Evening star., 1904-01-23
THE WORK OF 4 BUREAU
INSULAR AFFAIRS DISCUSSED BY
COL. CLARENCE r. EDWARDS.
Government in Philippines Reviewed
Establishment Of Civil Forms
While Military Control.

Before the National Geographic Society,
at the Cosmos Club last night, Col. Clarence
r. Edwards, chief of the bureau of insuar
affairs of the Philippines, which is part
of the War Department, read comprehen-
sive paper on the work of the bureau.
The bureau was organized December 13,
1898. by order of Secretary Root, to meet
the problem of establishing a properly quail
flied civil government under military con-
troll in the islands. The organization has
been changed from time to time to meet
| the constantly changing conditions which
the daily necessities demand, and has now
been worked out into a permanent ,organi-
zation consisting of the divisions of cor
| respondence, record, compilation and Gu
ban record, statistical, accounting, Philip
| pine insurgent captured records and the
purchasing and disbursing division. To
| this last division Is also attached the Phil
| ippine purchasing agency.
Regarded as Clearing House.
The bureau. Colonel Edwards said, might
| be called clearing house for all questions
as between the government of the Philip
pine Islands and the government of the
United States. The government of the Phil
| ippine Islands is. in the Philippines, COM
posed of men selected by the administration
for merit alone, to govern under the broad
est constitutional limitations agreeable by
analogy to the essential principles upon
which our government is established.
This transition from military to civil gov
ernment was gradual, but took place
fast as it possibly could The collection of
information for the President, the Secretary
of War and Congress, which has resulted
in United States laws relating to the Phil
ippines, has put vast amount of work on
the bureau of insular affairs.
The records of the United States military
government of Cuba have been brought TO
Uyoc h OTTO nd hnr tycy1l a -
ranged in a separate building annex
of this bureau, under a force of clerks. for
constant reference and the furnishing of
information to both Cuba and the United
States.
Col. Edwards went into detail as to what
has been done and is being done in the Phil
ippines. He described at length the sue
cessful handling and management of the
Philippines by means of the merit system
of appointing teachers physicians, govern
ors and other public servants of those
islands, covering the customs and tariff
features.
complished by the legal branch of the bu-
reau. under the direction of Mr.. Charles E.
Magoon.
Transfer of Powers.
The transfer of the powers of civil gov
ernment from the military authorities to
civilian officials, and the substitution of a
government under code civil, based upon
act of Congress, in the place of gov
ernment under the codeFrntNt tary, deriving
it's authority from thenlawA of war, made
it necessary to formulate Agulations and
procedures for the enfoscemSn BIT of numerous
provisions of congressional lsenactm af-
fecting the Philippine lands
Col Edwards described the accounting
auditing system. the Philippine tariff and
the workings of the feivit Service in the
islands. -
The question of the bringing to the United
States of Filipinos for education in this
country has long beenihe subject of much
discussion and correspondence both by the
Philippine government and by the bureau,
he said. ...
Among other topics touched upon with
interest by Col. Edwards were the Philip
pine currency transprss al Ron 'andf fnsur-'
ance, the issue of certifeaaes of, indebted
ness, the Philippine land purchase and
friar bonds, statistics of commerce and
immigration and captured insurgent docu-
ments.
In closing Col Edwards said:
Association with this work of govern
ment in our insular possessions becomes
absorption. 1t is dangerous to give such
one chance to talk about 1T. The result,
/ am afraid you will find, is prolixty.
Still, when l think how hard we have
tried. and of the faithful industry render
ed by my various assistants, many of
whom have become experts in the novel
work assigned them l cannot help but be-
lieve that / have been modest in their rep
resentation in failing to mention the many
things the bureau has done, and which an
official record might properly contain"
Col Edwards exhibited a complete set of
the new coins struck for use in the Philip