The sun., 1900-02-03
PHILIPPINE ISLAND REPORT
Result Of the Commissions
Labor Given to Congress
by the President.
THE PROPOSED GOVERNMENT
Commission Unanimously Declare
in Favor of, One Analogous to-.
That of Territory, With
GovernoryAppointed
by President.
THE PROPOSED GOVERNMENT

Washington, Feb. 1.-THE president
has transmitted to congress the first vol
nme of the report of the Philippine com
mission. 1t is volume of 264 pages.
including the appendix, and is signed by
Professor Schurman, Admiral Dewey, I
Colsael DENLY and Professor Worcester.
The principal subject dealt with In 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 PRO- |
posed by them, together with the con- |
clusions and plans suggested by the COM |
mission. The report covers many other |
matters connected with the social admin |
istration of the island, racial character
istics, education, 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 Philippines from naval
and maritime standpoint. 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 island.
What Is Proposed.
The chief interest in the report natll-
rally centers in the plan of government
proposed by the commission. The COM
mission announces itself unqualihedly in
favor of a government of the Philippines
analogous to that of a territory Of the
United States with governor appointed
by the president. 1t says it is desirable
that the inhabitants Of the archipelago
should enjoy n large measure of home
I rule in local affairs, their towns to enjoy
substantially the rights and privileges of
| towns in a territory.
The provinces should be vested with
substantially the functions of a county in
territory. This system might be applied
! to Luzon and Niscayan islands at once,
| and beginning might be made on the
coast Of Mindanao. The Sulu archipela
90, calling for special arrangements with
| the sultan, the commission says, need MOI
be considered in this connection. The
| Filipinos could manage their own town
| ana county affairs through their own olli
GERS, whom they could elect with no hell
from American officials except such Is
would be involved in controlling local gov
| ernment Mt Manila.
The suffrage should be restricted by
educational or property qualifications ul
both. This system would necesSithte
small body Of .Amelcan officials Of great
ability and integrity and Of patience and
tact in dealing with other races, and on
this account the commission recommends
that they snplil he paid high salaries.
Our government Of the Philippines, the
commission insists, must be adapted to
the filipinns.
One plan of Government.
The conihuSsion discusses lAe system
Of government by protectoratc estab-
liShcd over the Malayan peninsula by
Great Britain. decming such protecto-
rate inadyisable. it having been instituted
for the reason that England had no SOW
ereignty there. The United States, which
possesses sovereignty over the Philip
pines, need not concern itself with such q
; scheme.
The mass of people, except in the Sulu
t group and some portions of Mindanao
and Papawan, which are without chief
tains or rulers, are without distinction OF
birth or rankin other words, are a pure
democracy. The kind of protectorate
which the insurgent leaders desired, the
commission says, is one which the United
States would assume all responsibility
for protecting the Philippine government
against foreign aggression, while theil
"Under the chimerical scheme of pro
I lection cherished by Aguinaldo, if for
eigner lost his life or property through q
! miscarriage of justice in a Philippine
court or in consequence of governors
Il failure to suppress riot, then the Unit
cd States would be responsible for in
4 dcmnity to the foreigners government
without possessing the power of punish
! ing the offenders or of preventing sucl
4 maladministration or of protecting itsel
against similar occurrences in the future
Nor could the liability to foreign nations
be reduced without permitting them di
rectly to seek redress, and such 4 cours
would, it is to be feared, speedily lcat
: to the appropriation of the Philippine
Islands by the great powers, who woult
not need to seek far for pretenses for in
! terventon.
i Great Responsibilities.
l. "Tndonbtcdly the raising of the Ameri
! can flag in the Philippine Islands hi
I entailcd great responsibilities upon us
ii but TO guarantee external protection
i, while renouncing internal dominion i
u no way of escaping from them. On til
/, contrary. while you pull down the Aa
j, ven only rilc Hp difliculties
!. The example OF Great Britain, whicl
J, the commission says has been brilliant,
successful iii governing dependent people
Il has suggested i colonial form of govern
ment. and this -lilan sccIAs to have wol
i greater favor With tlr general publ
t, than any other, 'lhe commission therc
I fore, with some care, goes into the dit
j, fercnt kinds ot British colonies ana corr,
spending typA OF colonial government.
"l'hera i ~ analogy" says the com
mission. "bntNeen the rotation Of tic spl
: governing celony Of Australia Or Of Cur
& ada To Grcnt Britain ana the Philippin
Islands 70 The United States. lnstead o
s. community IL blood. races and languag,
" there Is the greatest diversity, and, il
h stead Of 4 common political experience
tile one has already brcathed the air q
II freedom; the other has been reprossed i
i despotism Clearly the plan Of II sci
governing colony is misit to the phlil
h pines"
The Pacific Cable.
Washington, Feb. 2-rhe house con
y mittee on commerce made the questio
Of government as against private owne
ship of the proposed Pacific cable sn
= cial order for Feb. 49, General Grenl
=. was heard in advocacy of governmer
e' control and operation and that the wor
be in charge of the signal corps.