generation
is woefully ignorant. 1t cannot be
done.
Gentlemen I'm at last in position
where L can say just what ] think.
You have called me here. | did not
ask to come. and I'm going to tell you
just what | know about things.
Need Two Generations
Now" he continued, what time
do L think VIII be necessary TO Iraln
the Philippines for self-government?
The time that shall give to those peo-
pie an opportunity to learn English so
that they shall be an English-spealking
people. That will take more than one
generation, and probably more than
two, if you count thirty years as a
generation. You can't educate all of
the people-you haven't got the
money.
Democratic promises of Philippine
independence" said Mr.. Taft have
been the great obstacle in our own
work over there. Even now 1t is caus-
ing trouble. This man Ricarte, who is
charged with fomenting the present
disturbance, is a professional revo-
lutionist come down from my time in
the islands. He lives in Hongkong on
funds he collects for revolutionist pur-
poses in the islands. This present out
break is the result, undoubtedly, of his
agitation in trying to justify his collec-
tions. He probably argued that Demo
Gratis in the United States promised
independence at fixed time. that the
time has now been postponed and that
the promise has been broken"
The former President related many
incidents of his life in the Philippines
and his associations with the people.
Many of them. dealing with the char
acteristics of the Filipinos. rocked the
committee and the spectators who
crowded the room with laughter.