The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1908-09-22

less, ignorant people ten thousand miles
away who have no power to select their
own officials. whose commerce has been
taxed to death, whose highways and
waterways have fallen into decay,
whose simplest forms Of trade and
amusements are heavily burdened in
order to support thousands Of American
carpetbaggers in ease and luxury.
The Courts of the Philippines.
The courts of the Philippines are the
most humiliating things met with by
decent Americans. The judges there,
are, APPARENTLY the riff-raff Of the Unit
ed States, who are incapable of max
ing a living at home. For instance:
John E. Springer judge of theI Four
teenth Judicial District, Philippine ISL
ands, went to Manila as turnkey on
an army transport. I do not wish 10
be understood as assuming that man
who has occupied a lowly position of
this kind is thereby untitled to grace
the bench and bar Of his country. On
the contrary, any man who, by worth
and ability, is able to mount from
lowly estate to a seat on the bench is
more to be honored than man who
has had every advantage of education
and wealth to assist him. My point is
against Taft in employing the services
of such a man as Springer who is bet
ter fitted by experience, education ana
training to serve his country as an
army transport turnkey than as jul
dicial officer
AS illustrating the impossibility OF
securing the services of better men
than Springer to serve OF the bench,
it is only necessary to call attention to
Tafts treatment Of judges, VINO are
wholly dependent upon his will for their
tenure of office: Judge Odlln was one
of the first American judges in Manila
under civil government In the trial OF
two newspapermen under the Spanish
law which declared 1.-The greater the
tr1th the greater the libel, Attorney
General Whitley of unSavOry Shanghai
memory, fatty told Judge Odlin the
kind of verdict the government expect
ed from him. judge Odlin very prop
erly replied that those charged WIN
offenses against the law were just as
much entitled to the protection or MS
court as was the government and that
another such OffenSe from the attorney
general would result in his being fined
for contempt of court. For thus defylng
the executive. Taft banished Judge
Odlin to the Province of Pangasian,
place which enjoys the reputation of
Devils Island. of Dreyfus fame. Odlln
thereupon resigned from the bencn
which Taft had Inundated and dis
graced.
While up on the subject of the courts,
I wish to direct the attention of the
American people to thei fact that ASIDE
from the absolute control Taft eXer-
cises over the courts. he denies to the
people of the Philippine Islands the
right of trial by jury, something Eng
land with all her severity in colonial
ton. never denied to her foreign sub
jects. This offense against American
institutions is aggravated by Taft plac-
ina defendants in criminal actions twice
in Jeopardy for the same offense. Such
practices, added to the severity Of sedi-
ton and libel laws makes freedom Of
speech and press mockery.
How Taft Has Worked His Will.
Taft has not been without consider
able. cunning in dealing with Philippine
affairs. He early recognized the i'm
portance of having as large a num-
Der of democrats in the Philippine civil
service as possible in order to give his
administra ton an air of non partizan-
ship. 1t should be remembered, how
ever, that every appointment was from
that wing of the democratic party
which has been voting the republican
ticket since 1896. These democrats in
the Philippine public service were
headed by Luke E. Wright, who is now
serving as secretary of war under
republican administration.
The public service of the Philippines
being sygoing and delightful from
every standpoint, democratic apprecia-
ton thereof was just as marked as that
of the republicans. The result has been
that no political expression hostile to
Taft has ever been permitted to find
it's way to the United States. On the
contrary. the democratic convention
held in Manila in 1904, and controlled
by democrats in the public service. en-
dorsed the "wise and patriotic policy of
the Taft administration" The demo-
cratic convention which met in Manila
on April 4, of this year. also controlled
by democrats in the public service. had
as it's specious slogan: BE Americans
first; democrats second" Not one
word hostile to the debauchery or
American institutions in the Philip
pines was permitted to be uttered
either in committee room or on the
floor of the convention The democrats
of Mindanao, the. island known as the
white mans country" and where
more non official Americans reside