Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-11-23
WORCESTER BACKS Up
CRITICISM BY TAFT ON
NEW PHILIPPINE POLICY
Governor. Harrison Begins Ousting
Americans and Giving Important
Jobs to Natives Almost as Soon as
He Arrives, Says Retiring Official

people as to their rights under the
law and have often caused opposition
to be made when they sought to OBJ
tain land by homestead, free patent,
or purchase.
Incurs Natives Enmity.
Captain Sleeper had generally in
terested himself in instructing the
poor and ignorant as to their rights
and in assisting them to assert those
rights. By doing this he made him
self very unpopular with the Filipino
politicians, and a man of their own
race will find it very hard to resist
the pressure which will be brought to
bear by the rich against the poor.
I'm commenting upon his own ap-
pointment, Tinio said that he knew
nothing about the work While | like
him personally, l must say that he
Is utterly incompetent to perform the
work. John R. Wilson, Assistant Di-
rector of Lands, has also resigned,
and it is improbable that any COM
petent person can be found for the
salary of this position to tell Tinio
what to do.
Harrison as a Partisan.
Prior to my departure l was in
formed that the Governor General had
cabled to Washington for advice as
to how far he could go with removals
without violating the letter of the
Philippine Civil Service act. 1t Is a
fair conclusion from his first weeks
work that he intends to go the limit.
while en- route to the islands he
gave out an interview in which he
stated in effect that for years he had
seen Democrats badly treated as such,
and that he took sardonic pleasure
In now being able to accord similar
treatment to Republicans. Hitherto
the Philippine service has been kept
remarkably free of this sort of thing.
and its appearance at this time must
cause grave concern to all advocates
of capable and honest administration
"By far the most important and
dangerous thing which has been done
is the appointment of the majority
of Filipinos to the Philippine Com
mission. 1t is greatly to be regretted
that before changing the present
makeup of the Commission careful
study was not made of the acts
passed by the Assembly, but refused
passage by the Commission, of which
many were dangerous, while 5)me
would very gravely have endangered
the stability and effectiveness of the
government.
Filipinos to Control Moros.
There is another reason why this
change should not have taken place.
When the existing Legislature was
established It's jurisdiction was
limited by Congress to the regularly
organized provinces inhabited chiefly
by one or another of the Christian
lied peoples known collectively as the
Filipinos, while exclusive legislative
Jurisdiction over the territory in
habited by the Moros and other nom
Christian tribes remained vested in
the Commission. 1t was unquestion.
ably the purpose of Congress thus
to continue American control and
legislation for the non Christians. Of
whom there are slightly more than
1000 900.
without violating the letter Of the
laW the spirit has been trampled upon.
Every true friend of civilization
familiar with the facts must view
with gravest concern the placing of
legislative control over the wild tribes
in the hands of their bitter enemies,
who have viewed with disgust the eff
forts heretofore made to improve the
condition of these backward people
The Fflipinos have never ceased to
warn them that American occupancy
was only temporary, and to threaten
them with dire punishment for the
present INSTRUMENTATION when they,
the Filipinos, gained the whip hand.
Governor General Harrison as
sured me in the strongest terms that
the results of the work for the wild
tribes would be kept intact, that the
former policy of kindness and JUS
tice in dealing with them would be
continued, and that the highly COM
petent and experienced men through
whose personal influence hordes of
savages and barbarians have been
turned from head hunting into paths
of peace and progress would be re-
tanned in their positions and sup
ported in their work as heretofore.
His intentions may be the best, but
how can he make his promise good?
Valuable as a Demonstration.
THE present situation has one sat
isfactory aspect: 1t will result in
speedily demonstrating to the Amer
lean people certain important facts
relative TO the present fitness of the
Filipinos to maintain an Independent
government, one for which the United
States could afford to be RESPONSE
bic. Unfortunately while the demon
stration will be highly instructive, IT
is the poor tao in the fields who will
pay the freight. If the consequences
could be made to fall on the Filipino
politician only, one might welcome
the demonstration"