The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-08-15

Manila.-The first session Of the first
Philippines national assembly was opened
by Mr.. Taft on Oct. 16, 1907. The sec
Ond session OF that body adjourned on
May 2, 1919. The establishment of the as
sembly was the most interesting and the
bOldest political experiment made by the
United States in the effort to educate
the FilipinOs in the task of seIf-gOVeTn-
ment. There are those who say now that
the experiment has proved failure, that
the assembly has not justified its exist
ence and that il should be abolished at
once. But an examination Of the record
Of the assembly and of the character OF
complaints made against it by adverse
critics does not warrant such wholesale
condemnation.
The promise of the assembly was made
by congress in response to political pres
sure at home. 1t was party necessity
and 1t did its work of aiding the party
to stay in power at Washington. When
the time came to put the act OF congress
into force wise men shook their neads
in doubt, but there could be no turning
back. The census was taken, the prov
inces divided into districts, the election
held and eighty FillpinOs were returned
TO compose the first assembly The as
sembly corresponds to the lower house
Of a state legislature, while the functions
of the upper house are discharged by
the Philippines commission, which is also
the executive branch Of the government.
The assembly has the full powers OF
q CO-OEQlNdlG DIdllClA "a llAG &C = loAclt III z
and no positive action may be taken with
out its consent. The law provides, how
ever, that If the assembly shall fail TO
pass the appropriation bills the approprf-
atoms of the previous year shall remain
in force with the effect of law. This
provision will prevent the possibility of
such a deadlock as came about in Porto
Rico.
The assembly at the close Of both its
sessions sOlemnly adopted resolutions de-
handing the immediate independence of
the Philippine islands. The last session
witnessed the passage Of bill abolish
ing the committee as a legislative BODY
and substituting for it a senate Of Fill
pino selection. Naturally such resolutions
found their graves in the pigeon holes OF
the commissioners desks. But on &C
count of the character of these enactments
they were given wide publicity and
brought general condemnation upon the
assembly from American critics in the
islands.
One hears in Manila on every hand
that the assembly wasted time, that many
bills were introduced, but few passed; that
all the time was wasted in talking; that
useless debates were prolonged until the
necessary bills were passed at the close
of the session with undue haste and with
out proper consideration; that the mem
bers PLAYED party politics and looked
more to party advantage than to the well
fare of the country, and 50 on
No one adverse critic offered any argu-
ment to support his attack on the as
sembly that is not offered at the close
Of every state legislature, or at the close
of every session Of congress, by Oppon-
ents of the party in power. 1t was
charged that the assembly mad permit
ted over 300 bills TO be introduced and
that only thirty Of them had passed. This
was made the basis of public attack
upOu the F'ilipinOs by an American, VINO
asserted that it proved the tliiplnoS IN
fit for even partial self-gOvernment A
Filipino newspaper retorted with the rec
ORD of the last American congress, in
which about 10000 bills were introduced
and 100 laws passed, and asked II the
Americans were fit for sel1-g0VernInenL
As far as the immediate independence
resolutions are concerned, they are pure
blInconbe. The members Of the legisla-
ttIre know the resolutions didn't amount
to anything, but they felt the need OF
doing something to maintain their pO-
lftical strength In their districts. The
resolution inviting the commission to COM
init suicide and providing for Filipino
senate was passed with about as much
hone for its success as the house OF rep
resentatives at Washington has Wnen It
passes the usual resolution providing Tor
the submission of constitutional amend
mant authorizing the election Of senators
by the people directly
The faults Of the Filipino assembly
were many, no doubt, but they are faults
which differ neither ia quality nor guam
titv from the faults Of other legislative
bodies all over the world. The critics Of
the assembly appear to expect the Fill
pinos. semi-civilized people with no
training whatever in elf-governnent. ana
with no background Of parliamentary
usage. to produce a parliament which
would have none of the faults so COM
mon in occidental states where parlia-
mentary government has been IN vogue
for centuries
Acting Governor General Cameron
Forbes and other members or the govern
ment praise the assembly highly. De-
spite the fact that the assembly was over
yVheImingly dominated by members elect
ed on platforms pledging them to work
Cor immediate Independence, there was
no deadlOcking OF filibustering. The gov
eminent was enabled to have almost
every important measure passed by the
assembly. and in almost every instance
ov a unanimous vote. There was not
single case in which the party in power
i'm the assembly for party purposes
blocked legislation demanded by the gov
eminent. Examine the history Of the
United States congress in years when the
house and senate have been dominated
by different political parties and see II
the Filipino assembly's record does not
shine BY contrast.
At the last session, it is true, the more
important measures and the appropriation
bills were postponed until the very last
minute. There was an effort TO force the