The Penn's Grove record., 1900-02-09
THE PHILIPPINE REPORT.
Plan Of Government IS Recommended
For the Islands.
NO WITHDRAWAL IS POSSIBLE.

rhe Provinces Should Be Turned into
Counties and = Large Measure Of Home
Rule Given the Towns-Men of In
tesrlty and Ability Needed to Teach
the Natives self.Ruie.
WAsH1NaroN, D. g. (SpecIal).-The Presi.
dent has submitted to Congress the first
volume Of the report of the Philippine
Commission. It is a volume Of 264 pages.
including the appendix, and is signed by
Professor Schurmann, Admiral Dewey,
Colonel DENLY and Professor Worcester.
The principal subject dealt with is the
plan OF government proposed by the com-
mission, which includes a discussion OF the
spanish Government existing prior to the
war the various reforms desired by the
Filipinos, and the Constitutions proposed
by Thorn, together with the conclusions and
plans suggested by the commission.
The report covers many OF Ter matters
connected with the social administration
Of the islands, racial characteristics. edu-
cation, secular and religious orders, the
Chinese in the islands, the public health,
currency, etc.. as well as the condition and
needs OF the United States In the Philip.
pines from a naval and maritime stand
point.
The second volume OF the report, which
will not be ready for several weeks. will
contain a detailed description of the climate
and natural resources OF the islands.
The chief interest in the report naturally
ceLtres In the plan OF Government pro-
posed by the commission. The commission
announces itself ~unquali1ediy In favor of a
Government of the Philip pines analogous
to that OF a Territory of the United States,
with q Governor appointed by the Presi-
dent. They say 1t Is desirable that the in
habitants OF the archipelago should enjoy
q large measure of home rule In local aft
fairs, the owns to enjoy substantially the
rights and privileges OF towns In a Terri
tory.
The provinces should be vested with SUBJ
stantially the functions OF a county in a
Territory; his system might be applied to
Luzon and the Viscayan Islands at once,
and q beginning might be made on the
coast OF Mindanao. The Sulu archipelago
calling for special arrangements with the
Sultan, the commission say, need not be
considered IN this connection.
The Filipinos could manage their own
town aud county affairs through their
own officers. who they could elect, with
no help from American officials, except
such as would be involved In controlling
local government at Manila. The suffrage
should be restricted by educational or
property qualifications or both.
This system would necessitate a small
body OF American officials OF great abil-
ity and Integrity, and OF patience and tact
In dealing with other races, and on this
account the commission recommend that
they should be paid high salaries. The
commission say they could be called adj
visors or commissioners, and that one for
every csc, 900 natives would suffice.
It would be the duty OF u commits
sioners to report upon their work to the
central Government at Manila. Their main
function would be to advise town and
county councils in discharge of their duties,
and to watch the collection Of revenues
| d It's expenditures. Our government OF
the Philippines, the commission insists,
must be adapted to the Filipino.
The commission, while not undertaking
the difficulty OF governing the Philippines,
Is disposed to believe the task easier than
Is generally supposed. The Filipinos, they
say, are of unusually promising material,
possessing admirable personal and domestic
virtues and being naturally peaceful, docile,
and deferen.iai to constituted authority.
The educated among them, though con-
stitutinga minority, they say, are far more
numerous b Is generally supposed, and
the commission bears strong testimony to
their high range Of intelligence and social
r~e1nements.
These picked Filipinos would be OF In
finite value to the United States in the
work of establishing and maintaining civil
government throughout the archipelago.