The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-01-07
TO GOVERN THE PHILIPPINES
SENATOR LODGE WILL INIRODUCE
 4 BILL TO-DAY.
Prepared by the Senate Committee on With the War DePartment-Mcxtn- Iey's Idea of a Com m isston Mai fntained --Greater Power Given to It--Purchase of Land from Religious Orders Pro- vtded For
vided For.

I Washington, Jan. 6.-Senator Lodge,
 chairman of the committee on Philip
 pines, tomorrow, will introduce bill
 for a temporary government of the Philippines, drafted after many consult tations with war department officials
 directly interested in insular affairs and the government of the Philippines. | The bill will not be made a part of the
 Philippine revenue bill which has pass
 ed the house but will be an independ-
 ent measure. The bill does not attempt
 to establish a new form of government
 in the Philippines but confirms the &C.,
 ton of President Mckinley in creating
 a commission and ratifies the acts of
 that commission under the instructions
 of the president dated April z, 1900 It
 also gives the president authority while
 there is armed resistance in any part
 of the islands to the United States to
 regulate and control inter-lsland com merce. Section four, following the Por-
 to Rican act, gives the government of
 the Philippines power to improve the
 harbors and other instruments of com merce and section five, also following
 the Porto Rican act, turns over to the government of the Philippines all lands devoted now to public use, bridges, highways, etc.
 Under section six the government of the Philippines Is empowered to make rules and regulations for the disposi ton of public lands, other than timber and mineral lands, such regulations to have the force and effect of laws only after they have been approved by the president and congress. Then follows a series of provisions to enable the com mission to perfect the title of persons now occupying public lands and to lease and sell lands to such persons or give them to occupants without conl- pensation. This is to provide for the small native land holders who are oc- cupying and for a long time have occu- pied public lands but have no titles to protect them in their holdings.
 Next comes provisions in regard to the time lands which are not to be sold or leased by the commission who have power only to issue licenses to cut timber under the forestry regula- tions now in force in the islands. The provisions in regard to timber lands are followed by number of sections as to mineral lands. These are very elabor- ate and embody the mineral laws en1- braced within the report of the com mission and which have been prepared by them with great care so that they shall be in harmony With the existing Spanish laws The mineral land sec tions cover also coal lands and saline lands.
 One of the most important provisions In the bill is that empowing the Philip pine commission to purchase the lands of the religious orders and dispose of them on proper terms to the actual oc- cupants An appeal from the supreme court of the islands to the supreme court of the United States is provided in certain cases. Municipalities and the city of Manila are authorized to | borrow money and issue bonds for mu- nicipal improvements. There are two | sections which provide for the granting | of franchises, so that individuals or cor porations can go into the islands and l and engage in industries and manufac- lures. The granting of franchises s by the provisions based on the corporation laws of Massachu- setts
 Provisions are embodies establishing T coinage system on the lines of Spe- cial Agent Conant's report