Iron County register., 1900-06-14
PHILIPPINE COMMISSIONERS.
Difficulties of Pacification liner reased
by Diverse and Unsolicited
Suggestions.

Manila, June 11-Jndge William I'll
Taft and his colleagues of the Philip
pine civil commission were heset dur
ing their first week in Manila by q
multitude of callers of all nationali.
ties, professions ard interests, who
presented bewildering assortment oi
recommendations touching military
and civil policies. The commissioners
maintained the attitude of unpre-
Judiced listeners. They admit that
WI lie they anticipated an enormous
ts SIX, the complexity and difficulty
the problems and conditions are well
uigh staggering.
MacArthur's Popular Plans.
They find Gen. Macarthur admins.
tering civil and military affairs i'll d
way that is universally popular. The
Filipino party, embracing prominent
insurrectionists who accepted Ameri.
can rule through force Of eircum.
stances. is already making overtures
for the disposition of scheme of per-
manent government, especially reviv-
ing the old proposition of autonomy
all
Expected the Willie niu1s,.
There are, of course. some Fi1ipinos
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 ut
terances Indicate conciliatory policy
towards the natives. He has conferred
with the high army officers, some OF
whom strongly urge that larger
arE'y is necessary te' suppress the in
surrection. believing that civil govern.
ment will be impossible until the ram
pant rebellion in the southern dis
tricts of Luzon, in the extreme north
ern provinces of the island and in The
Vissayas, except Negros. is crushed.
One of the Foremost Questions.
One of the foremost questions is
how and from what material to or
ganize a civil force with which gradu-
ely to supersede the army, as a gov
crnins machine. Spain's auxiliary, the
church. is necessarily barred from con-
sideration. American experience with
the natives discourages the hope OF
honest government through them until
generation or more have eradicated
the results of Spain's tutelage.
Treacheryr of the Natives.
A large portion Of the provincial Off
ciais already installed have proven
treacherous. while the native police
and officials here in Manila are living
on q scale of luxury suspiciously dis
proportionate to thcirsa iaries. Charges
against native judges of failing to ac
count for thousands of dollars re-
ceived in fines are under investiga-
tion.
Governmental Alternatives.
At the present the governmental al.
ternatives are the army ON the one
hand, and anarchy on the other. Gen.
Otis plan of municipal governments is
being inaugurated in the principal
towns of central Luzon, and in parts
Of the Nissayas; but the Filipinos per-
sist in thinking that the question
whether the United States will retain
the Philippines is still open and some
local leaders ask that municipal cleo
tions be postponed until after the pres
idential election
The Future of the Church.
The commissioners also find that the
future state of the church in the Phil
ippines is a leading question in the
minds of many, although most of those
who have talked with Judge Taft and
his colleagues, draw the inference that
the commissioners are opposed to the
reinstatement of the friars. Arch
bishop Chappelle has taken a strong
stand in supporting the request of the
friars to be established in their old pc
sition.