Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1900-06-14
PHILIPPINE PROBLEM
The Civil Commission at Manila
Beset with Many Callers.
The FUTURE STATE OF The CHURCH,
commissioner Believed to Re Opposed to
hs'"statlng the Friars-Ths Killed and
Captured In Last Weeks Scouting
lnaurgent DOcumenta,

: Manila, June ll.--Judge William II
latt and his colleagues of the Philip.
pine civil commission were beset dur.
, ing their first week in Manila by q
multitude OF callers of all national.
tiles, professions and interests, who
presented a bewildering assortment
OF recommendations touching military
and civil policies. The commissioners
maintained the attitude of unpreiu.
diced listeners. There are, of course.
some filipinos who believed that
Judge Taft would bring the millennium
in his vest pocket, and these profess
TO be disappointed because sweeping
changes are not made immediately.
Judge Taft's utterances indicate a
conciliatory policy towards the ma
tiyes. He has conferred with the
high army officers, some of whom
strongly urge that a larger army is
necessary to suppress the insurrec-
ton, believing that civil government
will be impossible until the rampant
rebellion in the southern districts of
Luzon, in the extreme northern PROV
inces OF the island, and in the Visayas,
except Negroes, is crushed.
one OF the foremost questions is
how and from what material to Or
ganize a civil force with which grad
ually to supersede the army as q
governing machine. SPANS auxil-
larry, the church, is necessarily barred
from consideration. American expert
ence with the natives discourages the
hope of honest government through
them until a generation or more have
eradlcated the results Of Spain's tute-
lage. A large proportion of the
provincial officials already installed
have proven treacherous, while the
native police and officials here in Ma
Mia are living on a scale of luxury
suspiciously disproportionate to their
salaries. Charges against native
judges of failing to account for thou
ands of dollars received in fines are
under investigation.
AT the present the governmental
alternates are the army on one hand
and anarchy on the other, Gen. Otis
plan of municipal governments is be-
ing inaugurated in the principal towns
OF central Luzon and in parts of the
Visayas, but the Filipinos persist in
thinking that the question whether
the United States will retain the
Philippines is still open and some
local leaders ask that municipal cleo
tons be postponed until after the
presidential election. Many people
object to taking the oath of allegiance |
to the United States government, |
which is the first qualification for vot-
ing for municipal candidates.
The commissioners also find that
the future state of the church in the
Philippines is a leading question in
the minds of many although most
of those who have talked with Judge
TAFT and his colleagues draw the in
ference that the commissioners are
opposed TO the reinstatement of the
frlars. Archbishop Chappelle has
taken a strong hand in supporting
the request of the friars to be estab-
Iished in their old position.
AS result of last weeks scouting
more than 200 Filipinos were killed
md 100 captured, while 140 rifles with
and stores were seized.
The American loss was nine killed
including a captain and lieutenant;
jwo captains and n privates wounded
md one captain taken prisoner by the
1iIipinos.
The great store Of insurgent docu-
nents discovered by Gen. Funston,
ogether with some interesting papers
which Capt. Smith found in the pos
ession Of Gen, Pantaleon Garcia,
brow interesting side lights upon
he Filipino government. Most i'm
ortant of the lot is Aguinaldos plan
or the uprising in Manila. which
vas drawn by him at Malolos, is in c
Is own handwriting In the Tagalog =
lnguage and bears the date of Janu- !
ny 0, 1890. Pinned to the document u
'as a translation into Spanish done
y the hand of Buencamino. Agu- a
aldo's order was addressed to his ]
valiant Sandalihans" or Bolomen. s
'hen the word of the uprising was I
wen they were to STAY all American
'diers In Manila. The insurgents
ere to repair to housetops whence D
ley were to hurl down upon the e.
'ldlers heavy furniture and any iron II
IMPLEMENTS they might have heated NJ
d hot. They were also to have ready T.
their houses hot water which was ~
be thrown upon passing soldiers or g,
iirted at them from bamboo cf
'ringes. The women and children IN
ere exhorted to help in preparing "a
e water and boiling oil, which they M
ere to pags mt IN thu man 10, ,,.a