Evening star., 1901-12-19
Second Report Of the Taft Civil Com
mission:
lANGE OF SUBJECTS TREATED
Legislation Asked by Congress
Wlthout.D Delay.
re MMENDATioSs MADE

the Philippines is embodied in the annual
report of the Philippine commission.
Among the most important subjects dis
cussed are the form of the government
to be provided for the islands, the adop-
ton of a differential tariff in favor of
Philippine products entering the United
States, the issue of bonds for taking up
the lands of the friars, the granting of
franchises for public and private corpora
tions, the creation of a distinctive coinage,
the extension of the American banking
system to the islands, provision for aid
to railways, and authority from Congress
to pass proper public land, mining and
timber laws.
In January last the coHmission adopted
a municipal code and provincial law, and
IL February began the task of organic ng
those provinces which were deemed to be
prepared for civil government. The col
lapse of the inSurrection came In May,
after many important sure enders and cap
lures. including that of Aguinaldo
Peace Except in Five Provinces.
It is declared by the commission that:
Outside of the five provinces named
Batangas, Cebu, Bohol, Samar and Min
doro) there Is peace in the remainder Of
the archipelago All insurrectos have sur
rendered, and, in most of the provinces,
except among the Lake Moros it is entire
ly safe during the day for travellers un-.
attended to go from one town to another.
In other provinces, recent war conditions
and suffering and hardship from cattle
pest and locusts have developed ladron-
ism. The people are friendly to the civil
government and manifest no desire what
ever for a continuance of the war. but
only a desire for peace and protection
Friars' Lands.
The commission renews< it's recommended
tions of last year that it be given authori-
ty to issue bonds with which to buy up the
agricultural holdings and other property of
the religious orders. Now that peace
is being restored and civil courts are
exercising ordinary Jurisdiction says
the report, ''the necessity for re-
moving this frebrand from the important
provinces of Cavite, Lasuna, Rizal, Bula-
can and Bataan cannot be overstated. I'm
der the military regime it was entirely pos
sible by mil tary order for military reasons
to forbid the owners of these lands from
attempting either to collect their rents or
to GUST their tenants; but now no such ar
bitrary remedy is available and the only
course which is feasible is'the, one suggest
ed The commission believes itself in a po-
sition to say that there is a willingness on
the part Of those who have control of this
matter for the religious orders to negotiate
and part with all the land to the govern
ment at reasonable prices. AS it has al
Teauy stated IN It's former report, the COM
mission believes that the transfer of the
property and It's sale in small holdings to
the present tenants, on long payments,
might be effected without loss, and that
this solution would be very satisfactory to
all the people. The commission should be
authorized. in case its view of the matter
Is approved, to issue bonds in an amount
sufficient to buy the lands, and should be
required to hold the proceeds Of the sales
Of such lands a sinking fund to meet
the obligations of the bonds. We earnest
ly recommend this course The matter is
pressing one, for the action Of the courts
in enforcing legal DEGREES in favor Of The
real owners of the land against the ten
ants will be constant source of irritation,
riot and lawlessness in the provinces where
the land is, and this will lead to distrust
and uneasiness everywhere.
The acreage as stated in our last re-
port, Of the land owned by friars in the
provinces where the population is dense and
the question is a heated one is Cavite,
121747 acres; Laguna, e2,172 acres; Manila
province now RizaD 5O145 acres: Bulacan.
39,44l acres; Cebu, 16.413 acres; Morong
(noW RizaD, 1910 acres; Bataan, 1000 acres
upward of 100000 acres. In addition to
thls there are something more than 100000
acres, one.haf in Isabella and one-half In
Mlnooro IN regions sparsely settled the
ownership of which by the friars does not
involve SO much popular resentment be-
cause OF their remoteness
San Jose College Case.
Since our last report the commission an
nounced Its conclusion in the San Jose Col
lege controversy. 1t decided that there was
between the Catholic Church on the one
hand and the petitioners representing the
Filipino public on the other controversy
concerning the legal control Of the trust
involving sufficiently serious questions of
law to submit the case to a competent trib-
unaL The commission was careful not to
express any view on the merits. To put
the case In way of settlement, the commits
sion passed law appointing a board to
represent the interests Of the Filipino peo-
pie, IN the name of the United States and
to bring suit in the supreme court of the
islands against the archbishop Of Manila
and the friar in immediate control of the
estate of the college The act fixed the
procedure and postponed the time within
winch the Judgment in the supreme court
of the islands should be final to the end of
the term of the present Congress in order
that provision might be reade, If deemed
wise. for an appeal to the Supreme Court
of the United States. 1t seems to us that
such an appeal ought toTibe provided for,
The Importance of the cause may be un-
derstood from the opinion Of the commits
sion in dfsposing Of it, reported in the sec.
ond quarters volume Of the commission
laws. The suit has been brought and is
now pending before the supreme court. and
will be heard within the next three months
AS stated In our former report, there
are other controversies likely to be brought
into the courts of the islands between the
Catholic Church and the insular govern
ment In respect to the title to and the ad-
ministration Of trust or other property. The
intimate association between the Spanish
government and the Catholic Church and
the difficulty of separating what is civil and
what is church property is SO great and pre-
sents questions of such delicacy from po-
1itical standpoint that we recommend that
In all such cases an appeal be granted from
the supreme court of the islands to the
Supreme Court of the United States.
TaxatiOn.
I'm the plan of the commission the CEN
trail government must depend mainly on
import and export duties for its support.
The internal taxes Of whatever character
are principally to be devoted to the sup
port OF the provincial sand municipal gov
ernments. In pursuance bf this purpose.
whenever provincial government Is or
ganized, one-half Of the Internal revenue
receipts. !. e., the indnst{ial urbana and
stamp taxes, since January. 1901. is turned
over to the provincial treasury. and the re-
naming one-half Is turned over to the mus
inequalities Of the province. "A cedula or
poll tax of 81 Mexican Is levied upon each
male person between the ages Of eighteen