Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-11-08
Nothing Visible to Presage an
Early Radical Change.
The COMMISSIONS ADVENT.
The Philippines Have Been Slow to Learn
That President McKinley's Commission
ers Act In Accord with HIS Army-A
Inference as to tho Proper Wa, to Be-
gin Negotiations The Comments of
Filipino Newspaper Last September on
tho situation.

Correspondence of the Associated
Press.)
Manila, p. l.. Sept. 9.-There is no
thing visible here in the immediate po-
litical future to presage radical
change in the status of the revolution.
The conditions which require the
United States to have $4,000 troops in
the islands can be maintained by the
Filipinos for long time to come,
should they want to do so.
With the commissiop's advent into
the field of governmental control there
were hopes among the Filipinos of a
change OF American policy, and par
ticularly OF concessions to themselves
To-day the intentions and purposes of
the Civil Commission are better un-
derstood than they were three months
ago. and 1t is slowly being realized
that Judge Taft will not declare the
Filipino people TO be Independent, and
that he does not carry in his vest
pocket a proclamation granting them
the fulfillment of their widest and
most idealistic hopes and ambitions
Before the commission arrived at Ma
Mia 1t was awaited by certain Filipino
politicians with an unexpressed inten-
ton of ascertaining how gullible the
new crowd might be. To-day the com
mission has shown itself as both hard
to deceive and as n firm supporter of
the Washington administrations pol
Icy.
The Filipinos have been slow to learn
that the Commission acts in accord
with :, the Army; that these two
branches of governmental control CO.
operate in the fulillment OF the same
idea.
a DIFFERENCE.
Negotiations between the Army and
the Filpinos, during the last eighteen
months can be described briefly as fol-
lows: The Army has always said,
Surrender first and then we will
talk" while the Filipinos have contin-
ually said to the Army: Let us first
talk and then maybe we'll stop fight
Ing. With each party to the negot-
atoms firm in it's attitude nothing
could be. nor has been, accomplished.
The fact that the Commission main
tains the Army's position on this ques-
ton OF negotiations is being forced
with conviction into the minds OF GER
tain ambitious native leaders, and the
truth Is disappointing to their cher
ished intrigues. They had hoped the
Commission would be amenable to their
ways of doing business and for an ex-
ample of this Is cited Paterno's efforts
with his ''love feats" in commcmora-
tlon or the amnesty proclamation, by
winch he tried to get the Commission
10 lcnd the color of their presence to
statements and conditions distinctly
untrue. Palermo almost succeeded in
dragging the Army into this clever
trap; but he learned the Commission
could not be easily deceived. and the
knowledge has been a sore disappoint-
ment, not only to Palermo, but to
others of his kind
The Commissions method and WAYS
or entering upon those duties of gov
eminent clearly outlined in it's instruc-
lions from President Mckinley have
been disappointing TO those Fllipinos
and foreigners. who expected the mil
lenium on the first OF September. In
the administration of Filipino civil
affairs by the army there has always
been noticeable the fact that the army
has known It's civil duties TO be incl
dental and temporary; that 1t would
sooner or later be relieved from these
duties by n properly constituted civil
authority, and consequently the army
is said to have INDUCED In eXpedient
reference is made to the Philippine
Municipal Code and the revision or the
Criminal Code issued by General
Otis just prior to his depar-
ture for the United States, and made
law by 81 stroke of his pen. Both of
these revislons bear trace OF hasty and
temporary work, of being makeshifts,
and, 1t is now evident that Gen. Otis
hammered them out hastily at the last
moment in order to get on record as
having taken, on his own initiative,
these radical steps toward the estab-
lsment of civil Philippine Govern
ment These two codes of Gen. Otis's
are to-day being thoroughly revised by
the Commission. which is the properly
constituted civil authority that Gen.
Otis. representing the Army. knew
would succeed him in civil administra-
ton. Army measures in the past, hav-
ing been more or less In the nature Of
temporary eXpedient and without wise
consideration of future effect are dis
tinctiy opposed to the course of action
now being pursued by the Commits
sion.
The measures taken by the Commits
sion consider the eventual establish
ment of a Central Philippine Civil
Government. with the needed details
of provincial administration, and they
are as lasting as anything that can be
done in these islands until the time
when Congress shall determine the fu
ture of the Philippines The Commits
sioners, in taking specific action, con-
slider It's advisabilitE and its effect up
on the completed fabric of government
they are instructed to erect. They
build for all time, and hence they build
carefully and with due consideration
of the effect of every stone they put
into their structure. nor can they af-
ford to indulge in expedient and
makeshift. The Commission became
the supreme llaw-makins power In the
Archipelago September l, and there is