The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-02-21
A NEW TONGUE OF POWER
Mr., Patterson of Colorado Holds the
Senates Attention.
DOES TAFT MIsREpREsENr FIuPlNos
Paterson Does Not Hesitate to Say lie Thinks
So. He Attacks Authority Of the Philip
pine Commission 10 Enact
Sediiion Laws.
(By the Associated Pregs.l

! (By the Associated Press)
Washington, Feb. 2O.--With the eXcep
tion of few minutes given to routine
business. the Senate today devoted its
entire session to the Philippine ques-
tion.
Mr.. Patterson. of Colorado, one of the
minority members Of the Philippine
Committee, delivered his first extended
speech In the Senate and was given u
most attentive and careful hearing. He
discussed principally the sedition alws
enacted by the Philippine Commission,
/ vigorously attacking the authority Of
the commission 10 enact and enforce
such laws. He maintained that Con-
gress alone had the power to put in
/ force enactments of that character. He
compared information furnished by the
lexecutive departments Of the govern
ment With some statements of Governor
Taft in his testimony before the Philip
pine Committee with respect to the
capabilities OF the Philippine people and
declared with some heat his belief that
Governor Taft n2isrepresented the true
situation in the islands for motives un-
known.
Mr.. Patterson declared that only four
of the fifteen acts of the Philippine
Commission relating to conspiracy
against the United States had any re-
semblance to the statutes of the United
States. The remainder, he held, were
taken bodily from the statutes of Spain
nv hn 1a
declared, after analyzing the enactments,
that no greater outrage could be in
ficted upon people than the enforce
ment of the sedition laws enacted BY
the Philippine Commission. Acts more
tyrannical, more unconstitutional and
more lnimical to the interest of the peO-
pie. he asserted, never were enacted and
they ought to be repealed Immediately
by act Of Congress.
Mr. Patterson maintained that, under
the enactments of the Philippine Com
mission, any person found distributing
the, Congressional Record containing
speeches Of any member of the minor
ity upon the Philippine question, would
be liable to fine and Imprisonment. lie
denounced such a condition as urwar-
ranted and extraordinary and without
any constitutional authority. lie de-
clared that the sedition laws enacted by
the Congress in 1898 were beacon light
of liberty and independence as compared
with the laws enacted by the Philippine
Commission. He said that Governor
Taft had explained that in instances
where the death penalty was inflicted
under the law the cases had to be taken
IN hn hut In oil
of fine and Imprisonment no such appeal
was permissible
Discussing the testimony of Governor
Taft before the Philippine Commission.
Mr.. Patterson said that seldom had
people been held up to greater con
tuynely and scorn than had been applied
to the Filipinos by judge Taft, who
temporarily at least, is their ruler"
Governor Taft declared, he said, that
no people in the islands were fit for jury
duty. because the body Of the people was
''either corrupt or open to corruption"
The Colorado Senator was of the opinion
that Governor Taft was not frank with
! the cmnaittee and he believed that The
American authorities We're afraid to
trust jury duty with the Filipinos lest
the right of Imprisonment thereby
should be taken out of the hands of the
commissions officials. He felt that the
Filipinos had been maligned and SLAM
dereG and he took issue with Governor
Taft and with other defamers of the
Filipinos upon that point and quoted
documents to substantiate his position.
] In conclusion, Mr.. Patterson referred
to the fact that 100000 OF the people
of the islands were Christians. But"
said he, they are not Protestant Chris
tians. Senators may smile" he con-
j tinued, but / have 1t in my mind thai
liz tho 100000 of Filipino Christians
had learned their Christianity in the
sanctuaries of the Methodist, Presbyte.
rian or Baptist churches and were as
well founded IN the cardinal principles
of Christianity as they are today, there
would be such an uprising of the Metho-
dist Presbyterian and Baptist denomi-
nations at the cruel, unconstitutional
and relentless treatment of their people
il the Philippines that few members Of
the Congress supporting that policy
would face their wrath. But the Fill
pinos are not Protestant Christians"
Mr.. Nelson, of Minnesota. presented
legal and constitutional argument ia
support Of this Governments ACTION III
the Philippine archipelago and sharply
criticised Mr.. Patterson for injectins