The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-28
ARMY OFFICER WRITES
 OF PHILIPPINE SITUATION
How the Decision of the Supreme Court Was Rc. ceived---The COmmissary Scandals Have
 Been Greatly Magnified.

Mir. Charles A. Scott has recently received an interesting letter from an army officer in the Philippine Islands, which throws light on the conditions existing there. The most notable state- ments made is his ridicule of the ex- aggeration of the commissary scandals
 The letter is as follows:
 "Recently a grapevine cable, which always precedes the official one. h. formed Manila that the United States Supreme Court had said, The Consti- tuition follows the flag to the Philip pines. There was wild outpurst oI speculation. It means vast sums -. money paid as duties on imports mus. bs returned by the government. means death to all competition agaihse American trade 1t means great . .I. crease in imports and exports. .i '. means citizenship to all Filipinos. means abolition of the Tart Comst sion, .It means territorial government for these islands, and forthwith the shouters proceeded to divide the tsianos inta four territories with their capi- tals and but for the timely arrivai Q. inc official cable, their Governors would no doubt have been suggested In Jupa- lation by certain people who nave mere tofore been unable to run all anatre, civil military and commercial, to suit their own purposes. Then ridiculous shame-faced hush fell on the snouters.
 "Happily ne-such decision had yet been rendered. Happily. say because nothing else that could conceiv1riy befall these islands at this time couie, instead of being beneficial. as some think. be so widely destructive ana deadly to progress of the settlement of inc Philippine question. The release or Aguinaldo to the insurgents, new in- surrection would be, compared 70 tnis' nothing. All the benerits claimed from such a decision could not at this time counterbalance the sure consequent loss of faith which the Filipinos would experience concerning the good lnten- tions. wisdom and ability of the United states to carry out its announced pol icy and promises.
 "A dehnits policy has been outlined and proposed Filipinos by the Taft Commission. This is what has aiways been needed. Thousands are slowly ana painfully yielding. accepting ana act ing on its assurances. What IT the United States Supreme Court should now nave COIn6 0A0 6rhs0. you had no authority: you have done all wrong; we will start new in another way. Beyond a peradventure, over all Filipinos, tide of doubt. disappoint- men:. disgust, Encouragement, suspi- cion and revolution would have fol- To- just as 1t followed the faithiess, unreliable policy of our predecessors, tn, Spaniarde. ses
 'The Filipinos ask for something an which they can count--a definite, de- cided, announced policy. The Taft Commission have proposed 1t. If this could have been done year ago, the insurrection would probably have end ed then, when Aguinaldo was defeated and his army dispersed. If this policy ia now reversed, as is hoped for in some quarters, by a decision of the United States Supreme Court. if we must revert to no authoritatively an- nounced policy, we can easily lose a couple more of years in this useless in- surrection.
 HAnd now it Is announced that the coming Of complete civil government for the Philippines has been put off frcm July 1, till October 1. This was inevitable. The Taft Commission has doubtless seen the absurdity of talk ing about governing men who are still in the ranks of the insurgents. and still fighting not only in the distant