Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-05-31

Filipino had no right to question the &C
ton of Congress.
He Endorsed the Cooper bill for civil gov
eminent and congratulated Mr.. Cooper and
the commission on their success In formulat-
ing the measure. He suggested and urged
strongly that a provision be added to the
bill providing that 81 600 be expended each
year by the Filipino government to send
natives to this country to be educated In
the sciences. Mr.. Cooper explained that
there was nothing In the bill prohfo tive of
such a plan. The witness said. however.
that if it were in the bill # would have
more weight
Will Not Call Sixto Lopez.
Mr.. Jones of Virginia. the ranking demo-
cratic member of the committee suggested
that he had a number of questions 10 ask.
and the committee decided to hold another
session beginning at o'clock Mr.. Jones
also suggested and moved that the commit
tee call Sixto Lopez, who is now IN Boston.
and who the witness had said was one of
the leaders of the present hostilities.
. This led to a discussion as to the quail
hcatons OF Lopez, who, the witness said,
had not been in the Philippines since 1895.
Mr.. Cooper remarked that he was sorry
that the feelings OF the minority had been
hurt by having witness appear who COM
pletely eXonerated the American troops in
the Philippines.
Mr. Williams OF Illinois said he had not
known that the subject of the origin OF the
insurrection was to be gone into. and that
as it had. ne thought the other side should
be given a hearing
After further discussion the motion of Mr.
Jones was voted down. and the committee
took a recess until clock
The Public School System.
Before the minority members began, their
questioning OF Senior Buencamino this after
noon. the witness made a brief statement
regarding the public school system of the
Philippines in answer to a question that
point by Chairman Cooper. He said that
the Americans had established 900 public
schools in which there were 30 Ameri-
can teachers. 2ooooo children were In at
tendance at these schools, while 2o.D9o
adults attended the night schools that had
been established.
Already the American schools were far in
advance of the schools under Spanish rule
at no time had the Spanish schools ex-
ceeded GOO in number nor did they ever
have an attendance or over 10000 children
The only defect in the American system
he saw was that the salaries Of the teach
ers were too small. and the number of
teachers not large enough. Ec recommend
ed that the salaries should tie doubled and
teat the number OF teachers should be in
creased to 6.ND, saying that if this were
Done for the next five years. the natives by
tflat time would be competent to take u
the work of teaching and the American
teachers could he relieved
Charge Against the Friars.
The only schools of higher education I'm
the islands, he said, were controlled by the
friars. This was inimicahle to the interests
of American rule. as he declared that the
friars were hostile to the American govern
ment. AS an instance of this he said that
upon Palm Sunday cholera had broken out.
During the week which followed ii was the
custom OF holding confessionals in the
churches The friars in these confessionals
had told the natives that the cholera exist
ed in the imagination of the Americans
only
This, he said. was done to prevent the
natives from taking any sanitary precau-
tons TO prevent the spread of this disease
The reason they did this he said. was be-
cause they made more money If cholera
was prevalent and there were many
deaths.
He recommended that the bill establishing
civil government in the Philippines be sup
plemented with provision authorizing the
establishment of. schools for higher educa
ton in the Philippines. which would take
the native children out from under the in
fuence of the friars.