The Daily Missoulian., 1913-06-13

AHese sdldFleS are considered excessive
IN TINS country, but, as a matter OF
fact' they are generally held to be onl,
auequate. Similar positions in the
British colonial service pay twice a.
much. besides providing life work
ana adequate retirement privileges.
by act OF congress the Philippine
| commission was the al-governine
podv. The members passed the laws
as commissioners and then executed
them as secretaries of the several de-
paTtments. The president of the
United States. with the consent Of the
senate. appoints the governor general
ana the members of the Philippine
commission. and the Justices of the
supreme court The insular aduitor
ana lnsular treasurer are appointed by
the secretary of war. who rules the isz
lands from Washington through the
medium of the bureau of insular af-
| fairs Aside from these few officials
the governor general and the commits
sion appoint all other insular officials.
including judges, directors of bureaus,
railroad and irrigation experts, etc.
Each commissioner who also holds a
portfolio has SO many bureaus in his
department. They report to him, and
| ne in turn lays all important matters
before the commission, or governor
generals cabinet, as it is sometimes
called. The Filipino commissioners
without portfolios have a full vote but
no executive authority They keep
busy by attending the sessions and
performing heavy committee duties.
Thus it may be seen that the COM
mission. having both legislative and
executive power. was in absolute con-
troll of the insuar government until
1907, when the first Philippine assem-
bly, was organized. The commission is
now the upper house of the Philippine
legislature 1t still retains it's execu-
tive power over the ~Filipnos proper,
and continues to rule the Moros of
Mindanao, the 1gorots and other wild
tribes of northern Luzon, all nom
Christians. in fact, without interfer-
ence from the assembly.
The supreme court of the Philippines
was organized with a Filipino as chief
justice, CaNatano Arallano who still
presides over the court. There are
seven justices, of which four are
Americans. The positions are supposed
TO be for life. and pay $4,000 per an
mum. No justice has been removed
for any cause whatever. political or
otherwise, and democrats frequently
have served. Notable among these are
James +. Smith of California, who
later became governor general, and
now is an associate justice of the
court of customs appeals in Washing
ton. and Adam G.. Carson Of Virginia
Still member Of the court. and who
served as a captain of volunteers dur
ing the Philippine insurrection and
later as judge of the court of first
instance.
Another democrat now on the su-
preme court is Justice Grant T. Trent
OF tennessee. who was elevated by
President Taft after II years of service
in the islands as captain OF volun-
teers. lieutenant in the regular army,
supervisor of the Filipino fiscals
prosecuting attorneys in the prov
inces) and judge of the court of first
instance. OF the other two American
justices, Sherman Moreland of New
York and E. Finley johnson of Michi-
gan are republicans. The latter is
famous in the far east as a eonstitu-
tional lawyer, The Filipino justices
have been on the court since it's or
Yanization. Besides the chief justice.
a most eminent jurist given the de-
gree of LII. D. by Yale when he visited
the United States in 1904, are Vic
toriano Mapa and Antonio G. Torres.
1t has always seemed advisable to
keep an American majority on the SUI
preme court. In 1908, however. the
Filipnos almost held the deciding vote.
Justice James +. Tracey of New York.
VII
Welt. was appointed to the commission
as secretary of finance and justice. 1t
was proposed to give his place on the
supreme court to Gregorio Araneta
the Filipino attorney general. This
would have made four Filipinos to
three Americans. Justice Tracey de-
clined the honor Whether it was be-
cause he did not want the Filipinos
to rule the highest tribunal in the land,
or because the title of vice governor
was not offered him with the portfolio,
mas never been known. Being vice
governor, too. would have made him
governor general in due time The
rule OF elevating the vice governor to
governor general never has been
broken, whether the appointee was a
republican or a democrat. Later Jus
tlce Tracey resigned and returned to
New York. Gregorio Araneta was
given the place ON the commission
which Justice Tracey declined In SO
doing he became the first and only
Filipino to hold portfolio on the COM
mission 1t always has been matter
OF speculation just what Messrs.
Roosevelt and Taft had in mind when
they contemplated the shifting of
power on the supreme court
Inc supreme court has the same
functions of an ordinary state tribunal
OF the same grade. Appeal from it's
| decisions to the United States supreme
court may be made only on constitu-
tlonal grounds and when the amount
involved is over $4,000.