The Savannah morning news., 1902-04-13
TAFT MAKES REPLY
ANSWERS ATTACKS UPON THE
PHILIPPINE COMMISSION.
CASE OF FREEDOMS EDITOR.
CHARGED COMMISSION WITH HAv.
ING A GRAFT.

Could Not BE Prosecuted Under Lii
bel Law, ms no Names Were Used,
So Was Proceeded Against Under
SeditiOn Law-The Freedom
Rampant Pro-MiIitary, Anti-FiIi-
pinO Paper-Mnj. GARDENERS Report
Upon Tayabas Discussed-Criti-
cfsed Conduct of Affairs In other
Provinces Than His own.
Cincinnati. April 12.AThe Times-Star
to-day publishes the following:
Gov. Gen. Taft of the Philippines
was to-day shown copy of a letter
written by Rev. David Philipson, pub
lished this morning. After reading DR..
Philipsons letter Gov. Taft said:
"Dr. Philipson assumes that the
prosecution of the editor of the Free
dom is based on a criticism Of the
policy adopted by the commission. In
this l know that he is entirely in err
ror. The prosecution of the Freedom,
as may perhaps be gathered from the
dispatches, and as l know from pre-
vious history is for charging that the
members of the commission, OF some
of them, without naming anyone, en-
joy what is vulgarly known as graft,
that is, that they corruptly received
money for their action as commits
sioners. Prosecution has been begun,
it is said, under the sedition
law against the Freedom, in which he
will have full opportunity to show as
a defense that such corruption exists,
if it does exist. The action is begun un-
der the sedition law because it could
not be prosecuted successfully under
the libel law. Under a law of libel
charge that a public body or that
member of a public body is guilty of
corruption is not charge upon which
a suit by any particular member, not
FAMED, of that body, can be founded.
Under the sedition law charge of
that kind against governmental body
can be prosecuted and the defendant
given an opportunity to show that it is
true. II does not aid the discussion,
nor is it material whether it be called
sedition or criminal libel to call such
prosecution lese majestic. The ques-
ton presented is simply whether
newspaper shall be permitted day af-
ter day to charge that the
highest governmental body in the
islands is composed of men who are
corruptly using their power to make
money, without any opportunity to
any member of the body or to the
body as whole to take action by
suit before a court regularly consti-
tuted, to punish such malicious mis-
statements, if they are malicious, or
to give the person making them the
opportunity of showing that they are
true.
Character of the Freedom.
THE arimus of the charges is man
ifest. The Freedom is a newspaper
which has devoted it's columns always
to the denunciation of the Filipinos, to
holding them UP to the scorn of Amer
leans, advocates with intensity the
turning over the government from the
civil to the military, and advocates the
utmost severity of measures against
the Filipinos. 1t attacks the commits
sion daily for appointing Filipinos to
office, for legislating in the interest of
the Filipinos and for not looking to
the interests of Americans in the ISL
ands. 1t seeks to stir up American
prejudices against the Filipinos, and
on the other hand, its unjust attacks
upon Filipinos have tendency to de-
stroy the confidence of Filipinos in the
friendly interest of Americans.
Inc SSCOllQ ItL6TTGQ To
by DIR. Phihpson is the Tayabas report
of Maj Gardener as civil governor of
the province. DIR. Philipson says that
the report was suppressed by the gov
ernmental authorities. How sup
pressed? The facts are that in testi-
flying before the committee, 1 volun-
teered without suggestion from the
committee to present to 1t certain re-
ports to rebut the charge that there
was no tranquility in provinces said to
be pacified, and was admitted to be
in a state of instruction. There was
no obligation on my part, therefore, to
present any report in regard to Taya-
bias, for / was not asked to do so. Be-
fore the time when l presented the
reports, I had submitted the Tayabas
report to the Secretary of War for in
vestigation.
Requires Investigation.
1.-THE Tayabas report needs investi-
cation before it shall be accepted. Maj.
Gardener, as governor of Tayabas, was
called upon for a report as to the con-
ditions in Tayabas and in this report
he gives his opinion as to the character
of the warfare carried on in Batangas,
Laguna and Samar wholly outside of
Tayabas. and the general attitude of
the highest military authorities toward