The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1911-03-28
VOL. XVI, NO. %.
SUFFRAGE AND TORRENs SYSTEM
How They are Operated in the Philip
pines.

~ Nv ~
l send a portion of letter from
Mr.. Clarence Poe. editor of The
Progressive Farmer. Raleigh, n. c.,
written from the Philippine Islands
to his paper and would call attention
in particular TO the suffrage re-
strictions. the Torrens system and
the dea of Industrial education pre-
vailing there. Mr. Poe has written
a series of interesting letters de-
scriptive of his travels in foreign
countries. from which he has re-
Gently returned. think these ex-
tracts from his last letter Will be OF
interest to your readers.
Very truly.
NJ. b. Rowe.
Progressive Legislation.
In some respects. the legislation
for the Philippines adopted by the
American officials at Washington
and Manila. has been quite progress
sive. To begin with, our Repubii-
can National Administration frankly
recognized the blunders made in the
South during Reconstruction days
and practically endorsed the general
policy Of suffrage restriction which
the South has since adopted when
the question came up as 10
who should be allowed TO vote. even
Tor the limited number OF elective
offices. no American Congress
man was heard TO propose that
there should be unrestricted man
hood suffrage Instead. the law
rs passed. provides that in order TO
vote in the PHILIPPINES one must
be 23 years of age. a subject OF no
foreign power. and must either ID
have held some responsible office
before August 10. 1898. or CD
own $500 worth of properly or pay
SIS annually in established taxes,
or CD be able TO speak. read and
write English or Spanish. Oh
course, the Filipinos. with a few
exceptions. do not speak. read or
write" English or Spanish; they
nave been taught only their own
dialect. | believe it is said that
only 2 per cent of the people can
vote under these provisions.
IL should be said just here. how
ever, that the Government is no"
making a magnificent effort TO edu-
cate all the Filipinos. and the
schools are taught in English. The
fact that half a million boys ana
girls had been put into pubic
schools was the first boosted
achievement of the American Ad
ministration OF the island. II was
indeed. a great change from Spanish
methods. but in the last three OF
four years the officials have been
rapidly waking up to the fact that
while they have been getting the
Filipinos into the schools, they
have not been getting them into
the right sort of schools With the
realization OF this fact a change mas
beer made in the kind OF instruction
given. More and more the schoOis
have been given an Industrial turn
When | visited the Department Oh
Education in Manila, found ina,
old textbooks had been discarded
and new textbooks prepared-oooKs
especially suited to Philippine con,
ditions and directed to practicai
ends. Instead of a general physi,
ologv describing bones, arteries anu
nerye centers, | found a niue
hook on sanitation and Hygiene IN
The Tropics" written in simple IAN
guage. profusely illustrated anu
with information which the pu-
nil can use in lettering the heaith
~ himself. his family, and his nelgn
borhood. Instead Of a general DooK
on agriculture, | found BOOK wiz
ten 90 as to fit the special needs
crops and conditions in the fhiilP-
mines. Moreover, | found tne VI
ficials exhibiting as their CHIEF treas
ures the specimen OF Work turheu
ont by the pupils as result OF thS
practical instruction given them.
81 really think" said one OF the
o,s,cers "that we have carried the
idea of industrial education OF max mar,
inc the schools train for practical
life much further in the philippines
thon q has been carried In the UNI
Ia states. The trouble at nome
e. that our teachers don't htrouuSe
industrial education early enou IN
Tbey wait until the boy enterS sonno
INNER grades-if he doseh ~
srhooI before entering them at al an
- he probably does. They reacn
on,v few pupils. Our success,
ON the other hand, is due TO -, sni
Sacs' that we begin with inaus'n. sd
education in the earlier graueS
get everybody"
And right here is a valuable les
son for those of US who are lh,er-
ested In getting practical tralnihs
for white boys and girls in Ameriea'
as we'll as for brown boys and giris
In the Philippines.
The ToITeus System.
Another progressive step was tne
introduction of postal savings oanAs
for the Filipinos. before any Id"
was passed giving similar advantase
TO the people of the United states.
The law has worked well. In fact'
the increase in number of deposl-
tors last year from S.7S2 10 1902
nearly SO per cent in a single IL
month-would indicate that the
people are getting enthusiastic aDou'
II and that It is achieving magnlll-
cent results in stimulating thrl1'
and the saving habit.
The Government has also intro
auced the Torrens System OF Regis
tering Land Titles. as 1t has done
In Hawaii. Formerly the farmer OF
the peasant paid 20 per cent or
more for advances or loans; WIN
his land registered under the TOT TOT
rens system the bank viii lena aI MN
money non at a normal rate OF interest,
With nothing wasted in lawyers ices eel,
f %a." expensive investigations OF a., az
nrevious changes in title. since TN. sne
pao;nning of time Judge Cn S's
p Elliott. now Secretary OF ,., 0O%-
merce and Police for the . isa~nu.'
was on the Minnesota suprems
bench when the Torrens pan ~ ~n
mt into force there. and ne Is en-
thusiastic about its WORKINGS I'D
cs4oso In America ttnN'