Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-02-15
M JURY TRIALS
IN PHILIPPINES.
u,,.n Per Cent Of the People Arc
Too ignorant for the Duty
ca VESrIFIEs GOV. TAFT.
.,, Not Like Responsibility OF
V v'p,us Any Part of Arohip'l"a0
Under control Of Native Troop"

Wellington, Feb. 1i.--Goy' TAFT OF
rsn,nnlnes today continued his
u' a,t before the senate committee
'' ,he philippines concerning the ISL
as IN That archipelago with the in-
a ''.,,on Of discussing the degree OF
U" .onnl,y in the pacific Provinces
~Sleb, he said, included all the pro-
,,nees except Tabayas, samar ana ga
tangas' ,.o mama
n, maintaining tranquility The re-
involved a review of the legal sys"
~ ~, Of the Islands at present as under
ho military government, and also UNI
der the Spanish rule
coy Taft said that In June OF last
y" Inc commission had passed an
~" orgapizlng a system OF judiciary
M ,hs entire archipelago, creating
Az lD,,sme court and seven justices, ana
'a,,een districts. On the supreme
ponr, bench there are, he said three
rstvss and four Americans, ana he
Sslleyed that any state would De sat
,sSsd With such q bench. or the courts
rs sr.t Instance In the district six
~. nrssIded over by native Filipinos,
s"d Inc others by Americans
Wy rov Taft said that Judge ldc OF the
,ommlsslon had prepared the code Of
oWs Of the Islands, and that the labor
,,d bsen 80 severe that II materially
damaged his health, This code includes
be treason act, There Is no provision
,or a Jury, as " per cent OF the
reope arc TOO ignorant to sit on
jury .aan J.. ao,. -,
that The difficulty Of selecting Judges
who are above reproach makes 1t GER
taIn that the selection OF juries would
Iead 10 nothing but corruption and In
msce We are trying to lead up 10,
me Jury system, but the Filipino mind
{, such as to render the average FIJI
pIno Incapable Of looking impartially
mon question involving the rights
N two persons, There was no jury
system under Spanish rule
Gov. Taft said that In the matter Of
NE arrest and Imprisonment of Fill
phos who had been in insurrectlon,
bgt who had later surrendered, there
had been some unquestloned trench
lag upon the functions of the civil au-
hotties by the military forces.
senator Cuberson asked whether
there Is any part of the archipelago,
The control Of which could be trusted
Olatye troops and the witness replied
that he did not think 1t would be adj
yable.
4 should not like to have the re-
l0nsibIllty of recommending such
curse" he said, "rhe experiment new
uas been tried but In q country So
fsaily In Instruction, l should say
hat 10 put thousand rifles In the
hirds Of thousand natives would
Eg be wise"
Senator Culberson questioned the
witness as TO the necessity OF keeping
IS many as 10000 American troops In
The Islands, and the latter replied that
Capt Allen estimated that with all the
provinces paclAed. $4,000 American
troops would be sufficient. For himself
he thought Il would be desirable to
continue small attachments OF troops
at convenient points all over the ISL
ands for the purpose Of preventing
disorder and violence, and serving as
a moral restraint.
10 this connection Senator Lodge
STATED that the secretary OF war had
informed him that when the present
orders were carried into effect, there
VIII be LEFT In the island 1925 officers
and Nna enlisted men.
speaking Of the general condition
q the pacilied provinces, Gov. Taft
saIo that In all these provinces the
people are going about their usual avo-
cations In one province not a hostile
sho had been fired for two years.
senator Culberson; rs II true that
uhder existing law they are not at
nOeIy 10 advocate an independent or
av separate form Of government"
No. they are not"
senator Patterson asked how the
ssopIe mad been made peaceful in the
aIsl place-whether this result had not
g s accomplished by first battering
s.h WIN the military and then DEM
onNteIlhg TO them by the acts OF the
Nnl.nisslon the benefits OF American
W.uVus The reply was that not only
NV, ~ Wv. government, but the military
''ON' nad sought to impress the ad.