The San Francisco call., 1905-06-25
GOES To STUDY
ISLAND AFFAIRS
Secretary Taft Hopes to Be
Able to Improve Condi-
tiOns in the Philippines
TRIP AN ARDUOUS ONE
Party viii Leave Washing
ton June 80, Two Weeks
Earlier Than Was Planned
Special Dispatch to The can.

CALL BUREAU. POST BUILDING,
WASHINGTON, June "a. - Secretary
Taft's Philippine party will leave Wash
ington on June 80 instead of July Is, the
date first fixed upon This will allow a
longer time in the islands for investiga-
ton and permit those who so to avail
themselves of all the entertainments the
Americans and natives have in prepara-
ton.
A summer trip to the islands at this
season Of the year viii be no light un-
dertaking for a man of Secretary Taft's
build. He would gladly forego the trip,
he tells his friends, IL he did not think
that conditions in the islands make his
visit desirable. He has received advices
from friends in Manila which lead him
TO believe that his coming with the Con-
gressional party will have the effect of
easing certain points of friction between
the Americans and the natives.
Secretary Taft has heard of several
things that have induced him to organize
the present party and make the voyage to
Manila. The radical wing Of ,he Federal
party in the islands has split from the
conservative wing and adopted what it
calls Taft platform" Taft does not
know precisely what this platform is. He
has always thought he was a conserya-
tive of conservatives in Philippine mat
ters. and he fears that some of his pub
lie utterances have been garbled in trans
mission 10 the islands, or else that some
one has been romancing, for purposes of
his own, and filed the radicals with
false hopes and ideas.
PROTESTS, some of them bitter, are COM
ing from the Philippines against the i'm
position Of the internal revenue tax on
liquor and tobacco which went into ef-
feet, by order Of the Commission Janu-
ary last. The ample advance notice.
given before the tax was imposed, has not
prevented i'll feeling. The new license is
not q heavy one-only about half the rate
imposed in the United States-but it has
been badly received by local interests.
Another matter that viii require the
Secretarys attention is the situation that
has been created following the arrest
Of several prominent landowners in the
province of CaVite, charged with being
the accomplices of the ladrones. 1t ap-
pears that the ladrones had never been
thoroughly suppressed in Cavite, and
that sporadic outbreaks have occurred
from time to time which necessitated
the transferring there of a large force
of constabulary. The officers soon found
evidence that some of the important men
in the province who were large land
owners were kept in touch with the
movements of the ladrOnes, and aided
them to escape from the Government
forces.
The party as now made up consists of
Secretary Taft, Miss Alice Roosevelt,
Miss Mabel Boardman. Miss Amy McMil-
Ian, Miss Helen Patten, Senator and Mrs.
Dubois Of Idaho. Senator and Mrs. New
lands Of Nevada, Senator and Mrs. Scott
of West Virginia, Representative and
Mrs. Grosvenor of Ohio. Representative
and Mrs. Dearmond of Missouri. Repre-
sentative and Mrs. Driscoll of New York,
Representative and Mrs. Loud of Michi-
gan, Representative and Mrs. McNary of
Massachusetts, Representative and Mrs.
Parsons and Representative and Mrs.
Payne Of New York Representative and
Mrs. George w. Smith of Illinois, Mr.
and Mrs. Emile GodchauX of New Or