Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-08-02
Government of the PHILIPPINES.

There has been no little misconcep-
ton of the meaning and scope of the
hill for the government of the Philip
pines which Congress passed Just be-
fore adjournment. The "antis" have
mis-epresented it, as they have practi-
cally everything connected with the
Philippines and the Democrats oppose
it for the mere sake of opposing every
Republican achievement. The law is
a composite or compromise measure,
as practically all great laws are, but
we are confident it will stand as d
splendid piece of work. 1t did not go
into effect Immediately on the procla-
nation of peace. The natives of the
islands must show their good faith and
their fitness for a large degree of self
government by maintaining peaceful
conditions for two years, and in the
meantime the present civil government
continues. The delay is also necessary
FOR the taking of census which is an
indispensable preliminary.
The law provides that the Legisla-
ture will consist of two houses. One
will be the Philippine commission,
made up now both of Americans ard
Filipinos. The lower house will be
elected by the Philippine people in all
the provinces except those inhabited by
tho wild NIobop,p,a1ap NJoroc or fIo
savage tribes which exist even in the
remoter portions of Luzon. This Leg
islature will elect two Commissioners
or delegates to represent the islands in
Washington. On this point the House
prevailed. AS to coinage and banking,
however, the compromise took the ex-
IRENE form of effacing all legislation
There will be no new currency, no new
banking system. These problems are
gress.
The American homestead SYSTEM
which has had such grand results in
the building up of our western coun-
try, is extended to the Philippines,
and the public lands are to be opened
to persons who will actually go in and
settle on them. These public lands. by
the way, are to be increased by the
vast holding of the friars, whose do
mains will be paid for by an issue of
bonds authorized by the new law. 1t is
stipulated that no corporation shall
possess more than $500 acres of Philip
pine territory, and mining companies
are also bound by stringent limitations.
There need be no fear that the Philip
pin archipelago will be exploited" by
bines' will rob the Philippine people of
their birthright. The real difficulty is
that the privileges offered to corpora
tons are not liberal enough to draw a
great amount of American capital into
the archipelago. Generally speaking
American money will not go so far
away as the Philippines unless it can
get better terms there than it can pro-
cure in our own western states and
territories.
This condition of two years of peace
before a Legislature can be established
sets premium upon tranquility
Throughout the islands. If the Philip
pine people desire their own govern
ment, they now have way to earn it.
OF course. practical veto power over
every act of the new Legislature will
be vested in the upper house, the Phil
ippine commission. No measure can
become a law without the approval of
this commission. which is to say, with
cut the approval of Washington. But
that is the way in which our own old
time American territories are admin
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