Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1913-10-17

life, and the exercise of practi
cally all Of the powers Of govern
ment which in the early cen
turtles led to great abuse and cor
ruption even in Western Europe.
| to say nothing of conditions to-
day in some parts of the cultured
world where the church Isl al,
lied with and dominant in the
affairs of the State. After oh
Iserv1ng for over four years in the
philippines the evils and abuses
| that inevita bly, spring from the
alliance of church and state the
Fconviction is deeply impressed
upon the mind of the American
citizen that, perhaps. the most
important and valuable of all the
provisions of the Constitution OF
4
the United States are that,
Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment OF
religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof" and that, =
mo religious test shall ever be
required as a qualification to any
offcice or pubic trust under the
United States..'
Inauguration Of Civil Govern
| ment.
| The instruction against the
sovereignty and authority of the
United States, which began soon
after the ratifica ton of the treaty
of peace between the American
Government and Spain, and which
cost the American people much
blood and treasure to suppress,
continued in varying and dimin-
isling importance until sometime
IN the year 1902, when it sub
stantlally collapsed, and the peo-
pie appeared to accept our rule
as the only alternative left them;
but 1t would be great mistake
| to think for a moment that they
are reeonciled to it or that they
ever will be, or that they have
any love tor us. They regard US
as conquerors and despoilers.
Their attitude is one of hostility,
and their battered of us is not
only 1neradicable, but seems to
be only intensified by time and
contact,
On April 7, 1900, President
Mckinley sent a civil commits
sion over to the Island with Hon.
VIM. H. Taft as its President,
which commission shared the
government of the islands with
the military authorities until the
fourth day of July, 1901, when
full CIVIL government was inau-
gurated, with Mr.. Taft as the
first Civil Governor.
Until the Inauguration of the
Philippine Assembly i'll the fall
| of 1907, the civil government
was carried on by a commission
| of which the Civil Governor was
President. One of the first acts
of the commission was to estab-
1ish and provide for the organiza-
ton of four executive depart
ments of government, as follows:
Interior, Commerce and Police,
Finance and Justice, and Public
Instruction. A great many
bureaus have since, and from
time to time, been created within
these departments until the
Government of the Philippines
has become for its size the most
bureaucratic in the world.
The government continues as
originally organized, except that
it now has legislature, the AS
sembly or lower house being
composed entirely of Filipinos,
elected by very restricted suf-
frage; while the Commission,
composed of a majority of Ameri.
cans, constitutes the upper house
The Governor General, as lie is
now called, has no veto upon
legislation, but American con-
troll is assured by the necessary
concurrence of both the Com
mission and the Assembly in the
enactment of laws, and the re-
served right of Congress to dis
approve any and all legislation.
The Filipino takes greatly to
politics, in which the American
authorities have very unwisely
greatly encouraged l1iw, instead
of first directing his 1abors and
thoughts to the material and
more practical aspects of his life
and surroundings, with the re-
suit that there are many political
parties among the people, led by
agitators and demagogues, who
agree in but two particulars
namely, in wanting office, and
the absolute independence of the
Islands. The so called "Nacion J.
ista" party has an overwhelm-
- -