The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-28

1 the towns As soon as a municipality
 was conquered the officers Saled the peo- pie together and had them elect town
 council and mayor. They organized
 municipalities of that kind throughout
 the archipelago, allowing each town to
 govern itself, and from that they have
 gone on until the Philippines are now practically self governed not only as to
 the municipalities but as to the provinces
 and as one great island whole.
 Uncle Sam Controls Machinery
 This has been done with our national government at the back as adviser and
 director. Uncle Sam still controls the machinery, and he will continue to do so notwithstanding the cry of the F'ilipno agitators for independence. President Taft, General Edwards and oar other officials who know the Philippines best
 realize that to allow a free hand in the present condition would result in anarchy
 and chaos It will he long before the islands can be absolutely free, and their future seems to be bound up with ours. Nevertheless the whole country has been politically reorganized. The archi- pelago has been divided into 3S provinces. Seven of these are inhabited by the Moros
 and the non-Christian tribes and in
 these are governors appointed by the governor general at Manila, who is at the
 head of the Philippine commission. The other 31 provinces practically govern themselves. Each province chooses It's own officials. It has a governor. secre- tary. prosecuting attorney and other officers elected by the people, and conse- l.auently natives. Each has also d treas urer appointed by the governor general and this last an American of known hon esty and skilled in accounts.
 Every municipality has it's presidente, vice presidente and city council. There
 are roo towns which have lthat kindt of government. The council is' an honorary
 position. and It's members serve for the prominence which it gives them and for | the love of the town. The taxes collected 1 in the towns are spent by the towns and the insular government gets it's support 1 from indirect taxes Every town has its | body of police which keeps order in it, and this in addition to the Filipino con
 stabulary. which maintains order In the
 rural districts throughout the islands.
 The Philippine Legislature
 1 The Philippines. in short are rapidly
 coming to have government like ours. They have this town government, where
 the officers and police are elected by the people. They have the provincial govern ment, which is like that of our states,
 and they have what might be called a
 semi-national government, the president of which is the governor general, ap- I pointed by the President or the united l States He must be an American. ana in
 addition there are seven commissioners
 to advise him. Of these three are Amer- cans and four are Filipinos This is the
 executive branch of the government.
 The laws are now made by congress | consisting of this commission and the
 Filipino assembly. The assembly is elect | ed by the people. It first met in 1907 and 1t has held a number of sessions since | then It contains So members all Flip | nos and all elected from the various provinces, including the Christian parts of the islands. The Mohammedan Moros and the wild men have no part in it. This assembly makes the laws and passes upon the appropriations. There fig only one reservation, and that Is if It should not make appropriations the ap- propriations of the preceding session are re-enacted until another assembly should
 meet. Were 1t not for this the assembly