The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-11-04
TREASON ACT
Is DISCUSSED
Public Debate Before Philippine
Commission.
WHY THE LAW is NEEDED
WOULD PREVENT FoMENTING
OF sEDITIoN.

/ Manila, Nov. 3.-There was a public
! discu- sion before the Philippians COM
mission today on the draft of the act
! AGAINST treason and sedition. Many
+ prominent Filipinos were present. Vice
/ Governor Wright explained the object
/ of the bill, saying that the Spanish
code was unsatisfactory.
II h-re a-e a number of people living
( in the Philippians remarked Mr..
/ Wight, who, SO long as there is no
punishment for treason, will take ad-
{ vantage Or the fact To clog The wheels
( OF the insular government. It must
not be overlooked that turbulent spir-
its exist in the pacified provinces. The
I masses of the people are susceptible to
/ infiammatory utterances and liable to
be influenced by scheming demagogues.
/ IT would be an ineXcusable weakness
on ths part of the commission to allow
/ the people to be aroused to deeds Of
violence who are now gradually drift
/ ing TO the pursuits of peace.
The recent renewed attempts at in
/ surrectiOn in the island of Samar and
the province Of BaCangas Ouzon),
and at a few other points, due to noisy
Filipino agitatOrs, has caused a feel
ing of unrest in the minds of both
Filip.nos and Americans and the effect
Of their continuance would be to make
| impossible the very things these agi-
tatOrS claim they most desire. Such
endeavOrs serve to recruit the ranks
Of the insurgents and to postpone the
era Of good feeling and fellowship
which must come.
mo excuse exists for secret political
organizations. Their intent must be
evil. No matter what may have been
the opinions of the Filipinos regarding
the sovereignty of the American gov
eminent. the fact remains that the
Americans are here and, moreover,
here they intend to stay"
The bill was then read in Spanish.
Sabilla Reyes, a Spanish journalist
who has been here for several weeks,
said he was opposed to the bill, and
objected generally to the imposition Of
the death penalty for political crimes.
He suggested that persons committing
the Offense against which the bill was
aimed should be depoTted to the United
States. and declared that Italy and
Portugal had enacted the most reason
able laws dealing with the matters I'M
der consideration.
Commissioner Worcester asked him if
he considered the killing of King Hum
bert a political crime.
senior ReyeS-Notnlng political is
criminal.
Vice Governor Wright asked him if
he considered the killing of President
Mckinley a criminal act
Senior Reyes-I have already made it
clear that there is no such thing as a
political crime"
The commissioner Indignantly or
dered him to take his seat
Senior Bueneamino, on behalf Of the
federal party, objected to the bill.
Senior Bautista. at one time presi-
dent Of the sO-called Filipino congress,
said that sections of the proposed law
had created a panic in Manila that
Spain had no such law; that in his
opinion private citizens ought not to
be compelled to divulge matters within
their knowledge; that the doctrine Of
treason ought to apply to officials only.
and that the bill as drawn offered
great opportunity 20 bIackman.
The discussion will be continued to-
morrow.