Evening star., 1899-02-01
OUR NEW PROVINCES
System Of Military Government That
is Now in Force.
OFFICERS PERFORM MANY DUTIES
Uncle Sam is Trying Some Inter-
esting Experiments.
PLANS FOR. THE. FUTURE

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE
Uncle Sam is making some very interest
ing experiments in the art of governing
just at present Nobody knows as yet Just
how they are going to pan out, but it is
| to be presumed that satisfactory results
! will be reached in the end, after more or
| less shuffiing of the cards of administra-
| tive control. So far; as present MANAGEMENT
| is concerned, Porto Rico is to be regarded
| merely as a smaller edition of Cuba, and
the same may be said of the Hawaiian Is
lands. The Philippines. of course. are in
chaotic state now, possessing no govern
ment worthy of the name. When a condi-
ton of law and order arrives IN that archi-
! pelago, some general officer of the army
will be appointed governor general, and
| the islands will be divided up into provinces
probably, each with it's own military gov
ernor.
This arrangement of affairs will precede
the establishment of a permanent govern
ment of non-military character in which
according to the promise made by Presi-
dent Mckinley and lately renewed by Sena-
tor Foraker, the Fiipinos are to have as
| large a share as is deemed consistent with
the safety Of the new commonwealth. 1t is
very curious thing to observe that the
temporary government for Uncle Sans
newly acquired islands in both hemispheres
Is modelled closely upon the lines of Span
lsh administration in Cuba, Porto Rico and
the Philippines. For example, in Cuba
Major General John r. Brooke has been
made governor general, with all the powers
that formerly belonged to the Spanish cap
tain general Under him are the governors
of the seven provinces of Cuba as well as
all other officials. civil and military In
fact, the government of Cuba today is moth
ing more nor less than a limited military
dictatorship, the acts of the governor gen
eral being subject to veto by Mr. McKin-
ley.
A Temporary Arrangement
Now, the spectacle of a purely military
government under the flag of the United
States does seem very strange. However
| 1t is only temporary arrangement The
purpose of this dictatorship, under which
martial law exists without being formally
declared, is to keep affairs floating along
until something definite is accomplished in
the way of establishing a civil adminstra-
ton fo1 the island Radical departures re-
curing the exhibition of mailed authority,
are avoided. So far asds practicable things
are managed in such sa way as to initiate
civil control. With this idea in view. Gov
ernor General Brooke Is few days ago as
signed certain detnif duties of a civil
character to each member of his military
staff. For example, put Colonel Tasker
H. Bliss of the commfssarS department in
the place of chief ofbcustems and Chief
Surgeon r. NJ. O'Reilly, was directed to look
OUT Tor the sanitation of the city of Ha-
vana, while Judge AdVocate Edgar S. Dud-
ley received orders torexaFcise supervision
over all the doings of the civil courts
Governor General BupDksj them is a mill
ltary dictator, his authority. and power be-
ing limited only by aIlstHBg that is held
on him from Washinsbon-9. Under his di-
rect control are the gosernors OF the seven
provinces of Cuba. OF whom only two have
q of i-
Major General Ludlow; governor of Ha-
Vana province. and theiothsr is Major Cen
| eral Leonard oods governor of Santiago
province. The staff 6f General Brooke is
| headed by Mai Gem, A. r. Chaffee, with
Col W. V. Richards as adjutant general.
Ii constitutes sort~of cabinet, but this is
not for long, inasmuch as President Nc
| kinley has already decided to provide for
| the governor general something like a civil
cabinet, though the members composing
I it may be army officers This again will
| be an imitation of the cabinet set up by
the Spaniards in Cuba under the so-called
autonomy regime which Immediately pre-
ceded the outbreak of the recent war.
Like Our Cabinet.
When this comes about, Governor Cen
| eral Brooke will be provided with a finan-
| cial secretary, under whom the customs
| duties will be collected and all money af-
| fairs managed: a postmaster general
| secretary of home affairs and SO forth. In
q "olo, tue oIIlcSS InuS Htled VIII c0rre-
spond somewhat to the portfolios held by
the members of the cabinet of Mr.. McKin-
ley. Colonel Bliss will doubtless be made
hEancial secretary One reason why the
chanSe referred to seems advisable is that
General Brooke requires the services of
| his staff for other than civil purposes. For
example his engineer aid will be busy with
military roads and with the Improvement
| of fortifications he will have no time to at
| tend to the clearing of the streets and
harbor of Havana: The cleaning of Ha-
Naha harbor, by the way, is regarded by
engineering experts a problem by no
means difficult, involving very little besides
the digging of a small canal, and the work
VIII be undertaken with as little delay
| possible.
| Governor General Brooke will possess an
authority no less final and complete be-
cause OF the appointment of his auasi-ciyil
cabinet. He will not be compelled to con-
SUIT us members. or to accept their advice
any more than President Mckinley is
ophged to defer to the suggestions of his
secretaries. He will still be superior to
civil law, retaining the power to remove
and appoint the judges. This power is del
egated through him to the governors of the
various provinces. When General Ludlow
was made governor of Havana the entire
Judiciary of the province. handed in its COL
iective resignation, but was requested to
| remain Meanwhile, McCullagh, the ia
nous New Yorker, is organizing the police
OF havana. One of the most important Of
the civil offices to be filed at Havana is
tnat OF harbormaster. To this position spe-
cidl interest attaches owing to the fact
that the former harbormaster is seriously
suspected of having been accessory to the
blowing up of the Maines 1t was he who
placed the Inflated battle ship directly
over the mine, moving her to unusual
anchorage in the harbor as if for that pur-
pose.
In Porto Rico.
Maj. Gen. Guy v. Henry, the famous
cavalry leader, has been APPOINTED military
governor of Porto Rice, II, may be stated
with reasonable certainly, that he will re-
ceive before long the title of governor gen
eral of that tight little isief' The personnel
of his staff. or, as it might be termed. his
military cabinet. has not yet been an
made his adjutant gehhttral. In all libel-
hood hood Gen: ,.,, Henry littie later on. will