Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1902-01-30
An INDISPENSABLE ACT.
New York " ming Post.

ment in the Philippines. One sub
iect of this measure, which does not
establish now form of government,
| is to confirm the action of President
Mckinley in appointing the present
| Philippine Commission, and ito ap-
! prove the acts Of the commission up to
! this time In view Of the latter pur-
i pose, it would be we'll for the Ameri-
| Gun people, and also for Congress, to
| know something more about the legis
| lative acts of the commission, particu
| larly as Secretary Root has hoped that
1.-THE work OF the commission will re-
cnive the approval which it merits. y
| This work will be declared to be
praiseworthy for its high quality of
constructive ability, its wise adapta
tion to the ends desirable to be ac-
comElished and its faithful adherence
to the principles controlling our own
| government.
That this praise should apply to
! large part, or even the greater part. of
the work Of the Philippine commission
may very well he. There is one
achievement Of the commission in its
character us sole Legislature in the
Philippines, however, which should re-
| ceivo only condemnation from Con-
gress and the American public This
| is d statute which became the law Of the
! Philippine Islands on November 4th,
| 1901, and which ia yerbosely entitled an
act defining the crimes of treason, in
surrection, sedition, conspiracies to
| commit such crimes, seditious utter
anccs whether written or spoken, Tie
| formation of secret political societies,
| the administering or taxing of oaths
tf,, tF, rAnf hA
| discovering Of the same, and the viola
ton Of oaths Of allegiance, and pre-
! scrihing the punishment therefor p" 1t
! is on its face n measure to assist the
military in forcing the sovereignty of
/ the United States down the threats of
| the Filipinos and to prevent them
from continuing their struggle for in
dependence. Like all similar acts in
al lands, it is of an essentially
despotic character.
Its first section prescrbes the penalty
of death or imprisonment at hard labor
for not less than five years, with a
fine of not less than $4,000, for the
crime Of treason--that is, levying war
or adhering to the enemies of the
United States or the Philippine gov
eminent. In this it parallels the
statutes of the United States. But in
section 5 the law goes beyond anything
now upon the statute book of the
United States, and defines as sedition
| the infection Of any act of "hate or
revenge upon any official of the gov
eminent or, elf with a political or
social object upon individuals, or
| any class of individuals These crimes
it Furnishes by a fine of not over s., 600
| and Imprisonment for not more than
10 years. Conspiracy to commit the
crime of sedition carries with it pun
ishment Of not more than five years in
prison and of not more than $1,000
| fine. Going step further, the taking
of an oath to engage in seditious
purpose, or to bind one to fail to re-
veal any unlawful combination, is
punished by the last.named penalty,
as is the action of one who merely
| attempts to induce a person to take
such an oath. But the climax of this
extraordinary law is to be found in
the following sections:
Sec. 8. Every person who shall
utter seditious words or speeches,
write, publish or circulate scurrilous
libels against the Government of the
United States or the Insular Govern
ment of the Philippine Islands, or
which tend to disturb or obstruct any
lawful officer in executing his Office, or
which tend to instigate others to cabal
or meet together for unlawful purposes,
or which suggest or incite rebellious
| conspiracies or riots, or which tend to
stir up the people against the lawful
authorities or to disturb the peace of
the community, the safety and order
of the government, or who shall know
ingly conceal such evil practices, shall
be punished by a fine not exceeding
| 50, GOO or by Imprisonment not exceed
ing two years, or both, in the discre-
ton of the court.
Sec. 10. Until it has been officially
| proclaimed that state of war or in
surrection against the authority or
sovereignty of the United States no
longer exists in the Philippine Islands,
it shall be unlawful for any person to
advocate orally or by writing or print
ing, or like methods, the Independence
of the Philippine Islands or their sepa-
ration from the United States, whether
by peaceable or forcible means, or to
print, publish or circulate amy hand
/ bill, newspaper or other publication,
advocating such independence or sepa-
ration. Any person violating the pro-
visions of this section shall be punished
by Il fine of not exceeding 81, 600 and
Imprisonment not exceeding one year. j"
Plainly, the proper title of this act
/ should have been "a Bill to Put an
End to Freedom of Speech and the
Liberty of the Press in the Philip
| pines, and to Create Nation of Spies
and lnformers. - For such is the pur-
| port Of the provisions cited, and such
will be the inevitable results of the law
if it should be rigidly enforced When
| it was before the commission, some of
| the friendly Filipinos, and also Senior
| Buencamino who represented the Fed
eral party, protested against it on the
| ground that it would undo the bene-
| iicial effect of the benevolent speeches
| Of members Of tho commission when
/ they first ~ lived in the Philippines.
, The Manila Times did not hesitate to
/ tell the truth about the act. There
/ is no laophole left by it by which any
! man who is disaffeeted towards the
I government in these islands, and so
I expresses himself by word or act, can
! escape. Even the secret knowledge of
| covert workings against the sovereign
\ power in Theses islands is sufficient to
make one culpable and amenable to the
now law "
| Evidently the new Liberty which
! typitles the United States abroad
should fling away the torch OF cnlight.
eminent for the bayonet. since her mis-
sion in the Philippines is plainly not
| to encourage men TO be free, but to
think only what her armed representa-.
| tives deem wise. One of these, accord.
! ing to Representative Gaines, has de-
clarcd the Constitution of the United
States "a d. incenaiary document"
In what way such a policy as this Phil
| ippine one differs from the oppression
of Russia in Finiand,er that Of Turkey
| In A rnlnnin Ii ,rnIlld ln ,,r.r. Il, tamil