Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1901-06-13
NO EXTRA SESSION.
ANNOUNCED THAT CONGRESS
WILL NOT BE CALLED.
cabinet Holds that Presidents Mill
tary Authority Is Ample for All Pur-
poses in the PhiIippines-Met hods in
Conformity with Court Decisions.
Washington correspondence:

Washington correspondence:
There will be no extra session of Con-
gress. That much at least was decided
at the cabinet meeting Tuesday. Secre-
tary Root and Attorney General Knox
united in expressing the opinion that
there was nothing in the recent decisions
of the Supreme Court which need alter
IN any material degree the plans already
laid down for the government of the
Philippines. A form of civil government
for the islands will be established as soon
after July 1 as it can possibly be done.
There will be a deviation from the orig
lnal plan only so far as regards the ques-
ton OF theory. The Spooner resolution
Is not to be relied upon at all. On the
contrary, the civil government to be es-
tablished by the Taft commission will
act under the authority of the war power
of the government. 1t will create NUM-
cipal and provisional governments, but
each of these will derive its authority
from the powers of the President as COM
mander-in-chief.
There will be no limit to the free exer-
else of the civil government in the Phil
ippines, and after a while it will be en-
tirely independent of a military COM
mander. 1t has been held that the Presi-
dent can govern the islands without ques-
ton by the exercise of his military au
thority, while it is an open question how
far he can go in this direction under the
delegated authority he acquired from the
SpOoner resolution.
For the present at least the Dingley
rates will be enforced in San Francisco
and other United States ports against
Manila, and the rates Of duties in the ISL
ands will be those fixed by the old Span
ish tariff as modified by the military or
ders of Gen. Otis and his successors.
1t will be remembered that the Supreme
Court, in its decisions, held that the tar
If promulgated by Gen. Miles, as a mill
tary commander in Porto Rico, was en-
tirely legal, because it was proper and
even necessary exercise of the war power.
The administration is, therefore, proceed
ing on this same theory. 1t assumes that
the Philippines are not yet actually in
the possession of the United States, and
hence a government under the military
power is actually a necessity to provide
for the well being Of the people. The
civil government to be established by the
Taft commission will be nominally under
control of the military authorities, but
In reality will be independent.
It will be analogous to the municipal
and provincial governments in Cuba,
which derive their authority from the
commanding general, although the people
themselves administer them. In this re-
spect, the Philippine government will be
distinctly different from that created for
Porto Rico under the Foraker law.
This difference, it will be observed, Is
much more one of theory than Of actual
fact The original instructions to the
Taft commission have been revived and
will form the temporary constitution OF
the island. In manifest disproof OF the
theories that the administration is pro-
ceeding along arbitrary lines, it is ex-
tremely timely to note that these instruc-
tons to the Philippine commission, writ
ten by the President, include certain in
violable rules for the government of the
Philippines. These rules, which cannot
be violated by the commission or by any
one else, are in fact mere transcript
of the bill of rights Of the constitution
of the United States.