Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-16

I'm ia M WI the 10lllppllSS NdS ldAu
iii 81 "a EI by President Mckinley in
Ia MMI a letter of instructions to
lIsssszsSzsAlzEa the first Philippine COM
mission. which instruc-
tions were later ratified and enacted
into statute law by congress. Under
this peculiar constitution or fundamen-
tai law the Americans have endeavored
to extend to the Filipinos the guar
antics of life, liberty and property Sc
cured to Americans under the federal
constitution. The only guarantees
Withheld were the right to keep and bear
arms, and the right to trial by jury.
1t has been the earnest effort of the
civil government in the Philippines TO
make these rights real things to the
poorer class of Filipinos, to make them
an actual benefit to the "tao" class, the
class corresponding to Lincoln's plain
people" The greatest obstacle has
been the ignorance of the people as
to what their rights are, and as TO the
proper method of asserting them.
1t must be kept in mind that the
vast majority Of the Filipinos, before
the establishment Of American civil
government and the restoration of
peace, had no civil rights as Americans
understand them. Furthermore, the
Filipino was oppressed not only by a
corrupt administration of the laws,
but also by a system of economic boss
ism called "caciqueism," by which he
was robbed of practically everything he
made. ---.
Under the operation of the American
administration the tao" is beginning
to learn that he has rights in which
the courts will uphold him, and as a
result he is beginning to obtain release
from the "cacique." This economic
revolution is progressing apace under
American encouragement. When the
time has come that its ultimate sue
cess may be recorded, then the Fill
pinos will have to thank the United
States for a priceless boon. The re-
forms in this direction are as valuable
to the mass of the people of the Phil
ippines as was the destruction of the
feudal system to the masses OF the
people of England.
The system of "caciqueism" perme-
ates the entire social fabric of the is
lands. 1t includes every kind of boss
ISM" from the political allegiance such
as is demanded by Tammany Hall or
the Philadelphia Republican organiza-
tion, up to practical slavery and actual
peonage. The system is Malay in or
igin. the Filipinos of the tao" class
have never known any other system,
and the Spanish occupation of more
than three centuries did nothing to
alleviate its burdens.
A tao" who tills a little farm i'll
the hill country becomes indebted to
a "cacique' in the coast market town
for some trihing amount, perhaps not
more than a dollar. From that day
until his death he must bring all his
produce to that "cacique," sell it at
the price set by the boss, and be con-
tent with as much of the proceeds as
his overload elects to pay him. 1t ls
a system of neVer-ending debt-slaVery
The tao" tolls along his weary years
and knows little of politics except what
the "cacique" tells him. That the
"cacique" has no legal right to en-
slave him he never dreams.
But in these late years the "tao" is
sending his boys and girls to the Am
erican schools. The teachers are the
enemies Of "caciqueism," and the chill
dren hear of the possession OF rights
TO which no tao" has ever aspired
They go home and tell their parents
Then the tao" repudiates the Ca
Clique" and, if need be, calls upon the
courts to uphold him. 1t will take
many, many years to destroy this
system of peonage in the Islands, and
there may be some trouble over it, In
Samar the most turbulent island of
the group at this time, the incipient
rebellion in the mountains is not aimed
at the Americans so much as it is at
the lowland "caciques." -.....
The Philippines possessed, when the
Americans arrived there, system or
laws which was much better in theory
than in practice The courts were cor
rupt, and the procedure under the law
slow and expensive. The Spanish law,
based on the Roman civil law. mas
been retained, but the procedure In the
courts has been adapted to American
methods, This secures an oral instead
of a written trial, an inestimable ad-
vantage to a Judge who is earnest in
seeking for the truth, as well as a boon
to the honest litigant. Persons charged
with crime must now be confronted by
the accusing witness, and they have
the right to subpoena witnesses in their
own behalf.
In fact, If the Filipinos realized the
existence of such things, they might
now enjoy all the civil rights of Amer
leans except those of bearing arms and
the trial by jury. The writ of habeas
corpus was suspended during the IN
surrection, but it is now fully restored.
The press is free, with no limitations
except those of the libel laws and the