The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-06-11
A HARD JOB.
Philippine commissioners Admit Ths'
Their Task 10 BewfideriuG.

Manila, June Io.-Judge William II.
Taft and hts colleagues Of the Philippine
civil commission. were besst during
their first week In Manila by multitude
OF callers OF all nationa1ities, professions,
and interests. who presented bewilder-
ing assortment of recommendations
touching military and civil policies. The
commissioners maintained the attitude
Of unprejudiced listeners.
They admit, that while they anticipated
an enormous task the.complexity and DIM
well nigh staggering. They are deter.
mined, however, with the corporation OF
the army In pacifying rs well rs In fight
ing to make the Philippines peaceful
and honestly governed country before de-
parting. They find General Macarthur
administering civil and military AFFAIRS
In q way that is universally popular.
The Filipino party, embracing promf-
nent Observation-Disclosures who accepted Amer
can rule through force of circumstance
Is already ma king overtures for the dis
cussion Of q scheme Of permanent gov
ernment, practically reviving the Old
proposition of autonomy under an Amer
lean protectornte. There are, Of course,
some Fill ipinos who believed that Judge
Taft would bring the millennium In his
vest pocket, and these profess 10 be disap-
pointed because sweeping changes are
not enforced Immediately.
Judge Taft's utterances Indicate CON
ciliatory policy toward the natives. He
has conferred with the high army officers
some of whom strongly urge that q larg-
er army Is necessary to suppress the IN
surrection, believing that civil govern
ment viii be impossible until the ram
pant rebellion In the southern districts
of Luzon, in the extreine northern prov
inces Of the island and in the Visayas,ex
cept Negros, is crushed.
One Of the foremost questions Is how
and from what materials to organize q
civil force with which gradually TO super
sede the army as a governing machine.
Spain's auxiliary, the church, Is necessa-
riiy barred from considera ton. Ameri-
can experience among the natives dis
courages the hope of honest government
through them until a generation or more
Cd training shall have eradicated the re-
suits of SPANS tutelage. A large proper
ton of the provincial officials already IN
stalled have proven treacherous, while
the native police here and in Manila are
living ON scale of luxury suspiciously
Observation-Disclosures to their salaries.
Charges against native judges OF failing
to account for thousands Of dollars re-
ceived in fines are under Investigation.
At present the governmental alternatives
are the army ON one hand and anarchy on
the other. General Otis's plan of munich
pal government is being fnaugurated 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 To-
cal leaders ask that municipal elections
be postponed until after the Presidential
election. Many people object to taking
the oath of allegiance to the United
States government which rs the first
qualification for voting for municipal
candidates.
The commissioners also find that the fu
ture status of the church in the Philip
mines Is leading question In the minds
of many although most of those who have
talked with Judge Taft and his col
leagues, draw inference that the commits
sioners are opposed to the reinstatement
of the friars. Archbishop Chappelle has
taken a strong stand in supporting the
requests of the friars to bs established in
their old position.
As result of last week s scouting more
than two hundred Filipinos were killed
an one hundred and sixty captured, while
$40 rifles, with ammunition and stores,
were secured.
The American loss was nine killed, in
Guiding a captain and a lieutenant; two
captain and twenty-one privates wound
ed and one captain taken prisoner by the
Filipinos.