The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-04-23


Times-Star today publishes the follow
ing:
Governor General TAFT Of the Philip
pines was today shown a copy of the
letter written by Rev David PhilipsOn
published this morning. After reading
Dr. Philipsou's letter Governor Taft
said:
81 have no desire nor intention of en-
tering upon a newspaper controversy in
respect to matters as to which I may
have had an official duty to perform,
but the communication from Or. Philip
son makes me feel that, in my home,
where I hope / have many friends l
ought to say something to disabuse the
mind of disinterested and public .
spirited man like DR. Philipson of GER /
tain erroneous impressions I think ne
has gathered from sources of informa-
ton which he seems to adopt as author
itative, His communication relates to
two matters:
First as to the arrest of the editor
of the Manila daily newspaper the
Freedom. DR.. Philipson assumes that
the prosecution of the editor of the
Freedom is based on a criticism of the
policy adopted by the Commission. In
this ] know that he is entirely in error.
The prosecution of the Freedom, as may
perhaps be gathered from the dis
patches, and as l know from previous
history is for charging, that the MEM
bers of the Commission, or some of
them, without naming any one of them,
enjoy what is vulgarly known as a
graft that is, that they are corrupt
ly receiving money for their action as
Commissioners. Prosecution has been
begun, it is said, under the sedtion law,
against the editor Of the Freedom, in
which he will have a full opportunity
to show as a defense, that such cor
/ v,Yyv. ton rss,Fg & tot
action is begun under the sedition law
because it could not be prosecuted sue
Cessfully under the libel law. Under a
| law of libel a charge that a pubic body
or that a member Of a public body is
! guilty of corruption is not a charge
| upon which suit by any particular
| member, not named, of that body can
| be founded. Under the sedition law a
! charge of that kind against a Govern
mental body can be prosecuted, and the
! defendant given an opportunity to show
! that it is true. 1t does not aid the dis
! CussiOn, nor is it material whether it
| be called seditiOn, or criminal libel, to
| call such a prosecution lese majestic.
The question presented is simply
! whether a newspaper shall be permitted
day after day to charge that the high
! est governmental body in the islands is
composed of men who are corruptly
| using their power to make money, with
IOut any opportunity to any member Of
! the body or to the body as a whole to
take action by a suit, before a court
| regularly constituted to punish such
malicious missstatementS. if they are
malicious, or to give the person making
them the opportunity of showing that
they are true.
| Under the military government
which existed prior to the adoption of
the civil government and under the
Spanish method the editor would be
sent to prison or depOrted, and the
paper suppressed. The animus Of the
charges is manifest. The Freedom is a
newspaper which has devoted its col
lumns always to the denunciatiou of the
FilipinOs, to holding them up to the
SCOrn of Americans, advocates with in
tensity the turning over of the Gov
eminent from the civil to the military
and advocates the utmost severity of
measures against the FiiipinOs. 1t at
tacks the Commission daily for appoint
ing Filipinos to office, for legislating in
the interest of the Filipinos and for not
looking to the interest Of Americans in
/ the Islands 1t seeks to stir up AmeTi-
can prejudices against the FiHpinOs,
and, on the other hand, it's unjust at
tacks upon Filipinos have tendency to
destroy the confidence Of Filipinos in
the friendly interest of Americans.
The Daily American, which is
another newspaper of Manila, and takes
much the same view in respect to the
necessity for severity Of measures
against all Filipinos and a distrust of
! them, and advocates a return to the
military government of the islands at
one time published an article charging
that some member of the Commission,
not mentioning his name, was inter-
| ested in an enterprise in the islands. AS
president of the Commission l wrote to
the editor of the American and de-
handed that he make specific charges
against some member of the Commas
sion. so that that member might take
steps to defend his reputation, or that
he withdraw the charges; that a charge
against a commissioner which was a
charge against no particular person,
and yet was a charge against all, was
cowardIy. l thereupon make inquiry
and found, as l had always supposed
the case to be, that not member of the
Commission had a dollars interest in
any enterprise in the Philippines, and
the charge which was said to have been
based on clippings from some news
paper in the United States, was then
formally withdrawn.
THE Freedom has now made general
charges of corruption, without any
specification, that some members of
the Commission, without mentioning
graft. The question is whether the
freedom of the press requires that per-
sons making such charges should be
immune from prosecution. 1t seems To
me not. Under the circumstances and
i'm such a matter, the personal injury
to the Commissioners who are maligned
is comparatively of small importance,
The injury done is in destroying the
usefulness of the Commission by inn
peHChing its disOiutareStelneS 1T is
of the highest Importance to induce the
Filipino people To believe that it is
possible under American Government
that offices shall be administered I'm the
public interest, and not for iyate or
illegal emolument, and that there is not
to be a return to conditions uf uorrup-
ton existing under Spanish Tale.
.KONA JAPANESE