Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1907-08-23
Philippine
Correspondence
By S. u. DeRackin.
The Philippines Government.


r Islands, statement Is essential US
showing the earning capacity of the
] people and their ability to bear the
| burden of its administration.
} While the census taken by the
: Insular Government is only approx
) mate, it is safe to say that the native
! population of the Filipino Islands is
some six millions. Based upon the
wages paid in the rice, sugar, tobacco
and hemp fields, the yearly earnings
of this number does not exceed fifteen
, dollars per capita per year. This is
an over rather than an under estimate.
The monetary circulation does not
exceed three dollars per capita.
Exports average some six dollars
per capita, per annum. Imports
practically the same. However, after
duties (import and export, have been
levied and collected by the govern
ment, the total money value to the
people is considerably greater than
exports. thus showing a yearly en-
croachment upon the stored up sub
stance of the Islands.
The executive branch of the govern
ment is composed of governor at a
salary of fifteen thousand dollars per
annum "a secretary of finance and JUS
tice. a secretary of commerce and
police, a secretary of education and
Secretary of the Interior at a salary
each of ten thousand dollars per
annum.
The Legislative department of the
government consists OF the governor,
the four above enumerated secretaries,
and three natives, each at a yearly
salary Of five thousand dollars.
This gives the American governor
twenty Thousand and the four Amer
lean secretaries each fifteen thousand
dollars per annum.
The judicial department. of the
government consists of seven supreme
court judges at salary of ten thous-
and dollars each per annum, ana
twenty judges of the court of first in
stance, at salaries from 81, 500 to
50, 500.
In the various subdivisions are en-
ployed some ten thousand officials
and assistants, as follows:
Governors Office, l59
Judges, clerks and employees, 267
Secretary of the interior $50
Secretary of commerce, police b.4UoI
Secretary of finance and justice 1,O5O
Secretary of education 1,6SOl
Total 9,9S6
Twenty-seVen bureaus. such as rail
way supervision, audit, executive,
civil service, health. lands, science,
agriculture, forestry, weather, CON
stabulary, public works, navigation.
posts, coast and geodetic survey, con-
sulting architect; customs, internal
revenue. treasury, education survey,
prisons, printing, cold storage, heads
OF which draw average salaries of six
thousand dollars per annum, make
up the government of the Philippine
Islands. III addition to the InsuIar
government which would correspond
to our state governments at home, is
the Provincial Tor what we know as
county go7ernmants) and municipal
governments.
Without any doubt whatever, the
government of the Philippine Islands
Is much more elaborate in Its organi-
cation than any state government in
America. In fact, l doubt if the
oldest and wealthiest state in the
world today is better equipped even
to the smallest detail of government
than are the Philippines with their
population but just emerging from
barbaIism, and whose earning capa-
city compares in no seuse even with
that of the southern negro.
l do not wish anything have said
to be construed as an attack upon the
government here. While tho men who
have been in control here have been
impracticable in many things, they
have been honest and hard working.
Had the islands been peopled by q
white race, in deepest ilIitoracy, the
government instituted here, | believe
would have proven most effective,
because it contemplated making a
self governing natiop of these people
in one generation. With the mental
development and training back of
such white race, even though no one
of the generation knew one letter from
another, or ever heard of or knew the
meaning of the word republic, the
rising generation could be educated
and made self governing. But with
the small mentality and lack of train
Ing back of the Filipino people,
many, many generations must come
and go ere they can be lifted for that
self government which will command
the respect and support of those
nations with whom they are compel
ed to live and have their being.
The whole trouble was, we lacked
experience, and | believe that if we
had the last SIX years to live over, |
we would create a government for
these Islands as simple in every
detail as has been created for the !
Moro Province, using the tremendous