568 Presidential Addresses 



be held to have a peculiar application, and I most ear- 

 nestly ask your attention to the wisdom, indeed to 

 the vital need, of providing for a substantial reduc- 

 tion in the tariff duties on Cuban imports into the 

 United States. Cuba has in her Constitution affirmed 

 what we desired, that she should stand, in interna- 

 tional matters, in closer and more friendly relations 

 with us than with any other power; and we are 

 bound by every consideration of honor and expe- 

 diency to pass commercial measures in the interest 

 of her material well-being. 



In the Philippines our problem is larger. They 

 are very rich tropical islands, inhabited by many 

 varying tribes, representing widely different stages 

 of progress toward civilization. Our earnest effort 

 is to help these people upward along the stony and 

 difficult path that leads to self-government. We 

 hope to make our administration of the islands hon- 

 orable to our Nation by making it of the highest 

 benefit to the Filipinos themselves; and as an ear- 

 nest of what we intend to do, we point to what we 

 have done. Already a greater measure of material 

 prosperity and of governmental honesty and effi- 

 ciency has been attained in the Philippines than ever 

 before in their history. 



It is no light task for a nation to achieve the tem- 

 peramental qualities without which the institutions 

 of free government are but an empty mockery. Our 

 people are now successfully governing themselves, 

 because for more than a thousand years they have 

 been slowly fitting themselves, sometimes conscious- 



