And State Papers 95 



authorities the soldier was succeeded by the civil 

 ian magistrate. The utmost care has been exer 

 cised in choosing the best type of Americans for 

 the high civil positions, and the actual work of ad 

 ministration has been done, so far as possible, by 

 native Filipino officials serving under these Ameri 

 cans. The success of the effort has been wonder 

 ful. Never has this country had a more upright 

 or an abler body of public representatives than 

 Governor Taft, Vice-Governor Wright, and their 

 associates and subordinates in the Philippine Isl 

 ands. It is a very difficult matter, practically, to 

 apply the principles of an orderly free government 

 to an Oriental people struggling upward out of bar 

 barism and subjection. It is a task requiring infi 

 nite firmness, patience, tact, broadmindedness. All 

 these qualities, and the countless others necessary, 

 have been found in the civil and military officials 

 who have been sent over to administer the islands. 

 It was, of course, inevitable that there should be 

 occasional failures ; but it is astonishing how few 

 these have been. Here and there the civil govern 

 ment which had been established in a given district 

 had to be temporarily withdrawn because of some 

 outbreak. Let me give you an idea of some of the 

 difficulties. We have been trying to put into effect 

 the principle of a popular choice of representative. 

 In one district it proved to be wholly impossible to 

 make the people understand how to vote. Finally 

 they took a little hill, and put two candidates, one 

 on one side and one on the other, and made the 



