The Washington weekly post., 1900-09-11

peoples Of the archipelago Tia coEnHls-
son reported aHSHE other things.
| Their lack OF education and political
experience. combined With their racial and
linguistic diversisiss. dIsqualify them. Ia
| spite Of their mental gifts and domestic
virtues. &c undertake the task Of gov
erniEg the archipelago al the present
| time. The most thai can b. expected of
| them is 10 cooperate with the Ameri-
| cans in the administration Of general
affairs. from Manila as a center. ani 20
undertake.. subject 10 American control
or guidance las may be found necessary,
the administration Of provincial and mu-
nicipal affairs
/ should our power by any fatality be
/ Rithdrawn. the commission believes that
the government of the Philippines would
speedily lapse into anarchy. which would
excuse, II it did not necessitate, the In
terventi'7n Of other powers and the ever
tual division OF the Islands among them.
| Only through American occupation, there
fore, is the idea OF free. self-governing.
ana united philippine commonwealth at
all conceivable.
Thus the welfare of the FiIininos CO.
| ineides with the dictates OF national
honor In forbidding our abandonment of
I the archipelago. We cannot. from any
/ point OF view. escape the responsibilities
OF government which our sovereignty en-
/ tails, and the commission Is strongly per-
suaded that the performance OF our na-
/ tiOnal duty viii prove the greatest bless
| ing 70 the peoples OF the Philippine ISL
ands.
Satisfied that nothing further could be
| accomplished m pusuance OF their mission
until the rebellion was suppressed. and
/ desiring 10 place before the Congress the
result Of their observations I requested
/ the commission 10 return TO the United
/ States. Their most intelligent anti COM
| prehensive report was submitted TO Con-
| gTess.
| Municipal Government in the Islands.
IN March, 1900 believing that the insur-
reetion was practically ended ami earnest
| ~ desiring TO promote the establishment
! OF a stable government in the archipelago,
l appointed the following civil commis-
sion Hon. William II. Taft, of Ohio;
Prof. Dean c. Worcester, OF Michigan:
Hon. Luke l. Wright, of Tennessee: Hon.
Henry C. Ide, of Vermont, and Hon Ber-
nard Moses. of California My instruc-
tions to them contained the following:
you (the Secretary of War; will in
struct the commission to de-
vote their attention, in the first in
1
icipaI governments in which the ma
tives Of the Islands both in the cities and
in the rural communities, shall be afforded
| the opportunity to manage their own local
affairs, to the fullest extent of which they
are capable, and subject TO the least de-
gree of supervision and control which
careful study of their capacities and OBJ
servaton of the workings of native con-
troll show to be consistent with the main
tenance OF law, order, and loyalty.
| Whenever the commission is OF the opin-
Ion that the condition Of affairs in The
islands is such that the central admins
tration may safely be transferred from
military to civil control, they will report
that conclusion to you tthe Secretary OF
Warl. with their recommendations as to
the form of central government to be es-
| tablished for the purpose of taking over
the control.
.Beginning with the 1st day Of Septem-
Der. 1900, the authority to exercise, sub
ject to my approval, through the Seere-
tary of War, that part of the power of
| government in the Philippine Islands,
| which is of a legislative nature, is TO DC
! transferred from the military governor or
1 the Islands TO this commission, 10 be
| thereafter exercised by them in the place
! and stead Of the military governor, under
! such rules and regulations aS YOU tha
Secretary Of War shall prescribe, until
the establishment Of the civil centrSl gov
| ernment for he Islands contemplated IN
the last foregoing paragraph or until
| Congress shall otherwise provide TX
ereise of this legislative authority will In
| clude the making of rules and orders
! having the effect of law for the raising
OF revenue by taxes. customs duties and
impOs.s: the appropriation and expendi-
ture of the public funds of the islands; the
establishment of an educational system
throughout the Islands; the establishment
of a system to secure an efficient civil
service; the organization and establish-
ment of courts: the organization and es-
! tablishment of municipal and Depart
mental governments; and all other mat
ters of a civil nature for which the mli-
tary governor Is now competent to pro-
vide bv rules or orders of a legislative
character. The commission will also have
power during the same period to appoint
! TO office such officers under the judicial,
| educational and civil service systems and
in the municipal and departmental gov
ernments as shall be provided for. -
Rules of Treatment Of the Filipines.
Until Congress- shall take action I d.
rected that:
Upon every division and branch OF the
government of the Philippines must be
imposed these inviolable rules:
THAT no person shall be deprived of
life, liberty. or property withopt due pro-
cess of law; that private property shall
not be taken for public use without just
| conpensa ton; that in all criminal prose
cutions the accused shall enjoy the right
10 a speedy and public trial, TO be inform
ed of the nature and cause of the accusa-
tion. TO be confronted with the witnesses
against him, 10 have compulsory process
for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and
TO have the assistance of counsel for his
defense; that excessive bail shall not be
required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor
cruel and unusual punishment inflicted;
that no person shall be put twice In jeop-
ardy for the same effense, or be COM
PEELED in any criminal case TO be a wit
ness against himself; that the right TO be
secure against unreasonable searches and
seizures shall not be violated; that neither
slavery nor involuntary servitude shall
exist except as a punishment for crime
that no bill of attainder, or ex-post faeto
law shall be passed; that no law shall be
passed abridging the freedom OF speech
or of the press, or the rights OF the peo-
pie to peaceably assemble and petition the
. government for a redress OF grievances
that no law shall be made respecting the
J establishment of religion. or prohibiting
I
free exercise and enjoyment of religious
profession and worship without diserimi-
nation or preference shall forever be al
| lowed.
1T will be the duty Of the commission 10
| promote and extend, and. as they find oc-
casion, 10 improve, the system OF educa-
ton already inaugurated by the military
authorities In doing this they should Re-
gard as of first Importance the e1tension
of system of primary education whicn
(, snail be free 10 all. and which shall tend
to nj the people for the duties OF citizen
ship and for the ordinary avocatiens or a
civilized community. Especial at
I tentioa should be at enee given 10 afford
ing full opportunity 10 ali the people OF
the islands 10 acquire the use Of the Eng
lish language.
Upon all officers and employees of the
| United States, both civil and military,