New-York tribune., 1901-12-20
PHILIPPINE PROBLEMS.
N. For PERMANENT CIVIL
GOTERNlIEN7.
THE TAFT COMMISSION ON THE PROG
RESS ALREADY MADE AND THE
OUTLOOK FOR THE FUTURE.


Washington, Dec 19 (SpeciaD-To the problems
of permanent government for the Philippine Islands
,be Taft Commission devotes of the most in
etr1ctive chapters OF its annual report, detailing
.ba nrogress already made in establishing a. limited
civil regime and pointing out the dependence on
Congress for legislation that tends toward the
solution Of most pressing and grave political and
Industrial questions
.eThe theory upon which the commission is pro-
cse5inz" say the commissioners is that the only
nossible method of instructing the Filipino people
n methods of free institutions and selfgovernment
fs 10 make government partly of Americans and
partly OF Fflipnos giving the Americans the ulti-
mate control for some time 10 come In our last
report we pointed out that the great body of the
neople ignorant, superstitious and at present
Incapable of understanding any government but
that Of absolutisn1. The intelligence and education
of the people may be largely measured by knowl-
edge OF the Spanish language. Less than 10 per
cent of the people speak Spanish. With Spaniards
IN control OF these islands for four hundred years
and with Spanish spoken in all official avenues,
nothing could be more significant of the lack of
real intelligence among the people than this state
rnent. The common people are not q warlike peo-
pie but submissive and easily-indeed. much
TOO easily-controlled by the educated among them,
and the power of an educated Filipino politically
ambitious. willing plot and all the arts Of
dena gogue in rousing the people. is quite danger
GUS The educated people themselves. though full
Of phrases concerning liberty have but faint
conception Of what real civil liberty is and the NUT
ual self-restraint which is involved in its main
tenance. They find It hard to understand the diys-
.on Of powers in government and the limitations
that are operative upon all officers matter how
high. In the municipalities. in the Spanish days.
what the friar did control the presidente did,
ard the people knew and expected limit to his
exercise OF authority. This is the difficulty we now
encounter in the organization Of the municipality.
The presidente falls observe the limitations upon
his power, and the people are 100 submissive TO
press them.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE BALLOT.
'In this condition Of affairs we have thought that
ought first reduce the electorate to those who
could be considered intelligent, and the qualif
cations for voting fixed in the municipal code are
that the voter shall either speak, read and write
English Spanish. that he shall have been
formerly municipal officer. that he should pay
tax equal TO SIS a year property Of the
value OF $3.50. II has been proposed and the COM
mission will probably adopt amendment in ac-
cordance with the proposal, that the payment OF
tax of than SIS license for a saloon shall
not constitute qualification In fixing these quail
hcations followed the recommendations Of all
the Filipinos whom consulted, except that there
were many Of them who advocated higher qualif-
cation. Many of the common people Will be brought
within these qualifications in generation by the
widespread system Of education which is being in
augurated. and thus gradually the electorate will
be enlarged Mean time. 1t is necessary by practi-
cal lessons and actual experience to eliminate from
the minds OF the intelligent part Of the COM
munity who form the electorate those ideas of ab-
solutisn in government and 10 impress the concep-
ton of limitation upon power which it is now so
difficult for them TO understand.
In addition TO the defect spoken Of there is an
other. This is an absolute lack Of any sense Of
responsibility the part Of public officer to the
public at large. Office has always been regarded as
a source of private profit and as means OF graft
lying private desires, either hate friendship. We
nave thought that by establishing a form of nu-
nfcipEl government practically autonomous with
united electorate, and by subjecting its operations
to the scrutiny and criticism of provincial govarn
naent in which the controlling element is American
we coulo gradually teach them the method of car
ry1ng on government according to American ideas
IA Ihe provincial government Filipinos are aSso-
c1ated Intimately with Americans and In the ram
tral government the same thing is true. As the
government proceeds this association in actual gov
eminent VIII certainly form nucleus Of Filipinos
earnest intelligent patriotic who will become ia
niliar with practical free government and civil 1b
ertT- This saving remnant viii grow as the wears
go on. and in it will be the hope of this people
How long. II is asked, must this education be
continued before real results will be accomplisbed7
u course II is impossible tell Certainly a gen.
eration-perhaps two genera tions-wiu be needed
though thorough system of public education the
Introduction Of railways and the intercommunica-
ton OF all sorts. and the rapid material deyelop-
ment Of the country which is quite possible vo,Jd
greatly assist in this instruction The FIlipino neo
PIE are not stupid people They are bright and
initiative. They are quick and anxious to learn
ana are ambitious They lack in persistence and
power Of application. but are by no means dis
couraged at the prospect of successfully fitting
them for self-government. As il is now however
the one fact which is clear above every other IS
that these people not-either the small minority
OF educated people or the very large majority of
ignorant people-prepared to establish a govern
nent which would hold together for any length nf
time. and which would not in a very short time
present all the oppression and all the evils which
were known IN Spanish times
WHAT CONGRESS SHOULD DO.
1t is perhaps right that we should express our
views 10 the wisest course for Congress to take
al the coming session. We think that If Congress
were 10 give the present government the benefit of
Congressional authority to continue under the lin
itaUons which il has by virtue of the Presi-
dents instructions until January, 1904 this would
probably give time enough to form a complete gov
eminent a going concern, and at the end Of
that time provisions might well be made for q
change in the form OF the government, that it
Ehould consist Of civil governor, OF legislative
council and of popular assembly chosen by
limited electorate. There should be these lirita-
tons upon the power of the popular assembly, TO
w1t. first, that 1t should sit annually for three
months. from the first day of January to the first
DAY Of April. and then that its power Of legisla-
ton should in each year unless summoned
for definite period in special session by the gov
ernor; second. If during the three months of its
regular session il failed the supplies
ssry the carrying of the government as pro-
vded by law. the right vote these supplies
should be vested in the legislative council. The
governor should have the modified veto power. The
legislative council. to consist Of Americans and
Filipnos. should be created by appointment Of the
President The popular assembly should rot
ceed thirty in number, 10 be elected from districts
10 be determined after census of the islands