New-York tribune., 1901-06-04
THE PHILIPPINE POLICY.
ESTABLISHMENT OF CIVIL GOVERN
MENT MAY BE POSTPONED.
TO-DAY's CABINET MEETING EXPECTED TO
END ALL TALK OF AN EXTRA
SESSION OF CONGRESS.
[nY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.I

lRY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNEl
Washington June 3.-It Is confidently believed
that action will be taken at the Cabinet meet
ing tomorrow which will put an end to all talk
about an extra session of Congress. Attorney
General Knox Will submit clear and compre-
hensive analysis of the Supreme Courts de-
csions in the Porto Rican cases. and will at
tempt 50 10 reconcile what apparently con-
tradictions In the De Lima and Downes de-
cisions that the administration will feel thor
oughly justified in continuing the present Phil
ippne policy pending the further action of Con-
ereys in regular session While there is un-
deniably considerable confusion in the minds of
Cabinet officers To the powers Of the Presi-
dent in dealing with certain phases of the
Philippine question that the Supreme Court
has spoken on the general issue in the De Lima
case. II is pointed out nevertheless. that the
Spooner resolution 1nder which the President
is acting, is almost exact copy of the resou-
ton conferring similar powers by Congress on
President Thomas jefferson when the Louisiana
territory was purchased from Napoleon For
nearly a hundred years therefore this special
grant of power has been subject TO close scru-
tiny by constitutional exponents in and out OF
Congress and has stood the severest tests.
Hence it is not believed that it's validity will
be overturned by the courts in this emergency.
EFFECT OF THE HOAR AMENDMENT.
The only difference between the Spooner reso-
luton and its counterpart of Jefferson's days
is that the efficacy of the Spooner resolution
was considerably weakened by the Hoar amend
ment which takes from the President the right
to grant franchises or in any way dispose of the
public domain except under the greatest public
exigency. If result of the Cabinets de-
liberations tomorrow Congress should be
called TO the Presidents aid it VI ould be mainly
for the purpose of repeating The Hoar amend
ment so as TO give the executive an absolutely
free hand in the internal administration of the
Philippines until conditions there become suf-
fciently stable and the general situation is suf-
fciently cleared to permit Congress to get its
bearings 1t was an open secret at the time
that if opposition among the Republican leaders
of the Senate to the Hoar amendment would
not have threatened an extra session by precipi-
tating a long and profitess debate the amend
ment never would have been fastened on the
Spooner resolution. However. as it was the
general understanding then that the amendment
would be repealed at the next session of Con-
gress, it is inferred that all have agreed that
it cannot do a great deal of positive harm in
the mean time.
MAY WAIT FOR THE COURTS DECISION.
In the almost certain event that at its meet
ing tomorrow the Cabinet will agree that the
De Lima decision does not tie the Presidents
impossible that at the same time 1t may be
decided not to carry out the full Philippine pro-
eramme until the Supreme Court renders its
decision next fall in the test case from the
archipelago. In order to keep entirely within
the iudicially determined bounds. ii may be that
the President and his official advisers will re-
gard it as wise to postpone the establishment or
civil in place Of military rule in the Philippines
until the court defines the Executives powers
in the premises. The President thus would con-
tinue technically to exercise his war powers, Lie
possession of which has never been denied py
any decision of the Supreme Court IhlS would
be done without doing harm to the F1lipinos or
in any way checking the progress OF peace ana
civil order in the islands. With the aid or the
Taft Commission, the Military Governor. acting
under the directions of the War Department,
could carry the work of organizing and
equipping municipal governments throughout
the islands, as has been done so satisfactorily
by the military authorities in Cuba without the
aid of the civil arm of the government. II is
believed that through this means a revenue sys-
tenn adequate to the needs of the archipelago
would be built up that. If the duties collected
in the United States Philippine importations
should be declared illegal after a while, the
amounts so collected could be refunded with
out calling on Congress for a deficiency That
is to saw with an adequate local revenue system
in the Philippines the duties collected on i'm
ports from the islands, which Secretary Root
saws will not exceed $2.0O0.OOO a year, could be
held In the United States Treasury to be re-
funded should the Supreme Court decide the
fourteen diamond rings case as it decided the De
Lima case.
II is pertinent to point out that the McEnery
resolution. of which so much is heard at present
cuts no figure in the case according to the best
informed opinion in Washington. The McEnery
resolution got further than the Senate. For
FAST TRAIN FOR ST. LOUIS