Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1902-02-20
FILIPINO MEMORIAL.
An Appeal from TIE Federal Party
Submitted to Congress.
FOR ANNEXATION TO UNITED STATES
Congress Asked to Declare That the L.
lands VIII Become . State Of the
American Union --"The Ancient
FriaP Evil" SAP

Tldl Vi tnc ltucldi pdit VI WIG a."
ippine islands was transmitted to the
senate yesterday afternoon by the
secretary of war, together with a
letter of transmittal by Gov. Taft,
in whose charge the document was
! given. The memorial was adopted at
an extraordinary session Of the fed
eral party held in Manila in Novem-
Der. 1t sets forth that the perform
ance of that obligation Of the treaty
of Paris which gave the United States
congress authority to fix the status
Of the Philippine islands has been
deferred to this time because Of the
attack by the Filipinos upon the SOW
ereignty Of the United States, an act
brought about, the memorial says,
through a misunderstanding and not
through hatred Of the American SOW
ereignty. 1t further states that out
Of the so provinces and districts war
exists in only two-Batangas and Sa-
mar.
The memorial then makes a pre-
sentation of the deduction of the fed
eral party that congress should pro-
coed to carry into effect its inten-
ton of defining the future Of the
Philippines in their relations to the
United States, and asserts that there
is no reason for not replacing the
military regime "by civil rule Of a
popular character, in conformity with
the decisive words Of the never-to-be-
forgotten President Mckinley"
The memorial proper is divided into
two parts. The first Of these IL a pc
titiop for annexation and presenta-
ton of the form Of government de-
sired. In this subdivision the fed
eral party sets forth that it has made
an exhaustive study Of both the Fill.
pincs and the Americans, and con-
cludes that from the mass Of data
collected it is "the intention of the
two peoples that they should never
be disunited." The memorial says
that to make of the Philippines col.
Ony OF the United States or to grant
independence to the Philippines
would be to hand the islands over to
disorder and to anarchy, to destruc-
tion and to chaos. II.
The memorialists pray declaration
by the congress Of the United States
to the effect that the Philippine is
lands as they are described in the
treaty OF Paris and the subsequent
convention with Spain are an in
tegral part Of the United States, the
said Philippine islands constituting a
territory with the rights and priv
ileges which the constitution Of the
United States grants to the other
territories, such as that of becoming
a state OF the union"
The second part of the memorial
sets forth the aspirations OF social
and economical character, the prin-
ciple of which the memorial repre-
sents to be the securing OF a remedy
OF the "anclent evil known as the
friar" Under this designation the
memorial includes all the religious
orders now existing in the islands.
The memorial says Of the latter that
they constitute an element which are
visibly opposed to the Filipino people
securing the noble ends gained by
the constitution of the United
States" and, continuing, it is de-
clared that the abuses of these or
ders have been the cause OF the bloody
struggles of the past and Of the deep
hatred existing between the friars
and the people of the Philippine is-
lands. Congress is asked to take steps
to remedy this evil and special atten-
ton is urged to the resolutions made
by Gov. Taft.
Complete and general amnesty to
the Philippine people is also asked.
In this connection the memorial as
serts that there are many revolution
lists who have submitted to American
sovereignty who have been deported
to distant islands or who are under
going sentences in iails and prisons,
while their families suffer the great
est SORROW and want