

And State Papers 97 



rules as to what should be done in the remote and 

 uncertain future, but turning our attention to the 

 instant need of things and meeting that need in the 

 fullest and amplest way. It would be hard to say 

 whether we owe most to our military or our civil 

 representatives in the Philippines. The soldiers 

 have shown splendid gallantry in the field ; and they 

 have done no less admirable work in preparing the 

 provinces for civil government. The civil authori 

 ties have shown the utmost wisdom in doing a very 

 difficult and important work, of vast extent. It 

 would be hard to find in modern times a better ex 

 ample of successful constructive statesmanship than 

 the American representatives have given to the 

 Philippine Islands. 



In the Philippines, as in Cuba, the instances of 

 wrongdoing among either our civil or military repre 

 sentatives have been astonishingly few ; and pun 

 ishment has been meted with even-handed justice to 

 all offenders. 



Nor should it be forgotten that while we have 

 thus acted in the interest of the islanders themselves, 

 we have also helped our own people. Our interests 

 are as great in the Pacific as in the Atlantic. The 

 welfare of California, Oregon, and Washington is 

 as vital to the nation as the welfare of New Eng 

 land, New York, and the South Atlantic States. 

 The awakening of the Orient means very much to 

 all the nations of Christendom, commercially no 

 less than politically; and it would be short-sighted 

 statesmanship on our part to refuse to take the nee- 



