The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-12-04

- lAC
of a system to secure an efficient civil
service; the organization and establishment
OF courts; the organization and establish
ment of municipal and departmental gov
and all other matters of a civil
nature for which the military governor is
now competent TO provide by rules or orders
OF a legislative character.
APPOINTIvE POWERS.
'The commission viii also have power
during the same period to appoint to Of
fee such officers under the judicial, educa-
tional and civil-service system and in the
municipal and departmental governments
as shall be provided for. Until the COM
plete transfer of control the military gov
| ernor will remain the chief executive head
| OF the government of the islands and will
| exercise the executive authority now pos
| sessed by him and not herein expressly
assigned to the commission. subject, how
| ever, TO the rules and orders enacted by the
commission in the exercise OF the legisla-
tive powers conferred upon them. In the
| meantime the municipal and departmental
governments will continue to report TO the
military governor and be subject TO his
administrative supervision and control, UNI
der your direction. but that supervision and
control will be confined within the narrow
est limits consistent with the requirements
that the powers OF government in the
municipalities and departments shall be
honestly and effectively exercised and that
law and order and individual freedom shall
be maintained.
"All legislative rules and orders, estab-
lishments of governments and appointments
to office by the commission will TAX effect
Immediately or at such times as they shall
designate, subject TO your approval ana
| action upon the coming in of the commits
sion's reports, which are to be made from
time to time as their action is taken.
| Wherever civil governments are consti-
tuted under the direction of the commits
sion such military posts, garrisons and
| forces will be continued for the suppression
OF instruction and ~brigandage and the
maintenance of law and order as the mill
tary commander shall deem requisite. and
the military forces shall be at all times
the civil authorities for the maintenance
OF law and order and the enforcement
OF their authority.
"In the establishment of municipal gov
ernmentS the commission will take as the
basis of their work the governments es-
tablished by the military governor under
his order Of Aug. s, 1899. and under the re-
port of the board constituted by the mill
tary governor by his order of Jan. %. 1900.
to formulate and report a plan of municipal
government, of which his Honor Cayetano
Arellano, president of the Audiencia, was
chairman, and they will give to the conclu-
sions of that board the weight and con-
sideration which the high character and
distinguished abilities OF its members JUS
tify.
THE ISLAND OF NEGROS.
I'm the constitution of departmental or
provincial governments they will give es-
pecial attention to the existing government
of the island Of Negroes, constituted, with
the approval of the people of that island,
under the order of the military governor
of July %. 1899, and after verifying, SO far
as may be practicable, the report of the
successful working of that government
they will be guided by the experience thus
acquired SO far as 1t may be applicable
to the conditions existing in other portions
of the Philippines. They will avail them
selves to the fullest degree practicable
of the conclusions reached by the previous
commission to the Philippines.
In the distribution OF power among the
governments organized by the commission
the presumption is always to be in favor
Of the smaller subdivision, so that all the
powers which can properly be exercised by
the municipal government shall be vested
III that government, and all the powers OF
a more general character which can be
exercised by the departmental government
shall be vested In that government, and
so that in the governmental system which
is the result of the process the central gov
eminent of the islands, following the ex-
ample of the distribution of the powers
between the States and the national gov
eminent of the United States, shall have no
direct administration except of matters
of purely general, concern, and shall have
only such supervision and control over
local governments as may be necessary TO
secure and enforce faithful and efficient
administration by local officers.
1.-The many different degrees of civiliZa-
ton and varieties of custom and capacity
among the people of the different islands
preclude very definite instruction as to
the part which the people shall take in the
selection of their own officers; but these
general rules are to be observed: That in
all cases the municipal officers who adj
minister the local affairs of the people are
to be selected by the people and wherever
officers of more extended jurisdiction arc
70 hn cAInorn1 In nny xr0ry Il ~ ~
islands are to be preferred and If they
can be found competent and willing to
perform the duties, they are to receive
the Offices in preference to any others.
1T will be necessary to fill some Of
fees for the present with Americans which
after a time may we'll be filed by natives
of the islands. AS soon as practicable a
system for ascertaining the merit and fit
ness of candidates for civil Offices should
be put in force. An indispensable quail
fication for ali offices and positions Of
trust and authority in the Islands must be
absolute and unconditional loyalty to the
United States and absolute and un-
hampered authority and power to remove
and punish any officer deviating from that
standard must at all times be retained in
the hands of the central authority of the
islands.
FOR THE NATIVES.
I'm all the forms of government and
administrative provisions which they are
authorized to prescribe the commission
should bear in mind that the government
which they are establishing is designed
not for our satisfaction or for the express
sion of our theoretical views, but for the
happiness. peace and prosperity OF the
people of the Philippine islands and the
measures adopted should be made to con-
form to their customs, their habits and
even their prejudices. to the fullest ex-
tent consistent with the accomplishment OF
the indispensable requisites of just and ef-
fective government.
A the same time the commission should
bear In mind, and the people Of the Islands
should be made plainly TO understand. thai
there are certain great principles of gov
eminent which have been made the basis
of our governmental system which we
deem essential to the rule of law and
the maintenance Of individual freedom and
of which they have unfortunately been de-
MED the experience possessed by us; that
there are also certain practical rules IF
government which we nave found to be es-
sential to the preservation of these great
principles of liberty and law, and that
these principles and these rules of govern
ment must be established and maintained
in their islands for the sake of their
liberty and happiness. however much they
may conflict with the customs or laws OF
procedure with which they are familiar.
1T is evident that the most enlightened
thought of the Philippine islands fully ap-
preciates the importance of these principles
and rules, and they will inevitably within
a short time command universal assent.