The Savannah morning news., 1902-06-28
TO PARDON FILIPINOS
AMNESTY PROCLAMATION TO BE
ISSUED JULY 4.
AGUINALD0 TO BE INCLUDED.
DOCUMENT PASSED UPON BY THE
CABINET.

viii Now BE CabIed Acting Cover
nor Wright at Manila for His In
spectiOn and ApprOVaI-If Every
thing Works Out Right 1t VIII BE
Issued as StRted-Gives Full Par
don 10 All Political Prisoners, In
Guiding Leaders Now at Guam. and
Restores Their Political Rights-Is
Intended to show Our Generosity
and Humanity Toward the FiIipi-
nos.
Washington, June 27.-At the meet
ing of the cabinet to-day the terms of
an amnesty proclamation to the Fill
ipinos, which it is contemplated to is
sue on the fourth of July, were agreed
upon. The War Department for some
time past has had under consideration
the draft of a proclamation and has
found it necessary to make a number
of changes in it's text. In it's modi-
fed state it was agreed to by the cabi-
net to-day. and Secretary Root will
cable it to Acting Gov. Wright for his
inspection. If it meets the latter's ap-
prevail nothing will remain but for the
President, if the Philippine civil gov
eminent bill is law on that day, as
is now expected it will be, to issue on
Independence day a formal proclama-
ton setting forth terms of amnesty for
all political offenders in the islands, in
Guiding Aguinaldo and those held at
Guam.
The proclamation is based on the
general objects of the Philippine gov
eminent BILL namely, to restore peace
in the archipelago and substitute a
civil for a military administration. That
bill is now in conference and the proc
lamation will not be issued until the
Philippine government measure has
been agreed upon by both houses, and
the President has affixed his signature
to it. The proclamation will declare
that a state of peace now exists in the
Philippine Islands, save in the parts of
the archipelago where the Mindanao or
Pagan tribes are giving the United
States a great amount of trouble, and
will declare in effect that with the
transfer of the government of the ar
chipelago from military to a civil sta
tus all those arrested and held for po-
hticaI offenses shall be released to lib
erty, granted full amnesty and allow
ed to participate in the civil govern
ment that IS to be inaugurated on the
islands. While the proclama ton is SUBJ
ject to changes in the text, the general
language of the document is pretty
well mapped out.
Only to Political Prisoners.
There was a general discussion to-
day of the treatment that should be
accorded to political prisoners of the
islands. There is no intention, it is
said, to release those prisoners con-
victed of other than political offenses,
the benefits of the amnesty being lin
tied to those in custody as a result of
breaches of military law, leaving GRIM
inal offenders to the action of the prop
er authorities under the coming civil
government. The purpose is to demon
strate that motives of humanity and
generosity dictate our course toward
the Filipinos. When the islands are
turned over to the civil authorities
they will not be left without adequate
military protection, as no more troops
will be ordered home for the present,
and every precaution will be taken for
the military safeguarding of the ISL
ands under the new civil administra-
ton. The cabinet meeting was held in
the Presidents temporary quarters on
Lafayette Square. 1t was the first
time in SO years that regular session
of the cabinet had been held outside
the White House.