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THE  PHILIPPINES 

To  the  End  of  the  Commission  Government 


A  STUDY  IN  TROPICAL 
DEMOCRACY 


By 
CHARLES  BURKE  ELLIOTT,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 

Author  of 
THE  PHILIPPINES:  To  the  End  of  the  Military  R«gime 

Former  Member  United  States   Philippine  Commission, 
Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Police  in  the  Govern- 
ment of  the  Philippines,  Associate  Justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  Philip- 
pines, Associate  Justice  of  the 
Supren-ie  Court  of 
Minnesota 


Portraits  in  Photogravure 


INDIANAPOLIS 

THE  BOBBS-MERRILL  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright  1917 

BY 

Charles  Burke  Elliott 


SEP  fQi9t7 


pRess  OF 

BRAUNWORTH     d    CO. 

■OOK    MANUFACTURERS 

BROOKLYN.    N.    Y. 


€)CI.A473397 


To 

WILLIAM  WATTS  FOLWELL 

Former  President  of  the  University  of  Minnesota 
AND 

HARRY  PRATT  JUDSON 

President  of  the  University  of  Chicago 


*'The  Song  of  the  deed  in  the  doing,  of  the 
work  still  hot  from  the  hand, 
Of  the  yoke  of  man  laid  friendly-wise  on 
the  neck  of  a  tameless  land." 


"Clear  the  land  of  evil,  drive  the  road  and 

bridge  the  ford. 
Make  ye  sure  to  each  his  own 
That  he  reap  where  he  has  sown; 
By  the  peace  among  Our  people  let  men  know 

we  serve  the  Lord." 


PREFACE 

In  the  volume  entitled  The  Philippines :  To  the  End  of  the 
Military  Regime,  I  endeavored  to  present  the  background  of 
history  against  which  the  American  treatment  of  the  Philip- 
pines must  be  projected  in  order  to  be  understood,  to  show  the 
place  which  our  Philippine  policy  holds  in  the  history  of  coloniza- 
tion, and  to  state  the  principles  upon  which  it  rests  and  the  rea- 
sons which  actuated  the  American  government  in  assuming  the 
responsibility  for  the  government  of  the  Archipelago.  The  story 
of  the  American  occupation  was  brought  down  to  the  inaugura- 
tion of  a  civil  governor  on  the  fourth  of  July,  1901. 

The  present  volume  contains  an  account  of  the  origin,  institu- 
tion and  nature  of  the  Philippine  government,  the  manner  in 
which  it  has  been  administered,  and  a  summary  and  analysis  of 
what  has  been  accomplished  by  the  Americans  and  Filipinos  dur- 
ing the  past  sixteen  years. 

That  a  nation  which  maintains  colonies  is  always  on  trial  be- 
fore the  world  is  true  in  a  peculiar  sense  of  the  United  States  be- 
cause of  the  benevolent  and  altruistic  motives  which  were  de- 
clared to  control  her  Philippine  policy.  The  American  people 
feel  that  the  honor  of  their  country  is  involved  in  the  Philippine 
experiment,  and  it  is  of  vital  importance  that  they  should  know 
and  understand  what  has  been  done  in  their  remote  dependency. 

In  order  properly  to  appreciate  and  value  that  work  and  judge 
of  its  permanency  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  American  occu- 
pation broke  the  continuity  of  Philippine  history,  introduced  the 
Filipinos  to  new  principles  and  ideals  of  life,  and  different  con- 
ceptions of  the  essential  legal  and  political  rights  of  individuals. 
It  is  an  attempt  to  transplant  a  civilization  based  upon  principles 
and  methods  of  government  which  are  as  different  from  those 


Preface 

which  had  prevailed  in' the  islands  as  are  the  plants  and  products 
of  the  temperate  zone  which  agriculturists  are  trying  to  introduce 
into  the  tropics. 

Some  of  these  principles  of  government  and  ideals  of  life  and 
conduct — and  fortunately,  those  of  the  most  fundamental  nature 
— seem  to  have  found  congenial  soil;  a  few,  possibly,  are  being 
sustained  artificially;  while  others,  apparently,  have  found  no 
nourishment.  Some  of  the  optimism  of  the  early  years  has  faded, 
but  the  statesmen,  like  the  agriculturists,  are  still  hopefully  ex- 
perimenting. It  is  beginning  to  be  realized  that  not  everything 
that  grows  and  prospers  in  the  West,  whether  plants  or  govern- 
ments, can  be  successfully  transplanted  to  the  Far  East;  that  the 
political  system  of  an  ancient  race,  the  product  of  thousands  of 
years  of  strenuous  experience,  can  not  simply  be  presented  to  a 
people  who  have  had  no  experience  in  self-government. 

We  have  changed  the  face  of  the  country,  and  given  law,  or- 
der, justice,  and  equal  rights  and  opportunities  to  the  people, 
but  they  are  no  more  Americans  to-day  than  they  were  two  dec- 
ades ago.  There  should  be  no  illusions  on  this  score.  A  few 
individuals  have  been  partially  Americanized,  but  it  is  very  doubt- 
ful whether  we  have  materially  changed  the  fundamental  char- 
acter of  the  Filipino  people.  They  are  still  Spanish  in  culture 
and  their  mental  processes  are  those  of  Latins,  not  Anglo-Saxons. 
We  have,  indeed,  given  them  better  opportunities  for  education 
and  an  improved  environment  in  which  to  live,  and  many  Amer- 
icans assume  that  there  are  no  differences  in  the  members  of  the 
human  family  that  can  not  be  obliterated  by  education  and  en- 
vironment. If  true  it  is  a  matter  of  generations.  The  most 
enthusiastic  believer  in  the  essential  unity  of  the  human  race  can 
not  reasonably  expect  characteristics  which  are  the  result  of  ages 
of  race  experience  to  be  permanently  changed  by  a  few  years 
of  training  in  American  democratic  institutions.  It  will  require 
more  than  two  decades  of  popular  government  to  make  the  Fili- 
pino like  unto  the  children  of  the  New  England  town  meeting. 


Preface 

When,  in  1898,  the  FiHpinos  formed  a  constitution  for  the 
republic  which  they  proposed  to  establish,  they  went  to  France 
and  South  America,  not  to  the  United  States,  for  their  models. 
Mabini,  Calderon  and  Paterno  were  the  intellectual  children  of 
the  Abbe  Sieyes,  and  followers  of  the  a  priori  school  of  political 
philosophy.  They  had  nothing  in  common,  intellectually  or  po- 
litically, with  Washington,  Madison,  or  even  Jefferson.  The 
American  statesmen  who  devised  a  government  for  the  Philip- 
pines were  of  the  latter  school.  They  dealt  with  realities, 
not  with  abstractions.  Their  object  was  to  give  peace,  order 
and  justice  to  the  country  and  prepare  the  natives,  en  masse,  to 
manage  their  own  affairs,  and  for  that  purpose  they  introduced 
the  machinery  of  a  modern  popular  government.  But  it  was 
tentative,  experimental  and  developable.  It  was  expected  that 
new  organs  would  be  developed  as  new  functions  appeared.  The 
ultimate  end  was  to  be  reached  through  a  process  of  evolution, 
along  lines  determined  by  those  general  principles  which  had  been 
found  essential  to  the  rule  of  law  and  the  maintenance  of  indi- 
vidual freedom,  and  which  are,  therefore,  the  necessary  founda- 
tions of  every  just  and  effective  government. 

The  popular  idea,  however,  was  that  the  Filipinos  were  to  be 
promptly  transmuted  into  Americans  of  the  most  approved  type. 
But  the  men  who  formulated  the  Philippine  policy  sought  no 
more  than  to  create  conditions  under  which  all  the  people  of  the 
islands  should  have  an  opportunity  to  develop  the  best  that  was 
in  them.  Sir  James  Brooke,  the  wise  Rajah  of  Sarawak,  once 
said  that  his  ambition  was  to  make  his  people  good  Malays,  not 
yellow  Englishmen.  So  our  ambition  should  be  to  make  good 
and  efficient  Filipinos  out  of  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  islands. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  try  to  make  Yankees  out  of  them.  The 
Malay  will  never  be  an  Anglo-Saxon ;  he  may  be  as  good  a  man 
and  some  day,  possibly,  as  efficient,  but  he  will  never  be  the  same 
sort  of  a  person.    We  must  admit  that  race  is  a  fact  which  can 


Preface 

not  be  obliterated  by  sentiment,  a  change  of  government,  or  even 
of  religion.  What  scientists  call  unit  characters,  such  as  skull 
shape,  stature,  eye  and  hair  color,  and  nose  form,  are  transmitted 
from  generation  to  generation,  in  accordance  with  fixed  mathe- 
matical laws.  "They  are,"  says  Madison  Grant,  "to  all  intents 
and  purposes  immutable  and  do  not  change  during  the  lifetime 
of  a  language  or  an  empire."  The  skull  shape  of  the  Egyptian 
fellaheen  is  absolutely  identical  in  measurement,  proportions  and 
capacities,  with  the  skull  of  his  ancestor  who  lived  six  thousand 
years  ago. 

The  reader  should  also  remember  that  the  American  admin- 
istrators in  the  Philippines  have  worked  under  the  serious  and 
often  embarrassing  limitations  and  restrictions  imposed  by  the 
political  and  ethical  theories  upon  which  the  Philippine  policy 
rests.  While  simple  in  outline  and  easily  stated,  that  policy  in- 
volves considerations  of  a  very  delicate  and  complicated  nature. 
We  have  had  to  deal  with  forces  which  although  subtle  and  in- 
tangible are  very  powerful.  Education,  health,  material  develop- 
ment, in  fact  all  the  external  and  visible  work  of  the  government 
has  been  subordinated  to  the  purpose  of  creating  in  the  Filipinos 
a  consciousness  of  race  unity,  a  sense  of  nationality,  and  capacity 
for  self-government.  The  extent  to  which  this  purpose  has  been 
realized  can  not  as  yet  be  determined  with  certainty.  To  create 
in  an  unhomogeneous  people  an  intelligent  unit  consciousness  of 
nationality  is  vastly  more  difficult  than  to  develop  the  material 
resources  of  their  country. 

Other  colonial  powers,  with  more  material  and  less  ambitious 
aims,  have  used  much  simpler  methods.  They  have  until  re- 
cently ignored  as  much  as  possible  the  social  and  political  as- 
pirations and  ambitions  of  their  native  subjects.  Such  policies 
are  definite  and  understandable,  but  they  are,  in  a  manner,  tem- 
porary. Great  Britain  has  worked  with  large  and  simple  tools, 
and  the  results  are  apparent.    As  Lord  Curzon  said  of  England's 


Preface 

work  in  India,  "It  is  carved  in  granite,  it  is  hewn  out  of  the 
rock  of  doom.  .  .  .  It  is  righteous,  and  it  shall  endure."  It 
has  taken  more  than  a  century  for  strong  men,  troubled  but  little 
by  altruistic  theories  and  working  with  the  chisel  of  unlimited 
power,  to  carve  that  magnificent  record  in  granite.  America  in 
the  Philippines  has  worked,  not  with  chisel  on  the  everlasting 
granite,  but  with  the  delicate  instruments  of  the  etcher — the  steel 
point  of  persuasion  and  the  acid  of  liberalism.  The  lines  of  a 
free  government,  based  on  the  principles  of  equal  rights  for  all, 
have  been  clearly  traced,  and  the  acid  is  slowly  giving  them  dis- 
tinction, definiteness  and  permanency.  Our  work,  too,  is  right- 
eous, and  we  trust  that  it  shall  endure.  But  two  decades  are  but 
as  a  moment  in  the  life  of  a  people,  and  the  lines  on  the  etcher's 
plate  are  easily  confused,  and  even  obliterated,  by  an  unskilful 
although  honest  workman. 

Time  is  an  essential  element  of  the  problem — time  to  erect 
a  suitable  structure  on  a  modern  foundation,  to  train  an  igno- 
rant and  inexperienced  people,  and  to  test  and  measure  their 
capacities.  The  uncertainty  which  now  exists  as  to  the  future 
of  the  Philippines  is  due  to  the  way  in  which  the  United  States 
has  permitted  itself  to  be  hurried  in  its  dealings  with  the  Fili- 
pinos. The  government  which  was  established  less  than  two  dec- 
ades ago  was  admirably  adapted  for  its  purposes.  It  was,  until 
complicated  by  the  division  of  legislative  power,  simple  in  de- 
sign, with  parts  well  articulated,  expandable,  and  capable  of  being 
efficiently  and  economically  administered.  It  assumed  that  the 
natives  were  untrained,  but  capable  of  being  trained  to  govern 
themselves,  and  that  considerable  time  would  be  necessary  for 
that  purpose.  Skilfully  directed  agitation  has  so  hastened  events 
that  the  Philippine  government  is  now  under  the  immediate  con- 
trol of  the  Filipinos,  and  the  ultimate  success  of  our  experiment 
in  nation  culture  depends  upon  the  wisdom  and  ability  of  Fili- 
pinos, instead  of  Americans.    If  they  succeed,  it  will  justify  the 


Preface 

faith  in  the  inherent  capacity  of  the  natives  upon  which  our  Phil- 
ippine poHcy  is  based,  and  redound  to  the  honor  of  the  United 
States  and  to  the  credit  of  the  men  who  laid  the  foundation  upon 
which  the  present  structure  rests. 

I  believe  that  the  assumption  of  control  over  the  Philippines 
could  not  honorably  have  been  avoided  without  a  shrinking  from 
responsibility  which  would  have  been  unworthy  of  a  great  and 
self-respecting  nation.  Its  responsibilities  have  been  borne  with- 
out reward  or  hope  of  reward,  other  than  that  which  comes  from 
the  faithful  performance  of  gratuitous  service  for  others.  The 
United  States  is  a  greater  and  nobler  nation  for  having  lifted  the 
Filipinos  out  of  the  slough  in  which  they  were  floundering  and 
placed  them  well  on  the  road  toward  nationality. 

I  have  written  of  the  American  administration  in  a  sympathetic 
spirit,  but  I  have  not  hesitated  to  criticize  as  well  as  commend. 
Many  mistakes  have  been  made,  but  the  work  as  a  whole  is  good. 

I  owe  much  to  the  kindness  of  friends  who  have  given  me  the 
benefit  of  their  criticisms  and  suggestions  without  assuming  re- 
sponsibility for  my  errors  of  fact  or  judgment.  Former  Presi- 
dent William  H.  Taft;  Doctor  Victor  G.  Heiser,  until  recently 
director  of  health;  Frank  L.  Crone,  for  many  years  director 
of  education,  and  J.  L.  Manning,  insular  treasurer,  have  each 
read  parts  of  this  volume  in  the  proofs.  General  H.  H.  Band- 
holtz,  until  recently  chief  of  the  Philippine  Constabulary ;  Doctor 
W.  W.  Folwell,  and  Mr.  H.  S.  Ross,  my  former  private  secre- 
tary, each  read  portions  of  the  manuscript  and  gave  me  the  bene- 
fit of  intelligent  and  expert  criticism  and  suggestion.  I  am  under 
great  obligation  to  Brigadier-General  Frank  Mclntyre,  Colonel 
C.  C.  \\^alcutt,  Jr.,  and  the  other  officials  of  the  Bureau  of  In- 
sular Affairs,  for  valuable  statistical  data  and  other  information. 
It  is  almost  needless  to  say  that  no  one  other  than  the  writer  is 
responsible  for  the  opinions  expressed  with  reference  to  the  Phil- 
ippine policy,  the  work  of  individuals,  or  the  administration  of 
the  government.  C    B    E 

Minneapolis,  May  1,  1917. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  I 

PAGE 

The  New  Civil  Government 1 

Some  Generalities — Transfer  of  the  Executive  Authority — The  In- 
auguration of  a  Civil  Governor — New  Filipino  Commissioners — The 
Executive  Departments — Departure  of  General  MacArthur — Bureau 
Organization — Education — The     Constabulary — Agriculture — Health 
— Defective  Powers  of  the  Commission  Government — Demand  for  j 
Congressional  Legislation — Recommendations  of  the  Commission — n 
Governor  Taft's   Visit  to   Washington — Pending   Legislation — The'i 
Senate    Committee    Investigation — Attitude    of    Parties — The    Civil  ' 
Government  Bills — The  Assembly — Differing  Views  as  to  Its  Value 
— The  New  Philippine  Legislature — The  Election  of  Delegates — Po- 
litical Parties — The  Demand  for  Independence — Launching  the  As- 
sembly— The  Commission  Government  in  Its  Final  Form. 

CHAPTER  II 
The  Aftermath  of  War 21 

The  Proclamation  of  Peace — The  Reconstruction  Period — Condi- 
tions Unfavorable  to  Order — Ladronism — Natural  Calamities — 
Threatened  Famine — Death  of  the  Carabao — Local  Disturbances — 
Political  or  Criminal  Motives — Premature  Organization  of  Civil 
Governments — Attitude  of  General  MacArthur — General  J.  F.  Bell 
in  Batangas — His  Policy — Concentration  Camps — Surrender  of  Mal- 
var — Balangiga — The  Pulijancs — The  Presidential  Election — Judge 
Parker's  Charges — Magtaon — The  Pacification  of  Samar — Troubles 
in  Albay— Surrender  of  Ola — Cavite  and  Laguna — Suspension  of 
Writ  of  Habeas  Corpus — Peace  and  Quiet — Conditions  in  the  More 
Country. 

CHAPTER  III 

Disentangling  Church  and  State — The  Friar  Lands 37 

Church  and  State  in  Spanish  Times — Misunderstanding  of  American 
Policy — Archbishop  Chapelle  and  General  Otis — Administration  of 
Certain  Trusts — The  San  Jose  College  Case — The  Friar  Lands — 
Their  Extent  and  Value — Attitude  of  the  Government — Purchase  of 
the  Lands— Controversy  over  Sales — The  Mindora  Estate  Congres- 
sional Investigation — The  Result — Aglipay  and  the  National  Church 
— Controversy  over  Church  Property — Settled  by  the  Courts. 


CONTENTS— CoK/inM^rf 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  IV 

Congressional  Legislation  for  the  Philippines 61 

Delay  in  Assuming  Control— First  Legislation  Confirmatory  Only — 
The  Spooner  Law — The  Civil  Government  Law  of  July  1,  1902 — Its 
Nature — Bureau  of  Insular  Affairs — Ratification  of  Acts  of  Presi- 
dent and  of  the  Commission — Location  of  Legislative  Power — The 
Judicial  Organization — Jurisdiction  of  the  Courts — Resident  Com- 
missioners— Citizenship — Bill  of  Rights — Trustee  for  Public  Prop- 
erty— Power  Granted  to  Provide  for  Needs  of  Commerce — Con- 
servation of  Lands  and  Mineral  Rights — To  Acquire  Friar  Lands — 
Coinage — Bond  Issues — Restrictions  on  Granting  Franchises — Bonds 
for  Port  Works,  Roads,  etc. — The  Navigation  Laws — The  Chinese 
Exclusion  Law — The  Immigration  Laws — The  Income  Tax  Law — 
The  Tariff  Acts— Acts  of  Congress  Extended  to  Philippines — Entry 
and  Clearance  of  Vessels — Public  Health  and  Quarantine,  Extradi- 
tion. 

CHAPTER  V 
The  Provinces  and  Municipalities 75 

Isolated  Conditions— Local  Self-governrnent — Gradual  Extension  of 
Native  Control — Division  of  Country — The  Provinces — Present  Or- 
ganization— The  Provincial  Officers — The  Governor  and  His  Duties 
— The  Secretary,  Treasurer  and  Fiscal — The  Provincial  Board,  Its 
Duties  and  Powers — The  Municipalities — Classification — The  Mu- 
nicipal Officers  and  Their  Powers — Powers  of  the  Council  and 
Limitations  Thereon — Municipal  Revenues — Specially  Organized 
Provinces — Local  Governments  for  the  Wild  Tribes — The  Moros — 
The  Moro  Province — Military  Character  of  Its  Government — Grad- 
ual Substitution  of  Civilian  Officials — Creation  of  the  Department  of 
Mindanao  and  Sulu — The  Cities  of  Manila  and  Baguio — Local  Gov- 
ernments Reasonably  Successful. 

CHAPTER  VI 

The  Commission  Government,  and  Its  Administration 96 

Changing  Character  of  Government— Self-government  and  Inde- 
pendence— The  System  of  Commission  Government — The  Respon- 
sibility of  the  Commission — Represented  American  Sovereignty — 
American  Majority  in  Commission — Its  Duties — Organization  of 
Executive  Departments— The  Grouping  of  Bureaus — Rearrange- 
ment in  1907— Changes  in  Judicial  System  by  Organic  Law — Tenure 
of  Office  of  Justices— The  Personnel  of  the  Supreme  Court— Juris- 


CONTENTS— Continued 

PAGE 

diction — The  Courts  of  First  Instance — No  Juries — Native  Judges 
— Reorganization  Law  of  1914 — Injurious  to  Service — The  Official 
Language — Spanish  Retained  in  Courts — Spanish  Used  in  the  As- 
sembly— Probable  Decline  of  English-»Creation  of  PhiHppine  Legis- 
lature in  1907— •Two  Distinct  Legislative  Bodies— 'Difficulties  Result- 
ing Therefrom— 'Unit  Subjects  of  Legislation— 'Residuum  of  Legis- 
lative Power  in  Commission— •Commission  Reorganized  by  Wilson — 
•Majority  of  Members  Filipinos-»Loss  of  Prestige— •Abolished  in 
1916 — The  Office  of  Governor-General — Sources  of  Authority — Spe- 
cific Powers  and  Duties — Delegation  of  Legislative  Power — Appro- 
priations Subject  to  "Release"  by  Governor-General — Practise  Con- 
demned— Office  Magnified  by  President  Taft — Legislative  Activities 
of  Governor-General — Log  Rolling — Disrespect  for  Laws — Failure 
to  Pass  Current  Appropriation  Bills — Automatic  Renewal  of  Appro- 
priations— Assumption  of  Power  over  Appropriations — The  "Ad- 
vices" to  the  Treasurer — Serious  Effect  of  Misconstruction  of  the 
Law — The  Executive  Secretary — The  Insular  Auditor — Independ- 
ence Largely  Imaginary — Resident  Commissioners — Influence  of  the 
Assembly — Methods  of  Legislation — Excessive  Deference  to  Speaker 
— Difficulties  of  Administration — Certain  Tendencies. 

CHAPTER  VII 

Finance,  Taxation  and  Trade 127 

The  General  Financial  Policy — Control  by  Local  Government — 
Taxation  Reasonable — Financial  Embarrassment — Caused  by  Public 
Improvements — Present  Conditions — Bonded  Indebtedness — Income 
and  Expenditure — The  Currency  and  Coinage — The  Gold  Standard 
— The  Fund  to  Maintain  Parity — Sources  of  Revenue — The  Cus- 
toms— Illustration  of  Duties — The  Internal  Revenue — Sources  of — 
The  Cedula,  Stamp  and  Privilege  Taxes — Business  and  Occupation 
Taxes — Specific  Taxes — Revenues  of  Provinces  and  Municipalities — 
The  City  of  Manila — Gross  Earnings  and  Franchise  Taxes — Trade 
Development. 

CHAPTER  VIII 

Defense  and  Public  Safety — The  Army  and  Navy 162 

Cooperation  of  Civil  and  Military  Authorities — The  Navy— j-Status 
of  Army — Gradual  Reduction — Cost  of  Military  Establishment — 
Defense  from  External  Enemies — Moral  Effect  of  Army  Presence 
— Relation  with  Civil  Government — Detailed  Army  Officers — Or- 
ganization of  Native  Troops— The  Scouts— The  Constabulary— The  f 
Municipal  Police — Seditious  Movements. 


CONTENTS— Conh'nM^d 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  IX 

Sanitation  and  Health 184 

Interest  in  Tropical  Medicine— Sanitation  in  the  East— Early  Con- 
ditions in  Philippines— Enormdus  Death  Rate— Superstition  and  Fa- 
talism—Spanish and  Filipino  Doctors— Clean-up  by  American  Army 
—New  Health  Regulations— First  Board  of  Health— The  Civil  and 
Military  Hospitals— Functions  of  Heahh  Officers— Causes  of  Com- 
municable Diseases— Public  Health  Purchasable— Small  Expenditure 
in  Philippines— Attitude  of  Natives— Education  in  Sanitation— Dis- 
posal of  Garbage  and  Waste— The  New  Sewer  System— Public 
Laundries— Cemeteries— The  Modern  Markets— The  Drug  and  Food 
Law— The  Milk  Supply— The  Water  Supply— Manila  and  Cebu 
Water-Works- Artesian  Wells— The  Bubonic  Plague— Cholera— 
The  Smallpox— Results  of  Vaccination— Leprosy  and  Its  Treat- 
ment—Beriberi—Infant Mortality— Tuberculosis— Malaria  and  Dys- 
entery—Mosquitoes and  Rats— An  Unfinished  Work— The  Moro 
Hospital  Ship^Present  Organization. 

CHAPTER  X 
The  Phiuppine  Schools 219 

American  Educational  Theories— Belief  in  Education  of  Masses- 
Training  a  Governing  Class  Only— Spanish  Theories— Filipino  So- 
cial Organization — Education  for  the  Select  Few — The  Attempt  to 
Establish  Public  Schools — Its  Partial  Success — Ecclesiastical  Con- 
trol— Introduction  of  Popular  Government — Choice  between  Evils — 
Educational  Work  of  the  Army — The  Commission  Takes  Charge 
— Department  of  Public  Instruction — The  General  Policy — Seculari- 
zation of  Schools — Religious  Instruction — Adoption  of  the  English 
Language  in  the  Schools — Its  Justification — American  Teachers — 
Training  Native  Teachers — Classification  of  Schools — Secondary 
Schools  in  Provinces — Local  Enthusiasm  for  Education — Division 
of  School  Funds — New  Text-Books — Stress  on  Industrial  Training 
— Difficulties  Encountered — Prejudice  against  Manual  Labor — Re- 
sults— Teaching  Athletics — The  Pensionados — Housing  the  Schools 
— The  Courses  of  Study — Special  Insular  Schools — The  University 
— Bureau  Schools — The  Cost  of  Education — Number  of  Pupils — 
Schools  for  the  Wild  Men — Education  of  the  Moros — Demand  for 
Compulsory  Education — Dangers  Ahead — Comparisons — Missionary 
and  Private  Schools. 

CHAPTER  XI 

The  Labor  Problem 251 

Climate  and  Labor — The  Normal  Labor  Conditions — Customs  of  the 


CONTENTS— CoMfmu^d 

PAGE 

Country — Problems  Confronting  the  Americans — Exclusion  of  the 
Chinese — Elect  to  Develop  Filipino  Labor — Encouraging  Results — 
Methods  Used  in  Other  Colonies — Penalties  for  Breach  of  Labor 
Contracts — Advances  Obtained  with  Fraudulent  Intent — The  Bureau 
of  Labor — Increase  in  Wages. 

CHAPTER  XII 

The  Policy  of  Material  Development 268 

A  Land  of  "Projects" — Spanish  Public  Works — Backwardness  of  In- 
dustry and  Agriculture — Misdirected  Energies — Public  Works  and 
Colonial  Policy — Material  Development  and  Educational  Work — 
Governor-General  Wright's  Announcement — Policy  Inaugurated  by 
Governor-General  Smith — Its  Characteristics — "Hustling  the  East" 
with  Its  Own  Consent — Education  of  the  People — Success  of  the 
Policy. 

CHAPTER  XIII 
Transportation  and  Communication : 279 

I 
Roads  and  Bridges 
Primitive  Transportation  Methods— Road-Building  DifHculties — 
Early  Failures — No  Provision  for  Maintenance — Bad  Legislation — 
Forced  Labor  and  Toll  Roads — Failure  of  People  to  Adopt  Laws — 
The  Double  Cedula  Law  of  1907 — Inducements  to  Adopt  Rules  and 
Regulations — Insular  Appropriations — Conditions — The  Road  Com- 
mittee— Classification  of  Roads — Apportionment  of  Insular  Appro- 
priations by  Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Police — Encouragement  of 
Local  Efforts — Construction  of  Permanent  Bridges — Maintenance — 
— The  Caminero  System — Pride  in  Good  Roads — Road  Material — 
Cost — Road  Work  in  the  Non-Christian  Provinces — In  the  More 
Province — Permanency — The  Benguet  Road — Early  Mistakes — Dif- 
ficulties of  Construction — Policy  of  Government — Purpose  of  the 
Road — Its  Cost — Practical  Abandonment — Its  Justification. 

CHAPTER  XIV 

Transportation  and  Communication 300 

II 

Railways — Automobile  Lines 

The   Railway    Policy — Commission    Governed   by   Conditions,    Not 

Theories — The  Cooper  Law — Summary  of  Its  Provisions — Manila 

Railway  Company,   Limited,   and   Its   Claims — New   Concession   to 


CONTENTS— Continued 

PAGE 

Manila  Railroad  Company— Terms  of  Original  Concessionary  Con- 
■  tract — Supplementary  Concession  of  1909— Guarantee  of  Interest — 
Division  into  Northern  and  Southern  Lines — Concession  to  Visayan 
Syndicate — Progress  of  Constructions — Government  Loans  to  Ma- 
nila Railroad  Company — Proposed  Purchase  of  the  Manila  Railroad 
Company— Street  Railways— Automobile  Lines— The  Benguet  Road 
Line. 

CHAPTER  XV 

Transportation  and  Communication    ...........    317 

III 
The  Postal  and  Telegraph  Service 
Its  Importance — Early  Methods — Gradual  Expansion — An  Inde- 
pendent Service — The  Metric  System — Money  Orders — The  Parcel- 
Post — Attempts  to  Improve  the  Foreign  Service — Acquisition  of 
Telegraph  Lines  from  Army — Training  of  Telegraphers — The 
Cables — Wireless  Stations  Acquired — Plan  for  Joint  Wireless  Serv- 
ice— Franchise  Granted  the  Marconi  Company — Summary  of  Re- 
sults. 

CHAPTER  XVI 
Transportation  and  Communication 326 

rv 
Water  Transportation — Navigation 
Importance  of  Water  Transportation — The  Coast  Survey — Lights 
and  Lighthouses — The  Weather  Bureau — The  Absence  of  Harbors 
— Harbor  Construction — Iloilo — Cebu — New  Manila  Harbor — ^^For- 
eign  Steamship  Service — Effect  of  War  and  Congressional  Legisla- 
tion— Interisland  Transportation — Old  Spanish  Methods — Necessity 
for  Government  Ships — The  New  Bureau — The  Coast  Guard  Steam- 
ers— Plan  to  Create  New  Merchant  Marine — The  Contract  System 
— Subsidies — The  Results — The  Bureau  of  Navigation  and  Its 
Troubles — Abolished  in  1914 — The  Cable  Ship — River  Improve- 
ments. 

CHAPTER  XVII 

Philippine  Agriculture 338 

Basis  of  the  Country's  Wealth — Undeveloped  State  of  Agriculture 
— Inherent  Difficulties — Early  Work  of  Bureau  of  Agriculture — 
Attempts  to  Introduce  New  Plants  and  Vegetables — Improving  the 
Domestic  Animals — Horses  and  Cattle — Farm  Machinery — Animal 
Diseases — Rinderpest  and   Surra — Policy  of   Isolation   Adopted   in 


COl^TET^TS— Continued 

PAGE 

1910 — Its  Results — Corn  Culture — Native  Fruits — Coffee,  Tea  and 
Rubber — The  Fiber  Industry — Hemp,  Method  of  Cultivation — Ex- 
ports of — Government  Grading — The  Tobacco  Industry — Its  Re- 
vival— Exports — Sugar,  Condition  of  the  Industry — Table  of  Ex- 
ports— Cocoanuts — Development  of  the  Business — Table  of  Ex- 
ports— Rice — Its  Importance — Necessity  for  New  Methods — Irriga- 
tion— Comparative  Failure  of  the  Work — The  New  Law  of  1912 — 
Farmers'  Credits — The  Agricultural  Bank — Summary  of  Results. 

CHAPTER  XVIII 

Policies  and  Personnel 374 

Attitude  of  the  Public — Visiting  Statesmen — Misinformation — De- 
clared Republican  Policy — Executive  Statements — Approval  Thereof 
by  Congress — The  Most  Difficult  of  All  Possible  Policies — Time 
Necessary  for  Its  Success — Failure  to  Control  Local  Situation — 
Changing  Officials — The  American  Employees — Filipinization  of  the 
Service. 

CHAPTER  XIX 
The  Independence  Movement  and  the  Reorganized  Government  .  .  404 
Early  Ideas  of  Independence — New  Conceptions — Attitude  of 
American  Government  toward  Independence — First  Filipino  Politi- 
cal Party — The  Radicals  and  the  New  Men — Revival  of  Sentiment — 
New  Political  Parties — Growth  of  Anti-American  Sentiment — The 
Assembly — Leadership  of  Osmeiia  and  Quezon — The  Propaganda  in 
the  United  States — Mr.  Jones  and  His  Bills — The  Wilson  Adminis- 
tration— Governor-General  Harrison  and  His  Policy — Defeat  of 
Clarke  Amendment — Passage  of  Jones  Bill — Provisions  of  the  Law 
— Organizing  the  New  Government — The  Future  of  the  Independ- 
ence Movement. 

A  List  of  Books  and  Articles  on  the  Philippines,  Colonization  and 
Colonial  Problems 457 

Appendices 477 

Appendix  A.    Treaty  of  Peace  between  United  States  and  Spain     .     479 
Appendix  B.     Instructions  of  the  President  to  the  Schurman  Com- 
mission     484 

Appendix  O     Instructions  of  the  President  to  the  Taft  Commis- 
sion      485 

Appendix  D.     Aguinaldo's  Proclamation  on  His  Arrival  at  Cavite    490 
Appendix  E.     Aguinaldo's  Proclamation  of  June  18,  1898,  Establish- 
ing the  Dictatorial  Government 491 


CONTENTS— ConfmM^d 


PAGE 


Appendix  F.  Aguinaldo's  Proclamation  of  June  23,  Establishing 
the  Revolutionary  Government 493 

Appendix  G.  The  Constitution  of  the  PhiHppine  Republic  ... 
List  of  Leading  Officials  of  the  Philippine  Government 
The  Philippine  Government  Law  of  1916  .... 
The  Cost  of  the  Army  in  the  Philippines     .... 


Appendix  H. 
Appendix  L 
Appendix    J. 

Index   .  .  . 


498 
509 
512 
523 

529 


1 


THE   PHILIPPINES 


THE  PHILIPPINES 

CHAPTER  I 
The  New  Civil  Government 

Some  Generalities — Transfer  of  the  Executive  Authority — The  Inauguration 
of  a  Civil  Governor — New  Filipino  Commissioners — The  Executive  De- 
partments— Departure  of  General  MacArthur — Bureau  Organization — Educa- 
tion— The  Constabulary — Agriculture — Health — Defective  Powers  of  the 
Commission  Government — Demand  for  Congressional  Legislation — Recom- 
mendations of  the  Commission — Governor  Taft's  Visit  to  Washington — Pend- 
ing Legislation — The  Senate  Committee  Investigation — Attitude  of  Parties — 
The  Civil  Government  Bills — The  Assembly — Differing  Views  as  to  Its 
Value — The  New  Philippine  Legislature — The  Election  of  Delegates — Politi- 
cal Parties — The  Demand  for  Independence — Launching  the  Assembly — The 
Commission  Government  in  Its  Final  Form. 

The  astrologers  taught  a  mystic  relation  of  numbers,  days, 
dates  and  events.  Those  learned  in  such  lore  claim  that  the  Re- 
public was  born  under  a  lucky  star.  While  the  American  may 
admit  that  the  original  association  of  the  famous  charter  of  our 
liberties  with  the  fourth  of  July  was  fortuitous,  he  is  impressed 
by  the  fact  that  ever  since  that  time  spectacular  events  in  Amer- 
ican history  have  shown  a  disposition  to  happen  on  that  anni- 
versary day. 

When  the  time  came  to  establish  a  completely  organized  civil 
government  in  the  Philippines^  it  was  hoped,  as  said  by  President 
Roosevelt,  that  the  day  dear  to  Americans  might  perhaps  "be 
associated  in  the  minds  of  the  Filipino  people  with  good  fortune." 

The  Anti-Imperialist  propaganda  in  the  United  States  had  cre- 
ated an  impression  that  in  suppressing  the  Filipino  revolt  and 

1  For  the  preceding  years  of  American  occupation,  see  the  author's  volume 
entitled,  The  Philippines:    To  the  End  of  the  Military  Regime  (1917). 


2  THE    PHILIPPINES 

denying  the  country  immediate  independence  America  was  in 
some  way  violating  the  principles  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence.^ According  to  the  views  of  the  Americans  who  were 
working  in  the  Philippines  this  was  a  complete  misconception  of 
the  meaning  of  the  Declaration,  and  of  the  purposes  of  their  gov- 
ernment and  people.  From  the  day  when  civil  government  was 
instituted  until  the  present,  the  fourth  of  July  has  been  celebrated 
in  Manila  exactly  as  elsewhere  in  the  United  States.  On  each 
recurring  anniversary  the  Declaration  has  been  read  by  American 
officials,  civil  and  military,  to  Filipino  audiences  who  were  invited 
to  learn  the  lessons  taught  by  Jefferson,  Adams  and  Franklin. 
Their  resistance  to  Spanish  oppression  has  been  commended  be- 
cause it  was  justified  by  facts  much  more  potent  even  than  those 
which  induced  the  resistance  of  the  American  colonists  to  parlia- 
mentary oppression.  America  has  wished  the  Filipinos  to  learn 
the  true  lesson  taught  by  that  famous  document — the  lesson  that 
all  men  are  entitled  to  certain  inalienable  rights,  among  which 
tare  life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness.  Under  American 
sovereignty  the  Filipinos  are  equal  before  the  law,  secure  in  the 
opportunity  to  develop  their  lives  according  to  their  capacities 
and  natural  opportunities,  and  free  from  petty  interference  by 
state  or  church.  It  was  intended  that  they  should  enjoy  liberty 
as  the  word  was  understood  by  the  men  who  wrote  and  adopted 
the  Declaration  of  Independence  and  as  it  has  been  construed 
and  applied  in  the  United  States.^    The  right  of  revolution  was 


2  See  "The  Philippines  and  the  Declaration  of  Independence,"  The  Arena, 
XXVII,  p.  538 ;  "The  Declaration  of  Independence,  an  Analysis  by  Manuel  L. 
Quezon,"  in  The  Filipino  People,  January,  1913. 

3  "Nothing  can  be  more  misleading  than  a  principle  misapplied.  Countless 
crimes  have  been  committed  by  men  quoting  texts  of  scripture  or  maxims  of 
philosophy  wrested  from  their  true  content  and  meaning.  The  doctrine  that 
government  derives  its  just  powers  from  the  consent  of  the  governed  was 
applicable  to  the  conditions  for  which  Jefferson  wrote  it  and  to  the  people  to 
whom  he  applied  it.  It  is  true  wherever  a  people  exists  capable  and  willing 
to  maintain  just  government,  and  to  make  free,  intelligent  and  efficacious 
decisions  as  to  who  shall  govern.  But  Jefferson  did  not  apply  it  to  Louisiana. 
He  wrote  to  Gallatin  that  the  people  of  Louisiana  were  as  incapable  of  self- 
government  as  children,  and  he  governed  them  without  their  consent.  Lin- 
coln did  not  apply  it  to  the  South,  and  the  great  struggle  of  the  Civil  War 


THE    NEW    CIVIL    GOVERNMENT  3 

never  denied,  but  it  is  a  right  which  must  be  maintained  by  force 
and  justified  by  success.  In  that  respect  the  rights  of  the  Fili- 
pinos could  be  no  greater  than  those  of  the  citizens  of  South 
Carolina  or  Massachusetts.  They  asserted  the  right  of  revolu- 
tion against  their  lawful  political  sovereign  and  failed.  Upon 
laying  down  their  arms  and  taking  the  oath  of  allegiance  they 
were  pardoned  for  all  political  offenses.  There  is  not  a  sentence 
in  the  Declaration  of  Independence  which  any  informed  American 
ever  hesitated  to  read  to  the  Filipinos.  That  Declaration  contains 
a  statement  of  the  reasons  which  justified  the  American  colonists 
in  throwing  off  their  political  allegiance  to  their  sovereign.  It 
recited  a  long  list  of  outrages  and  oppressive  acts  in  violation  of 
their  rights  and  of  certain  principles  deemed  to  be  of  universal 
application.  No  intelligent  American  has  ever  denied  or  will 
deny  the  moral  right  of  the  Filipinos  to  adopt  a  similar  course 
when  they  can  truthfully  allege  such  a  list  of  grievances  against 
the  American  government.  No  one  ever  desired  to  deprive  them 
of  the  inalienable  rights  of  men.  Life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  i 
happiness  were  to  be  and  have  been  secured  to  every  law-abiding 
Filipino  and  protected  under  a  form  of  government  adapted  to 
the  local  conditions  and  the  stage  of  social  and  political  develop- 
ment of  the  people. 

The  fourth  of  July  was  therefore  the  most  appropriate  of  all 
days  on  which  to  launch  a  civil  government,  complete  in  all  its 
parts,  in  the  pacified  provinces  of  the  Philippines.  Its  inaugura- 
tion was  to  mark  the  end  of  military  rule.  Since  September  1, 
1900,  the  legislative  power  had  been  vested  in  a  civil  body.  Condi- 
tions now  seemed  to  justify  a  further  step  in  the  progressive  nar- 
rowing of  military  administration  by  the  creation  of  the  office 


was  a  solemn  assertion  by  the  American  people  that  there  are  other  principles 
of  law  and  liberty  which  limit  the  application  of  the  doctrine  of  consent." 
Elihu  Root,  Military  and  Colonial  Policy  of  the  United  States,  p.  42. 

"The  words  'that  all  men  are  created  equal,'  have  since  been  subtly  falsi- 
fied by  adding  the  word  'free,'  although  no  such  expression  is  found  in  the 
original  document,  and  the  teachings  based  on  these  altered  words  in  the 
American  public  schools  of  to-day  would  startle  and  amaze  the  men  who 
formulated  the  Declaration."    Grant,  The  Passing  of  the  Great  Race,  p.  xvi. 


4  THE    PHILIPPINES 

of  civil  governor,  and  the  transfer  to  him  of  the  executive  au- 
thority. 

An  executive  order  was  therefore  issued  by  the  president 
directing  that  on  and  after  the  fourth  day  of  July,  1901,  until 
otherwise  directed,  the  executive  authority  in  all  civil  affairs  in 
the  government  of  the  Philippines  which  had  been  exercised  by 
the  military  governor  should  be  exercised  by  the  president  of  the 
Philippine  Commission.  Mr.  Taft  was  named  as  the  first  civil 
governor.  The  power  to  appoint  all  civil  officers  was  transferred 
from  the  Philippine  Commission  to  the  civil  governor,  with  the 
advice  and  consent  of  the  commission.  Although  the  military 
governor  was  relieved  of  civil  duties  in  the  pacified  territory,  his 
authority  was  continued  in  districts  in  which  insurrection  against 
the  authority  of  the  United  States  existed  and  in  which  public 
order  was  not  sufficiently  restored  to  enable  provincial  civil  gov- 
ernments to  be  established.* 

The  continuance  of  military  government  in  certain  provinces 
.  was  necessary  for  another  year,  but  it  was  finally  terminated  by 
the  order  of  President  Roosevelt,  issued  on  July  4,  1902,  which 
recited  that  the  insurrection  was  ended  and  that  civil  government 
had  been  established  throughout  the  entire  Archipelago  not  inhab- 
ited by  Moro  tribes.^ 

General  Arthur  MacArthur,  who  had  been  military  governor 
since  the  departure  of  General  Otis,  was  a  distinguished  soldier 
with  a  brilliant  record  for  achievement,  but  he  lacked  some  of 
the  qualities  necessary  for  a  commander  who  was  required  to 
divide  his  authority  with  civil  officials.  His  subordination  to 
the  civil  power  in  the  islands  made  him  unhappy  and,  while  he 
obeyed  the  orders  issued  by  the  secretary  of  war,  it  was  some- 
times done  in  a  very  ungracious  spirit. 

He  seems  never  to  have  really  grasped  the  part  which  the  com- 
mission was  designed  to  play  in  the  work  of  pacifying  the  country 
and  organizing  a  permanent  government  and  the  friction  between 


4  Order  of  Secretary  Root,  June  21,  1910.    Report  of  Sec.  War,  1901  (Five 
Years  of  the  War  Dept.),  p.  208. 
6  Ibid.,  p.  257. 


THE    NEW    CIVIL    GOVERNMENT  5 

him  and  its  members  proved  in  the  end  very  disastrous  for  the 
general.** 

The  new  civil  governor  was  inaugurated  with  simple  but  im- 
pressive ceremonies.  Across  the  Plaza  from  the  Ayuntamiento 
was  the  great  stone  foundation  of  the  unfinished  governor's  pal- 
ace which  was  to  have  taken  the  place  of  the  one  which  had  been 
destroyed  by  an  earthquake.  The  funds  for  the  completion  of 
the  structure  were  misappropriated  and  for  years  the  foundation 
had  stood  as  a  mute  testimonial  to  Spanish  dishonesty  and  in- 
competence. There  was  a  certain  appropriateness  in  the  choice 
of  the  platform  from  which  to  launch  a  new  and  better  govern- 
ment. 

The  day  was  perfect,  judged  by  the  standard  of  the  tropics, 
and  a  picturesque  crowd  representing  many  races,  colors  and 
creeds  filled  the  Plaza  and  adjoining  streets.^  There  was  a  rea- 
sonable amount  of  well  modulated  enthusiasm  as  the  procession 
passed  from  the  Ayuntamiento  to  the  extemporized  platform. 
General  Mac  Arthur  introduced  his  successor  and  Chief  Justice 
Arellano  administered  the  oath  of  ofiice.  Governor  Taft's  ad- 
dress summarized  what  had  been  accomplished  since  the  arrival 
of  the  commission  and  briefly  outlined  the  policy  of  the  imme- 
diate future.  Most  interesting  to  the  Filipinos  was  the  announce- 
ment that  the  membership  of  the  commission  had  been  enlarged 
and  that  the  president  had  appointed  Doctor  T.  H.  Pardo  de 
Tavera,  Senor  Don  Benito  Legarda  and  Sefior  Don  Jose  Luzu- 
riaga,  all  natives  of  the  Philippines,  to  fill  the  new  positions  thus 
created.  Pardo  de  Tavera  was  a  highly  educated  gentleman  who 
had  been  a  leader  of  the  conservative,  educated,  wealthy  Fili- 
pinos and  who  early  recognized  the  folly  of  the  revolt  and  sought 
to  reconcile  the  people  to  American  control.     He  was  the  presi- 


6  General  MacArthur,  soon  after  his  return  to  the  United  States,  suc- 
ceeded to  the  rank  of  lieutenant-general  in  the  United  States  Army.  By  that 
time  Mr.  Taft  had  become  secretary  of  war.  General  MacArthur  was  di- 
rected to  report  at  his  home  in  Milwaukee  and  await  orders,  which  never 
came.  He  was  never  permitted  to  command  the  army  and  died  before  Mr. 
Taft  ceased  to  be  president  of  the  United  States. 

7  Mrs.  Moses  (Unofficial  Letters  of  an  Official's  Wife,  p.  157).  the  wife  of 
one  of  the  commissioners,  gives  an  interesting  account  of  the  ceremonies. 


6  THE    PHILIPPINES 

dent  of  the  new  Federal  party  and  had  been  of  great  assistance 
to  the  commission  in  the  work  of  organizing  civil  governments 
in  the  provinces.  Sefior  Legarda  was  a  wealthy  native  who, 
like  Sefior  Tavera,  had  rendered  important  services  to  the  Amer- 
ican government.  Sefior  Luzuriago  had  been  a  member  of  the 
independent  government  which  was  organized  in  the  island  of 
Negros  and  had  consistently  advocated  cooperation  with  the 
Americans. 

It  was  also  announced  that  on  the  first  of  the  following  Sep- 
tember the  effectiveness  of  the  insular  government  would  be  in- 
creased by  the  organization  of  four  executive  departments  to  be 
known  as  the  Departments  of  the  Interior,  Commerce  and  Police, 
Finance  and  Justice,  and  Public  Instruction,  which  would  be  un- 
der the  control  respectively  of  Commissioners  Worcester, 
Wright,  Ide  and  Moses. 

After  the  ceremonies  were  concluded  General  Mac  Arthur 
drove  directly  from  the  Plaza  to  the  landing  and  went  aboard  the 
transport  which  was  to  carry  him  to  the  United  States  and  out  of 
Philippine  history.  He  was  succeeded  in  the  military  command 
and  as  military  governor  of  the  unpacified  provinces  by  General 
Adna  E.  Chaffee,  who  continued  to  act  until  relieved  as  military 
governor  by  the  order  issued  one  year  later. 

The  work  of  systematizing  and  developing  the  subordinate 
agencies  of  the  central  government  proceeded  as  rapidly  as  con- 
ditions would  permit.  Numerous  bureaus  had  been  organized 
during  the  military  regime  and  with  some  changes  and  modi- 
fications they  were  retained  and  distributed  among  the  depart- 
ments. 

The  taking  over  of  the  executive  authority  necessitated  many 
changes  in  personnel  and  some  in  organization.  The  grants  of 
power  in  the  Spooner  Law  had  been  so  carefully  hedged  about 
with  limitations  and  restrictions  as  to  render  them  of  no  practical 
value  to  the  government  and  it  remained  without  authority  to  act 
"in  some  matters  deemed  by  the  commission  of  vital  importance 
for  the  progress  of  the  country,  and  the  granting  of  franchises. 


THE    NEW    CIVIL    GOVERNMENT  7 

the  survey  and  sale  of  the  public  lands,  and  the  development  of 
the  mining  interests  v^ere  obliged  to  aw^ait  the  further  action  of 
Congress. 

The  matters  over  which  the  commission  had  unquestioned  au- 
thority were  handled  with  much  energy.  The  educational  work 
was  entered  upon  with  what  many  believed  to  be  excessive  en- 
thusiasm. A  general  school  law  was  passed  and  about  a  thousand 
American  teachers  were  brought  over  from  the  United  States  and 
distributed  among  the  nine  hundred  towns  of  the  islands.  The 
preservation  of  order  was  of  course  of  the  most  vital  importance. 
The  local  municipal  police  were  of  little  value  in  this  work  and  it 
was  manifestly  undesirable,  unless  absolutely  necessary,  to  use 
the  army  in  aid  of  the  civil  work  of  the  administration.  Brigand- 
age, which  was  an  inheritance  from  Spanish  times,  had  been 
given  a  great  impetus  by  the  war  and  now  existed  in  nearly  all 
the  provinces.  The  local  police  were  unable  to  suppress  it,  even 
had  they  and  the  people  of  the  municipalities  really  desired  to  do 
so.  The  distinction  between  ladrones  and  patriots  was  still  very 
shadowy,  and  it  was  not  always  easy  to  distinguish  between  vol- 
untary contributions  to  insurgent  bands  and  involuntary  pay- 
ments for  protection  against  ladrones.  A  semi-military  police 
resembling  that  of  India  and  some  other  eastern  countries  was 
necessary. 

The  Spaniards  had  maintained  an  organization  known  as  the 
guardia  civil  which  seems  to  have  done  about  as  much  damage 
to  the  country  as  the  ladrones.^  As  a  result  such  organizations 
were  unpopular  in  the  country,  but  it  was  believed  that  a  body  of 
Filipinos  commanded  by  American  officers  and  subject  to  strict 
discipline  would  be  able  to  maintain  order  and  serve  as  peace  offi- 
cers under  the  direction  of  the  civil  officials.  The  history  of  the 
Philippine  Constabulary,  which  was  organized  in  1901,  has  justi- 
fied the  policy  of  the  government. 

It  was  understood  from  the  first  that  the  prosperity  of  the 
Philippines  depends  upon  the  success  of  its  agriculture.     To  the 

8  Another  body  called  the  Guardia  de  Honor  was  organized  and  used 
against  the  insurgents  in  1896. 


8  THE    PHILIPPINES 

Americans  who  were  not  familiar  with  the  tragic  history  of  trop- 
ical agriculture  it  seemed  a  simple  matter  to  obtain  vast  wealth 
from  the  fertile  soil.  They  knew  nothing  of  that  law  of  com- 
pensation by  which  nature  with  its  storms,  droughts  and  highly 
specialized  insect  life,  equalizes  the  great  productive  power  of  the 
rich  soil. 

Immediate  attention  was  given  to  the  organization  of  a  Bureau 
of  Agriculture  and  experts  from  the  Agricultural  Department  at 
Washington  were  brought  to  the  islands  in  the  naive  confidence 
and  belief  that  the  natives  were  as  ready  and  anxious  to  change 
the  methods  of  centuries  as  the  Americans  were  to  render  them 
service. 

Much  attention  was  given  to  the  organization  of  a  Department 
of  Health  and  of  bureaus  charged  with  the  work  of  providing 
better  means  of  communication  and  transportation.  The  impor- 
tance of  developing  and  conserving  the  forests  which  covered  the 
mountains  was  fully  appreciated  and  the  Bureau  of  Forestry  was 
made  as  efficient  as  available  means  would  permit. 

Under  the  Customs  Administration  Bill  which  had  been  passed 
the  previous  year  the  American  system  of  appraisement  and  col- 
lection had  been  adopted.  In  September,  1901,  a  new  tariff  law 
was  enacted  by  the  commission  which  imposed  an  average  ad 
valorem  duty  of  twenty-five  or  thirty  per  cent,  on  goods  imported 
into  the  islands.  The  notable  feature  of  the  system  was  the  re- 
versal of  the  Spanish  method  and  the  imposition  of  heavy  taxes 
on  luxuries  and  almost  nominal  duties  on  foodstuffs  and  other 
necessities  of  life.^ 

The  government  as  thus  organized  was  simple  in  form  and 
well  adapted  for  its  work.  But  it  was  regarded  as  a  temporary 
structure  and  the  commission,  embarrassed  by  the  uncertainty  as 
to  its  powers,  urged  upon  Congress  the  necessity  for  providing 
something  more  permanent.^" 

s  For  the  conditions  prior  to  September,  1901,  see  Report  of  the  Military 
Governor  on  Civil  Affairs  (Kept.  War  Dept.,  1900,  I,  p.  79,  Appendix  E.  E.). 

10  In  its  Report  of  October  1,  1901  (Report  of  the  Civil  Governor,  1900- 
1903,  p.  272)  the  commission  urged  that  Congress  take  some  action  toward 
providing  a  permanent  civil  government.     It  was  recommended  "That  Con- 


THE    NEW    CIVIL    GOVERNMENT  9 

In  fact,  the  government  had  ample  power,  had  it  been  willing  to 
assume  full  responsibilty.  The  real  difficulty  was  that  it  rested 
on  the  war  powers  of  the  president,  and  war  had  ceased.  The 
duty  of  providing  a  government  was  imposed  by  the  Constitution 
upon  Congress  but  it  was  not  ready  to  act.  The  general  Philip- 
pine policy  had  been  thoroughly  threshed  out  during  the  presiden- 
tial election  of  1900,  and  most  of  the  members  of  Congress  who 
visited  the  islands  in  search  of  information  had  returned  to  their 
duties  primed  with  material  to  justify  their  previously  formed 
opinions. 

In  the  winter  of  1901,  Governor  Taft  returned  to  the  United 
States  in  order  to  recuperate  his  health  and  advise  with  reference 
to  necessary  legislation.  When  he  arrived  in  Washington,  Con- 
gress was  considering  bills  for  the  modification  of  the  tariff  laws 
and  the  creation  of  a  congressional  as  distinguished  from  a  mili- 
tary government  for  the  Philippines.  The  whole  question  of 
Philippine  policy  was  thus  brought  before  Congress  and  elab- 


gress  be  requested  to  confirm  the  legislation  of  the  commission  already  en- 
acted, and  vest  by  Congressional  enactment  in  the  civil  governor  and  com- 
mission and  their  successors  to  be  appointed  by  the  President  the  authority 
heretofore  exercised  by  them  under  the  instructions  of  the  President,  with 
the  limitations  therein  contained,  until  January  1,  1904;  and  that  provision 
be  made  in  such  legislation  for  a  government  to  begin  January  1,  1904,  and 
to  be  composed  of  a  governor  and  the  heads  of  four  executive  departments, 
to  be  appointed  by  the  President ;  of  an  Executive  Council,  to  consist  of  the 
governor  and  the  four  heads  of  departments,  and  four  others  to  be  appointed 
by  the  President  (the  Executive  Council  to  consist  both  of  Americans  and 
Filipinos),  and  of  a  popular  assembly  of  not  exceeding  thirty  representatives, 
to  be  elected  from  districts  to  be  determined  after  a  census  of  the  Filipino 
population  in  the  islands ;  that  in  such  government  the  members  of  the  popu- 
lar assembly  shall  serve  for  a  term  of  two  years,  and  the  popular  assembly 
shall  be  limited  to  an  annual  session  of  three  months,  from  the  first  of  Janu- 
ary to  the  first  of  April,  except  as  this  may  be  extended  by  call  of  the  gov- 
ernor for  a  definite  period  in  extra  session ;  that  the  power  of  the  popular 
assembly  shall  be  that  of  a  coordinate  branch  of  the  legislature,  except  that 
in  the  case  of  appropriation  bills,  if  the  popular  assembly  shall  fail  to  vote  the 
appropriations  required  by  law  during  its  regular  session  of  three  months  the 
right  to  vote  such  necessary  appropriations  shall  vest  in  the  executive  council ; 
that  the  governor  shall  have  the  power  to  veto  the  legislation  of  the  two 
chambers  unless  the  same  shall  be  again  passed  by  a  two-thirds  vote  of  both 
houses ;  that  Congress  shall  have  full  power  to  abrogate  all  legislation,  and 
that  by  a  joint  vote  of  the  popular  assembly  and  the  Executive  Council  two 
delegates,  who  shall  be  residents  of  the  islands,  shall  be  elected  to  represent 
the  interests  of  these  islands  and  the  Filipino  people  before  Congress  and  the 
Executive  at  Washington,  their  expenses  and  salaries  to  be  paid  from  the 
insular  treasury." 


10  THE    PHILIPPINES 

orately  considered  in  all  its  bearings,  political,  economic  and 
personal. 

It  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  the  passage  of  the  re- 
vised tariff  law  was  secured.  The  objections  to  the  bill  which 
proposed  to  reduce  the  duties  on  articles  coming  into  the  United 
States  from  the  Philippines  and  thus  give  the  Filipinos  access  to 
the  American  market  in  exchange  for  the  Spanish  market  from 
which  they  were  excluded,  were  far  from  creditable  to  the  coun- 
try, as  they  were  based  on  the  purely  selfish  considerations  of 
individuals  who  feared  that  their  business  interests  would  be 
affected  by  competition  with  Philippine  products. 

Separate  bills  to  establish  a  civil  government,  differing  in  some 
material  respects,  were  introduced  in  the  Senate  and  the  House 
and  debated  throughout  the  winter  and  spring.  While  these  bills 
were  pending  the  Senate  Committee  on  the  Philippines  was  con- 
ducting an  elaborate  investigation  which  threw  much  light  upon 
existing  conditions  and  past  events.  Senator  Hoar's  request  for 
a  special  committee  with  power  to  examine  and  report  on  the  con- 
duct of  the  war  in  the  Philippines,  the  administration  of  the  gov- 
ernment there,  and  the  conditions  and  character  of  the  inhabi- 
tants was  not  granted,  but  the  Senate  Standing  Committee  on  the 
Philippines  was  instructed  to  proceed  with  an  investigation  along 
somewhat  similar  lines. 

This  committee,  of  which  Senator  Henry  Cabot  Lodge  of  Mas- 
sachusetts was  chairman,  examined  Governor  W.  H.  Taft,  Gen- 
eral E.  S.  Otis,  General  Arthur  MacArthur,  General  R.  P. 
Hughes  and  others  who  were  supposed  to  possess  special  knowl- 
edge of  conditions  and  to  be  able  to  speak  authoritatively  with 
reference  to  political  and  economic  matters.  The  questions  cov- 
ered a  wide  range  and  showed  a  very  general  desire  on  the  part 
of  the  members  of  the  committee  to  learn  the  actual  conditions.^^ 

But  the  proceedings  before  the  committees  and  debates  in  Con- 
gress simply  accentuated  the  positions  which  had  been  taken  by 
the  Republican  and  Democratic  parties  toward  the  Philippine 
problem  during  the  presidential  campaign  of  1900.    The  Republi- 

^^Sen.  Doc.  331,  57th  Cong.,  jst  Sess.,  3  vols.  (1901-1902). 


THE    NEW    CIVIL    GOVERNMENT  11 

cans,  with  a  few  notable  exceptions,  supported  the  administration 
and  consistently  adhered  to  the  policy  of  holding  the  islands  until 
such  time  as  the  Filipinos  are  prepared  for  self-government,  con- 
serving while  developing  the  natural  resources  of  the  country, 
and  giving  the  people  as  their  competency  appears,  a  constantly 
increasing  share  in  the  work  of  the  government.  Republican  sen- 
ators and  representatives  differed  as  to  the  details  of  the  system 
which  should  be  adopted  but  with  few  exceptions  they  supported 
the  general  policy  of  the  party  leaders." 

The  Democrats  seemed  to  be  convinced  that  the  Republicans 
were  insincere  in  their  expressed  desire  for  the  well-being  of  the 
Filipinos  and  that  the  real  object  of  the  proposed  civil  government 
law  was  to  render  it  easier  to  rob  the  Filipinos  by  transferring  the 
natural  wealth  of  the  country  to  American  trusts  and  adven- 
turers. The  leaders  of  the  opposition  pretended  to  believe  that 
every  one  connected  with  the  Philippine  government,  from  Presi- 
dent Roosevelt,  Secretary  Root,  Governor  Taft  and  the  commis- 
sioners, to  the  lowest  civil  service  clerk,  was  consciously  engaged 
in  a  vast  conspiracy  to  rob  the  Filipinos  and  loot  the  Archipelago. 

It  would  have  been  wiser  to  continue  for  a  few  decades  the 
simple  form  of  commission  government  which  Secretary  Root 
had  created.  But  both  the  Schurman  and  Taft  Commissions  had 
recommended  the  creation  of  a  bicameral  legislature  with  an  ap- 
pointive upper  house  and  a  lower  house  composed  entirely  of 
members  elected  by  Filipino  constituencies.  This  meant  accentu- 
ating the  political  instead  of  the  economic  factors  in  the  local 
situation.  The  Filipinos  were  already  represented  in  the  com- 
mission, and  thus  in  the  legislature,  by  appointed  native  members 
and  the  local  governments  were  entirely  in  their  hands.  It  would 
seem  that  the  place  to  test  their  capacity  for  self-government  was 
in  the  provinces  and  municipalities.  The  wisdom  of  a  policy 
under  which  the  natives  would  be  placed  in  absolute  power  in  one 
house  of  the  legislature  was  seriously  questioned  by  many  sincere 
friends  of  the  Filipinos.    Legislative  bodies  in  which  the  natives 

12  See  statement  of  Mr.  Gillett,  of  Massachusetts,  Cong.  Rec,  XXXV, 
Pt.  8,  p.  7702. 


12  THE    PHILIPPINES 

were  represented  by  elected  members  had  been  tried  under  condi- 
tions not  greatly  dissimilar  in  some  of  the  British  colonies  with 
very  unsatisfactory  results  and  the  judgment  of  disinterested 
students  of  colonial  government  seemed  to  be  adverse  to  that 
form  of  government/^ 

As  Professor  Reinsch  says:  "It  is  a  difficult  matter  to  adapt 
representative  institutions  to  colonies  in  which  the  white  element 
is  small,  or  to  which  the  mother  country  is  not  ready  to  grant 
practical  autonomy  with  what  this  implies."  It  was  generally 
conceded  that  the  time  to  grant  such  autonomy  had  not  arrived 
and  it  was  certain  that  the  creation  of  a  native  legislative  body 
with  real  power  over  legislation  would  increase  the  difficulties 
of  government. 

However,  those  who  were  assumed  to  be  best  informed  as  to 
the  local  situation  in  the  Philippines  were  of  the  opinion  that 
under  the  circumstances  the  probable  advantages  of  a  popular  as- 
sembly would  more  than  balance  the  conceded  disadvantages.  In 
his  testimony  before  the  Senate  Committee  Governor  Taft  said : 
"I  think  that  a  popular  assembly  is  what  the  people  desire,  and 
I  think  it  is  the  best  possible  means  of  educating  their  educated 
men  in  popular  government.  It  will  give  them  an  opportunity  to 
meet,  to  express  their  views,  to  take  part  in  legislation,  to  propose 
and  enact  laws  which  they  deem  useful  in  the  country ;  it  will  give 
them  a  part  in  the  government  and  will  by  practice  teach  them 
what  self-government  is.  ...  I  am  sure  that  with  that 
(granted)  the  people  will  have  confidence  that  our  statement  to 
them,  that  we  desire  to  educate  them  in  self-government,  and 
give  them  a  measure  of  self-government  increasing  it  gradually 
as  they  become  more  fitted  for  it,  is  true." 

In  reply  to  a  question  by  Senator  Beveridge,  whether  the  ex- 
perience in  Hawaii  suggested  very  brilliant  prospects  for  a  pop- 
ular assembly  in  the  Philippines,  Governor  Taft  said:  "If  you 
prevent  the  legislative  assembly  from  choking  the  government, 


13  See  Annals  Am.  Acad.  Pol.  and  Soc.  Sci.,  1899,  Stipp.,  p.  15  et  seq.; 
Reinsch,  Colonial  Government,  Chap.  XI ;  also  article  in  The  Forum,  June, 
1902;  Lewis,  Government  of  Dependencies  (Lucas'  Ed.),  p.  307. 


THE    NEW    CIVIL    GOVERNMENT  13 

from  stopping  things  (by  refusing  to  vote  supplies),  I  think  this 
will  be  a  very  useful  body." 

As  to  the  time  when  the  assembly  should  be  established  Gov- 
ernor Taft  said :  "I  may  be  frank  about  it.  There  is  a  good  deal 
of  fundamental  legislation  yet  to  be  passed.  Here  are  the  criminal 
code  and  an  internal  revenue  law  and  a  number  of  other  things 
that  will  require  a  good  deal  of  study.  We  are  charged  with 
founding  a  government  as  distinguished  from  running  it;  we 
thought  if  we  fixed  a  time  within  which  we  might  pass  those 
fundamental  legislative  provisions,  that  then  it  would  be  safe, 
at  the  end  of  that  time.  But  I  am  sure,  though  I  have  not  con- 
sulted with  my  colleagues,  that  there  would  be  no  objection  to 
making  it  conditional  upon  the  establishment  of  peace  in  the 
islands.    That  might  make  a  leverage  for  bringing  peace."" 

Secretary  Root  and  many  of  the  leading  supporters  of  the  ad- 
ministration doubted  the  advisability  of  creating  the  Philippine 
Assembly  until  the  natives  had  shown  more  evidence  of  capacity 
and  a  stronger  disposition  to  accept  American  sovereignty.  They 
believed  that  the  practical  native  control  of  the  provincial  and 
municipal  governments  and  large  participation  in  the  executive 
work  was  sufficient  for  the  time  being.  However,  Secretary  Root 
yielded  to  the  arguments  of  Mr.  Taft  and  consented  to  the  inser- 
tion in  the  law  of  the  provision  for  the  assembly.  The  Senate 
struck  it  out  of  the  bill  which  it  passed,  but  in  deference  to  the 
demands  of  the  House  of  Representatives  the  provision  for  a 
bicameral  legislature  was  finally  adopted  and  the  Filipinos  given 
equal  power  in  the  lawmaking  body." 


''■^Sen.  Doc.  3^1,  57th  Cong.,  ist  Scss.,  Pt.  I,  pp.  333-5.  See  the  letter  of 
Mr.  Taft  to  Mr.  Cooper,  Cong.  Rec,  June  25,  1902. 

1^  Act  of  Congress,  July  1,  1902.  In  his  address  at  the  opening  of  the 
Philippine  Assembly,  October  11,  1907  {Kept.  Phil.  Com.,  1907,  Pt  I,  p.  224), 
Mr.  Taft,  then  secretary  of  war,  said : 

"I  can  well  remember  when  that  section  was  drafted  in  the  private  office  of 
Mr.  Root  in  his  house  in  Washington.  Only  he  and  I  were  present.  I  urged 
the  wisdom  of  the  concession,  and  he  yielded  to  my  arguments  and  the  sec- 
tion as  then  drafted  differed  but  little  from  the  form  it  has  to-day.  It  was 
embodied  in  a  bill  presented  to  the  House,  and  passed  by  the  House,  was 
considered  by  the  Senate,  was  stricken  out  by  the  Senate,  and  was  only  re- 
stored after  a  conference,  the  Senators  in  the  conference  consenting  to  its 
insertion  with  great  reluctance.    I  had  urged  its  adoption  upon  both  commit- 


14  THE   PHILIPPINES 

The  Democratic  members  objected  not  to  the  poHcy  of  pro- 
viding a  native  legislative  assembly  but  to  the  conditions  pre- 
cedent to  its  being  established.  They  wished  it  established  at 
once.  To  their  suspicious  minds  it  seemed  that  the  calling  of 
the  election  would  be  indefinitely  postponed.  Senator  Patterson, 
for  instance,  was  certain  that  the  bill  did  not  hold  out  the 
shadow  of  a  reasonable  hope  of  any  sort  of  a  legislative  body 
even  in  the  distant  future.  He  had  no  expectation  that  there 
would  ever  be  a  general  peace  in  the  islands  and  if  such  a  desir- 
able condition  should  occur  he  was  sure  that  the  designing  people 
in  charge  of  the  government  would  find  an  excuse  for  denying 
it  in  order  to  prevent  the  assembly  from  being  instituted.  As 
Senator  Culbertson  expressed  it,  they  were  opposed  to  the  bill  be- 
cause it  did  not  fix  the  political  status  of  the  Filipinos,  and  did  not 
state  the  ultimate  purpose  of  the  United  States  government  with 
reference  to  the  islands,  and  also  because  under  its  other  pro- 
visions all  of  the  property  of  the  people  would  be  disposed  of, 
mortgaged  or  pledged,  long  before  the  Filipinos  would  have  any 
substantial  share  in  the  government.^® 

Assuming  that  the  assembly  was  to  be  created,  the  conditions 
precedent  to  the  calling  of  a  general  election  were  certainly  rea- 
sonable and  necessary  precautionary  measures.  It  was  provided 
that  whenever  the  existing  insurrection  had  ceased  and  a  condi- 
tion of  general  and  complete  peace  had  been  established  in  the 
islands  and  the  fact  certified  to  the  president  of  the  United  States 
by  the  Philippine  Commission,  the  president  upon  being  satisfied 
thereof,  should  direct  the  commission  to  take  a  census  which 
should  as  far  as  practicable  show  the  name,  age,  sex,  race  or 
tribe  of  the  inhabitants,  whether  native  or  foreign  bom,  literate 
in  Spanish,  native  dialect  or  language,  or  in  English,  the  school 
attendance,  ownership  of  homes,  industrial  and  social  statistics 
and  such  other  information  as  the  president  and  the  commission 
might  deem  necessary.^^ 


tees,  and  as  the  then  governor  of  the  islands,  had  to  assume  a  responsibility 
as  guarantor  in  respect  to  it  which  I  have  never  sought  to  disavow." 

16  Cong.  Rec.  XXXV,  Pt.  VIII,  p.  77ZZ. 

i^  Act  of  Congress,  July  1,  1902,  §  6.    The  various  proclamations  and  docu- 


THE    NEW    CIVIL    GOVERNMENT  15 

After  this  census  had  been  completed  and  the  results  published, 
two  years  were  to  elapse  in  which  to  test  the  genuineness  of  the 
peace.  If  the  conditions  which  had  been  certified  continued  to 
exist  during  the  two  years  in  the  territory  not  inhabited  by  the 
Moros  or  other  non-Christian  tribes,  and  that  fact  was  certified 
to  the  president  by  the  commission,  the  president  being  satisfied 
thereof,  was  required  to  direct  the  commission  to  call  a  general 
election  for  the  choice  of  delegates  to  a  popular  assembly  of  the 
people.  The  conditions  precedent  were  (1)  a  condition  of  gen- 
eral and  complete  peace  established  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
president  by  the  certificate  of  the  Philippine  Commission,  (2) 
the  taking  and  publication  of  a  census  and  (3)  the  lapse  of  two 
years  thereafter  during  which  the  condition  of  general  and  com- 
plete peace  with  recognition  of  the  authority  of  the  United  States 
had  continued.  The  facts  had  to  be  found  by  the  commission  and 
the  president;  but  the  president  was  left  free  to  act  on  his  own 
judgment,  on  the  certificate  and  such  other  information  as  he 
might  obtain.  It  therefore  rested  with  the  president  to  determine 
when  the  Philippine  Legislature  would  be  established  and  had  he 
and  the  commissioners  been  the  designing  conspirators  against 
Filipino  liberty  that  certain  congressmen  imagined  them  to  be, 
the  birthday  of  the  Philippine  Assembly  might  have  been  remote 
indeed. 

The  assembly  was  to  consist  of  not  less  than  fifty  nor  more 
than  one  hundred  members  to  be  apportioned  by  the  commission 
among  the  provinces  as  nearly  as  practical  according  to  popula- 
tion. The  qualifications  of  electors  at  such  election  were  to  be  the 
same  as  those  which  had  already  been  provided  by  the  law  passed 
by  the  commission  for  electors  at  municipal  elections.  Any 
elector  so  qualified  being  twenty-five  years  of  age,  resident  in 
the  district,  and  owing  allegiance  to  the  United  States,  was  eli- 
gible to  election  as  a  member  of  the  assembly.  It  was  provided 
that  after  the  assembly  convened  and  organized  "all  the  legis- 

ments,  and  an  account  of  the  institution  of  the  assembly  as  a  chamber  of  the 
Philippine  Legislature  are  printed  in  the  Report  of  the  Executive  Secretary, 
Report  Phil.  Com.,  1907,  Pt.  I,  pp.  202-228. 


16  THE    PHILIPPINES 

lative  power  heretofore  conferred  on  the  Philippine  Commission 
in  all  that  part  of  said  islands  not  inhabited  by  Moros  or  other 
non-Christian  tribes,  shall  be  vested  in  a  legislature  consisting 
of  two  houses, — the  Philippine  Commission,  and  the  Philippine 
Assembly." 

The  commission  thus  remained  the  sole  legislative  body  for 
that  part  of  the  Archipelago  which  was  not  inhabited  by  Moros 
and  non-Christian  tribes. 

The  usual  powers  of  one  branch  of  a  legislative  body  were  con- 
ferred upon  the  assembly.  It  was  made  the  judge  of  the  election 
returns  and  of  the  qualifications  of  its  members.  It  could  choose 
its  speaker  and  other  officers,  but  their  salaries  had  to  be  fixed  by 
law ;  that  is,  by  the  action  of  both  houses  of  the  legislature.  There 
was  no  provision  with  reference  to  money  bills  originating  in  the 
popular  branch  of  the  legislature  and  although  the  assembly  at 
one  time  claimed  this  right  on  general  principles  it  was  never 
conceded  by  the  upper  house. 

Congress  did  not  close  its  eyes  to  the  possibility  that  the  assem- 
bly might  prove  troublesome  and  as  there  was  no  intention  of  giv- 
ing it  the  power  to  force  its  will  upon  the  upper  house  by  refus- 
ing to  make  the  appropriations  necessary  to  keep  the  government 
alive,  provision  was  made  in  such  an  event  for  the  automatic 
renewal  of  former  appropriations.^* 

The  bill  became  a  law  on  July  1,  1902,^^  and  five  years  there- 
after the  Philippine  Legislature  came  into  existence.  On  Sep- 
tember 8,  1902,  the  commission  certified  to  the  president  that  the 
insurrection,  except  in  the  Moro  country,  had  ceased  and  that 
"a  condition  of  general  and  complete  peace  has  been  established." 
Thereupon  on  September  25,  President  Roosevelt, .  "being  satis- 
fied of  the  facts  therein  stated,"  directed  that  the  commission 
'should  take  the  census  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the 
Act  of  Congress.  It  required  three  years  to  take  the  census  and 
publish  the  results,  the  last  volume  being  published  on  March  27, 


18  See  Chap.  VI,  pp.  116-120. 

1^  For  its  provisions,  see  Chap.  IV,  infra. 


THE    PHILIPPI 


not  inii  I 

tribes,  ^2\\  be  vested  in  a  legislature  consi  rUng 
,  —the  Philippine  Comn^ission,  and  the  Philippine 

amission  thus  remained  tire  soIp  l<^gislative  body  for 

isat  part  of  the  Archipelago  which  w..  laliited  by  Moros 

'  iian  tribes. 

,      ,....:- wers  of  one  bra:  •■  dy  were  con- 

upon  the  assembly.    It  \  re  of  the  election 

"  ihe  qualificatioi  It  could  choose 

■'         '^  -—■■-'.,  \m\    I  !  to  be  fixed  by 

both  hi  .     iature.  There 

•n  with  reference  to  money  bills  originating  in  the 

;  cf  the  legislature  and  although  the  assembly  at 

'■  -■-•    T34^V8D;a  54irif  caiHprinciples  it  was  never 

^e  its  eyes  to  the  possibility  that  the  assem- 

V  and  as  there  was  no  intention  of  giv- 

-.-  :m  ,.,  .  v.  i]jg  upper  house  by  refus- 

V  to  keep  the  government 

such  an  event  for  the  automatic 

us." 

existence.     Oti  Sep- 

sion  certified  to  the  president  that  the 

Moro  country,  had  ceased  and  that 

complete  peace  has  been  established." 

5,  President  Roosevelt,  "being  satis- 

;ated,"  directed  that  the  commission 

-  '-"ce  with  the  provisions  of  the 

vcars  to  take  the  census  and 

^  published  on  March  27 , 


THE    NEW    CIVIL    GOVERNMENT  17 

1905.^°  On  the  following  day  Governor-General  Wright"  issued 
a  proclamation  calling  attention  to  the  fact  and  to  the  provisions 
of  the  Act  of  Congress  which  required  that  the  conditions  of  gen- 
eral and  complete  peace  should  continue  for  two  years  more  be- 
fore the  election  could  be  called. 

Those  two  years  were  not  in  fact  entirely  peaceable,  as  certain 
outlaws  in  Cavite  and  Batangas  and  pidijancs  in  the  mountains 
of  Samar  and  Leyte  were  causing  very  serious  disturbances.  Had 
the  commission  been  actuated  by  the  desire  to  postpone  the  crea- 
tion of  the  assembly  the  certification  of  a  condition  of  general  and 
complete  peace  might  very  well  have  been  delayed.  On  the  con- 
trary the  facts  were  strained  a  trifle  in  order  to  get  the  assembly 
organized.  It  was  undoubtedly  true  that  the  majority  of  the  peo- 
ple of  the  provinces  in  which  there  were  still  disturbances  had 
taken  no  part  therein  and  neither  aided  nor  abetted  the  acts  of  the 
bandits  and  outlaws. 

Being  satisfied  that  the  great  mass  and  body  of  the  Filipino 
people  had  during  the  period  of  two  years  continued  to  be  law- 
abiding,  peaceful  and  loyal  to  the  United  States  and  had  con-' 
tinued  to  recognize  the  authority  and  sovereignty  of  the  United 
States,  the  commission  certified  that  the  conditions  existed  which 
justified  the  calling  of  a  general  election  for  the  choice  of  dele- 
gates to  the  assembly.  On  the  same  date  the  president  issued  an 
executive  order  which  after  reciting  the  various  resolutions  and 
certifications  directed  the  Philippine  Commission  to  call  the  elec- 
tion. 

The  Act  of  Congress  provided  that  all  who  were,  then  qualified 
to  vote  at  municipal  elections  under  the  law  which  had  been 


20  Census  of  the  Philippines.  Taken  under  the  direction  of  the  Philippine 
government  in  the  year  1903,  Gen.  J.  P.  Sanger,  U.  S.  A.,  director.  Four 
volumes,  Washington,  1905.  These  volumes  are  a  mine  of  information  about 
the  islands.  Volume  I,  devoted  to  geography,  history  and  populations,  is  par- 
ticularly valuable.  Act  2352,  February  28,  1914,  provides  for  the  taking  of  a 
second  census,  and  presumably  the  work  is  progressing. 

21  The  title  of  the  chief  executive  was  changed  from  civil  governor  to 
governor-general  soon  after  Governor  Taft  resigned,  to  become  secretary  of 
war.  He  was  succeeded  by  Commissioner  Wright,  the  vice-governor,  who  was 
thus  the  first  governor-general. 


18  THE    PHILIPPINES 

passed  by  the  commission  might  vote  for  delegates  to  the  assem- 
bly. But  before  the  general  election  for  delegates  was  called  the 
commission  had  enacted  a  general  election  law  which  raised  the 
qualifications  and  increased  the  disqualifications  of  voters  and 
the  result  was  that  lower  qualifications  were  required  to  vote  for 
a  delegate  to  the  assembly  than  to  vote  for  an  insignificant  mu- 
nicipal office.  Felons,  victims  of  the  opium  habit  and  persons 
convicted  of  crimes  involving  moral  turpitude  whose  cases  were 
pending  on  appeal,  were  ineligible  under  the  general  law  to  elec- 
tion to  a  provincial  or  municipal  office  but  fully  qualified  to  vote 
for  or  be  elected  as  a  delegate  to  the  assembly.  ^^ 

The  election  was  called  for  July  30,  1907,  and  passed  off  with- 
out much  excitement.^^  One  hundred  and  four  thousand  nine 
hundred  and  sixty-six  votes  were  cast.  The  creation  of  the  as- 
sembly had  given  a  tremendous  impulse  to  the  movement  for  in- 
dependence. Numerous  political  parties  were  organized  and  fac- 
tional feeling  was  strong.  The  people  were  taught  to  believe  that 
the  assembly  would  be  potent  in  the  cause  of  independence  and 
the  delegates  were  elected  primarily  upon  that  issue.  The  Fed- 
eralist party  which  represented  the  wealthy  and  conservative 
element  and  from  which  the  government  had  expected  so  much 
assistance,  had  been  succeeded,  or  rather,  absorbed,  by  the  Pro- 
gresista  party,  which  hoped  for  independence  at  some  time  in 
the  future  and  in  the  meantime  was  satisfied  with  American  sov- 
ereignty. A  political  party  which  conceded  its  present  incompe- 
tence to  run  a  government  could  hardly  expect  to  win  a  popular 
election.  Its  principal  opponent,  the  Nacionalista  party,  adopted 
no  such  modest  position.    Its  members  boldly  asserted  their  abil- 


22  Kept.  Phil.  Com.,  1907,  Pt.  I,  p.  49. 

23  The  commission,  under  the  spell  of  days,  in  its  Report  (1907,  Pt.  I, 
p.  48),  noted  that  "by  a  strange  coincidence  the  day  of  the  month  fixed  for 
holding  the  election  was  the  same  as  that  on  which  the  first  legislative  body 
in  America,  the  House  of  Burgesses,  met  in  the  year  1619."  There  were 
some  disturbances  in  Manila,  which  led  to  the  amendment  of  the  sedition 
law  and  the  forbidding  of  the  display  of  the  Katipunan  flag  and  other  insur- 
recto  emblems. 

A  bill  to  repeal  these  laws  was  the  first  introduced  into  the  new  Philippine 
Legislature  created  under  the  Philippine  Government  Law  of  1916. 


THE    NEW    CIVIL    GOVERNMENT  19 

ity  to  govern  the  country  now,  and  demanded  immediate  inde- 
pendence. On  this  issue  they  won  control  of  the  assembly.  Of 
the  other  factions  the  Immediatistas  demanded  independence  at 
once  but  the  Urgentistas,  under  the  stress  of  apparent  necessity, 
went  them  one  better  and  demanded  it  quicker  than  immediately. 
The  result  was  that  a  small  popular  majority  of  those  who  exer- 
cised the  franchise  voted  for  candidates  who  favored  the  imme- 
diate separation  of  the  islands  from  the  United  States.^* 

The  new  Philippine  Legislature,  composed  of  two  houses,  met 
for  the  first  time  on  October  11,  1907.  The  secretary  of  war 
journeyed  again  to  the  islands  in  order  to  be  present  at  the  open- 
ing session  of  the  experimental  assembly  for  which  he  had  stood 
sponsor.  It  was  already  certain  that  the  assembly  would  be  the 
organ  of  the  independence  movement  and  that  it  would  assume 
to  speak  for  all  the  people  of  the  Philippines.  The  authority  of 
the  commission  was  of  course  thereby  greatly  weakened.  It  was 
inevitable  that  the  Filipinos  would  soon  come  to  regard  the  as- 
sembly as  the  champion  and  representative  of  their  special  inter- 
ests as  against  the  commission  which  they  assumed  would  look 
after  the  interests  of  the  United  States. 

Secretary  Taft  still  preserved  his  spirit  of  optimism. ^^  The 
experiences  of  the  five  years  which  had  passed  since  he  had  in- 
duced Congress  to  provide  for  the  creation  of  the  assembly  which 
gave  the  Filipinos  an  equal  share,  theoretically,  in  the  legislative 
power,  had  not  shaken  his  faith  in  the  wisdom  of  the  policy. 
Probably  every  other  American  in  the  Philippines  at  that  time 
felt  that  it  was  a  mistake;  that  it  was  placing  in  the  hands  of  the 
political  class  of  the  country  an  instrument  which  would  enable  it 
to  cultivate  a  public  sentiment  in  favor  of  independence  which  in 
time  would  force  the  hand  of  the  United  States  and  overthrow 


2*  In  the  first  assembly  there  were  thirty-two  Nacionalistas,  four  Inde- 
pendistas,  seven  Immediatistas,  ten  Progresistas,  twenty  Independents  and  one 
Centra  Catolico.  For  accounts  of  the  poHtical  parties,  see  W.  H.  Taft's 
Political  Parties  in  the  Philippines,  Annals  Am.  Academy  of  Pol.  and  Soc. 
Sci.,  XX,  Sept.,  1902;  Millard,  America  and  the  Eastern  Question,  Chaps. 
XXX  and  XXXI,  1909. 

25  Secretary  Taft's  speech,  October  11,  1907  (Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  Pt  I,  pp. 
215-226). 


20  THE    PHILIPPINES 

the  policy  which  for  its  success  required  several  generations  of 
American  control. 

With  the  institution  of  the  Philippine  Legislature  in  1907,  with 
jurisdiction  over  the  Christian  provinces,  the  legislative  power 
over  what  remained  of  the  Archipelago  continuing  in  the  commis- 
sion, the  government  assumed  the  final  form  provided  for  by  the 
law  of  July  1,  1902,  which  it  retained  until  October,  1916, 
when  a  new  legislature  with  two  elective  houses  was  instituted 
with  full  legislative  power,  subject  to  the  veto  of  the  governor- 
general,  vested  in  the  elected  representatives  of  the  Filipinos. 


CHAPTER  II 
The  Aftermath  of  War 

The  Proclamation  of  Peace — The  Reconstruction  Period — Conditions  Un- 
favorable to  Order — Ladronism — Natural  Calamities — Threatened  Famine — 
Death  of  the  Carabao — Local  Disturbances — Political  or  Criminal  Motives — 
Premature  Organization  of  Civil  Governments — Attitude  of  General  Mac- 
Arthur — General  J.  F.  Bell  in  Batangas — His  Policy — Concentration  Camps 
— Surrender  of  Malvar — Balangiga — The  Pulijanes — The  Presidential  Elec- 
tion— Judge  Parker's  Charges — Magtaon — The  Pacification  of  Samar — 
Troubles  in  Albay — Surrender  of  Ola — Cavite  and  Laguna — Suspension  of 
Writ  of  Habeas  Corpus — Peace  and  Quiet — Conditions  in  the  Moro  Country. 

On  July  4,  1902,  one  year  after  the  inauguration  of  the  insular 
civil  government,  President  Roosevelt  issued  a  proclamation  an- 
nouncing that  complete  peace  prevailed  throughout  the  Archi- 
pelago and  granting  amnesty  to  all  who  had  been  engaged  in 
the  insurrection.  The  statement  of  fact  upon  which  the  procla- 
mation was  based  was  strictly  correct  in  the  sense  that  war  had 
ceased,  but  the  country  was  far  from  being  in  a  condition  of  per- 
fect order.  Nearly  half  a  decade  was  to  pass  before  the  last 
dying  embers  of  the  insurrection  were  stamped  out. 

The  physical  nature  of  the  islands,  the  character  of  the  inhab- 
itants, and  the  abnormal  social  and  political  conditions  made  the 
task  of  restoring  order  peculiarly  difficult.  The  country  had  to 
go  through  a  period  of  reconstruction  which  presented  problems 
almost  as  difficult  of  solution  as  those  which  faced  the  American 
people  after  the  great  Civil  War. 

The  insurrection  had  brought  new  men  to  the  surface,  many  of 
them  from  obscurity  and  some  from  the  ranks  of  the  old  bandits 
and  cattle  thieves  with  which  the  country  had  always  been  cursed. 
The  remoteness  and  inaccessibility  of  the  mountain  regions,  the 
guerrilla  character  of  the  last  years  of  the  war,  the  ancient  custom 
of  the  disaffected  and  the  criminal  fleeing  to  the  mountain  fast- 
nesses and  gathering  about  them  bands  of  ladrones,  the  popular- 

21 


22  THE    PHILIPPINES 

ity  of  these  leaders  with  the  common  people,  the  attractions 
of  such  a  career  for  former  insurgent  leaders  who  were  conscious 
of  guilt  of  acts  of  barbarism  which  made  it  unwise  to  trust  their 
persons  to  the  care  of  the  American  officers,  the  lingering  bitter- 
ness and  antagonism  of  the  sore  and  conquered  people,  their  dis- 
position to  follow  plausible  self-appointed  leaders,  ignorance, 
credulity  and  superstition  which  made  them  the  easy  dupes  of  po- 
litical and  religious  fakirs  and  silly  "papas"  who  sold  charms 
called  "anting-antings,"  warranted  to  render  the  wearers  invis- 
ible to  the  Americans  and  impenetrable  by  bullets,  and  the  sincere 
desire  of  the  government  to  avoid  as  long  as  possible  the  resort  to 
harsh  measures — all  combined  to  render  it  inevitable  that  there 
would  be  a  period  of  unrest  and  many  local  outbreaks  and  dis- 
turbances.^ 

The  social  and  political  conditions  were  greatly  aggravated  by 
a  series  of  unusual  natural  calamities  which  befell  the  country  in 
the  early  years  of  the  occupation.  Cholera,  famine,  locusts,  rice- 
worms,  rinderpest,  surra,  anthrax,  floods,  typhoons,  droughts, 
and  almost  every  misfortune  and  pest  known  to  the  tropics  de- 
scended upon  the  stricken  war-torn  land, 

"Out  of  the  clouds  come  torrents,  from  the  earth, 
Fire  and  quakings,  from  the  shrieking  air 
Tempests  that  harry  half  the  planet's  girth. 

Death's  unseen  seeds  are  scattered  everywhere." 

The  Filipinos  as  a  people  are  not  much  addicted  to  crimes  of 
violence,  but  under  such  conditions  it  is  not  surprising  that  during 


I 


1  In  its  Report  for  1903  the  commission  said : 

"One  of  the  great  obstacles  that  this  government  has  to  contend  with  is 
the  presence  in  a  large  majority  of  the  towns  of  the  Archipelago  of  dissolute, 
drunken  and  lawless  Americans  who  are  willing  to  associate  with  low  Fili- 
pino women  and  to  live  upon  the  proceeds  of  their  labor.  They  are  truculent 
and  dishonest.  They  borrow,  beg  and  steal  from  the  natives.  Their  conduct 
and  mode  of  life  are  not  calculated  to  impress  the  natives  with  the  advan- 
tage of  American  civilization.  When  opportunity  offers,  however,  they  are 
loudest  in  denunciation  of  the  Filipinos  as  an  inferior,  lying  race." 

To  get  rid  of  this  undesirable  class  the  commission  passed  acts  defining 
vagrancy  and  providing  a  punishment  therefor.  The  definition  of  what 
constituted  vagrancy  was  very  broad  and  the  islands  were  gradually  relieved 
of  this  undesirable  class.    Repts.  of  the  Phil.  Com.,  1900-1903,  p.  495. 


THE    AFTERMATH    OF    WAR  23 

the  years  immediately  following  the  war  there  were  disturbances 
and  that  the  byways  and  remote  regions  witnessed  many  scenes 
of  violence  and  bloodshed.  Famine  and  disease  drove,  or  at  least 
encouraged,  many  to  resort  to  evil  ways.  The  organized  bands 
of  ladrones  usually  made  their  headquarters  in  the  mountains  and 
raided  the  lowlands,  killing  the  people  and  carrying  away  their 
property.  Advantage  was  often  taken  of  the  disturbed  conditions 
to  wreak  private  grudges^  and  to  take  bloody  vengeance  for  old 
wrongs  and  real  and  fancied  grievances  originating  during  or  be- 
fore the  war. 

The  situation  called  for  active  government  assistance.  Until 
there  was  some  relief  from  threatened  famine  it  would  be  impos- 
sible to  restore  order.  In  1903  Congress  appropriated  three 
million  dollars  for  the  relief  of  distress  in  the  Philippines  and  the 
money  was  used  to  purchase  food  and  work  animals  and  for  the 
construction  of  roads  and  other  public  works  on  which  the  people 
could  be  given  work  and  thus  earn  wages.^ 

In  1902  a  group  of  enterprising  merchants  attempted  to  corner 
the  short  rice  crop  and  the  commission  appropriated  one  million 
dollars*  to  be  used  to  regulate  prices  and  with  it  imported  rice 
from  Saigon  and  Calcutta,  which  it  sold  to  the  people  at  a  loss  of 
about  one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  The  presidentes  of  the  mu- 
nicipalities were  directed  to  call  their  people  together  and  urge 
them  to  plant  quick-growing  crops,  such  as  corn  and  sweet  po- 
tatoes, with  seed  furnished  them  at  the  expense  of  the  provinces.^ 
But  most  of  the  crops  which  were  planted  with  this  seed  withered 
and  died  during  the  drought  and  what  threatened  to  mature  was 
eaten  by  the  locusts.     Various  measures  were  taken  to  destrov 


2  It  was  for  a  murder  committed  during  this  period  that  the  Filipino  Gen- 
eral Noriel  was  convicted  and  executed  in  1915. 

3  See  Kept.  Phil.  Com.,  1904,  Pt.  I,  Exhibit  G,  p.  719.  This  is  the  only  direct 
financial  aid  ever  extended  to  the  Filipinos  by  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States.  Mr.  Freer  {Philippine  Experience  of  an  American  Teacher)  tells 
how  fifty  sacks  of  congressional  relief  fund  rice  aided  in  building  a  school- 
house  in  the  town  of  Bula.  "By  means  of  congressional  relief  fund  rice 
more  than  thirty  schoolhouses  were  constructed  in  many  different  places  in 
Camarines,  most  of  these  being  too  poor  to  build  unassisted." 

*  Act  No.  485.    This  operation  was  repeated  in  1912  and  1915. 
5  Act  No.  517,  Nov.  12,  1902.    Some  of  the  municipal  councils  proceeded  to 
make  it  a  criminal  offense  not  to  accept  this  advice. 


24  THE    PHILIPPINES 

the  locusts,  and  with  a  portion  of  the  congressional  aid  fund 
carabaos  were  imported  from  China.®  The  energetic  measures 
taken  by  the  medical,  health  and  sanitary  authorities  were  effec- 
tive and  the  dread  diseases  were  brought  under  temporary  con- 
trol. 

Second  only  in  importance  to  existence  itself,  which  was  threat- 
ened by  the  cholera  and  famine,  was  the  establishment  of  law  and 
order.  Until  that  was  done,  everything  else  was  illusory.  The  in- 
surrection in  the  sense  of  a  general  uprising  ceased  before  July, 
1901,  but  internal  disturbances  seriously  affecting  public  order 
continued  in  various  parts  of  the  Archipelago  until  shortly  be- 
fore the  general  election  for  delegates  to  the  assembly  in  1907.'' 
The  theory  of  the  insular  administration  was  that  the  real  Fili- 
pino people  were  not  involved  in  these  uprisings ;  that  they  were 
the  work  of  outlaws  and  bandits  who  were  influenced  by  the  de- 
sire for  excitement,  plunder  and  revenge  on  their  fellow  country- 
men who  were  friendly  to  the  Americans.  The  military  men 
generally  regarded  the  conditions  as  resulting  from  the  prema- 
ture transfer  of  control  from  the  army  to  the  civil  government. 
The  irreconcilables  among  the  natives  and  the  opposition  in  the 
United  States  claimed  that  it  was  a  continuation  of  the  struggle 
of  the  Filipinos  for  independence. 

Looking  back  over  the  records  of  those  years  with  our  pres- 
ent knowledge  it  seems  that  Governor  Taft  and  the  commission 
underestimated  the  strength  of  the  influences  which  were  operat- 
ing to  induce  the  disturbances.  It  may  be  correct,  technically,  to 
describe  them  as  the  work  of  bandits  and  outlaws,  but  the  popular 
sympathy  for  the  outlaws,  whatever  its  cause,  was  much  more 
general  than  they  realized  or  were  willing  to  admit.  On  the  other 
hand,  it  was  not  a  general  insurrectionary  movement  against  the 
Americans  as  contended  by  those  who  were  seeking  to  discredit 


^Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1900-3;  Rept  Civil  Governor,  Dec.  23,  1903,  p.  482; 
Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1904,  Pt  I,  p.  288. 

J  This  sudden  cessation  of  bandit  activities  showed  the  control  of  the 
political  leader  over  the  people  for  whose  acts  they  refused  to  be  held  re- 
sponsible. 


THE    AFTERMATH    OF    WAR  25 

the  administration  and  make  political  capital  out  of  the  unsettled 
condition  of  the  country.  Mistakes,  indeed,  and  many  of  them, 
were  made,  and  in  some  instances  it  would  have  been  wiser  not  to 
have  delayed  so  long  to  use  the  regular  army  to  suppress  the 
outlaws.^  Nevertheless,  the  principle  upon  which  the  government 
acted,  namely,  to  rely  upon  the  civil  police,  the  constabulary  and 
the  scouts,  who  were  all  natives,  so  long  as  there  was  any  reason- 
able prospect  of  success,  was  a  valid  one.^  But  it  relied  upon 
them  too  long.  The  commission  in  its  desire  to  avoid  the  use  of 
adequate  force  seems  to  have  fallen  just  short  of  the  policy  of  the 
ruler  of  the  Papal  States  who  once  made  a  formal  treaty  with 
his  brigands  by  which  they  were  to  give  themselves  up  as  prison- 
ers for  a  year,  after  which  they  were  to  be  pensioned. 

Some  of  the  provinces  had  been  prematurely  organized.  As 
we  have  seen,  General  Mac  Arthur  was  not  in  entire  sympathy 
with  the  policy  of  the  administration  and  after  he  had  formally 
acquiesced  therein  a  difference  of  opinion  arose  between  him  and 
the  commission  as  to  who  should  say  when  a  particular  province 
was  ready  to  be  organized.^"  He  finally  conceded  that  it  should 
be  determined  by  the  commission  and  thereafter  seems  in  all  in- 
stances to  have  concurred,  at  least  officially,  in  the  decision  to  or- 
ganize particular  provinces.  There  had  been  serious  doubts  by 
all  parties  as  to  whether  Batangas,  Cebu  and  Bohol  were  ready 


^  Regular  troops  were  used  to  good  advantage  against  the  Moros  and  the 
pulijanes  in  Leyte,  but  in  Batangas  and  Cavite  they  accomplished  little. 

9  In  his  report  to  the  commission,  dated  Nov.  15,  1903  (Repts.  Phil. 
Com.,  1900-1903,  p.  491),  Governor  Taft  said:  "It  is  of  the  utmost  political 
importance  that  the  regular  soldiery,  under  a  command  more  or  less  inde- 
pendent of  the  civil  government,  should  not  be  called  in  to  suppress  dis- 
orders and  to  maintain  the  authority  of  the  civil  government  until  all  the 
forces  of  natives,  whether  Constabulary  or  Scouts,  should  be  used  for  this 
purpose.  Nothing  could  be  further  from  the  truth,  nothing  could  be  more 
unfounded  or  unfair,  than  the  inference  that  the  use  of  Scouts  in  association 
with  the  constabulary  for  the  suppression  of  disorder  is  a  reflection  upon  the 
military  establishment  or  upon  those  who  are  in  command  thereof ;  but  we 
know  in  our  own  country  how  loth  Governors  of  States  are  to  call  out 
militia,  and  how  loth  the  President  is  to  summon  the  Regular  Army  in  the 
suppressions  of  domestic  disorders.  In  this  country  it  is  politically  most  im- 
portant that  Filipinos  should  suppress  Filipino  disturbances  and  arrest  Fili- 
pino outlaws." 

^°  Sen.  Doc.  331,  I,  pp.  85,  86.    Statement  of  Governor  Taft 


26  THE    PHILIPPINES 

for  civil  government,  but  General  MacArthur  and  the  commission 
finally  agreed  that  the  experiment  had  better  be  tried.^^  It  proved 
a  failure  and  in  July,  1901,  these  provinces  were  returned  to  the 
care  of  the  military  governor. 

The  civil  government  had  been  severely  criticized  for  its  soft- 
hearted efforts  to  suppress  the  disturbers  of  the  peace  without 
using  the  military  forces.  The  army  was  now  criticized  for  ex- 
cessive severity.  Neither  General  J.  Franklin  Bell  in  Batangas 
nor  General  Jacob  Smith  in  Samar  made  war  with  their  gloves 
on.  It  was  recognized  that  the  time  for  gentleness  had  passed. 
The  situation  in  Batangas  was  handled  with  great  skill.  While 
the  methods  adopted  by  General  Bell  were  undoubtedly  severe, 
they  were  strictly  in  conformity  with  the  laws  of  war  and  were 
necessary  under  the  circumstances.  When  the  results  obtained 
are  compared  with  the  actual  loss  of  life  it  must  be  conceded  that 
General  Bell's  Batangas  campaign  was  from  every  point  of  view 
not  only  successful  but  merciful. 

During  the  autumn  of  1901  the  insurgent  General  Malvar  and 
his  adherents  were  very  active  in  Batangas.  The  military  author- 
ities, unlike  Governor  Taft  and  the  commissioners,  believed  that 
practically  all  the  natives  of  the  province  were  in  sympathy  with 
Malvar  and  that  those  who  professed  friendship  for  the  Amer- 
icans were  secretly  giving  aid  to  the  insurgents.  General  Bell 
simplified  matters  by  dividing  the  natives  into  two  classes,  friends 
and  enemies.     According  to  his  simple  soldier  philosophy  there 


"  H.  C.  Ide,  North  American  Review,  December,  1907. 

General  MacArthur  assumed  his  share  of  responsibility  for  what  was 
done.  In  a  letter  February  13,  1901,  he  informed  Governor  Taft  that  the 
commander  of  the  Department  of  Southern  Luzon  reported  but  one  province 
as,  ready  for  civil  government.  "I  added,"  he  wrote,  "the  provinces  of  La- 
guna,  Batangas  and  Cavite,  believing  that  the  institution  of  civil  government 
in  all  these  provinces  will  be  of  assistance  to  the  military  authorities  in  the 
work  of  pacification."  Mr.  Worcester  {The  Philippines,  I,  p.  340),  who  pre- 
sumably speaks  from  personal  knowledge,  says  that  "Similarly,  in  estab- 
lishing civil  government  in  Cebu  and  Bohol,  the  Commission  acted  on  the 
specific  recommendation  of  the  military  authorities,  and  rather  against  its 
own  judgment.  There  seemed  to  be  no  good  reason  for  refusing  to  try  civil 
government,  if  the  commanding  general  wanted  it  tried,  and  when  it  failed, 
as  it  promptly  did,  in  Cebu,  Bohol  and  Batangas,  these  provinces  were  im- 
mediately returned  to  the  full  control  of  the  military  and  left  there  until  con- 
ditions became  satisfactory." 


THE    AFTERMATH    OF    WAR  27 

were  to  be  no  neutrals.  Everybody  was  to  be  made  to  "want 
peace  and  want  it  badly."  Those  who  were  friends  must  come 
out  in  the  open.  Thereafter,  according  to  his  statement  issued  on 
December  ninth,  "The  only  acceptable  and  convincing  evidence  of 
the  real  sentiments  of  either  individuals  or  town  councils  should 
be  such  acts  publicly  performed  as  must  inevitably  commit  them 
irrevocably  to  the  side  of  Americans  by  arousing  the  animosity 
of  the  insurgent  element.  .  .  .  Those  who  publicly  guide 
our  troops  to  the  camps  of  the  enemy,  who  publicly  identify  in- 
surgents, who  accompany  troops  in  operations  against  the  enemy, 
who  denounce  and  assist  in  arresting  the  secret  enemies  of  the 
government,  who  publicly  obtain  and  bring  reliable  and  valuable 
information  to  commanding  officers,  those  in  fact  who  publicly 
array  themselves  against  the  insurgents  and  for  Americans, 
should  be  trusted  and  given  credit  for  loyalty,  but  no  others."^^ 
But  the  distinguishing  feature  of  General  Bell's  policy  was  the 
creation  of  concentration  camps  into  which  all  the  people  were 
required  to  come  or  take  the  consequences  and  be  without  food 
and  protection.  Of  course,  the  real  object  of  the  concentration 
policy  was  to  make  it  impossible  for  the  insurgents  to  obtain  food 
by  levying  contributions  on  people  who  desired  to  be  peaceful. 
The  word  reconcentration  had  acquired  a  sinister  significance  to 
the  people  of  the  United  States  in  connection  with  General  Wey- 
ler's  proceedings  in  Cuba.  But  such  camps  were  strictly  legal 
under  the  laws  of  war."  They  are,  when  properly  conducted, 
efficient  and  humane  agencies  in  bringing  such  conditions  as  ex- 
isted in  Batangas  to  an  end.  But  all  depends  on  how  they  are 
managed  and  how  the  people  in  the  camps  are  cared  for.  In 
this  instance  reconcentration  was  a  humane  policy.  Although  the 
people  suffered  the  loss  of  their  crops  and  other  property  which 
they  had  to  leave  behind,  in  the  long  run  they  were  benefited. 
Military  commanders  must  often  be  cruel  in  order  to  be  kind. 
The  mortality  in  the  camps  was  low,  the  people  were  well  fed, 
furnished  with  proper  medical  attendance,  and  their  sufferings 

^"^  Circular  Order,  Dec.  9,  1901. 

"  See  Rebellion  Records,  Sec.  1,  XXII,  Pt.  II,  p.  473. 


28  THE    PHILIPPINES 

were  such  only  as  were  incidental  to  their  forcible  removal  from 
their  homes/* 

After  the  people  had  been  gathered  into  the  concentration 
camps  the  plan  was  so  to  harry  and  harass  those  who  were  out- 
side and  keep  them  in  such  a  state  of  anxiety  and  apprehension 
that  life  would  become  so  intolerable  that  they  would  earnestly 
desire  and  become  active  for  peace.  Small  detachments  were  to 
search  every  ravine,  valley  and  mountain  peak  for  insurgents 
and  food.  Everything  found  outside  of  the  towns  was  to  be  de- 
stroyed and  all  able-bodied  men  killed  or  captured.^^  All  food 
supplies  which  could  not  be  transported  were  to  be  destroyed. 
In  order  to  make  life  less  pleasant  for  those  leading  citizens  who 
were  aiding  the  insurgents  while  professing  loyalty  to  the  Ameri- 
cans, subordinate  commanders  were  authorized  to  put  them  to 
\vork  on  the  roads.^^  What  the  critics  of  the  commission  called 
the  era  of  coddling  had  come  to  an  end  in  Batangas. 


1*  Testimoney  of  General  Wagner,  Sen.  Doc.  331,  Pt.  Ill,  p.  2873. 

A  great  deal  was  made  of  these  camps  in  the  United  States.  On  May  23, 
1902,  Senator  Bacon  read  in  the  Senate  a  letter  from  an  officer  which  re- 
ferred to  "a  reconcentration  pen  with  a  dead  line  outside,  beyond  which 
everything  living  is  shot"  and  where  "at  riightfall  clouds  of  vampire  bats 
softly  swirl  out  on  their  orgys  over  the  dead."  The  writer  was  evidently 
trying  to  make  the  senatorial  blood  curdle.  So  difficult  is  it  for  one  with  the 
literary  touch  to  refrain  from  the  picturesque  at  the  expense  of  truth. 

Even  Mr.  Blount  (American  Occupation  of  the  Philippines,  p.  393),  who 
is  a  savage  critic  of  most  things  done  in  the  Philippines,  says :  "There  were 
about  100,000  people,  all  told,  gathered  in  the  reconcentrado  camps  in  Ba- 
tangas under  General  Bell.  .  .  .  There  was  no  starvation  in  these  camps. 
All  the  reconcentrados  had  to  do  was  not  to  cross  the  deadline  of  the  recon- 
centration zone,  and  to  draw  their  rations,  which  were  provided  as  religiously 
as  any  ordinary  American,  who  is  not  a  fiend  and  has  plenty  of  rice  on  hand 
for  the  purpose,  will  give  to  the  hungry.  The  reconcentrado  camps  and  the 
people  in  them  were  daily  looked  after  by  medical  officers  of  the  American 
army." 

'^^  Circular  Order  No.  19,  Dec.  25,  1901. 

Circular  Order  No.  22,  same  date.  Sen.  Doc.  33 r,  p.  1623.  "I  expect," 
wrote  General  Bell,  "to  first  clean  out  the  wide  Looboo  Peninsula.  I  shall 
then  move  command  to  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Taal,  and  sweep  the  country 
westward  to  the  ocean  and  south  of  Cavite,  returning  through  Lipa.  I  shall 
scour  and  clean  up  the  Lipa  Mountains.  Swinging  northward,  the  country 
.  .  .  will  be  scoured  .  .  .  which  will  then  be  thoroughly  searched 
and  devastated.  Swinging  back  to  the  right,  the  same  treatment  will  be 
given  all  the  country,  etc." 

16  "The  most  serious  discomfort  experienced  by  any  one  within  the  areas 
was  caused  to  the  mestizo  ruling  group  whose  members  bitterly  resented  the 
blow  to  their  prestige  in  being  treated  like  every  one  else.  They  had  been 
accustomed  to  have  others  work  for  them  and  obey  them  blindly.     To  a  man 


THE    AFTERMATH    OF    WAR  29 

The  policy  which  had  been  outlined  and  followed  by  General 
Bell  was  approved  by  General  Wheaton  and  by  General  Chaffee, 
the  division  commander.  A  campaign  on  these  lines  was  com- 
menced in  January,  1902,  and  in  April  Malvar,  with  three  thou- 
sand two  hundred  and  thirty-six  of  his  followers,  surrendered." 
Notwithstanding  the  severe  methods  adopted,  the  Filipino  loss 
was  only  one  hundred  and  sixty-three  killed  and  two  hundred  and 
nine  wounded.    For  the  time  Batangas  was  quiet. 

The  system  of  concentration  camps  which  had  been  used  in 
Batangas  was  also  applied  in  a  much  modified  form  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Albay  in  1903.  A  little  later  the  commission  passed  a 
law  which  authorized  the  bringing  of  the  people  from  districts 
where  they  were  subject  to  the  attacks  of  the  outlaws  into  the 
towns  where  they  could  be  properly  protected  and  cared  for  at 
the  government  expense. ^^  Of  course  it  was  an  arbitrary  pro- 
ceeding and  of  doubtful  legality  during  peace.  But  in  a  locally 
celebrated  case  which  arose  in  1905  the  Supreme  Court  refused 
to  discharge  one  of  the  people  who  was  held  in  a  concentration 
camp.  The  province  had  been  declared  in  a  state  of  war  and 
the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  had  been  suspended  by  the  governor- 
general.  The  finding  of  the  Executive  Department  that  a  state 
of  rebellion  and  insurrection  existed  was  held  to  be  conclusive 
upon  the  court. ^^ 

In  September,  1901,  a  company  of  the  Ninth  U.  S.  Infantry 
was  attacked  by  outlaws  under  circumstances  of  peculiar  treach- 
ery at  a  place  called  Balangiga  in  Samar  and  almost  annihilated. 
Only  twenty-four  out  of  sixty-six  escaped  after  a  desperate  fight 
with  the  bolo  men. 


who  could  speak  Spanish,  and  who  had  always  been  the  lord  of  his  barrio, 
the  possibility  of  having  to  cultivate  a  field  with  his  own  hands  was  an  un- 
speakable and  scandalous  thing.  These  men  suffered  and  suffered  acutely; 
but  it  was  not  their  bodies  which  suffered — it  was  their  pride."  Taylor, 
Phil.  Insurg.  Recs. 

^■^  From  eight  thousand  to  ten  thousand  persons  actively  engaged  in  the 
insurrection  were  captured  at  various  times  and  released  upon  taking  the 
oath  of  allegiance. 

18  See  Rept.  Civil  Governor,  Nov.  15,  1902  (Repts.  Phil.  Com..  1900-1903, 
p.  492). 

19  Barcelon  v.  Baker,  5  Phil.  Repts.  89. 


30  THE    PHILIPPINES 

The  island  of  Samar  was  a  place  of  evil  reputation.  The  prov- 
ince had  not  been  organized  under  the  provincial  government 
law  and  the  military  authorities  took  prompt  action  to  avenge 
Balangiga.  General  Jacob  Smith  was  sent  there  with  orders  to 
put  an  end  to  the  intolerable  situation.  General  Smith,  like  Gen- 
eral Bell,  desired  to  create  in  the  minds  of  the  people  "a  burning 
desire  for  the  war  to  cease,"  but  he  lacked  General  Bell's  faculty 
for  getting  results  while  keeping  within  the  military  law.  He 
simply  issued  an  order  directing  his  troops  to  lay  waste  the  coun- 
try and  kill  "everything  over  ten  years  old."  No  one  ever  at- 
tempted to  justify  this  order.  The  only  question  was  whether  the 
primary  responsibility  for  it  rested  upon  General  Smith  or  upon 
the  division  commander. ^° 

Samar  was  reduced  to  temporary  subjection  but  several  years 
were  to  pass  before  it  was  finally  pacified. 

The  ignorant  mountain  people  of  the  island  had  always  suf- 
fered at  the  hands  of  the  more  intelligent  residents  of  the  low- 
lands. Conditions  in  this  respect  seem  to  have  been  worse  in 
Samar  than  in  any  other  place.  They  were  dependent  upon  their 
trade  with  the  towns  along  the  coasts  and  it  was  customary  for 
the  municipal  authorities  who  were  frequently  traders,  to  seize 
those  who  came  down  with  their  products,  throw  them  into  jail 
on  fictitious  charges  and  under  various  pretenses  confiscate  their 
property.^^ 

These  people,  who  were  known  as  pulijanes,  were  inherently 
neither  better  nor  worse  than  the  average  of  the  ignorant  natives. 


20  General  Smith  was  known  as  a  humane  and  efficient  officer.     In  some 
'way  the  story  was  started  that  he  was  known  in  the  army  as  "hell-roaring 

Jake."  I  am  informed  by  a  general  officer  who  served  for  many  years  with 
General  Smith  that  the  sobriquet  was  never  heard  until  after  the  Samar 
campaign.  It  did  very  much  to  create  a  prejudice  against  him  in  the  public 
mind  which  aided  in  forcing  his  retirement. 

21  When  in  1904  Governor-General  Wright  and  Commissioners  Luzuriago 
and  Forbes  visited  Samar  they  learned  that  most  of  the  presidentes  and  coun- 
cilors of  the  coast  towns  were  agents  for  the  hemp  buyers  and  that  they  had 
been  taking  advantage  of  the  ignorant  hill  people.  They  had  been  "in  the 
habit  of  practically  taking  their  hemp  at  a  nominal  valuation,  or  one  much 
below  the  market  price,  and  turning  it  into  the  export  houses  at  the  market 
price.     In  many  cases  it  was  fairly  evident  that  when  a  producer  protested 


- 


THE    AFTERMATH    OF    WAR  31 

Their  country  was  the  home  of  escaped  criminals  and  the  natural 
hiding-place  and  headquarters  of  the  insurrecto  leaders  who  had 
turned  outlaws.  Being  densely  ignorant,  they  were  susceptible 
to  the  influence  of  political  impostors  and  religious  fakirs  who 
claimed  to  possess  divine  authority  and  supernatural  powers. 
Superstitious,  wronged  and  outraged,  they  became  the  easy  dupes 
of  designing  leaders  who  themselves  sought  nothing  but  revenge 
and  plunder. 

During  1903  and  the  spring  of  1904  numerous  raids  were  made 
on  the  coast  towns  of  Samar  and  as  the  peaceful  people  were  un- 
armed it  soon  became  a  choice  of  joining  the  pulijanes  or  being 
harried  by  them.  There  was  no  adequate  police  protection  and 
thousands  joined  the  movement  which  soon  reached  serious  pro- 
portions. 

In  July,  1904,  the  town  of  Taurian  was  raided  and  twenty-six 
peaceful  natives  were  killed.  The  following  day  at  Cantaguio, 
the  pulijanes  captured  the  chief  of  police,  who  had  been  appointed 
by  the  American  authorities,  made" him  a  turban  out  of  an  Amer- 
ican flag,  saturated  it  with  kerosene  and  burned  him  as  an  ex- 
ample to  his  countrymen.  The  burning  of  villages  continued  dur- 
ing the  summer  and  by  September  it  was  estimated  that  fifty 
thousand  innocent  people  had  been  rendered  homeless.  Many  of 
the  raiders  were  captured  by  the  constabulary  and  turned  over  to 
the  courts  for  trial.  The  local  officials  urged  the  government  to 
call  for  the  regular  troops,  but  this  they  were  loath  to  do  for  fear 
it  would  be  misunderstood  and  misrepresented  by  political  ene- 
mies in  the  United  States.  A  presidential  election  was  soon  to 
take  place  and  the  Democratic  candidate  for  president  was  ring- 
ing the  changes  on  "towns  in  ruins  and  provinces  in  revolt."  In 
response  to  an  inquiry  from  the  secretary  of  war,  Governor- 
General  Wright  cabled  that  except  in  the  one  province  of  Samar 

against  this  imposition  he  was  arrested  upon  some  trumped  up  charge  and 
thus  both  despoiled  and  punished.  With  the  sense  of  injustice  and  wrong 
rankling  in  the  breasts  of  these  ignorant  people,  it  was  an  easy  matter  for 
shrewd  and  unscrupulous  leaders,  some  of  whom  had  been  outlaws  from 
Spanish  times,  to  organize  them  into  bands  for  purposes  of  reprisal  and 
revenge  against  their  oppressors."    Kept.  Phil.  Com.,  1905,  Pt.  I,  p.  50. 


32  THE    PHILIPPINES 

life  and  property  in  the  Philippines  was  as  safe  as  in  the  United 
States." 

Undoubtedly  the  political  conditions  in  the  United  States 
caused  the  insular  government  to  hesitate  to  call  for  the  regular 
troops.  Assistant  Attorney-General  Harvey,  who  had  been  sent 
to  Samar  to  assist  the  local  prosecutor,  made  a  full  report  of  con- 
ditions to  Governor-General  Wright.  "While  he  did  not  say 
much,"  wrote  Mr.  Harvey,  "what  he  did  say  convinced  me  that 
there  would  be  something  doing  if  it  were  not  on  the  eve  of  elec- 
tion and  in  my  opinion  there  will  be  things  doing  in  Samar  within 
thirty  days.'"'^ 

This  conjecture  proved  to  be  well  founded.  Immediately  after 
the  election,  Governor-General  Wright  and  Commissioners  Luzu- 
riasro  and  Forbes  visited  Samar  and  on  their  return  sixteen  hun- 
dred  regulars  and  about  the  same  number  of  native  scouts  and 
constabulary  were  sent  to  the  island. 

It  required  almost  two  years  for  even  this  force  to  capture  or 
kill  all  the  pulijanes  and  establish  law  and  order  in  the  island  of 
Samar.  Captain  George  Curry,  a  volunteer  officer,  who  was 
appointed  governor  of  the  island,  prosecuted  the  work  of  re- 
organizing the  municipalities  and  opening  the  interior  country 
by  establishing  towns  and  stations  with  such  vigor  that  on  No- 
vember fifth  the  commission,  with  renewed  optimism  reported 
that  "many  of  the  pulijanes  have  voluntarily  surrendered,  bring- 
ing in  their  guns,  and  it  now  looks  like  the  worst  were  over  in 
Samar." 

The  provisions  of  the  Provincial  Code,  designed  for  the  civil- 
ized Filipinos,  were  manifestly  not  suitable  for  these  ignorant 
people  who  needed  a  simple  paternal  government  by  w^hich  they 
could  be  controlled  and  protected  in  person  and  property.  The 
Provincial  Board  of  Samar  therefore  was  authorized  to  apply 


22  The  New  York  Tribune,  Oct.  25,  1904. 

23  Mr.  Harvey  to  Judge  Blount,  Oct.  15,  1904,  Cong.  Rec,  Feb.  25,  1908. 
The  conditions  in  Samar  before  the  arrival  of  the  regulars  were  assumed  to 
be  described  by  a  young  Englishman  named  Hyatt,  in  a  lurid  novel  called 
The  Little  Brown  Brother.  Hyatt  pretended  to  have  a  grievance  against 
Commissioner  Forbes,  who  was  then  secretary  of  commerce  and  police,  and 
attacked  him  very  bitterly  in  the  novel  and  in  a  book  published  some  years 


THE    AFTERMATH    OF    WAR  33 

to  these  new  towns  the  provision  of  the  law  relating  to  local  gov- 
ernments among  the  non-Christian  tribes.^* 

In  the  spring  of  1906  Governor  Curry  arranged  for  the  sur- 
render of  what  remained  of  the  outlaws.  To  the  number  of 
about  three  hundred,  under  the  notorious  "Pope"  Otoy,  they 
assembled  at  a  place  called  Magtaon  but,  finding  the  constabulary 
force  of  fifty  men  with  their  guns  unloaded,  they  made  a  sud- 
den attack  and  killed  about  one-half  and  wounded  all  the  surviv- 
ors, who,  however,  succeeded  in  beating  them  off.  Soon  there- 
after the  outlaws  were  all  killed  or  captured  and  since  that  time 
Samar  has  been  quiet  and  peaceful.-^ 

During  the  winter  months  of  1903-1904  the  constabulary  car- 
ried on  an  active  campaign  in  Albay  against  one  Simeon  Ola  and 
a  large  body  of  ladrones.  Ola  finally  surrendered  to  Colonel  H. 
H.  Bandholtz,  under  circumstances  which  induced  his  friends  in 
the  United  States  to  claim  that  he  had  been  offered  immunity 
from  punishment.  There  never  was  a  better  illustration  of  the 
habit  of  certain  good  people  of  springing  to  the  defense  of  any 
scoundrel  upon  whom  the  law  has  succeeded  in  getting  its 
clutches,  particularly  when  by  so  doing  they  can  strike  at  the  rep- 
utation of  some  officer.  Ola  turned  state's  evidence  and  cheer- 
fully aided  in  sending  many  of  his  associates  to  the  scaffold  but 
never  made  any  claim  that  he  had  been  promised  immunity.'® 


later,  in  New  York,  under  the  title  of  The  Diary  of  a  Soldier  of  Fortune. 
In  this  book  he  foolishly  charged  Secretary  Forbes  with  grafting  and  "using 
his  utmost  endeavor  to  get  us  killed." 

2*  "It  is  not  doubted  that,  with  this  kind  of  government,  when  schools  and 
churches  are  established  among  them  and  they  are  made  to  appreciate  the 
benefits  and  blessings  of  decent  and  orderly  living,  they  will  become  law- 
abiding  and  prosperous."    Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1905,  Pt.  I,  p.  52. 

One  finds  it  difficult  to  read  this  sort  of  optimistic  matter,  which  is  so 
common  in  the  early  reports  of  the  commission,  without  a  feeling  of  irrita- 
tion and  wonder  whether  the  writers  really  deceived  themselves. 

25  Otoy  was  killed  by  Lieutenant  Puno,  a  Filipino  constabulary  officer  and 
one  of  the  survivors  of  the  Magtaon  fight.  The  constabulary  at  Magtaon  was 
under  the  command  of  Captain  (now  Colonel)  R,  W.  Jones.  The  guns  were 
unloaded  at  the  request  of  Governor  Curry,  who  desired  to  show  confidence 
in  the  pulijanes. 

26  See  Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1907,  Pt.  I,  pp.  36-42. 

Judge  Blount,  before  whom  Ola  was  tried,  says  that  neither  he  nor  his 
counsel  ever  suggested  that  he  had  been  promised  immunity  or  that  any  paper 
such  as  is  referred  to  in  Willis'  Our  Philippine  People,  p.  140,  existed.  See 
also  Governor  Taft's  statement,  Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1900-3,  p.  489. 


34  THE    PHILIPPINES 

As  late  as  1905  there  were  disturbances  in  Cavite  and  Laguna, 
in  the  vicinity  of  Manila,  which  had  more  a  political  tinge. 
Leaders  such  as  Sakay,  Felizardo,  Montalon  and  others,  were 
ladrones  but  they  had  formerly  been  officers  of  the  insurgent 
army  and  had  the  sympathy  of  many  of  their  old  followers. 
After  even  the  guerrilla  stage  of  the  war  was  over  these  men 
and  others  like  them  continued  to  assume  "the  convenient  cloak 
of  patriotism  and,  under  the  titles  of  defenders  of  the  country 
and  protectors  of  the  people,  proceeded  to  inaugurate  a  reign  of 
terror,  devastation,  and  ruin."  The  disturbances  became  so 
serious  that  it  was  found  necessary  to  suspend  the  writ  of  habeas 
corpus  in  Batangas  and  Cavite,  but  the  situation  was  handled 
without  using  the  regular  army. 

Since  1906  a  condition  of  absolute  peace  and  order  has  existed 
in  all  parts  of  the  Archipelago  other  than  the  southern  islands  in- 
habited by  the  Moros.^^  In  1907,  as  we  have  seen,  the  commis- 
sion, by  resorting  to  what  was  possibly  a  fiction,  was  able  to  make 


27  The  few  ladrone  leaders  remaining  were  gradually  brought  in  and  sent 
to  prison  or  executed.  One  of  them,  named  Salvador,  was  not  captured  until 
1911,  but,  in  the  meantime,  he  had  been  quiet.  After  1907  those  who  were 
out  were  merely  fugitives  from  justice  and  were  kept  busy  dodging  the  con- 
stabulary and  local  police. 

In  addition  to  the  military  operations  carried  on  against  the  ladrones  the 
commission  passed  a  statute  designed  to  make  it  possible  to  convict  persons 
charged  with  crimes  of  violence  in  the  civil  courts.  It  had  been  found  prac- 
tically impossible  to  find  evidence  to  fix  guilt  upon  particular  persons.  It  was 
easy  to  show  that  persons  captured  had  been  members  of  an  armed  band 
running  about  the  country,  committing  or  attempting  to  commit  robberies 
and  murder,  but  to  prove  that  individuals  were  present  at  particular  robberies 
was  impossible.  The  act  known  as  the  Bandolerismo  Statute  was  passed, 
which  provided  that  whenever  three  or  more  persons  conspiring  together 
should  form  a  band  of  robbers  for  the  purpose  of  stealing  carabao  or  other 
personal  property  by  means  of  force  and  violence  and  should  go  out  upon  the 
highway  or  roam  through  the  country  armed  with  deadly  weapons  for  that 
purpose,  they  should  be  deemed  highway  robbers  or  brigands,  and  that  every 
person  engaged  in  the  original  formation  of  the  band  or  joining  it  thereafter 
should,  upon  conviction,  be  punished  by  death  or  imprisonment  for  not  less 
than  twenty  years.  To  prove  the  crime  described  in  this  statute  it  was  not 
necessary  to  adduce  evidence  that  any  member  of  the  band  had  in  fact  com- 
mitted robbery  or  theft — it  was  sufficient  to  justify  conviction  thereunder  if 
from  the  circumstances  it  could  be  inferred  beyond  a  reasonable  doubt  that 
the  accused  was  a  member  of  such  an  armed  band  as  that  described.  This 
act  was  very  effective  and  for  a  time  the  courts  were  overwhelmed  with 
cases.  Many  were  convicted  and  punished,  but  the  majority  were  ultimately 
pardoned.  For  this  statute  and  the  reasons  for  its  enactment,  see  Rept.  Phil. 
Com.,  Dec.  23,  1903  (Repts.  Phil  Com.,  1900-1903,  p.  492). 


THE    AFTERMATH    OF    WAR  35 

the  certificate  that  complete  peace  had  existed  during  the  preced- 
ing two  years,  in  order  to  comply  with  the  conditions  precedent 
to  the  establishment  of  the  Philippine  Assembly.  The  struggle 
for  order  had,  in  fact,  been  long  and  serious.  But  too  much  im- 
portance should  not  be  given  to  the  disturbances  which  have  been 
described.  While  they  were  serious  enough,  they  were  not  contin- 
uous and  except  in  Batangas  and  possibly  Cavite,  they  were  not 
of  a  political  nature  and  were  never  voluntarily  participated  in  by 
more  than  a  small  minority  of  the  people.  They  were  the  final 
sputterings  of  the  fire  of  insurrection  which  had  swept  over  the 
islands. 

During  this  period  the  conditions  in  the  country  inhabited  by 
the  Moros  were  bad,^"*  but  as  no  question  of  local  self-government 
was  involved  the  problem  was  comparatively  simple.  The  Moro 
was  a  soldier — a  fighting  man — and  soldiers  were  left  to  govern 
him.  In  1903  the  Moro  country  was  organized  as  a  special 
province  and  a  quasi  civil  government  was  instituted  with  Gen- 
eral Leonard  Wood,  the  commander  of  the  Military  Department 
of  Mindanao  and  Jolo,  as  governor.  Important  military  opera- 
tions had  been  carried  on  in  the  Lake  Lanao  and  Cotabato  re- 
gions and  all  organized  armed  resistance  to  the  sovereignty  of  the 
United  States  had  ceased.  But  there  were  still  many  marauding 
bands  and  the  ambush  and  murder  of  American  soldiers  was  fre- 
quent. The  situation  in  Jolo  was  much  more  serious  than  else- 
where in  the  Sulu  Archipelago.  The  authority  which  had  been  re- 
served to  the  sultan  by  the  so-called  Bates  Treaty  had  been  abused 
or  not  exercised,  with  unfortunate  results.  The  sultan  had  been 
unwilling  or  at  least  unable  to  perform  his  part  of  the  stipulations 
and  on  the  recommendation  of  General  Wood  and  Governor  Taft 
the  treaty  was  abrogated  on  March  21,  1904."^ 

The  ineffectiveness  of  a  conciliatory  policy  when  dealing  with 


28  See  generally,  statement  of  Governor-General  Wright  (Kept.  Phil. 
Com.,  1904,  Pt.  I,  pp.  5-14). 

29  The  sultan  visited  Manila  and  had  a  conference  with  Governor  Taft, 
•who  seems  to  have  been  satisfied  that  His  Majesty  was  merely  inefficient. 
When  the  treaty  was  abrogated  the  sultan  was  allowed  an  income  of  six 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  gold,  per  year  with  which  to  main- 
tain his  dignity,  with  the  understanding  that  he  should  thereafter  assist  the 


36 


THE    PHILIPPINES 


the  Sulu  Moros  had  been  demonstrated  and  for  several  years 
thereafter  they  were  controlled  by  stern  military  power.^° 


government  in  every  w^ay  possible.  Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1904,  Pt.  I,  p.  13.  For 
the  reports  of  General  Wood  and  his  subordinates,  see  Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1903, 
Pt.  I,  pp.  489-542. 

In  1915  the  Harrison  administration  negotiated  a  formal  treaty  with  the 
sultan,  who  therein  relinquished  his  claim  to  sovereignty  over  the  country. 
(Report  Phil.  Com.,  1915,  p.  297.)  It  ought  to  be  added  as  a  sort  of  epilogue 
to  George  Ade's  comic  opera.  The  Sultan  of  Sulu. 

30  General  Wood's  report  as  governor  for  1904  contains  a  summary  of  the 
events  in  the  Moro  country  from  the  American  occupation  down  to  that 
time.    Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1904,  Pt.  II,  pp.  572-594,  and  app. 

For  the  present  form  of  government  for  the  Moros,  see  infra,  p.  94, 


CHAPTER  III 
Disentangling  Church  and  State — The  Friar  Lands 

Church  and  State  in  Spanish  Times — Misunderstanding  of  American  Policy 
— Archbishop  Chapelle  and  General  Otis — Administration  of  Certain  Trusts — 
The  San  Jose  College  Case — The  Friar  Lands — Their  Extent  and  Value — 
Attitude  of  the  Government — Purchase  of  the  Lands — Controversy  over 
Sales — The  Mindora  Estate  Congressional  Investigation — The  Result — Agli- 
pay  and  the  National  Church — Controversy  over  Church  Property — Settled 
by  the  Courts. 

The  close  political  and  business  relations  which  during  the 
Spanish  regime  existed  between  the  civil  and  ecclesiastical  au- 
thorities made  it  inevitable  that  the  American  government  would 
have  to  determine  some  very  troublesome  controversies  with  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church.  The  bitter  feeling  against  the  friars, 
the  suspicious  attitude  of  the  Filipinos,  and  the  extreme  sensi- 
tiveness of  the  American  people.  Catholic  and  Protestant,  when 
the  State  is  called  on  to  deal  with  the  Church,  made  it  necessary 
to  act  with  great  tact  and  judgment.  Questions  which  were 
purely  legal  in  their  nature,  under  the  circumstances  were  given 
political  significance  by  the  public  and  every  move  of  the  authori- 
ties was  watched  with  intense  interest.  The  Filipinos  and  a 
section  of  the  American  public  demanded  that  the  American  gov- 
ernment follow  the  example  of  the  Malolos  Congress  and  con- 
fiscate the  property  of  the  monastic  orders  in  total  disregard  of 
property  rights  which  were  protected  not  only  by  American  stat- 
ute law  but  expressly  by  the  Treaty  of  Peace  with  Spain.^ 

The  new  papal  delegate.  Archbishop  Chapelle,  of  New  Or- 


1  Article  VIII.  Treaty  of  Paris.  So  distinguished  a  divine  as  Doctor 
Leonard  Woolsey  Bacon  urged  the  government  to  adopt  a  policy  which 
amounted  to  simple  confiscation.  See  his  article,  entitled.  "A  Flaw  in  the 
Title?"  in  The  Outlook,  LXIII,  p.  689  (1899),  and  the  adverse  editorial  com- 
ment thereon,  p.  668.  See  also  Lew  Wallace,  Jr..  "Church  Property  and  Our 
Recent  Acquisitions."  The  Outlook,  LXIV,  p.  402 ;  James  R.  Rogers,  "Religion 
in  the  Philippines ;  A  Missionary's  Views,"  ibid. 

37 


38  THE    PHILIPPINES 

leans,  did  not  make  a  very  tactful  entrance  upon  the  scene.  He 
allied  himself  openly  with  the  Spanish  religious  orders,  thus  at 
once  alienating  native  sentiment  and  creating  disaffection  among 
those  who  assumed  that  as  an  American  he  must  represent  the 
views  of  President  McKinley  and  the  insular  government.  Be- 
fore leaving  the  United  States  Monseigneur  Chapelle  gave  out 
an  interview  in  which  he  supported  the  friars,  and  upon  arriving 
at  Manila  he  injudiciously  expressed  similar  views  without  much 
reserve.  A  Manila  anti-friar  paper.  El  Progresso,  published  an 
alleged  interview  in  which  the  delegate  was  made  to  say,  among 
other  things,  that  "the  four  public  lectures  given  by  Father  Mc- 
Kinnon  caused  President  McKinley  to  realize  the  necessity  for 
the  monastic  orders  remaining  in  the  Philippines.  I  come  to 
Manila  with  ample  authority  for  everything.  The  friars  in  the 
Philippines  have  alarmed  themselves  without  any  reason.  I  know 
their  importance  and  am  openly  predisposed  in  their  favor.  H 
the  friars  occupy  the  parishes  they  will  be  considered  as  elements 
of  order,  and  therefore  as  American  agents."^ 

This  interview  was  repudiated  but  nevertheless  it  seems  to 
have  expressed  the  archbishop's  sentiments  as  they  are  disclosed 
in  the  correspondence  between  him  and  General  Otis.^  It  was,  of 
course,  reasonable  that  the  delegate  should  support  the  friars ;  no 
one  really  expected  him  to  take  any  other  position,  but  the  at- 
tempt to  convey  the  impression  to  the  Filipino  public  that  he  rep- 
resented the  views  of  President  McKinley  was  another  matter. 
The  courtesies,  some  of  them  possibly  a  trifle  overdone,  shown 
the  papal  delegate  and  other  ecclesiastical  dignitaries  by  the 
American  officials  were  construed  as  manifestations  of  official 
favor,  and  the  fact  that  some  of  the  friars  who  were  being  sent 


2  Quoted  in  Robinson's  The  Philippines,  etc.,  p.  332.  In  a  letter  from 
Manila  dated  June  12,  1900,  the  Associated  Press  correspondent  said :  "Arch- 
bishop Chapelle_  .  .  .  believes  the  policy  of  leniency  is  wasted  upon 
Asiatics  who  fail  to  comprehend  the  motives  for  it.  Archbishop  Chapelle 
has  taken  no  uncertain  stand  on  the  question  of  the  friars  which  the  Fili- 
pinos regarded  as  the  keynote  of  all  their  troubles.  The  Archbishop  has 
expressed  his  opinion  freely  to  many  officers  and  civilians,  although  he  de- 
clines to  give  any  formal  interviews  for  publication."  Harper's  Pictorial 
History,  p.  381 ;  Le  Rov,  The  Americans  in  the  Philippines,  II,  p.  297,  note. 

3  Gen.  Otis'  Report,  1900,  p.  306. 


CHURCH    AND    STATE  39 

to  the  distant  Batanes  Islands,  were  assured  of  protection  from 
violence*  and  that  a  Filipino  priest  named  Adriano  Garces,  who 
was  known  as  an  enemy  of  the  friars,  was  imprisoned  by  the 
military  commander  at  Dagupan,^  were  "generally  regarded  as 
proving  a  community  of  ideas  and  interests  between  the  Ameri- 
cans and  the  friars." 

All  their  suspicions  now  seemed  confirmed  and  the  native 
papers  renewed  the  attacks  on  the  friars  and  Americans  with  the 
greatest  violence.  As  one  of  the  correspondents  expressed  it, 
"they  let  themselves  loose.  That  which  had  been  whispered  in 
corners  was  shouted  from  the  housetops." 

The  difficulties  of  the  political  situation  were  greatly  increased 
by  this  misunderstanding  of  the  motives  and  intentions  of  the 
government.  It  would  all  have  been  cleared  up  if  the  public 
could  have  read  the  correspondence  which  was  then  being  car- 
ried on  between  General  Otis  and  Monseigneur  Chapelle  with 
reference  to  the  friar  lands  and  the  disposition  of  certain  prop- 
erty over  which  the  Church  assumed  to  have  legal  control.  Gen- 
eral Otis  made  it  very  plain  that  instead  of  being  under  the 
control  of  the  friars  he  was  a  strong  and  consistent  opponent  of 
the  policy  of  permitting  them  to  return  to  their  parishes." 

The  question  whether  the  Church  or  the  government  had  the 
right  to  administer  certain  charitable  and  educational  trusts  was 
raised  almost  immediately  after  the  military  occupation.^  Several 
institutions  were  ultimately  involved,  but  the  College  of  San  Jose 
case  attracted  the  most  attention,  as  it  was  carried  into  the  courts. 


*Sen.  Doc,  igoo,  56th  Cong.,  2nd  Sess.,  p.  219.  The  letter  which  Arch- 
bishop Chapelle  sent  with  these  friars  to  the  commander  of  the  American 
troops  at  Aparri  is  printed  in  part  in  Le  Roy,  II,  p.  301,  note. 

5  The  secretary  of  war  cabled  for  information  as  to  the  imprisonment  of 
Garces,  and  General  MacArthur  replied  :  "The  native  priest  removed  because 
not  loyal.  Removal  requested  by  majority  of  communicants  of  parish.  Ac- 
tion necessary  to  preserve  peace."    Corr.  Rcl.  War,  p.  1238  et  seq. 

■  Le  Roy  (II,  p.  303)  suggests  that  it  was  unfortunate,  in  view  of  the  situa- 
tion, that  Garces  had  a  long  record  as  an  anti-friar  as  well  as  anti-American 
agitator. 

«  Otis'  Report,  1900,  p.  293  et  seq. 

7  In  1898  Archbishop  Nozaleda  (Defensa  Obligada.  appendix)  called  the 
attention  of  General  Otis  to  certain  obras  pias,  the  funds  of  which  were  being 
used  in  the  banking  and  loan  business. 


40  THE    PHILIPPINES 

General  Otis,  at  the  request  of  a  local  medical  society,  issued  an 
order  forbidding  the  use  of  the  property  belonging  to  the  College 
of  San  Jose,  which,  in  1875,  had  been  incorporated  into  the  Uni- 
versity of  Santo  Tomas  school  of  medicine  and  pharmacy,  on  the 
ground  that  it  had,  under  the  treaty  with  Spain,  become  the  prop- 
erty of  the  United  States  and  was  held  in  trust  for  the  benefit  of 
the  Filipino  people.®  The  ultimate  question  in  all  the  cases  was 
whether  the  Spanish  government,  in  its  admitted  right  to  control 
the  property  in  question,  had  acted  in  its  secular  or  civil  capacity 
or  as  a  mere  agent  of  the  Catholic  Church  under  a  concordat  be- 
tween the  Pope  and  the  Spanish  Crown.  The  Church  claimed 
that  under  the  Spanish  law  all  charitable  and  religious  founda- 
tions were  presumptively  pious  works,  obras  pias,  and  under  the 
control  of  the  Church.  There  were  two  kinds  of  ohras  pias,  one 
under  the  immediate  control  of  the  ordinary  or  the  bishop  of  the 
diocese,  the  other  under  the  control  of  the  king  as  the  universal 
patron  of  all  religious  trusts.  It  was  claimed  that  the  popes  had 
transferred  most  of  their  authority  in  the  Philippines,  and  espe- 
cially their  authority  as  patrons  of  religious  trusts,  to  the  king  of 
Spain  and  that  all  the  trusts  which  had  originally  a  religious 
foundation  pertained  to  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  down  to  the 
end  of  Spanish  rule  in  the  Philippines. 

In  July,  1900,  the  rector  of  the  University  of  Santo  Tomas 
petitioned  the  military  governor  to  vacate  the  order,  which  had 
been  made  by  General  Otis,  and  pennit  the  College  of  San  Jose 
to  reopen  its  medical  school.  This  was  strenuously  opposed  by 
certain  leading  people  of  Manila.  General  MacArthur  referred 
the  matter  to  the  commission  which  would  soon  have  legislative 
authority  to  deal  with  the  question.  A  full  hearing  before  the 
commission^  resulted  in  the  enactment  of  a  law  which  made  spe- 


s  Otis'  Report,  1900,  pp.  296,  304.  A  Board  of  Medical  Examiners  was 
created  in  order  to  enable  the  students  of  the  suspended  school  to  be  ad- 
mitted to  practise.^    Gen.  Orders,  Mil.  Gov.  Phil,  1900,  April  1,  1900. 

9  The  commission  heard  the  elaborate  arguments  evidently  on  the  theory 
that  it  intended  to  decide  the  question  involved.  The  leading  counsel  for  the 
government,  that  is  for  the  Filipinos,  was  Felipe  G.  Calderon.  The  argument 
for  the  Church,  prepared  by  Archbishop  Nozaleda,  was   read  by  a  repre- 


CHURCH    AND    STATE  41 

cial  provision  for  the  decision  of  the  question  by  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  Philippines,  with  an  appeal  to  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  United  States,  should  Congress,  on  or  before  March  1,  1903, 
provide  for  appeals  to  that  court/"  The  action  was  duly  brought, 
argued  and  submitted,  but  before  the  decision  was  rendered  the 
entire  controversy,  which  had  come  to  involve  other  trusts,  was 
compromised  by  an  agreement  between  Mr.  Taft  as  secretary  of 
war  and  Archbishop  Harty.  Under  this  arrangement  entered 
into  in  1907,  the  Church  retained  possession  and  control  over  the 
Hospicio  San  Jose,  the  Hospital  of  San  Juan  de  Dios,  and  certain 
other  small  trusts,  and  the  government  obtained  the  valuable 
San  Lazaro  estate  with  certain  deductions  therefrom.^^ 


sentative.  It  was  regarded  as  something  of  an  occasion,  when  a  Filipino 
lawyer  could  meet  the  churchman  on  equal  terms.  "Nozaleda  took  a  position 
quite  openly  depreciative  of  the  Filipinos,  and  was  evidently  nettled  that  he 
should  be  measuring  swords  with  the  young  Filipino  lawyer,  Calderon,  who 
had  been  in  the  Malolos  Congress,  and  having  a  sharp  tongue  and  quite  keen 
wit  was  very  ready  to  use  his  opportunity  to  express  Filipino  feeling  toward 
Spanish  friars."  Le  Roy,  II,  p.  307.  For  the  arguments,  see  the  statement 
by  the  Philippine  Commission  in  referring  the  matter  to  the  court,  printed 
in  a  pamphlet  entitled,  Negotiations  for  the  Settlement  of  Title  to  Certain 
Lands,  etc.,  Manila,  1907.  San  Jose  Case.  Statement  of  His  Excellency, 
The  Most  Reverend  P.  L.  Chapelle,  Apostolic  Delegate.  Petition  of  Arch- 
bishop Harty  to  President  Roosevelt,  1907.  Sen.  Doc.  igo,  56th  Cong.,  2nd 
Sess.,  pp.  26-46. 

'^^ Act  No.  6g,  Jan.  5,  1901.  The  commission  in  referring  the  case  said: 
"There  has  been  much  popular  and  political  interest  in  the  controversy  in 
which  we  have  now  stated  our  conclusions.  The  questions  considered,  how- 
ever, have  not  any  political  color  at  all.  They  have  been  purely  questions  of 
law  and  proper  legal  procedure,  and  so  will  they  be  in  the  court  to  which 
they  are  now  sent.  The  decision  of  the  right  to  control  San  Jose  College 
can  not  legitimately  be  affected  by  the  political  feeling  which  one  may  have 
for  or  against  the  friars." 

11  The  San  Lazaro  estate  was  valued  at  about  one  million  five  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  gold.  The  settlement  was  very  favorable  to  the  church 
authorities.  However,  there  was  a  serious  doubt  as  to  the  legal  merits  of  the 
government's  claim.  The  Supreme  Court  never  rendered  a  decision,  but  the 
probability  is  that  the  decision  would  have  been  against  the  government. 
The  commission  in  referring  the  case  to  the  court  expressed  no  opinion  on 
the  merits.  Governor  Taft  and  Commissioner  Wright  had  no  confidence  in 
the  position  taken  by  the  government  and  sustained  by  the  attorney-general 
of  the  islands.  Commissioners  Ide,  Worcester  and  Moses  believed  that  the 
claim  of  the  government  could  be  sustained.  However,  neither  Commissioner 
Worcester  nor  Commissioner  Moses  were  lawyers  and  as  the  questions  in- 
volved were  very  technical,  the  weight  of  authority  on  the  commission  was 
against  the  government's  position.  In  a  letter  to  President  Roosevelt,  July  2, 
1907,  Secretary  Taft  said :  "The  question  is  a  most  intricate  and  complicated 
one,  and  one  upon  which,  although  I  have  given  it  some  study,  I  am  by  no 


42  THE    PHILIPPINES 

The  disposition  to  be  made  of  the  friars  and  their  landed  es- 
tates presented  much  more  difficult  questions.  The  great  majority 
of  the  Filipinos  were  Catholics  and  the  most  of  them  were  sin- 
cerely attached  to  that  church.  In  1898,  according  to  the  church 
'^registers,  there  were  over  six  million  native  communicants  in 
the  islands,  and  the  history  of  the  next  decade  shows  that  the 
feeling  which  existed  against  the  friars  did  not  extend  to  the 
Catholic  Church  or  to  its  regular  priests.  These  friars,  about 
which  the  bitter  controversy  raged,  were  Spanish  monks  of  the 
Dominican,  Augustinian,  Recolletos  (a  branch  of  the  Augustin- 
ian)  and  Franciscan  orders.  The  Jesuits,  Capuchins,  Benedictines 
and  Paulist  padres  were  teachers  and  missionaries  and  never  hav- 

Ling  interfered  with  political  matters,  were  not  included  in  the 
general  native  condemnation. 

As  we  have  seen,  there  had  been  a  long  controversy  over  the 
right  of  the  friars  to  act  as  parish  priests,^^  but  they  had  been 
so  successful  in  asserting  their  claims  that  in  1898  they  were  in 
charge  of  all  but  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  seven  hundred  and 
forty-six  parishes.  So  great  was  their  power  in  civil  as  well  as 
in  ecclesiastical  matters  that  the  Spanish  government  in  fact 
rested  upon  them.  As  the  Provincial  of  the  Augustinians 
said,  the  friars  were  "the  pedestal  and  foundation  of  the  sov- 
ereignty of  Spain  in  the  islands."  This  blending  of  ecclesiastical, 
political  and  economic  powers  and  functions  in  the  parish  priests 
produced  a  composite  which  to  the  natives  represented  all  that  was 
oppressive  and  objectionable  in  their  lives.  They  were  unable 
to  distinguish  between  religious  and  political  functions  when  the 
authority  of  the  one  was  always  invoked  to  sustain  the  other. 
When  the  possessors  of  both  became  also  oppressive  landlords 
the  people  rose  in  revolt  and  drove  out  the  men  who  represented 
the  system.    Before  the  arrival  of  the  Americans,  all  but  472  of 


means  clear  as  to  the  result  which  would  be  reached  at  the  end  of  a  long  liti- 
gation." The  settlement  included  the  dispute  over  the  charter  of  the  Spanish- 
Filipino  Bank,  the  majority  of  the  stock  of  which  was  owned  by  the  Church 
ov  by  the  monastic  orders.  In  Spanish  times  this  bank  had  the  exclusive 
right  to  issue  notes. 

12  See  C.  H.  Cunningham,  "Origin  of  the  Friar  Land  Question,"  ^m.  Pol. 
Set.  Rev.,  X,  p.  465. 


CHURCH    AND    STATE  43 

the  1,124  friars  who  were  in  the  country  in  1896  had  been  killed 
or  expelled  from  the  country. 

The  personal  and  political  feeling  against  the  friars  was  greatly 
aggravated  by  the  fact  that  the  orders  had  become  great  land 
owners.  The  Franciscans  were  not  permitted  by  their  rules  to 
own  land,  but  the  Dominicans  and  Augustinians  and  Recolletos, 
who  were  not  subject  to  such  restrictions,  had  acquired  valuable 
business  property  in  Manila  and  landed  estates  in  nearly  all  the 
northern  and  central  provinces.  They  were  also  extensively  en- 
gaged in  banking  and  general  business.  The  Dominicans  held 
161,953  acres;  the  Augustinians,  151,742  acres,  and  the  Recol- 
letos 93,035  acres,  in  all,  406,730  acres.  By  provinces  their  lands 
were  distributed  as  follows:  in  Cavite,  121,747  acres;  La  La- 
guna,  62,172  acres;  Manila,  53,162  acres;  Bulacan,  39,441  acres; 
Morong,  4,940  acres;  Bataan,  1,000  acres;  Cagayan,  49,400 
acres;  Cebu  Island,  16,413  acres;  and  Mindora  Island,  58,455 
acres. ^^ 

In  the  older  provinces  large  amounts  of  money  had  been  spent 
by  the  orders  on  irrigation  and  other  improvements  and  the 
haciendas  were  very  valuable.  These  estates  were  divided  into 
small  holdings  and  leased  to  tenants  for  three-year  terms,  but  it 
had  been  customary  to  renew  the  leases  so  that  land  had  re- 
mained in  the  same  families  for  generations  and  the  tenants  came 
to  believe  that  they  had  vested  rights  therein.  Most  of  the  estates 
had  been  held  by  the  orders  for  more  than  a  generation,  the  most 
valuable  for  from  one  to  two  centuries.  The  lands  in  Cagayan 
and  Mindora  were  undeveloped  and  had  been  granted  by  the 
Spanish  government  within  recent  years  in  the  hope  and  ex- 
pectation that  they  would  be  brought  under  cultivation.  There 
was  much  said  about  the  inability  of  the  monastic  orders  to  show 
titles  to  their  lands  and  investigation  by  the  Spanish  govern- 
ment a  century  and  more  earlier  had  cast  doubt  on  their  moral 
rights,  but  the  Spanish  government  had  long  acquiesced  in  their 


^3  Surveys  made  after  the  sale  to  the  government  reduced  the  acreage 
slightly.  See  Rept.  on  Friar  Land  Surveys,  July  27,  1904.  Rept.  Phil.  Com., 
1904,  Pt.  I,  Exhibit  H,  p.  747. 


44  THE    PHILIPPINES 

claims,  and  the  investigations  made  by  counsel  for  the  govern- 
ment at  the  time  of  the  transfers,  disclosed  that  they  had  legal 
title  to  substantially  all  the  lands  which  they  claimed/* 

The  annual  income  from  the  agricultural  lands  held  by  the 
orders  averaged  about  four  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars, 
Mexican,  of  which  the  Dominicans  received  almost  one-half. 

During  the  war  and  insurrection  the  orders  made  no  attempt 
to  collect  the  rents.  The  Malolos  government  promptly  en- 
acted a  law  confiscating  all  of  the  friar  lands  on  general  prin- 
ciples but  it  did  not  live  long  enough  to  make  the  law  effective. 
Its  action  showed  conclusively,  however,  what  the  friars  had  to 
expect  from  a  Filipino  government.  Upon  the  establishment  of 
the  American  government  the  friars  expected,  or  at  least  hoped, 
to  return  to  their  parishes  and  the  enjoyment  of  the  property, 
and  the  actions  of  Monseigneur  Chapelle  suggests  that  there  was 
some  justification  for  their  confidence. 


'  1*  Secretary  Root  informed  the  House  Committee  that  there  was  some 
question  as  to  the  validity  of  their  title.  Governor  Taft  said  that  the  friar 
titles  were  good  in  law  and  protected  by  the  Treaty  of  Paris.  Cong.  Rec, 
XXXV,  Pt.  8,  p.  7446  (1902).  Of  course  the  treaty  protected  titles,  not  every 
claim  of  title. 

For  the  opinions  of  counsel  on  the  title  of  each  separate  estate,  see 
Kept.  Phil.  Com.,  1904,  Pt.  I,  Exhibit  I,  pp.  753-816.  For  the  investigations 
of  the  title  of  the  friar  lands  by  the  Spanish  government  during  the  seven- 
teenth and  eighteenth  centuries,  see  T.  H.  Pardo  de  Tavera,  The  Philippine 
Census,  I,  p.  340;  Concepcion,  Historia  General  de  Philipinas,  VIII,  p.  192; 
Montero  y  Vidal,  Historia  General  de  Filipinas,  I,  p.  385 ;  and  C.  H.  Cun- 
ningham's "Origin  of  the  Friar  Land  Question  in  the  Philippines"  in  The 
American  Political  Science  Review,  X,  pp.  465-480.     Mr.  Cunningham  says: 

"The  government  was  forced  to  modify  its  attitude  because  of  the  fear  that 
the  friars  would  cease  their  missionary  and  parochial  labors.  The  government, 
it  may  be  said,  failed  in  its  eflforts  to  maintain  as  a  principle  the  right  to  in- 
spect periodically  the  land  titles  of  the  friars,  though  it  successfully  upheld 
the  right  to  correct  such  abuses  as  were  called  to  its  attention  through  legal 
means.  The  orders  were  compelled  to  accede  to  the  right  of  the  civil  govern- 
ment to  intervene  for  the  protection  of  the  natives'  lands  in  the  latter  case, 
and  the  jurisdiction  of  the  jues  subdelegado  and  of  the  audiencia  was  ad- 
mitted on  several  occasions.  The  friars  were  unable  to  plead  ecclesiastical 
immunity  when  brought  before  the  civil  tribunals  to  answer  charges  of 
fraud  or  unjust  deprivations.  The  right  of  the  religious  orders  to  the  occu- 
pancy of  their  lands  seems  clearly  established.  The  various  conflicts  between 
them  and  the  civil  government  served  to  strengthen  their  claims,  and  they 
were  finally  confirmed  in  the  right  to  hold  their  estates  without  molestation 
as  long  as  they  did  not  abuse  the  privileges  which  were  conferred  upon  them. 
They  were  not  even  called  upon  to  prove  their  titles  after  1739  except  when  it 
was  in  their  interests  to  do  so."    See  supra,  p.  47,  n.  17. 


CHURCH    AND    STATE  45 

The  work  of  investigating  the  friar  land  question  was  com- 
menced immediately  after  the  commission  arrived  in  the  Philip- 
pines. Mr.  Taft,  who  was  an  experienced  lawyer,  devoted  a 
great  deal  of  his  personal  attention  to  it.  But  it  was  not  a  mat- 
ter which  could  be  disposed  of  on  purely  legal  grounds.  The 
friars  had  practically  no  friends  among  the  native  people  and  in- 
terested parties,  in  order  to  create  disaffection,  were  active  in 
circulating  the  story  that  the  friars  were  to  return  and  the  old 
conditions  be  restored  with  the  approval  and  support  of  the 
Americans.  Few  Filipinos  were  sufficiently  educated  to  grasp 
the  American  idea  of  the  separation  of  Church  and  State.  To  the 
native  mind  the  return  of  the  friars  would  have  been  conclusive 
evidence  that  the  government  was  in  sympathy  with  them  and 
all  their  works.  As  the  commission  reported,  it  would  have  had 
"the  same  effect  on  them  that  the  return  of  General  Weyler  un- 
der an  American  commission  as  Governor  of  Cuba  would  have 
had  on  the  people  of  that  island."  Mr.  Taft  and  his  associates 
fully  appreciated  the  fact  that  the  Catholic  Church  had  done 
much  toward  civilizing  the  country  and  that  it  must  continue  to 
be  a  factor  in  its  future.  Nor  were  they  inclined  to  charge  all 
the  offenses  of  the  monastic  orders  to  the  Church.  It  was  not 
necessary  to  determine  the  merits  of  the  long-standing  contro- 
versy between  the  Filipinos  and  the  friars.  The  disposition  of 
the  lands  was,  in  fact,  more  a  question  of  policy  than  of  law  or 
business.  The  new  government  was  just  entering  upon  the  task 
of  pacifying  the  country  and  leading  the  people  along  new  and 
untried  paths,  and  it  was  important  and  proper  that  the  great 
power  and  influence  of  the  Church  should  be  on  the  side  of  ad- 
vancing civilization. 

The  friars  as  individuals  could  not  legally  be  expelled  from 
or  prevented  from  returning  to  the  country.  If  they  returned 
they  would  be  entitled  to  the  protection  of  the  law.  It  was  urged 
that  their  influence  would  be  thrown  in  favor  of  the  govern- 
ment, to  which  they  would  look  for  protection  against  the  dis- 
affected people.  But  it  would  have  been  a  purely  interested  sup- 
port of  a  government  which  had  overthrown  their  former  power 


46  THE    PHILIPPINES 

and  with  the  ideals  and  poHtical  principles  of  which  they  had 
no  sympathy.  Any  advantages  which  would  have  resulted  from 
their  support  of  the  government  would  have  been  more  than 
counterbalanced  by  the  resulting  disaffection  of  the  mass  of  the 
people.  It  was  clear  that  the  interests  of  the  community  and, 
in  the  end,  of  the  friars  and  the  Church  required  that  some 
amicable  arrangement  should  be  made  for  the  acquisition  of  their 
lands  and  the  withdrawal  of  the  Spanish  friars  from  the  islands 
in  order  that  their  places  could  be  taken  by  American  and  Fili- 
pino priests. 

The  commissioners  who  negotiated  the  Treaty  of  Peace  rec- 
ommended the  purchase  of  the  friar  lands  by  the  government, 
and  the  Schurman  Commission,  after  some  study  of  the  ques- 
tion, made  the  same  recommendation.  There  seemed  in  fact  to 
be  no  other  way  to  quiet  the  public  mind  and  also  secure  justice 
for  the  landowners  and  their  tenants.  After  considering  the 
question  very  carefully  the  commission,  on  January  24,  1901, 
recommended  that  the  friar  lands  should  be  acquired  by  the  gov- 
ernment, paid  for  from  the  proceeds  of  a  bond  issue,  and  then 
sold  in  small  holdings  to  the  tenants  on  easy  terms  of  payment 
and  the  receipts  used  to  create  a  fund  for  educational  purposes. 
A  few  months  later  this  recommendation  was  renewed  with  the 
suggestion,  however,  that  the  proceeds  of  the  sales  of  the  lands 
should  go  into  a  sinking  fund  to  be  applied  to  meet  the  obligation 
of  the  bonds  as  they  matured. 

This  plan  was  approved  by  Secretary  Root  and  when,  in  the 
spring  of  1902,  Governor  Taft  was  called  to  the  United  States 
to  advise  with  reference  to  contemplated  congressional  legisla- 
tion, he  returned  to  Manila  by  way  of  Rome  and  held  a  confer- 
ence with  the  Pope  with  reference  to  the  purchase  of  the  lands 
and  the  withdrawal  of  the  friars.  As  the  result  of  this  visit 
the  Pope  approved  the  plan  and  appointed  an  apostolic  delegate 
with  full  powers  to  act  for  the  Vatican.^^ 


1^  The  bill  providing  for  the  purchase  of  the  friar  lands  was  then  pending 
in  Congress.  Secretary  Root's  instructions  to  Governor  Taft  contained  the 
following : 

"In  view,  therefore,  of  the  critical  situation  of  this  subject  in  the  Philip- 


CHURCH    AND    STATE  47 

On  July  1,  1902,  Congress  enacted  the  law  providing  for  the 
government  of  the  Philippines  and  authorized  the  insular  gov- 
ernment to  purchase  the  lands  in  question,  or  to  acquire  them  un- 
der the  power  of  eminent  domain,  if  in  the  opinion  of  the  com- 
mission they  were  held  in  a  manner  injurious  to  the  peace  and 
welfare  of  the  people.  It  was  thus  made  simply  a  question  of 
public  policy.  If  the  lands  were  acquired  authority  was  given  to 
issue  the  bonds  of  the  Philippine  government  bearing  interest  at 
the  rate  of  four  and  one-half  per  cent,  per  annum  and  sell  the 
same  to  secure  the  necessary  funds.  These  bonds  were  declared 
exempt  from  the  payment  of  the  taxes  and  duties  of  the  United 
States,  the  Philippine  government  or  any  local  authority  of 
either. 

The  apostolic  delegate,  Monseigneur  Guidi,  Archbishop  of 
Staurpoli,  reached  Manila  in  the  fall  of  1902.  The  negotiations 
at  once  developed  the  fact  that  the  various  estates  other  than  that 
of  the  Recolletos  in  Mindora  had  been  conveyed  to  individuals 
and  corporations  and  it  was  necessary  to  deal  also  with  them  and 
their  representatives.^'^  The  various  grantees  objected  to  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  apostolic  delegate  on  the  ground  that  the  orders 
no  longer  had  any  interest  in  the  property.  However,  as  Gover- 
nor Taft  said,  it  went  without  saying  that  they  had  an  interest 
and  a  very  substantial  one,  and  that  for  reasons  of  their  own 
their  interests  had  been  made  as  ambiguous  and  as  doubtful  as 
possible. ^^    According  to  an  understanding  had  at  Rome  between 


pines,  and  the  apparent  impossibility  of  disposing  of  the  matter  there  by  nego- 
tiation with  the  friars  themselves,  the  president  does  not  feel  at  liberty  to 
lose  the  opportunity  for  eflfective  action  afforded  by  your  presence  in  the 
West.  He  wishes  you  to  take  the  subject  up  tentatively  with  the  ecclesiastical 
superiors,  who  must  ultimately  determine  the  friars'  course^  of  conduct,  and 
endeavor  to  reach  at  least  a  basis  of  negotiations  along  lines  that  will  be 
satisfactory  to  the  Philippine  government,  accompanied  by  a  full  understand- 
ing on  both  sides  of  the  facts  and  of  the  views  and  purposes  of  the  parties  to 
the  negotiations,  so  that  when  Congress  shall  have  acted  the  business  may 
proceed  to  a  conclusion  without  delay."    Rcpt.  Secretary  of  War,  1902,  p.  59. 

i«  In  1894  the  Augustinians  had  conveyed  their  lands  to  the  Sociedad 
Agricola  de  Ultramar.  The  Imus  estate  of  the  Recolleto  order  had  been 
transferred  to  the  British  Manila  Estates  Company,  Limited,  a  Hong  Kong 
Corporation.  The  title  of  the  Dominican  lands  was  found  to  be  in  the  Philip- 
pine Sugar  Estates  Development  Company,  Limited. 

"  At  one  of  the  hearings  in  Manila  a  representative  of  one  of  the  orders 


48  THE    PHILIPPINES 

Governor  Taft  and  Cardinal  Rampolla  a  demand  was  now  made 
upon  Monseigneur  Guidi  for  a  statement  of  the  exact  interest  re- 
tained by  the  rehgious  orders  in  the  lands  under  consideration. 
No  formal  reply  was  made  to  this  request,  but  Governor  Taft  was 
notified  informally  that  they  had  so  disposed  of  their  interest 
that  it  was  impossible  to  state  what,  if  any,  remained.^® 

It  at  once  became  evident  that  the  interested  parties  had  very 
different  ideas  as  to  the  money  value  of  the  lands.  A  Filipino 
surveyor,  who  had  been  employed  by  the  commission,  placed  the 
value  at  $6,043,000  gold.  The  agents  of  the  various  holding 
companies  claimed  that  the  lands  were  worth  something  more 
than  $13,000,000  gold.  An  offer  of  $6,043,219.07  gold,  the 
amount  of  the  valuation  taking  into  consideration  certain  fluc- 
tuations in  the  value  of  silver,  was  refused,  but  Monseigneur 
Guidi  informed  Governor  Taft  that  he  thought  an  offer  of 
$10,500,000  would  be  accepted.  Later  the  agents  of  the  English 
Company  intimated  that  $8,500,000  would  be  accepted.  The 
government  then  raised  its  original  offer  by  $1,500,000.  There 
was  considerable  delay  while  the  various  owners  were  trying  to 
agree  upon  how  the  money  should  be  divided.  Finally,  after 
certain  small  tracts  which  were  of  no  particular  value  for  agri- 
cultural purposes  had  been  deducted,  the  purchase  was  effected 
for  the  sum  of  $7,239,000  gold. 

It  is  very  probable  that  this  was  more  than  the  lands  were 
worth  at  that  time,  and  there  was  much  criticism  of  the  govern- 
ment. But  the  transaction  was  never  regarded  as  a  purely  busi- 
ness one.     As  Governor  Taft  said  at  the  time,  the  insular  gov- 

testified :  "The  real  reason  why  we  conveyed  our  property  to  another  party 
was  to  have  nothing  further  to  do  with  the  administration  of  these  agricul- 
tural lands,  and  to  remove  that  complaint  which  was  made  against  us,  that 
the  friars  owned  all  the  lands,  and  were  making  all  the  money."  It  was  ad- 
mitted that  they  held  stock  in  the  corporation  to  which  the  lands  were  trans- 
ferred. Sen.  Doc.  190,  pp.  54,  61.  Cong.  Rec,  XXXV,  Pt.  8,  p.  7435  (1902). 
The  church  lands  had  been  alienated  temporarily  in  1834  and  1846,  at  the 
time  of  a  quarrel  between  the  Pope  and  the  Spanish  government.  In  1851 
the  Spanish  government  guaranteed  the  titles  of  all  church  property.  In 
1890  the  ecclesiastical  corporations  were  authorized  to  dispose  of  their  pos- 
sessions in  accord  with  the  canon  law  and  the  laws  of  the  Indias. 

18  Report  of  Governor  Taft  to  Philippine  Commission,  Nov.  IS,  1903.  See 
letter  of  Governor  Taft  to  Monseigneur  Guidi,  July  5,  1903. 


CHURCH    AND    STATE  49 

ernment  had  "not  entered  upon  the  purchase  of  these  lands 
with  a  view  to  a  profitable  investment  but  it  is  knowingly  paying 
a  considerable  sum  of  money  merely  for  the  purpose  of  ridding 
the  administration  of  the  government  in  the  islands  of  an  issue 
dangerous  to  the  peace  and  prosperity  of  the  people." 

As  a  part  of  the  settlement  it  was  understood  that  a  portion 
of  the  purchase-price  received  by  the  Church  should  be  expended 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Church  in  the  Philippines  and  that  the  Span- 
ish friars  would  soon  be  withdrawn  from  the  islands.  It  is  to 
be  regretted  that  the  implied  obligation  to  use  the  fund  for  the 
upbuilding  of  the  Philippine  church  has  not  been  recognized.  The 
friars  were  gradually  withdrawn  but  many  returned  and  were 
absorbed  and  lost  in  a  community  that  had  become  interested  in 
other  matters. 

The  settlement  of  the  friar  lands  question  was  one  of  the 
last  acts  of  Governor  Taft's  administration.  Governor-General 
Wright,  in  his  inaugural  address,  February  1,  1904,  said  that  "in 
making  this  settlement,  the  government  has  been  just,  not  to  say 
liberal,  to  the  religious  orders,  and  at  the  same  time  will  confer  a 
substantial  benefit  upon  the  occupants  of  the  land.  It  is  believed 
that  the  spirit  which  dictated  this  transaction  will  be  fully  ap- 
preciated by  those  affected." 

By  this  transaction  the  government  acquired  title  to  386,120 
acres  of  agricultural  land^^  which  was  divided  into  twenty-three 
disconnected  tracts  or  estates,  much  of  which  had  never  been 
brought  under  cultivation. 

An  old  and  bitter  controversy  was  thus  ended.  It  was  a  wise 
and  statesmanlike  transaction,  probably  the  most  effective  and 
important  act  of  Governor  Taft's  administration.  With  settled 
conditions  the  lands  increased  in  value  and  it  soon  became  evi- 
dent that  with  careful  management  the  government  would  in 
time  be  reimbursed  from  the  land  sales.  Reasonable  progress 
has  been  made  in  the  disposition  of  the  lands.  The  sales  prices 
are  determined  by  the  original  cost,   which   is  increased  each 


^*  These  figures  are  substantially  correct. 


50  THE    PHILIPPINES 

year  by  the  addition  of  the  pro  rata  share  o£  accumulated  in- 
terest and  the  expense  of  administration.  The  occupied  lands, 
all  of  which  have  been  sold,  were  rapidly  disposed  of  under 
leases  and  contracts,  which  gave  the  purchaser  twenty  years 
within  which  to  pay  the  purchase-price.  Thereafter,  as  the 
public  lands  could  be  acquired  much  cheaper,  the  sales  were 
of  course  slower.  On  August  29,  1911,  the  secretary  of  the 
interior  reported  that  202,1673^  acres  had  been  sold  under 
contracts,  and  10,1825^  acres  leased  on  three-year  terms. 
The  total  value  of  the  land  then  sold  and  leased  was  $7,220,- 
398.45^.  The  contract  income  from  sales  and  leases  amounted 
to  $553,522.23.  On  account  of  the  unsatisfactory  agricultural 
conditions  many  of  the  purchasers  of  these  lands  have  fallen  in 
arrears  in  their  payments  and  many  suits  have  had  to  be  brought 
to  collect  the  large  amounts  due.  In  1911  there  remained  unsold, 
unleased  and  unoccupied,  173, 772 ^^  acres  valued  at  $3,225,- 
613.71.  To  January  1,  1916,  246,722  acres  had  been  sold,  and 
the  total  receipts  from  sales  amounted  to  $1,898,906.37.  The 
sinking  fund  for  the  retirement  of  the  bond  then  contained 
$290,105.37. 

Under  the  authority  of  the  Act  of  Congress  the  Philippine 
Commission  enacted  a  law^°  "providing  for  the  administra- 
tion and  temporary  leasing  and  selling  of  certain  haciendas  and 
parcels  of  land  commonly  known  as  friar  lands,  for  the  purchase 
of  which  the  government  of  the  Philippine  Islands  has  recently 
contracted."  It  was  assumed  that  the  friar  lands  were  not  "pub- 
lic lands"  in  the  sense  in  which  these  words  are  used  in  the  Pub- 
lic Lands  Act,  and  that  they  could  not  be  acquired  or  leased  under 
the  provisions  of  that  act.  However,  the  provision  of  the  Public 
Lands  Act  with  reference  to  the  number  of  acres  which  could  be 
purchased  by  an  individual  or  corporation,  was  adopted. 

These  lands  had  been  originally  selected  by  the  friars  as  sep- 
arate estates  which  were  to  be  developed  as  large  haciendas. 
The  Act  of  Congress  providing  for  the  disposition  of  the  public 

20  Act  No.  1120,  April  26,  1904. 


I 


CHURCH    AND    STATE  51 

laiids  proceeded  on  the  theory  that  they  should  be  held  by  the 
government  in  trust  for  the  people  of  the  Philippines  and  disposed 
of  in  such  manner  as  to  create  a  body  of  small  landholders  who 
would  be  free  from  the  exactions  of  landlords  and  free  from  the 
oppressive  features  which  had  marked  the  old  system  of  large 
estates  with  numerous  dependent  tenants.  Experience  has  dem- 
onstrated that  the  American  homestead  idea  can  not  be  suddenly 
transported  and  established  among  a  people  who  have  little  desire 
for  economic  independence  at  the  price  of  personal  isolation. 
The  Filipinos  were  a  gregarious  people,  accustomed  to  live  in 
villages,  and  could  not  at  once  be  induced  to  change  their  habits, 
even  by  the  gift  of  free  land.  Hence  there  was  no  rush  for  pub- 
lic lands  and  the  sales  were  slow.  The  law,  by  limiting  the 
amount  which  a  person  or  corporation  could  acquire,  effectually 
prevented  speculators  from  securing  large  tracts  of  land;  but  it 
also  prevented  those  who  in  good  faith  wished  to  develop  the 
sugar  and  tobacco  industries  from  acquiring  the  amount  of 
land  absolutely  necessary  in  order  to  make  the  business  profitable. 
The  result  has  been  to  discourage  capital  from  entering  the 
country. 

Theoretically  the  policy  is  correct,  but  the  fear  of  exploitation 
is  largely  illusory  and  is  entertained  by  few  intelligent  Americans 
who  are  familiar  with  actual  conditions  in  the  country.  It  would 
have  been  much  better  had  Congress  left  the  matter  in  the  hands 
of  the  commission  which  was  familiar  with  local  conditions. 
However,  the  disposition  of  the  public  lands  was  a  matter  which 
could  wait.  They  were  not  a  burden  of  expense  upon  the  gov- 
ernment. The  friar  lands,  which  had  been  purchased  with  bor- 
rowed money  which  had  to  be  repaid,  presented  a  very  different 
question.  Unless  these  lands  were  promptly  sold  the  annual  in- 
terest and  charge  and  ultimately  the  principal  of  the  bonds  would 
have  to  be  paid  out  of  the  proceeds  of  general  taxation,  thus  im- 
posing a  very  heavy  burden  upon  the  people  who  received  no 
direct  benefits  therefrom.  The  annual  interest  charge  alone 
amounted  to  more  than  three  hundred  thousand  dollars  gold,  and 


52  THE   PHILIPPINES 

under  the  method  adopted  for  selling  the  lands  in  small  tracts  upon 
long  payments  the  administration  was  necessarily  expensive.  It 
was  soon  found  that  the  estates  upon  which  there  were  no  tenants 
could  not  within  any  reasonable  time  be  sold  in  small  tracts,  but 
there  was  reason  to  believe  that  sales  could  be  made  of  large 
tracts  to  people  who  were  able  to  develop  them  and  thus  bring 
much  needed  capital  into  the  country  and  furnish  employment  for 
native  workmen.  The  land  act  was  therefore  amended  by  remov- 
ing the  restriction  upon  the  amount  of  land  which  could  be  sold 
to  an  individual.^^ 

When  the  opportunity  arose  to  sell  the  large  Mindora  tract  to 
certain  Americans  who  contemplated  developing  it  into  a  sugar 
estate  with  modern  equipment  the  insular  officials  congratulated 
themselves  on  the  advent  of  good  fortune.  There  were  no 
tenants  on  the  estate,  not  an  acre  of  the  land  had  ever  been  culti- 
vated or  occupied,  and  its  location  was  such  that  generations 
might  pass  before  it  could  be  sold  in  small  tracts.  Apparently 
the  question  of  the  right  of  the  government  to  sell  the  land  in  large 
tracts  was  raised  as  a  precautionary  measure  by  the  prospective 
investors.  The  Philippine  government  had  proceeded  on  the 
theory  that  the  restrictions  on  the  sale  of  public  lands  did  not 
apply  to  the  friar  lands  and  had  passed  the  statute  which  removed 
the  restrictions  imposed  by  the  original  land  act. 

It  did  not  seem  that  there  could  be  any  serious  doubt  about 
their  legal  right  to  do  so.  When  the  Act  of  July  1,  1902,  was 
under  consideration  in  Congress  the  democratic  members  had 
objected  to  the  provision  in  the  bill  on  the  ground  that  it  would 
permit  exactly  what  the  Philippine  government  now  proposed 
to  do. 

The  section  of  the  act  relating  to  the  public  or  "crown  lands" 
which  had  been  acquired  under  the  Treaty  with  Spain,  which 
provided  that  the  public  lands  should  not  be  sold  in  greater 
quantities  than  forty  acres  to  an  individual  and  two  thousand  five 
hundred  acres  to  a  corporation,  had  already  been  adopted  in  the 

21  Act  No.  1847,  June  3,  1908. 


CHURCH    AND    STATE  53 

committee.  Thereafter  provision  was  made  for  acquiring  the 
friar  lands  and  it  was  proposed : 

"That  all  lands  acquired  under  authority  of  Section  15  of  this 
act  shall  constitute  a  part  and  portion  of  the  public  property  of 
the  government  of  the  Philippine  Islands  and  may  be  held, 
granted,  sold  and  conveyed  by  the  government  of  such  islands 
on  such  terms  and  conditions  as  it  may  prescribe;  Provided: 
That  actual  settlers  and  occupants  at  the  time  said  lands  are 
acquired  by  the  government  shall  have  the  preference  over  all 
others  to  purchase  or  otherwise  acquire  their  holdings  within 
such  reasonable  time  as  may  be  determined  by  such  government." 

No  material  change  was  made  in  this  provision  and  as  enacted 
it  became  Section  65  of  the  Act  of  July  1,  1902. 

Mr.  Jones,  of  Virginia,  who  subsequently,  as  chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  Insular  Affairs,  became  prominent  in  connection 
with  legislation  for  the  Philippines,  under  the  impression  evi- 
dently that  all  the  lands  were  occupied,  moved  to  amend  this 
language  by  inserting  a  provision  that  the  friar  lands 

"shall  only  be  granted,  sold  and  conveyed  to  actual  settlers  and 
occupants  at  the  time  said  lands  are  acquired  by  the  government, 
not  exceeding  forty  hectares'^  to  any  one  person,  and  on  such 
terms  and  conditions  as  it  may  prescribe." 

Had  this  amendment  been  adopted  the  vacant  lands  could  not 
have  been  sold  at  all.  "Now  this  section  as  it  stands,"  said  Mr. 
Jones, ^^  "will  enable  corporations,  the  organization  of  which  is 
provided  for  in  this  bill,  to  acquire  these  friar  lands." 

Mr.  Cochran,  of  Missouri,  wanted  the  maximum  fixed  at  sixty 
hectares.  It  is  evident  that  both  gentlemen  understood  that 
the  bill  made  a  distinction  between  the  public  lands  and  the  pub- 
lic property  of  which  the  friar  lands  were  to  constitute  a  part. 

Mr.  Goldfogle,  of  New  York,  objected  to  the  section  as  it 
stood^*  because 

"it  does  not  provide  in  what  quantities  of  land  the  disposition 
shall  be  made.     It  gives  general  and  unlimited  power  to  sell  the 

22  A  hectare  is  two  and  one-half  acres. 

23  Cong.  Rec,  June  26,  1902,  XXXV,  Pt.  VIII,  p.  7443. 
2*  Ibid.,  p.  7447. 


54  THE    PHILIPPINES 

land  on  any  terms  and  conditions  that  may  be  prescribed  by  the 
government  of  the  PhiHppines.  .  .  .  It  is  within  the  power  of 
the  government  of  the  PhiHppines  to  put  up  the  property  either 
at  pubHc  or  private  sale  in  such  large  tracts  as  to  make  it  impos- 
sible for  actual  settlers  and  the  poor  inhabitants  of  the  islands 
to  compete  for  the  lands  with  the  wealthy  speculators." 

Mr.  Lacy,^^  of  Iowa,  said : 

"As  to  the  public  lands  there  is  a  provision  further  on  in  the 
bill  limiting  homesteads  to  sixteen  hectares,  or  about  forty  acres, 
the  idea  being  that  in  that  tropical  climate  with  that  rich  soil, 
most  of  the  land  requiring  irrigation,  a  forty-acre  homestead  is 
ample,  but  when  the  problem  of  handling  the  four  hundred 
thousand  acres  of  the  friar  lands  arose  this  bill,  I  think,  has 
dealt  wisely  with  the  question  ^3;  leaving  the  whole  matter  of  the 
purchase  on  the  one  hand  and  the  disposition  on  the  other  with 
the  Philippine  Government.  .  .  .  The  question  is  whether  we 
shall  give  the  local  government  the  power  of  disposition  of  the 
lands.  First,  they  are  authorized  to  buy  and  then  to  sell,  and 
the  purpose  of  sale  is  to  get  money  to  pay  the  bonds.  .  .  .  The 
best  plan  is  to  leave  such  matters  with  the  local  government." 

Referring  to  Section  15,  Mr.  Cooper  said: 

"Now  this  is  a  provision  to  dispose  of  the  public  lands  gen- 
erally distinct  from  the  friar  lands." 

In  defending  the  provision  which  left  the  manner  of  dis- 
posing of  the  friar  lands  to  the  Philippine  government,  Mr. 
Crumpacker  said  :^^ 

"No  man  need  suffer  on  account  of  the  administration  of  this 
law,  and  it  was  deemed  safer  and  wiser  to  vest  this  discretion  in 
the  commission,  who  are  on  the  ground,  who  may  know  the  real 
conditions,  than  for  Congress  to  undertake  to  make  a  law  with 
hard  and  fast  lines,  absolutely  providing  for  the  method  of  dis- 
posing of  these  lands." 

The  superlatively  virtuous  Mr.  Sulzer,  of  New  York,  felt  cer- 
tain, so  he  announced,  that  the  real  object  of  the  law  was  "to 
turn  the  resources  of  the  Philippines  over  to  the  tender  mercies 
of  the  trusts  and  a  few  private  looters." 

25  Ibid.,  p.  7444. 

26  Ibid.,  p.  7444. 


CHURCH    AND    STATE  55 

However,  the  various  amendments  were  defeated  and  the  bill 
was  passed  with  the  understanding  that  the  government  of  the 
Philippines  should  have  a  free  hand  in  disposing  of  the  lands. 
It  should  be  noted  that  the  act  of  the  Philippine  Legislature  which 
removed  the  restrictions  upon  sales  which  had  been  imposed  by 
the  original  land  act  of  the  commission,  was  passed  without  a 
dissenting  vote,  by  the  assembly,  all  the  members  of  which  were 
Filipinos,  duly  reported  to  Congress  and  not  disapproved  by  that 
body.  It  therefore,  under  the  Organic  Act,  remained  effective 
with  the  approval  of  Congress, 

When  the  opportunity  arose  to  sell  the  distant  Mindora  estate, 
out  of  abundant  caution  the  question  was  referred  to  the  attor- 
ney-general of  the  United  States,  and  on  December  8,  1909,  he 
rendered  an  opinion  that  the  restrictions  imposed  by  Section  15 
of  the  Act  of  Congress  July  1,  1902,  upon  the  sale  of  the  public 
lands  which  had  been  acquired  under  the  Treaty  of  Paris,  did 
not  apply  to  the  lands  acquired  by  purchase  from  the  friars  under 
the  authority  of  Sections  63,  64  and  65  of  the  same  act.  Hence 
the  friar  lands,  having  been  purchased  under  the  authority  of 
an  Act  of  Congress  which  delegated  to  the  government  of  the 
Philippines  full  power  to  determine  the  method  of  sale  and  to 
provide  thereby  a  fund  for  the  retirement  of  the  purchase  price 
bonds,  could  be  sold  in  any  manner  authorized  by  the  Philippine 
Legislature.^'^ 

The  Mindora  tract  was  then  sold  to  parties  who,  under  very 
adverse  conditions,  proceeded  to  erect  a  modern  sugar  mill  and 
to  put  the  land  under  cultivation.  This  transaction  was  attacked 
with  much  violence  by  certain  badly  informed  and  ill-advised 
members  of  Congress.^® 

The  tariff  law  of  1909  opened  the  United  States  market  to 
Philippine  sugar  and  encouraged  the  sugar  growers  to  develop  the 
industry.  The  American  beet  sugar  interests,  which  saw  competi- 
tion in  their  home  market,  joined  forces  with  the  political  party 

27  Opinion  Attorney-General,  U.  S.,  Dec.  18,  1909.  Cong.  Rcc,  March  25, 
1910. 

An  opinion  by  Mr.  Moorfield  Storey  to  the  contrary  will  be  found  in  the 
Cong.  Rec.  for  Feb.  16,  1910. 

28  The  53,000  acres  were  sold  for  $367,000,  the  original  cost  having  been 
$298,782.07. 


56  THE    PHILIPPINES 

which  seemed  committed  to  the  poHcy  of  questioning  every  act  of 
the  Philippine  government,  and  a  vigorous  attack  was  made  on 
the  land  policy  which  made  it  possible  to  develop  the  Philippine 
sugar  business  on  a  large  scale.  The  Filipino  public  were  excited 
by  the  cry  of  trust  exploitation.  Mr.  Martin,  of  Colorado,  in  a 
violent  partisan  speech  in  the  House  of  Representatives  charged 
President  Taft,  Secretary  Root,  and  practically  all  the  men  who 
had  been  connected  with  the  government  of  the  Philippines,  with 
having  been  engaged  in  a  gigantic  conspiracy  to  turn  the  islands 
over  to  the  Sugar  Trust  and  its  predatory  friends.  Governor- 
General  Forbes,  Secretary  of  the  Interior  Worcester,  and  Execu- 
tive Secretary  Carpenter  were  charged  with  being  financially 
interested  in  certain  land  transactions  of  the  government.  The 
charges  were  so  sweeping  and  general  that  they  answered  them- 
selves. The  political  and  business  motives  by  which  they  were 
inspired  were  patent  on  the  surface. 

But  on  June  25,  1910,  the  House  directed  its  Committee  on 
Insular  Affairs  to  make  an  investigation  of  the  conduct  of  the  In- 
terior Department  of  the  Philippine  government  touching  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  Philippine  lands.  Certain  officials  were  called 
from  Manila  to  Washington  and  a  great  deal  of  evidence  was 
taken,  much  of  it  of  a  very  general  character.  The  issue  other 
than  the  charges  against  officials,  rested  on  the  legal  right  of  the 
government  to  sell  the  friar  lands  in  large  tracts.  The  Anti- 
Imperialist  League  was  represented  before  the  committee  by  coun- 
sel and  the  legal  question  and  the  charges  against  the  individuals 
were  fully  investigated.  The  result  was  complete  vindication  of 
the  Philippine  officials.  Mr.  Martin  failed  miserably  to  sustain 
his  charges.  The  majority  of  the  committee  sustained  the  right 
of  the  Philippine  government  to  sell  the  friar  lands  in  large  tracts 
and  the  entire  committee  exonerated  Mr.  Forbes,  Mr.  Wor- 
cester and  Mr.  Carpenter  from  any  intentional  wrong-doing.^' 


29  The  Friar  Land  Inquiry,  reports  to  secretary  of  war  by  Messrs.  Forbes, 
Worcester  and  Carpenter  (Manila,  1910). 

Rajah  Brooke,  after  passing  through  the  fire  of  such  an  investigation, 
said: 

"Do  not  disgrace  your  public  servants  by  inquiries  generated  in  the  fogs 


CHURCH    AND    STATE  57 


ete  1 


Notwithstanding  the  action  of  the  committee  and  the  complet 
vindication  of  the  Phihppine  officials,  the  secretary  of  war 
rected  that  until  Congress  should  take  some  further  action  the' 
friar  lands  should  be  sold  subject  to  the  limitations  of  the  Public/ 
Lands  Act.  The  secretary  of  war  had  no  power  to  change  the  Act! 
of  Congress,  but  as  he  had  the  undoubted  power  to  change  the 
officials  by  which  it  was  administered,  the  result  was  the  same.' 
The  Philippine  Legislature,  in  1914,^°  after  it  had  passed  under 
Filipino  control,  passed  a  law  limiting  the  sales  to  sixteen  hectares' 
to  an  individual  and  1,024  hectares  to  a  corporation;  and  by 
the  Philippine  Government  Law  of  1916,  all  the  unsold  friar 
lands  are  placed  under  the  control  of  the  Philippine  Legisla- 
ture, with  power  to  act  with  reference  thereto  as  it  may  deem 
advisable.  But  acts  "with  reference  to  the  public  domain,  tim- 
ber and  mining,  hereafter  enacted,  shall  not  have  the  force  of 
law  until  approved  by  the  President  of  the  United  States."  The 
question  remains :  Are  the  friar  lands  a  part  of  the  "public  do- 
mains"? If  not,  the  Philippine  Legislature  has  full  control  over 
them;  if  so,  it  has  the  same  power  subject  to  the  approval  of  the 
president. 

It  was  a  short-sighted  policy.  Under  the  law  the  annual 
charges,  including  interest,  must  be  added  to  the  sale  price  and 
the  expenses  of  administration  are  enormously  increased  by  sales 
in  small  tracts  on  long  time  to  purchasers  dependent  on  the  year's 
crop  for  the  money  to  meet  their  payments.  The  report  for 
1915  shows  payments  aggregating  four  hundred  and  twenty 
thousand  dollars  in  default  and  over  four  thousand  suits  pending 
against  delinquents.^^  This  is  the  direct  result  of  the  ill-advised 
policy  of  limiting  the  sales  to  such  small  tracts.  All  this  expense 
which  must  be  added  to  the  sales  price  and  the  lands  must  thus  be 
held  at  prices  much  higher  than  that  at  which  public  lands  of 
equal  value  can  be  purchased.    The  result  of  the  policy  will  prob- 


of  base  suspicion,  for  remember,  a  wrong  done  is  like  a  wound  received ;  the 
scar  is  ineffaceable.  It  may  be  covered  with  glittering  decorations,  but  there 
it  remains  to  the  end."    Rajah  Brooke,  by  Sir  Spencer  St.  John,  p.  177. 

30  Act  No.  2379,  Feb.  28,  1914. 

31  Rept.  Phil.  Com..  1914,  p.  102. 


58  THE    PHILIPPINES 

ably  be  that  the  outstanding  bonds  will  have  to  be  paid  out  of  the 
treasury  instead  of  from  the  proceeds  of  the  sales  of  the  lands. 

Any  controversy  which  required  the  government  to  interfere 
between  church  factions  was  dangerous  to  the  peace  of  the  coun- 
try, and  the  attempt  during  the  early  days  of  American  rule,  of 
Gregario  Aglipay  and  certain  Filipinos  who  had  left  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  to  establish  a  national  church  under  the  name 
of  the  Independent  Filipino  Catholic  Church,  for  a  time  threat- 
ened serious  consequences.  Aglipay  was  a  regularly  ordained 
Roman  Catholic  priest  who  had  come  into  collision  with  Arch- 
bishop Nozaleda  during  the  early  years  of  the  insurrection. 
While  with  Aguinaldo  at  Malolos  he  issued,  over  the  latter's 
signature,  a  denunciatory  letter  to  the  archbishop  in  which  he 
charp-ed  that  the  Catholic  Church  had  entered  into  close  rela- 
tions  with  the  Americans  for  the  protection  of  the  friars.^^  This 
letter  was  effective  in  inducing  the  people  to  believe  that  the  suc- 
cess of  the  Americans  meant  the  return  of  the  friars  with  the 
powerful  support  of  the  new  government.  Having  broken  with 
the  Catholic  Church,  Aglipay  became  an  insurgent  general  and 
was  active  in  the  Ilocos  provinces,  being  one  of  the  last  to  sur- 
render. His  experience  as  a  priest  had  shown  him  how  easy  it 
was  to  influence  the  natives  through  their  religious  feelings  and 
superstitions,  and  he  skilfully  utilized  the  conditions  in  build- 
ing a  new  church  which  should  be  national  in  character  and  inde- 
pendent of  Rome.  The  Filipinos  are  by  nature  and  training  re- 
ligious, but  many  of  them  were  dissatisfied  with  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  which  had  supported  Spain  and  the  hated  friars. 
Conditions  were  ripe  for  such  a  movement.  The  idea  of  a  na- 
tional church  was  attractive  to  those  who  had  imbibed  revolu- 
tionary principles,  and  the  native  priests,  who  had  been  kept  in 
subordination  by  the  Spaniards,  saw  in  the  new  movement  an 
opportunity  for  personal  advancement. 

After  his  surrender,  Aglipay  and  one  Isabelo  de  Los  Reyes, 
who  had  been  editing  an  insurgent  paper  in  Madrid,  started  an 

32  See  Otis'  Report,  1900,  pp.  117,  118. 


CHURCH    AND    STATE  59 

active  propaganda  among  the  native  priests  and  an  organization 
was  effected  with  AgHpay  as  archbishop  and  fifteen  FiHpino 
priests  as  bishops.  While  there  were  reasons  for  beHeving  that 
AgHpay's  motives  were  primarily  political,  the  government  gave 
him  and  his  followers  the  benefit  of  the  doubt^^  and  maintained 
an  attitude  of  impartiality  between  the  contestants.  It  announced 
that  it  would  protect  Aglipay  and  the  regular  Catholic  priests 
and  their  respective  adherents  impartially  in  their  constitutional 
right  to  worship  God  in  their  own  way. 

In  communities  where  the  majority  of  the  people  joined  the 
new  Church  they  assumed  that  they  were  entitled  to  the  use  of 
the  church  buildings  which  had  been  constructed,  often  on  mu- 
nicipal lands,  by  the  voluntary  contributions  and  labor  of  the  peo- 
ple. As  a  result  there  was  some  violence  and  disorder.  In  one  par- 
ish the  women  took  possession  of  the  church  building  and  Aglipay 
celebrated  mass  therein.  When  reasoned  with  by  Governor  Taft 
he  promised  that  the  church  should  be  returned  to  the  regular 
priest,  but  the  women  had  other  views,  and  it  was  only  after  a 
lively  interview  with  the  governor  that  they  consented  to  deliver 
the  keys  to  the  chief  executive.  Although  the  protection  of  the 
Church  in  its  property  rights  was  certain  to  be  used  by  Aglipay 
and  his  followers  as  further  evidence  of  an  alliance  between  the 
American  government  and  their  old  enemy,  there  was  only  one 
course  to  be  pursued.  The  government  simply  held  that  which- 
ever party  was  in  actual  possession  of  a  church  building  would 
be  protected  in  its  possession  until  the  property  rights  were  de- 
termined by  the  courts.  As  there  was  much  excitement  and  con- 
stant danger  of  violence  the  commission  conferred  upon  the 
Supreme  Court  original  jurisdiction  to  hear  and  determine  the 
question  involved.  In  the  meantime  the  police  maintained  the 
status  quo}^  The  decision  was  against  the  Aglipians  and  with  the 
loss  of  the  church  property  interest  in  the  movement  soon  died 


33  For  the  quasi  religious  propaganda  carried  on  by  Aglipay  in  the  Ilocos 
provinces  during  the  period  of  the  insurrection,  see  Rept.  War  Dept.,  1901, 
Pt.  VI,  p.  798;  Pt.  VII,  p.  237. 

^*Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  Nov.  1,  1902;  Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1904,  Pt.  I,  p.  19. 


50  THE   PHILIPPINES 

out.  The  people  gradually  returned  to  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  leaving  Aglipay  and  a  few  irreconcilables  to  play  at  run- 
ning a  Church  and  to  flirt  with  subterranean  sedition. 

The  transfer  of  the  control  over  education  from  the  Church 
to  the  State  was  effected  with  very  little  difficulty.  The  delicate 
subject  was  handled  with  tact  and  good  judgment.  The  higher 
places  in  the  Church  passed  to  American  Catholics  who  were  fa- 
miliar with  the  American  school  system,  and  those  who  did  not 
sympathize  with  it  soon  recognized  and  bowed  gracefully  to  the 
inevitable. 


CHAPTER  IV 
Congressional  Legislation  for  the  Philippines 

Delay  in  Assuming  Control — First  Legislation  Confirmatory  Only — The 
Spooner  Law — The  Civil  Government  Law  of  July  1,  1902 — Its  Nature — 
Bureau  of  Insular  Affairs — Ratification  of  Acts  of  President  and  of  the 
Commission — Location  of  Legislative  Power — The  Judicial  Organization — 
Jurisdiction  of  the  Courts — Resident  Commissioners — Citizenship — Bill  of 
Rights — Trustee  for  Public  Property — Power  Granted  to  Provide  for  Needs 
of  Commerce — Conservation  of  Lands  and  Mineral  Rights — To  Acquire  Friar 
Lands — Coinage — Bond  Issues — Restrictions  on  Granting  Franchises — Bonds 
for  Port  Works,  Roads,  etc. — The  Navigation  Laws — The  Chinese  Exclusion 
Law — The  Immigration  Laws — The  Income  Tax  Law — The  Tariff  Acts — Acts 
of  Congress  Extended  to  Philippines — Entry  and  Clearance  of  Vessels — 
Public  Health  and  Quarantine,  Extradition. 

The  power  and  duty  to  govern  territory  acquired  by  and  be- 
longing to  the  United  States  is  granted  to  and  imposed  by  the 
Constitution  upon  Congress,  and  it  may  create  such  subordi- 
nate agencies  for  the  purpose  as  it  deems  advisable.  Congress 
v^'as  slow  in  assuming  the  duty  of  providing  a  form  of  govern- 
ment for  the  territory  which  had  been  acquired  from  Spain  in 
the  Far  East.  When  it  did  act  it  merely  authorized  the  con- 
tinuance of  the  government  which  had  been  framed  by  Secretary 
Root  and  established  under  the  independent  constitutional  au- 
thority of  the  executive.  Shortly  thereafter  it  again  ratified 
what  had  been  done  by  the  president  and  the  government  of  the 
Philippines  and  somewhat  in  detail  defined  the  powers  of  the 
agency  through  which  it  willed  that  the  country  should  for  a  time 
be  governed.  In  view  of  the  peculiar  constitutional  and  political 
relations  which  arose  out  of  the  acquisition  of  this  territory,  it 
is  important  to  know  in  what  manner  and  to  what  extent  Con- 
gress has  exercised  its  powers  of  government  directly  and  how 
far  it  has  delegated  them  to  the  local  government  which  is  its 
agent  and  creature. 

61 


62  THE    PHILIPPINES 

It  will  be  remembered  that  before  Congress  passed  any  laws 
relating  to  the  Philippines  a  fairly  complete  civil  government 
had  been  estabHshed  in  the  islands  by  the  president  under  the  au- 
thority derived  not  from  Congress  but  directly  from  the  Consti- 
tution. Theoretically  the  war  powers  of  the  president  were  sus- 
pended upon  the  conclusion  of  peace  but  considerations  of  a 
practical  nature  required  that  it  continue  operative  until  Congress 
assumed  control.  The  insurrection  dragged  along  under  condi- 
tions which  required  the  occasional  exercise  of  military  author- 
ity. It  was  at  least  convenient  that  the  velvet  glove  should  con- 
ceal an  iron  hand  and  civil  government  was  permitted  to  rest  on 
the  war  power  until  the  midsummer  of  1902. 

Possibly  the  provision  attached  as  a  rider  to  the  Army  Appro- 
priation Bill  of  March  2,  1901/  which  delegated  the  power  to 
govern  the  Philippines  to  the  president  and  granted  certain  lim- 
ited legislative  powers  to  the  commission,  changed  the  character 
of  the  local  organization  from  a  quasi-civil  agency  resting  on 
military  authority  to  a  pure  civil  government  created  or  author- 
ized by  Congress  in  the  performance  of  its  constitutional  duty 
to  provide  rules  and  regulations  for  the  government  of  a  new 
territory.  But  for  another  year,  while  Congress  was  considering 
Philippine  affairs,  the  president  continued  to  govern  the  islands. 

On  July  1,  1902,^  Congress  passed  the  law  which,  according  to 
its  title,  was  designed  to  provide  temporarily  for  the  administra- 
tion of  civil  affairs  in  the  Philippines  and  under  which  the  country 
was  governed  from  that  time  until  October  16,  1916.  Though 
commonly  called  the  Organic  Law,  the  Act  of  July  1,  1902,  was 
not  a  formal  constitution,  although  it  contained  the  essentials  of 
such  an  instrument.  It  was  tentative  and  provisional,  and  de- 
signed to  provide  for  existing  conditions  subject  to  such  revision 
and  amendment  as  in  the  future  should  be  deemed  desirable.  It 
was  far  from  being  a  finished  definitive  instrument  such  as  was 
turned  out  by  Pedro  Patemo  for  the  Schurman  Commission 
and  by  Mabini  and  Calderon  for  the  Philippine  Republic.     It 

1  The  Spooner  Law,  31  Stat.  L.,  910. 

2  Chap.  1369,  32  Stat.  L.,  691. 


CONGRESSIONAL    LEGISLATION  63 

was  a  modest  suit  of  governmental  clothes  prepared  by  an  ex- 
cellent workman  for  a  political  small  boy  who  was  expected  to 
grow  but  whose  future  size  and  proportions  were  undeterminable. 

The  United  States  had  no  machinery  for  controlling  and 
governing  colonies  and  as  Congress  was  not  ready  to  establish 
a  colonial  department  it  followed  the  precedents  established  by 
Great  Britain  and  other  nations,  and  imposed  the  duty  of  admin- 
istering the  affairs  of  the  external  possessions  upon  the  secretary 
of  war  as  the  representative  of  the  president.  Secretary  Root 
had  organized  a  Division  of  Insular  Affairs  and  this  was  retained 
under  the  name  of  the  Bureau  of  Insular  Affairs  of  the  War  De- 
partment. In  the  language  of  the  statute  the  "business"  assigned 
to  this  bureau  embraces  "all  matters  pertaining  to  civil  govern- 
ment in  the  island  possessions  of  the  United  States,  subject  to  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  War  Department."*  The  original  act  author- 
ized the  secretary  of  war  to  detail  an  officer  of  the  army  with  the 
rank  of  colonel  as  chief  of  the  bureau,  and  subsequent  legislation 
provided  for  a  chief  with  two  assistants  with  the  rank  respectively 
of  brigadier-general,  colonel  and  major.  The  duties  of  the  chief 
of  this  bureau  resemble  those  of  a  permanent  under-secretary  of 
state  for  the  colonies. 

The  Spooner  Act  did  not  specifically  confirm  the  president's  acts 
under  the  war  power  and  as  there  were  a  few  people  who  doubted 
the  legality  of  many  of  the  things  that  had  been  done,*  Congress 
now  specifically  approved,  affirmed,  ratified  and  confirmed  the 
action  of  the  president  in  creating  the  United  States  Philippine 
Commission  and  authorizing  it  to  exercise  the  powers  of  govern- 
ment in  the  manner  and  form  and  subject  to  the  regulations  and 


3  Section  87,  Act  of  July  1,  1902.  See  statement  of  Brig.-Gen.  Mclntyre, 
Hearing  before  Senate  Committee  on  Philippines,  Dec.  14,  1914. 

*  During  the  debate  in  Congress  on  the  civil  government  bill,  Mr.  Jones, 
of  Virginia,  said :  "My  opinion  is  that  the  President  acted  without  legal  au- 
thority, that  no  warrant  is  to  be  found  in  the  Federal  Constitution  for  the 
appointment  by  the  President  of  a  civil  commission  vested  with  full  legisla- 
tive authority." 

Mr.  Crumpacker,  of  Indiana,  replied :  "Let  me  suggest  to  the  gentleman 
that  that  is  why  we  have  to  have  them  approved  and  confirmed  by  this  bill  to 
satisfy  such  opinions  as  the  gentleman  from  Virginia  may  entertain.  We 
think  they  are  valid."    Cong.  Rec,  June  19,  1902. 


64  THE    PHILIPPINES 

control  set  forth  in  the  president's  instructions  of  April  7,  1900; 
in  creating  the  offices  of  civil  governor  and  vice-governor  with 
the  powers  as  defined  in  the  executive  order  of  June  21,  1901, 
and  in  establishing  the  four  executive  departments ;  and  by  order 
of  July  12,  1898,  and  amendments,  authorizing  the  levy  and  col- 
lection of  a  tariff  of  duties  and  taxes  in  all  ports  and  places  in  the 
Philippines  upon  their  passing  into  the  occupation  and  possession 
of  the  forces  of  the  United  States.^ 

The  effect  of  the  law  was  to  continue  the  established  govern- 
ment and  approve  the  laws  then  on  the  Philippine  statute  books, 
including  the  old  Spanish  laws  which  had  not  been  expressly  or  by 
implication  repealed.^ 

The  legislative  power  was  left  in  the  PhiHppine  Commission. 
But  provision  was  made  for  the  future  division  of  the  Archi- 
pelago for  governmental  purposes  into  two  sections,  the  lines  of 
which  were  to  be  determined  by  the  character  and  degree  of 
civilization  of  the  inhabitants.  When  certain  conditions  had  been 
complied  with  there  was  to  be  created  in  one  of  these  territorial 
divisions  a  new  legislative  body  which  should  be  known  as  the 
Philippine  Legislature,  to  be  composed  of  two  houses,  the  Phil- 
ippine Commission  and  the  Philippine  Assembly.  The  mem- 
bers of  the  assembly  were  to  be  elected  by  popular  vote,  which 
meant,  of  course,  by  the  Filipinos.  After  this  legislature  was 
organized  it  should  exercise  the  legislative  power  in  its  defined 
territory  and  the  commission  would  continue  as  the  sole  legis- 
lative body  for  the  remaining  territory.'^ 

The  existing  judicial  organization  was  retained  with  the  im- 
portant provision  that  the  chief  justice  and  the  associate  justices 


5  Provided  that  the  act  should  not  be  held  to  amend  or  repeal  the  Revenue 
Act  of  March  8,  1902. 

6  In  United  States  v.  Bull,  l6  Phil.  Repts.  7,  the  Supreme  Court  said : 
"The  act  of  July  1,  1902,  made  no  substantial  changes  in  the  form  of  govern- 
ment the  President  had  erected.  Congress  adopted  the  system  which  was  in 
operation,  and  approved  the  action  of  the  President  in  organizing  the  govern- 
ment. Substantially  all  the  limitations  which  had  been  imposed  on  the  legis- 
lative power  by  the  President's  instructions  were  included  in  the  law,  Con- 
gress thus  extending  to  the  islands  by  legislative  act  not  the  Constitution,  but 
all  its  provisions  for  the  protection  of  the  rights  and  privileges  of  individuals 
which  were  appropriate  under  the  conditions." 

7  See  infra.  Chap.  VI,  pp.  107-110. 


CONGRESSIONAL    LEGISLATION  65 

of  the  Supreme  Court  should  thereafter  be  appointed  by  the 
president  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate,  and  that 
they  should  receive  the  compensation  which  had  already  been  pre- 
scribed by  the  commission  until  otherwise  provided  by  Congress.' 

The  judges  of  the  courts  of  first  instance  were  to  be  appointed 
by  the  civil  governor  with  the  consent  of  the  commission,  and 
their  compensation  was  left  to  be  determined  by  the  legislative 
authority  of  the  islands. 

The  Supreme  Court  and  the  courts  of  first  instance  were  to 
exercise  the  jurisdiction  which  had  been  conferred  upon  them 
by  the  commission  "and  such  additional  jurisdiction  as  shall 
hereafter  be  prescribed  by  the  government  of  said  islands,  subject 
to  the  power  of  said  government  to  change  the  practise  and  method 
of  procedure,"  provided,  that  the  admiralty  jurisdiction  of  said 
courts  could  not  be  changed  except  by  Act  of  Congress.  The 
municipal  courts  were  to  exercise  the  jurisdiction  which  had  been 
conferred  upon  them  by  the  commission,  "subject  in  all  matters 
to  such  alterations  and  amendments  as  may  be  hereafter  enacted 
by  law."  The  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  was  author- 
ized to  review,  revise,  reverse,  modify,  or  affirm  the  final  judg- 
ments and  decrees  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  Philippines  in  all 
cases  and  proceedings  in  which  the  Constitution  or  any  statute, 
treaty,  title,  right,  or  privilege  of  the  United  States  is  involved 
and  in  cases  in  which  the  value  in  controversy  exceeds  twenty- 
five  thousand  dollars  or  in  which  the  title  or  possession  of  real 
estate  exceeding  in  value  the  sum  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars 
is  involved,  or  brought  in  question.  The  procedure  was  to  be  the 
same  as  far  as  applicable  as  that  provided  for  reviewing  the 
judgments  and  decrees  of  the  circuit  courts  of  the  United  States.^ 
No  change  was  made  in  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Supreme  Court  by 
the  Philippine  Government  Law  of  1916. 


®  The  Act  of  March  6,  1905,  authorized  the  government  of  the  Philippines 
to  fix  the  compensation  of  the  members  of  the  Supreme  Court  provided  that 
the  pay  of  the  chief  justice  should  not  exceed  $10,500.00  per  annum  and  of 
each  associate  justice  $10,000  per  annum.  By  the  Act  of  August  29,  1916,  the 
salary  of  the  chief  justice  was  reduced  to  $7,500,  and  that  of  the  associate 
justice  to  $7,000. 

8  Sections  9  and  10,  Act  of  July  1,  1902. 


66  THE    PHILIPPINES 

After  the  Philippine  Legislature  had  been  organized  it  was 
directed  to  elect  two  resident  commissioners  to  the  United  States 
who  "shall  be  entitled  to  an  official  recognition  as  such  by  all 
departments  upon  presentation  to  the  president  of  a  certificate  of 
election  by  the  civil  governor  of  said  islands."  The  salaries  of 
these  commissioners,  payable  by  the  United  States,  were  fixed  at 
five  thousand  dollars  per  annum  and  two  thousand  dollars  addi- 
tional for  expenses,  but  this  was  subsequently  increased  and  is 
now  the  same  as  that  of  a  member  of  Congress. 

All  inhabitants  of  the  islands  who  were  Spanish  subjects  on 
April  11,  1899,  and  who  had  not,  as  authorized  by  the  Treaty  of 
Paris,  elected  to  preserve  their  allegiance  to  the  crown  of  Spam, 
and  their  children  born  subsequent  thereto,  were  declared  to  be 
citizens  of  the  Philippine  Islands  and  as  such  entitled  to  the  pro- 
tection of  the  United  States.^" 

The  provisions  of  President  McKinley's  Instructions,"  which 
constituted  a  bill  of  rights  and  restrictions  for  the  Filipinos,  were 
somewhat  extended.  For  the  protection  of  individuals  from  op- 
pressive acts  of  the  government,  it  was  provided  that : 

(a)  No  law  shall  be  passed  which  shall  deprive  any  person  of 
life,  liberty,  or  property  without  due  process  of  law  or  deny  to 
any  person  therein  the  equal  protection  of  the  laws. 

(b)  In  all  criminal  prosecutions  the  accused  shall  enjoy  the 
right  to  be  heard  by  himself  and  counsel,  to  demand  the  nature 
and  cause  of  the  accusation  against  him,  to  have  a  speedy  and 
public  trial,  to  meet  the  witnesses  face  to  face,  and  to  have  com- 
pulsory process  to  compel  the  attendance  of  witnesses  in  his  be- 
half. .     ,     ^ 

(c)  No  person  shall  be  held  to  answer  for  a  crimmal  offense 
without  due  process  of  law ;  and  no  person  for  the  same  offense 
shall  be  twice  put  in  jeopardy  of  punishment,  nor  shall  be  com- 
pelled in  any  criminal  case  to  be  a  witness  against  himself. 

(d)  All  persons  shall  before  conviction  be  bailable  by  sufficient 
sureties,  except  for  capital  offenses. 

(e)  No  person  shall  be  imprisoned  for  debt. 

ioThe  Act  of  Congress  of  March  23,  1912,  authorized  the  Philippine  Legis- j 
lature  to  provide  for  PhiHppine  citizenship  in  certain  cases.  2)7  Stat.  L.  77.  j 
See  infra,  p.  348.  .  . 

11  See  Elliott,  The  Philippines:  To  the  End  of  the  Military  Regime,  p.  5UJ.j 


I 


CONGRESSIONAL    LEGISLATION  67 

(f)  The  privilege  of  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  shall  not  be 
suspended,  unless  when  in  cases  of  rebellion,  insurrection,  or  in- 
vasion, the  public  safety  may  require  it,  in  either  of  which  events 
the  same  may  be  suspended  by  the  president,  or  by  the  governor, 
with  the  approval  of  the  Philippine  Commission,"  wherever  dur- 
ing such  period  the  necessity  for  such  suspension  shall  exist. 

(g)  Excessive  bail  shall  not  be  required,  nor  excessive  fines 
imposed,  nor  cruel  and  unusual  punishment  inflicted. 

(h)  The  right  to  be  secure  against  unreasonable  searches  and 
seizures  shall  not  be  violated. 

(i)  Neither  slavery,  nor  involuntary  servitude  except  as  a  pun- 
ishment for  crime  whereof  the  party  shall  have  been  duly  con- 
victed, shall  exist  in  said  islands. 

(j)  No  law  shall  be  passed  abridging  the  freedom  of  speech 
or  of  the  press,  or  the  right  of  the  people  peaceably  to  assemble 
and  petition  the  government  for  redress  of  grievances. 

(k)  No  law  shall  be  made  respecting  an  establishment  of  re- 
ligion or  prohibiting  the  free  exercise  thereof,  and  the  free  ex- 
ercise and  enjoyment  of  religious  profession  and  worship,  with- 
out discrimination  or  preference,  shall  forever  be  allowed. 

(1)  No  warrant  shall  issue  but  upon  probable  cause,  supported 
by  oath  or  affirmation,  and  particularly  describing  the  place  to 
be  searched  and  the  person  or  things  to  be  seized. 

(m)  No  person  in  the  islands  shall  under  the  authority  of 
the  United  States  be  convicted  of  treason  by  any  tribunal,  civil 
or  military,  unless  on  the  testimony  of  two  witnesses  to  the  same 
overt  act  or  on  confession  in  open  court." 

Legislative  and  executive  action  was  restricted  by  the  follow- 
ing general  provisions : 

(a)  No  money  shall  be  paid  out  of  the  treasury  except  in  pur- 
suance of  an  appropriation  by  law. 

(b)  No  law  impairing  the  obligation  of  contracts  shall  be  en- 
acted. 

(c)  The  rule  of  taxation  in  the  islands  shall  be  uniform. 

(d)  No  private  or  local  bill  which  may  be  enacted  into  law 
shall  embrace  more  than  one  subject,  and  that  subject  shall  be 
expressed  in  the  title  of  the  bill. 

(e)  All  money  collected  on  any  tax  levied  or  assessed  for  a 

12  The  present  statute  confers  this  power  upon  the  governor-general  alone. 

13  32  Stat.  L.  55  (Act  March  8,  1902).  This  provision  is  not  in  the  orig- 
inal bill  of  rights. 


68  THE    PHILIPPINES 

special  purpose  shall  be  treated  as  a  special  fund  in  the  treasury 
and  paid  out  for  such  purpose  only. 

(f)  No  law  granting  a  title  of  nobility  shall  be  enacted  and  no 
person  holding  any  office  of  profit  or  trust  in  said  islands,  shall, 
without  the  consent  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  accept 
any  present,  emolument,  office,  or  title  of  any  kind  whatever  from 
any  king,  queen,  prince,  or  foreign  state. 

(g)  No  ex  post  facto  law,  or  bill  of  attainder,  shall  be  enacted. 

All  the  property  and  rights  which  the  United  States  had  ac- 
quired in  the  Philippine  Islands  by  virtue  of  the  treaty  with 
Spain,  except  such  land  or  other  property  as  should  be  desig- 
nated for  military  and  other  government  reservations,  were 
"placed  under  the  control  of  the  government  of  said  islands  to  be 
administered  for  the  benefit  of  the  inhabitants  thereof,  except 
as  provided  in  this  act."  The  government  of  the  Philippines 
thus  became  a  gwa^yj  trustee  of  the  public  domain  and  other  public 
property  which  had  been  acquired  from  Spain. 

Specific  authority  was  given  the  insular  government  to  provide 
for  the  needs  of  commerce  by  improving  harbors  and  navigable 
waters  and  constructing  lighthouses,  piers  and  other  such  struc- 
tures, including  bonded  warehouses.  Great  care  was  taken  to 
provide  for  the  conservation  of  the  public  lands,  forests,  and 
mineral  resources  of  the  country.  Their  sale  was  in  fact  so  care- 
fully hedged  about  by  restrictions  that  the  development  of  the 
country  has  been  seriously  retarded.  In  order  to  develop  a  class 
of  small  landowners  the  sales  of  public  lands  were  limited  to  forty 
acres  to  one  person  and  twenty-five  hundred  acres  to  a  corpora- 
tion. The  insular  government  was  authorized  to  provide  by  law 
for  the  disposition  of  the  public  lands  subject  to  the  restrictions 
of  the  Act  of  Congress  and  the  approval  of  its  rules  and  regula- 
tions by  the  president,  who  was  required  to  submit  the  same  to 
Congress  for  its  approval  or  disapproval.^*  Special  provision  was 
made  for  the  protection  of  actual  occupants  and  settlers.  The 
sale  of  the  timber  lands  was  carefully  guarded. 
■     All  public  lands  valuable  for  minerals  were  reserved  from  sale 


1*  Section  13,  Act  July  1,  1902.    See  House  Doc.  422,  64th  Cong,  ist  Sess. 


CONGRESSIONAL    LEGISLATION  69 

except  as  specifically  directed  by  law.  Mineral  deposits  in  the 
public  lands  were  declared  open  to  exploration,  occupation  and 
purchase  by  citizens  of  the  United  States  or  of  the  Philippines. 
The  Act  of  Congress  contained  detailed  provisions  for  the  locat- 
ing and  marking  of  mineral  claims.  The  holder  of  a  claim  was 
declared  entitled  to  all  minerals  which  might  lie  within  the  verti- 
cal boundary-lines  of  his  claim.  Under  a  mistaken  restrictive 
policy  no  person  was  allowed  to  hold,  directly  or  indirectly,  more 
than  one  mineral  claim  on  the  same  vein  or  lode.^^ 

After  granting  power  to  the  government  of  the  Philippines  to 
acquire  title  to  real  and  personal  property  for  public  uses  by  the 
exercise  of  the  right  of  eminent  domain,  specific  authority  was 
given  to  exercise  such  power  in  reference  to  any  lands  which  on 
August  13,  1898,  were  owned  or  held  by  religious  orders,  com- 
munities or  associations  in  such  large  tracts  or  parcels  and  in  such 
manner  as  in  the  opinion  of  the  commission  injuriously  to  affect 
the  peace  and  welfare  of  the  people  of  the  Philippines,  and  to 
issue  bonds,  on  terms  and  conditions  carefully  prescribed,  for  the 
purpose  of  paying  therefor.^^ 

The  Philippine  government  was  authorized  to  establish  a  mint 
and  coin  money  and  in  1903  Congress  provided  that  the  unit  of 
value  in  the  Philippine  Islands  should  be  the  gold  peso,  consisting 
of  twelve  and  nine-tenths  grains  of  gold,  nine-tenths  fine,  and 
authorized  the  coinage  of  seventy-five  million  silver  pesos  in  ad- 
dition to  the  minor  coins  which  had  been  previously  authorized. ^^ 

The  power  to  issue  bonds  was  carefully  guarded  by  Congress. 
The  Philippine  government  was  authorized  when  current  taxa- 
tion was  inadequate  for  the  purpose,  under  such  limitations,  terms 


15  Sections  20-62,  Act  July  1,  1902.  The  provisions  with  reference  to  pub- 
lic lands  and  various  mineral  claims  were  detailed  in  the  Act  of  Congress, 
and  very  little  discretion  was  left  to  the  government  of  the  Philippines. 
Each  annual  report  of  the  commission  recommended  changes  in  the  line  of  a 
more  liberal  policy,  but  the  law  remained  unchanged  until  1916.  when  some- 
what enlarged  power  was  granted  to  the  local  legislature,  subject  to  the  ap- 
proval of  the  president. 

i«This  authority  was  given  in  order  to  enable  the  insular  government  to 
acquire  the  so-called  friar  lands.     See  Chap.  III. 

17  Chap.  980,  32  Stat.  L.,  952  (March  2,  1903).  For  subsequent  legislation 
relating  to  the  currency  and  coinage,  see  Act  of  June  23,  1906,  Stat.  L.,  453, 
and  Chapter  VII,  infra. 


70  THE    PHILIPPINES 

and  conditions  as  might  be  prescribed  by  legislation,  approved 
by  the  president,  to  permit  municipalities  to  incur  indebtedness, 
borrow  money,  and  issue  and  sell  bonds  for  the  purpose  of  pro- 
viding funds  for  necessary  sewer  and  drainage  facilities,  to  secure 
a  sufficient  supply  of  water,  and  provide  necessary  buildings  for 
primary  public  schools.  But  the  entire  indebtedness  of  any  mu- 
nicipality should  not  exceed  five  per  cent,  of  the  valuation  of  the 
real  estate  in  the  municipality  and  any  obligations  in  excess 
thereof  were  declared  to  be  null  and  void.  For  the  purpose  of 
providing  funds  to  construct  sewers  and  provide  a  water  supply, 
the  government  might,  with  the  approval  of  the  president  of  the 
United  States,  permit  the  city  of  Manila  to  incur  indebtedness  and 
to  issue  bonds  to  an  amount  not  exceeding  four  million  dollars 
gold. 

The  Philippine  government  was  also  authorized  to  grant  fran- 
chises, privileges  and  concessions  for  the  construction  and  opera- 
tion of  works  of  public  utility  and  service  and  to  adopt  rules  and 
regulations  under  which  the  provincial  and  municipal  govern- 
ments may  authorize  the  use  and  occupation  of  their  streets, 
highways,  squares,  reservations  and  other  similar  property.  But 
no  franchise,  privilege  or  concession  could  be  granted  to  any  cor- 
poration except  under  the  condition  that  it  be  subject  to  amend- 
ment, alteration,  or  repeal  by  Congress  and  that  lands  or  rights 
of  use  and  occupation  of  lands  thus  granted  should  revert  to  the 
government  by  which  they  were  respectively  granted  upon  the  ter- 
mination of  the  franchise  and  concession.  AH  such  concessions 
should  forbid  the  issuance  of  stock  or  bonds  except  in  exchange 
for  actual  cash  or  for  property  for  a  fair  valuation  equal  to  the 
stock  or  bonds  so  issued;  forbid  the  declaring  of  stock  or  bond 
dividends  and  in  the  case  of  public  service  corporations,  provide 
for  the  efifective  regulation  of  the  charges  thereof,  for  official 
inspection  and  regulation  of  the  books  and  accounts  of  such  cor- 
porations, and  for  the  payment  of  a  reasonable  gross  earnings  tax 
to  the  government. ^^    All  these  matters  which  were  regulated  in 

18  To  the  same  effect,  Act  Aug.  29,  1916. 


CONGRESSIONAL    LEGISLATION  71 

detail  by  Congress  show  the  extreme  care  exercised  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  public. 

The  Cooper  Law  of  February  6,  1905,  empowered  the  Phihp- 
pine  government,  with  the  approval  of  the  president  of  the 
United  States,  to  issue  bonds  to  provide  funds  for  the  construc- 
tion of  port  and  harbor  works,  bridges,  roads,  buildings  for 
provincial  and  municipal  schools,  court-houses,  penal  institutions 
and  other  public  improvements.  It  was  also  authorized  under 
certain  conditions  and  subject  to  carefully  devised  safeguards  and 
limitations,  to  guarantee  the  payment  of  the  interest  on  bonds 
to  a  designated  amount  issued  by  private  corporations  for  the 
construction  of  railroads  in  the  Philippines.^" 

After  a  good  deal  of  hesitation  and  legislative  fumbling  it  was 
decided  that  it  would  be  bad  policy  to  extend  the  United  States 
navigation  laws  which  confined  the  coastwise  traffic  to  American 
vessels,  to  the  Philippines.  As  early  as  1902  Congress  provided 
that  after  July  1,  1904,  foreign  vessels  should  be  prohibited  from 
carrying  passengers  and  merchandise  between  the  ports  of  the 
United  States  and  the  ports  of  the  Archipelago,  but  as  there  were 
not  sufficient  American  vessels  to  handle  the  business,  the  time 
when  the  law  should  go  into  effect  was  postponed  from  time 
to  time  and  it  was  finally  repealed.^"  Hence,  foreign  vessels 
may  transport  merchandise  and  passengers  between  the  ports  of 
the  United  States  and  the  Philippines  and  between  the  various 
ports  of  the  Philippines.  Until  Congress  shall  have  authorized 
the  registry  as  vessels  of  the  United  States  of  the  vessels  owned 
in  the  Philippines  the  Philippine  government  may  adopt  and  en- 
force regulations  governing  the  transportation  of  passengers  and 
merchandise  between  the  ports  of  the  Archipelago.     The  same 


19  Section  66,  Act  of  July  1,  1902,  as  amended  by  Sec.  2,  Act  February  6, 
1905.  Chap.  453,  33  Stat.  L.,  689.  The  statute  now  simply  authorizes  the  gov- 
ernment to  issue  bonds  subject  to  the  restrictions  as  to  the  total  amount. 
Sec.  11,  Act  Aug.  29,  1916.     See  Chap.  XIX,  infra. 

20  See  the  Acts  of  March  8,  1902 ;  March  IS,  1904,  and  April  20,  1906,  re- 
pealed by  Act  of  March  26,  1908.  The  secretary  of  war  and  the  Philippine 
Commission  from  the  first  opposed  the  policy  of  bringing  the  Philippine 
Islands  within  the  scope  of  the  coastwise  navigation  laws.  Rept.  Phil.  Com. 
J907,  Pt.  Ill,  p.  83. 


72  THE    PHILIPPINES 

tonnage  fees  are  collected  on  all  foreign  vessels  coming  from 
the  Philippines  to  the  United  States  as  on  vessels  coming  from 
foreign  countries,^^  but  the  Philippine  government  imposes  no 
tonnage  tax  on  vessels  arriving  in  its  ports  from  any  foreign 
country. 

In  1902  Congress  extended  the  Chinese  exclusion  laws  to  the 
island  territory  under  the  jurisdiction  of  Congress  and  directed 
the  Philippine  Commission  to  make  the  necessary  regulations  to 
render  the  law  effective. ^^  The  immigration  laws  of  the  United 
States  were  put  into  effect  in  the  islands  by  executive  order  and 
the  Act  of  Congress  of  March  3,  1903,  regulating  the  immigra- 
tion of  aliens  into  the  United  States,  defined  the  United  States 
as  meaning  "the  United  States  and  any  water,  territory  or  other 
place  now  subject  to  the  jurisdiction  thereof.""^  The  Act  of 
February  20,  1907,  provided  that  it  should  be  construed  to  mean 
the  United  States  and  any  water,  territory,  or  property  subject 
to  the  jurisdiction  thereof,  except  the  canal  zone.  In  the  Pure 
Food  Law  of  June  30,  1906,  the  word  territory  is  made  to  in- 
clude the  insular  possessions. 

^    The  Federal  Income  Tax  Statute  is  in  force  in  the  Philippines, 
although  the  proceeds  of  the  tax  go  into  the  insular  treasury.^* 

The  tariff  relations  between  the  United  States  and  its  insular 
possessions  are  determined  by  Congress.  Prior  to  1909  the  then 
tariff  law  of  the  United  States  was  enforced  against  articles  com- 
ing from  the  Philippines  to  the  continental  ports  of  the  United 
States.  The  Payne  Law  of  1909  provided  for  free  trade  with  the 
islands  under  certain  restrictions,  which  were  removed  by  the  Un- 
derwood Law  of  1913.^^  The  tariff  laws  enacted  by  the  Philippine 
government  under  its  delegated  authority,  imposing  duties  on 
articles  imported  into  the  islands  from  countries  other  than  the 

21  Chap.  152,  57  Stat.  L.,  70.    (Act  April  29,  1908.) 

22  Chap.  641,  32  Stat.  L.,  176.  (Act  of  April  22,  1902.)  The  exclusion 
laws  were  already  in  force  there  under  military  orders. 

23  The  Appropriation  Bill  of  March  12,  1904,  contained  a  provision  that 
the  immigration  laws  of  the  United  States  in  force  in  the  Philippines  should 
continue  to  be  administered  by  the  officers  of  the  Philippine  government. 

■       24  Act  of  Oct.  3,  1913. 
25  See  Chapter  VII,  infra. 


CONGRESSIONAL    LEGISLATION  73 

United  States,  have  all  been  passed  by  Congress  also  and  thus 
made  United  States  laws.  The  Philippine  Government  Law  of 
1916  authorizes  the  Philippine  government  to  enact  tariff  laws 
applicable  to  all  countries  but  the  United  States,  subject  to  the 
approval  of  the  president. 

The  laws  of  Congress  are  not  effective  in  the  Philippines  unless 
expressly  made  so  by  Congress. 

The  Act  of  July  1,  1902,  declared  that  the  section  of  the  Re- 
vised Statutes  of  the  United  States^^  which  extends  the  laws  of 
the  United  States  to  the  territories  shall  not  apply  to  the  Philip- 
pines, and  then  specifically  extends  certain  enumerated  statutes 
over  the  islands.  Thus  it  provides  that  the  laws  relating  to  entry, 
clearance  and  manifests  of  steamships  and  other  vessels  arriving 
from  or  going  to  foreign  ports  shall  apply  to  voyages  each  way 
between  the  Philippine  Islands  and  the  United  States  and  its 
possessions;  that  the  provisions  of  Chapters  6  and  7,  Title  48, 
Revised  Statutes,  so  far  as  in  force,  and  amendments  thereof, 
shall  apply  to  vessels  making  voyages  either  way  between  ports 
of  the  United  States  or  its  possessions  and  ports  of  the  islands; 
that  the  provisions  of  the  law  relating  to  public  health  and  quar- 
antine shall  apply  in  the  case  of  all  vessels  entering  a  port  of  the 
United  States  or  its  possessions,  from  the  islands;  that  the  cus- 
toms officers  at  the  port  of  departure  in  the  Philippines  shall  per- 
form the  duties  required  by  law  of  consular  officers  in  foreign 
ports ;  that  the  laws  relating  to  the  transit  of  merchandise  through 
the  United  States  shall  apply  to  merchandise  arriving  at  any  port 
of  the  United  States  destined  for  any  of  its  insular  and  continental 
possessions  or  destined  from  any  of  them  to  foreign  countries; 
that  the  laws  relating  to  seamen  on  foreign  voyages  shall  apply 
to  seamen  on  voyages  going  from  the  United  States  and  its  pos- 
sessions to  the  islands,  the  customs  officers  there  being  substi- 
tuted for  consular  officers  in  foreign  ports. 

For  the  application  of  the  statute  conferring  authority  on  offi- 
cers the  Philippines  are  deemed  a  territory  of  the  United  States."^ 


26  Sec.  1891.  Rev.  Stat.  U.  S.,  1878. 

27  Revised  Statutes,  U.  S.,  Sees.  5278,  5279,  pp.  1022,  1023. 


74  THE    PHILIPPINES 

The  extradition  laws  of  the  United  States,  so  far  as  applicable, 
have  been  extended  to  the  Philippines,^^  and  the  Act  of  February 
6,  1905,  makes  certain  provisions  of  the  Revised  Statutes  of  the 
United  States  applicable  when  the  government  of  the  Philippines 
seeks  for  the  arrest  and  removal  of  any  fugitive  from  justice 
charged  with  the  commission  within  the  jurisdiction  of  any  for- 
eign government  of  any  of  the  crimes  provided  for  by  tteaty  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  such  government.  The  order  and 
warrant  for  the  delivery  of  a  person  committed  for  extradition 
must  be  signed  by  the  governor-general  of  the  Philippines  and 
not  by  the  secretary  of  state. 

The  foregoing  brief  summary  will  give  the  reader  a  fair  idea 
of  the  manner  in  which  Congress  has  performed  its  duty  of  pro- 
viding a  government  for  the  distant  territory  under  its  control. 
Before  considering  the  administration  of  the  commission  govern- 
ment and  the  radical  changes  in  the  form  of  the  government 
which  were  made  by  the  Philippine  Government  Law  of  1916,  it 
is  necessary  to  describe  the  local  governments  in  the  provinces 
and  municipalities  where  the  Filipinos  have  largely  governed 
themselves  under  the  supervision  of  American  officials. 

28  Acts  of  Feb.  8,  1903,  and  Feb.  9,  1905,  U.  S.  Comp.  Stats.  (1916),  Vol. 
10,  sees.  10124-10126. 


! 


CHAPTER  V 

The  Provinces  and  Municipalities 

Isolated  Conditions — Local  Self-government — Gradual  Extension  of  Native 
Control — Division  of  Country — The  Provinces — Present  Organization — The 
Provincial  Officers — The  Governor  and  His  Duties — The  Secretary,  Treas- 
urer and  Fiscal — The  Provincial  Board,  Its  Duties  and  Powers — The  Munici- 
palities— Classification — The  Municipal  Officers  and  Their  Powers — Powers 
of  the  Council  and  Limitations  Thereon — Municipal  Revenues — Specially  Or- 
ganized Provinces — Local  Governments  for  the  Wild  Tribes — The  Moros — 
The  Moro  Province — Military  Character  of  Its  Government — Gradual  Substi- 
tution of  Civilian  Officials — Creation  of  the  Department  of  Mindanao  and 
Sulu — The  Cities  of  Manila  and  Baguio — Local  Governments  Reasonably 
Successful. 

It  is  chiefly  in  the  subordinate  governmental  units  that  the 
qualifications  of  the  Filipinos  for  self-government  are  being 
tested.  The  economic,  political  and  social  life  of  the  people  is 
localized  in  the  provinces,  municipalities  and  pueblos  to  a  degree 
unknown  in  western  states.  Few  of  the  common  people  have 
ever  seen  the  capital  city  or  been  brought  into  personal  relations 
with  the  officials  of  the  central  government.  Their  knowledge 
of  Americans  and  their  characteristics  is  derived  from  inter- 
course with  the  few  teachers,  engineers  and  constabulary  officers 
who  are  stationed  in  their  midst  and  from  respectful  observa- 
tion of  the  high  officials  who  at  intervals  make  their  rounds  of 
inspection.  The  American  papers  are  seldom  read  by  the  Fili- 
pinos. The  native  papers  printed  in  the  Spanish  language  or  in 
some  local  dialect  furnish  the  perverted  data  upon  which  they 
form  their  opinions  of  the  American  government  and  its  work. 
The  laws,  decisions  of  the  courts,  and  executive  orders  are 
printed  in  the  Official  Gazette  which  is  sent  to  the  more  impor- 
tant officials,  but  of  course  it  constitutes  constructive  notice  only 
to  the  ordinary  citizen  of  what  the  government  is  doing. 

President  McKinley  directed  that  the  people  should  be  given 
every  opportunity  to  control  their  own  affairs  in  the  smaller 

75 


76  THE    PHILIPPINES 

political  units.  The  work  of  organizing  local  governments  which 
had  been  commenced  by  the  military  authorities  before  the  ar- 
rival of  the  commission  was  pushed  rapidly  forward/  The  law 
under  which  the  provinces  and  municipalities  were  organized 
granted  a  large  measure  of  control  to  the  provincial  governments 
and  almost  complete  local  autonomy  to  the  municipalities.  All 
the  municipal  officers  but  the  treasurer  were  made  elective.  Orig- 
inally the  provincial  board  was  composed  of  an  elected  governor, 
an  appointed  treasurer  and  a  provincial  school  supervisor.  This 
was  found  unsatisfactory,  and  in  pursuance  of  the  general  policy 
of  extending  power  to  the  natives  the  people  were  authorized  to 
elect  a  third  member  of  the  board,  the  treasurer  only  remaining 
appointive.  The  provincial  treasurer  was  the  particular  bete 
noire  of  the  provincial  governor  and  in  time  he  was  regarded 
as  the  malign  influence  on  the  board  to  which  every  evil  of  the 
province  might  safely  be  attributed.  Remedies  which  it  was 
sought  to  apply  to  abuses  in  the  local  government  lost  much  of 
their  effect  by  being  attributed  to  the  influence  of  the  Amer- 
ican member  of  the  board.  The  Provincial  Government  Act 
was  finally  amended  so  as  to  permit  the  election  of  the  governor 
and  a  third  member  by  direct  vote  of  the  people.  The  treasurer 
only  remained  appointive  and  responsibility  for  conditions  was 
placed  on  the  local  electorate.  The  elected  officers  realized  that 
they  were  on  trial  and  friction  between  them  and  the  treasurer 
soon  disappeared.  The  central  government  thus  kept  its  hand  on 
the  finances  and  through  the  executive  secretary  exercised  gen- 
eral supervision  over  the  local  administrations.  The  governor- 
general  has  always  had  the  power  to  remove  any  official,  whether 
elected  or  appointed,  who  neglected  his  duty  or  was  guilty  of  offi- 
cial misconduct,  and  the  effect  of  the  existence  of  this  power  in 
the  chief  executive  has  had  a  very  steadying  effect  upon  the  local 
officials.  Under  the  Administration  Code  of  1916  the  entire 
membership,  of  the  provincial  board  is  now  elected  by  the  people. 
President  Wilson's  reorganization  of  the  Philippine  Commis- 


1  See  Elliott,  The  Philippines:   To  the  End  of  the  Military  Regime,  p.  519. 


THE    PROVINCES    AND    MUNICIPALITIES  77 

sion  gave  the  Filipinos  a  majority  of  the  members,  thus  giving 
them  control  of  both  legislative  bodies.^  Legislation  enacted  by 
the  Filipino  Legislature  before  Congress  passed  the  Jones  Bill 
had  also  placed  the  Filipinos  in  full  control  of  the  executive  and 
legislative  power  in  all  the  local  governments,  subject,  of  course, 
to  the  control  of  the  governor-general. 

The  local  governments  are  thus  entering  upon  a  new  phase  of 
their  history  with  increased  powers  and  responsibilities.  Whether 
they  will  be  administered  successfully  will  depend,  as  in  the  past, 
almost  entirely  upon  the  way  in  which  the  supervising  power  of 
the  central  government  is  exercised. 

The  importance  that  Americans  attach  to  the  principle  of  de- 
centralization in  government  and  the  general  feeling  that  the 
people  of  a  locality  have  an  inherent  right  to  control  the  affairs 
which  affect  that  locality  alone,  as  well  as  President  McKinley's 
instructions  that  these  privileges  should  be  extended  as  rapidly 
as  possible  to  the  Filipinos,  require  a  somewhat  detailed  descrip- 
tion of  the  provincial  and  municipal  organizations. 

Probably  there  has  not  been  an  American  official  in  any  mu- 
nicipality in  the  Philippines  during  the  past  five  years. ^  Hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  Filipinos  have  there  elected  their  officials 
and  governed  themselves.  How  well  have  they  discharged  the 
duties  imposed  upon  them? 

For  governmental  purposes  the  islands  are  divided  into  prov- 
inces and  subprovinces,  and  the  provinces  into  municipalities. 
The  so-called  Department  of  Mindanao  and  Sulu  is  merely  a 
larger  name  for  the  old  Moro  Province.  In  some  remote  sections 
the  people  are  grouped  into  settlements  under  special  govern- 
ments adapted  to  their  simple  requirements. 

Although  some  new  provinces  have  been  created  and  many 


2  However,  the  reader  will  not  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  President  Wilson 
retained  the  power  to  remove  the  Filipino  members  of  the  commission  if  they 
refused  to  obey  orders. 

•''  Possibly  there  have  been  a  few  treasurers  appointed  for  the  purpose  of 
training  some  Filipinos  for  the  position.  Manila  and  Baguio  are  not  classed 
as  municipalities. 


78  THE    PHILIPPINES 

boundaries  have  been  changed  the  large  divisions  of  the  country 
are  not  very  different  from  what  they  were  in  Spanish  times. 
As  now  organized  the  Archipelago  comprises  thirty-six  principal 
provinces,*  the  city  of  Manila,^  and  the  Department  of  Minda- 
nao and  Sulu  with  its  seven  subprovinces.^ 

A  province  bears  a  relation  to  the  insular  government  sug- 
gestive, although  not  very  much  like,  that  of  a  state  to  the  United 
States  government.  Some  of  the  provinces  have  a  population 
greater  than  that  of  many  states  of  the  Union.  They  have  in 
some  instances  interests  and  industries  of  a  purely  local  nature 
v/hich  require  special  treatment.  They  constitute  what  Presi- 
dent McKinley's  Instructions  referred  to  as  those  "larger  admin- 
istrative divisions  corresponding  to  counties,  departments  or 
provinces,  in  which  the  common  interests  of  many  or  several 
municipalities  falling  within  the  tribal  lines  or  geographical  limits 
may  best  be  subserved  by  a  common  administration." 

They  are  public  corporations  with  the  usual  powers,  capacities 
and  liabilities  of  such  bodies,  resembling  in  this  respect  the 
counties  of  an  American  state.'^  The  chief  officers  of  a  province 
are  the  provincial  governor,  the  treasurer,  and  the  members  of 
the  provincial  board,  all  of  whom  except  the  treasurer  are  elected 
for  definite  terms  by  the  qualified  electors  of  the  province.  They 
are  thus  independent  local  officers  who  hold  office  by  fixed  tenure 
subject,  however,  to  the  rather  important  provision  of  the  law 
that  should  the  governor-general  have  reason  to  believe  that  any 
provincial  officer  or  any  lieutenant  of  a  subprovince  is  guilty  of 


*AIbay,  Ambos  Camarines,  Antique,  Bataan,  Batanes,  Batangas,  Bohol, 
Bulacan,  Cagayan,  Capiz,  Cavite,  Cebu,  Ilocos  Norte,  Ilocos  Sur,  Iloilo, 
Isabela,  Laguna,  La  Union,  Leyte,  Mindoro,  Misamis,  Mountain  Province, 
Nueva  Ecija,  Nueva  Vizcaya,  Occidental  Negros,  Oriental  Negros,  Palawan, 
Pampanga,  Pangasinan,  Rizal,  Samar,  Sorsogon,  Surigao,  Tarlac,  Tayabas 
and  Zambales. 

^  The  city  of  Manila  constitutes  a  separate  jurisdiction  and  is  not  included 
within  the  territory  of  any  province.  In  the  absence  of  a  special  provision, 
the  term  "province"  may  be  construed  to  include  the  city  of  Manila  for  the 
purpose  of  giving  effect  to  laws  of  general  application. 

^  Agusan,  Bukidnon,  Cotabato,  Davao,  Lanao,  Sulu  and  Zamboanga. 

7  Administrative  Code,  Book  III,  Title  XI,  Chap.  46.  This  law  repeals  the 
old  provincial  law  and  municipal  code. 


THE    PROVINCES    AND    MUNICIPALITIES         79 

disloyalty,  dishonesty,  oppression  or  misconduct  in  office  he 
may  suspend  him  from  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  his  office 
and  after  investigation,  with  the  consent  of  the  upper  house  of 
the  legislature,  remove  him  from  office. 

The  governor  of  a  province  is  the  most  important  officer 
elected  by  the  direct  vote  of  the  Filipinos.  The  office  is  one  of 
dignity  and  responsibility  and  is  much  sought  for  by  the  leading 
men.  A  candidate  for  governor  need  not  be  a  resident  of  the 
province  at  the  time  of  the  election  but  if  elected  he  must  reside 
at  the  provincial  capital  during  the  term  of  his  office.  He  re- 
ports annually  through  the  executive  secretary  to  the  governor- 
general.  Subject  to  the  general  law  he  controls  the  local  police 
and  may  call  upon  the  constabulary  to  apprehend  criminals  and 
suppress  disorder.  At  least  once  in  every  six  months  he  must 
inspect  every  municipality  in  his  province  and  advise  the  local 
authorities  in  matters  connected  with  the  performance  of  their 
duties  and  investigate  complaints  regarding  official  misconduct. 
He  must  also  keep  the  governor-general  infonned  as  to  condi- 
tions in  his  province  and  recommend  such  measures  as  he  deems 
advisable  for  the  improvement  of  conditions. 

A  provincial  governor  receives  a  salary  of  from  fifteen  hun- 
dred to  three  thousand  dollars  per  year  depending  upon  the  im- 
portance of  his  province. 

The  provincial  treasurer  is  the  financial  officer  of  the  province. 
He  collects  the  insular,  provincial  and  municipal  taxes  and  has 
the  custody  of  all  funds  and  property  of  the  province.  The  insu- 
lar auditor  exercises  direct  supervision  over  the  treasurers  and 
has  the  power,  when  he  deems  it  proper,  to  supersede  the  treas- 
urer and  take  possession  of  his  office  for  the  purpose  of  check- 
ing up  his  accounts.  The  salary  of  the  treasurer  is  the  same  as 
that  of  the  governor.  In  each  province  wherein  is  located  real 
property  subject  to  the  land  tax  the  executive  secretary,  on  the 
nomination  of  the  provincial  board,  appoints  from  the  residents 
of  the  province  a  provincial  assessor  and  deputy  assessor  to  ap- 
praise the  real  property  subject  to  taxation. 


80  THE    PHILIPPINES 

There  is  also  a  provincial  fiscal  who  is  the  local  legal  adviser 
of  the  provincial  government  and  its  officers  and  who  acts  also  as 
register  of  deeds.  The  fiscals  are  under  the  general  supervision 
of  the  attorney-general  of  the  islands.  In  each  province  there  is 
a  district  engineer  who  has  charge  of  the  construction,  repair  and 
maintenance  of  all  roads,  bridges  and  ferries  not  within  the  in- 
habited portions  of  the  municipalities.  The  engineer  is  assigned 
to  the  provinces  from  the  Bureau  of  Public  Works  and  is  subject 
to  the  general  supervision  of  the  director  of  that  bureau.  The 
engineer  acts  as  the  adviser  of  the  provincial  board  in  all  matters 
relating  to  public  works. 

The  provincial  board  must  meet  weekly  in  public  sessions  at 
the  provincial  capitol  for  the  consideration  of  business.  The 
elective  members  may,  by  resolution  of  the  board  approved  by 
the  governor-general,  be  required  to  perform  the  duties  of  any 
other  provincial  officer  or  any  ministerial  duty  required  by  the 
board.  Records  of  the  meetings  of  the  board  must  be  kept  by 
its  secretary  and  copies  of  the  minutes  of  all  executive  orders, 
resolutions  and  ordinances  must  be  furnished  to  the  executive 
secretary  at  Manila. 

Certain  specific  duties  are  imposed  on  the  provincial  board. 
Thus,  each  board  must  provide  a  seal  for  the  province,  a  jail, 
offices  for  the  officials  and  for  the  division  superintendent  of 
schools,  and  accommodations  for  the  courts.  It  must  bring  or 
defend  suits  by  or  against  the  province,  provide  for  the  con- 
struction and  maintenance  of  roads  and  bridges  and  other  public 
works,  and  conduct  a  systematic  campaign  against  dangerous 
communicable  diseases,  agricultural  pests,  and  epidemics  of 
cattle  diseases. 

The  powers  of  the  board  fall  into  two  classes. 

It  may,  without  the  approval  of  the  governor-general,  appro- 
priate the  general  funds  of  the  province  to  pay  its  lawful  debts 
and  carry  on  its  lawful  activities ;  to  purchase*  draft  animals  for 
breeding  purposes;  to  organize,  equip  and  maintain  schools  in 
any  municipality  or  other  district  where  local  funds  are  insuffi- 
cient; to  pay  for  property  destroyed  by  the  health  authorities; 


THE    PROVINCES    AND    MUNICIPALITIES         81 

or  to  make  loans  to  municipalities,  townships  and  settlements  to 
enable  them  to  combat  diseases  or  pests. 

It  may  also  establish  toll  roads  and  ferries,  but  no  tolls  may 
be  collected  from  any  person  in  the  service  of  the  United  States 
government  or  from  any  foot  passenger  on  any  road  or  bridge. 
The  provincial  board  may  also  establish  and  maintain  provincial 
schools  to  be  conducted  as  a  part  of  the  public  school  system.  It 
may  also,  with  the  public  money,  maintain  two  professional  stu- 
dents at  the  university  or  some  other  government  institution. 

With  the  approval  of  the  governor-general  the  provincial  board 
may  appropriate  money  for  loans  to  municipalities  for  purposes 
other  than  combating  diseases;  fix  or  change  the  salary  of  the 
lieutenant-governor  of  any  subprovince;  authorize  municipal 
councils  to  fix  the  salaries  of  their  officers  in  excess  of  the  amount 
fixed  by  law;  exercise  the  power  of  eminent  domain  in  aid  of 
the  construction  of  roads,  public  buildings  and  other  enumerated 
purposes,  and  appropriate  money  "for  purposes  not  specified  by 
law,  having  in  view  the  general  welfare  of  the  province  and  its 
inhabitants."  Under  this  clause  the  governor-general  and  pro- 
vincial board  may  appropriate  money  for  almost  any  imaginable 
purpose. 

All  regularly  organized  provinces  are  required  to  maintain 
a  special  road  and  bridge  fund  which  may  be  appropriated  by  the 
board  for  the  following  purposes  only : 

( 1 )  To  repair,  maintain  and  improve,  and  construct  roads  and 
bridges  in  the  provinces,  priority  to  be  given  to  maintenance  of 
existing  roads  and  bridges. 

(2)  With  the  approval  of  the  governor-general  to  provide 
and  maintain  wharves,  piers  and  docks,  and  to  remove  obstruc- 
tions to  navigation. 

(3)  With  the  approval  of  the  governor-general  to  acquire, 
operate  and  maintain,  or  subsidize  means  of  water  transporta- 
tion within  the  province. 

All  specially  organized  provinces  must  maintain  a  road  and 
bridge  fund  which  may  be  used  to  maintain  and  construct  roads 
and  bridges,  and  with  the  approval  of  the  secretary  of  the  in- 


82  THE    PHILIPPINES 

terior,  to  subsidize  or  acquire  an  improved  means  of  water  trans- 
portation. 

In  all  provinces  where  there  are  non-Christians  a  special  fund 
must  be  maintained  to  be  used  for  their  benefit  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  secretary  of  the  interior.  In  the  regularly  organized 
provinces  the  provincial  board  may  in  its  discretion  create  and 
maintain  a  special  fund  to  be  used  for  local  fairs  or  for  the  Phil- 
ippine Industrial  Exposition. 

It  will  be  noted  that  the  system  of  loans  by  one  government 
unit  to  another  is  in  general  use.  The  insular  government  loans 
money  from  special  funds  to  the  provinces  or  municipalities.  The 
provincial  boards  make  loans  to  municipalities,  townships  and 
settlements  for  many  purposes,  and  the  provincial  treasurers  are 
authorized  to  loan  not  to  exceed  twenty  per  cent,  of  the  munici- 
pal funds  deposited  with  them  and  held  in  reserve,  to  municipal- 
ities to  be  used  in  the  construction  of  permanent  public  works, 
for  the  purchase  of  land  for  school  purposes,  and  for  the  erec- 
tion of  substantial  school  buildings. 

The  Municipal  Code  which  was  enacted  soon  after  American 
occupation  was  recently  repealed  and  municipalities  are  now  gov- 
erned by  the  Administrative  Code  of  1916.^  The  power  to 
organize  new  municipalities  is  by  the  new  law  vested  in  the  pro- 
vincial board  with  the  approval  of  the  provincial  governor. 

Prior  to  the  Maura  Law  of  1893,  the  pueblos  were  governed 
by  a  body  called  the  principalia.  That  law  converted  the  pueblos 
into  municipalities  and  the  principalias  into  municipal  councils 
with  the  officers  required  by  the  new  conditions.^  The  Munici- 
pal Code  simply  took  the  pueblos  with  their  names,  boundaries 
and  property  and  made  them  municipalities  with  the  usual  pow- 
ers of  such  public  corporations.  A  municipality  in  the  Philip- 
pines resembles  an  American  township  or  New  England  town 
and  not  a  city.  It  frequently  embraces  many  square  miles  of 
territory  in  which  there  are  a  number  of  cities  and  villages.  This 

8  For  the  present  municipal  law,  see  the  Administrative  Code,  Title  XII, 
Chap.  47,  Sees.  2110-2270. 

s  See  Elliott,  The  Philippines:   To  the  End  of  the  Military  Regime,  p.  231. 


THE    PROVINCES    AND    MUNICIPALITIES         83 

territory  is  divided  into  barrios  or  wards  which  for  administra- 
tive purposes  are  grouped  into  districts. 

There  are  four  classes  of  municipalities,  determined  by  popu- 
lation, which  also  determines  the  size  of  the  governing  body. 
The  first  class,  with  not  less  than  twenty-five  thousand  inhabi- 
tants, has  eighteen  councilors.  The  second  class,  with  eighteen 
thousand  and  less  than  twenty-five  thousand  inhabitants,  has 
fourteen  councilors.  The  third  class,  with  ten  thousand  and  less 
than  eighteen  thousand,  has  ten,  and  the  fourth  class,  with  less 
than  ten  thousand  inhabitants,  has  eight  councilors.  A  municipal- 
ity passes  from  one  class  to  another  as  its  population  increases  or 
decreases. 

The  councilors,  with  the  president,  vice-president  and  treas- 
urer, are  the  chief  officials  and  all  but  the  treasurer  are  elected  by 
the  qualified  electors  of  the  municipality.  Ecclesiastics,  soldiers 
in  active  service,  persons  receiving  salaries  or  compensations 
from  provincial  or  insular  funds  and  contractors  for  local  public 
works,  are  ineligible  to  municipal  office.  The  salaries  of  the 
president,  secretary  and  treasurer  are  fixed  by  the  council  subject 
to  the  provision  that  they  may  not  exceed  in  the  different  classes 
of  municipalities,  for  the  president,  $600,  $500,  $400  and  $300 ; 
secretary;,  $300,  $250,  $200  and  $150;  treasurer,  $400,  $300, 
$200  and  $150.  The  offices  of  vice-president  and  councilors  are 
honorary  and  the  incumbents  receive  no  compensation.  The 
president,  commonly  called  the  president e,  is  the  chief  executive 
of  the  local  government  and  exercises  general  supervision  over 
the  affairs  of  the  municipality.  He  is  charged  with  the  duty  of 
seeing  that  his  subordinates  perform  their  duties  properly  and 
that  the  laws  and  ordinances  are  enforced.  He  presides  at  the 
meetings  of  the  council  and  assists  the  treasurer  in  collecting  the 
taxes  and  the  health  officers  in  enforcing  the  sanitary  laws.  In 
the  absence  of  the  justice  of  the  peace  he  may  hold  preliminary 
investigations  in  criminal  cases.  Subject  to  the  approval  of  the 
council  he  appoints,  and  may  remove,  all  the  non-elective  officers. 
Each  year  he  renders  to  the  provincial  governor  a  report  of  the 
most  important  events  which  have  occurred  in  the  municipality 


84  THE    PHILIPPINES 

during  the  year  and  quarterly  he  sends  to  the  Bureau  of  Agricul- 
ture a  detailed  report  on  the  condition  of  agriculture,  live  stock 
and  other  such  matters. 

The  vice-president  is  ex  officio  a  member  of  the  council  and  has 
all  the  rights  and  duties  of  a  councilor.  The  municipal  treasurer 
is  appointed  by  the  provincial  treasurer  with  the  approval  of  the 
provincial  board  and  subject  to  the  provision  of  the  civil  service 
law.  His  authority  thus  comes  from  an  outside  source,  Thp 
secretary  in  addition  to  the  ordinary  functions  of  such  an  officer, 
collects  and  preserves  vital  statistics  relative  to  marriages,  births 
and  deaths. 

The  councilor  is  an  important  person  in  the  community  and  the 
fact  that  the  office  is  honorary  seems  to  add  to  its  dignity.^*'  Each 
councilor  is  given  charge  of  a  particular  barrio,  or  district  con- 
taining more  than  one  barrio,  and  he  acts  as  a  special  representa- 
tive of  the  people  of  his  barrio  or  district  and  must  keep  them 
fully  informed  of  what  occurs  in  the  council  and  of  all  other  mat- 
ters which  directly  concern  them  by  suitable  notices  posted  in 
conspicuous  places.  He  must  also  promptly  notify  the  president 
of  "any  unusual  or  disturbing  events  occurring  in  his  district." 
He  may  also  appoint  a  lieutenant  in  each  barrio  or  district  under 
his  immediate  supervision,  who  shall  assist  him  in  the  perform- 
ance of  his  duties. 

The  municipal  council  is  a  legislative  and  administrative  body. 
It  has  very  important  powers  which,  however,  it  must  exercise 
in  some  cases  under  the  supervision  of  the  provincial  board,  the 
corresponding  body  of  the  higher  governmental  unit.  The  pow- 
ers granted  to  the  councils  by  general  law  are  divided  into  two 
classes.    It  is  required  to : 

"establish  and  fix  the  salaries  of  municipal  officers  and  employes 


10  Following  the  Spanish  custom  the  municipal  officers  and  the  provincial 
governors  are  authorized  to  carry  official  canes.  The  governor  may  carry  a 
"white  walking  stick  of  white  india  cane  with  gold  head  and  gold  cord  and 
tassel."  The  municipal  president  is  authorized  to  use  as  a  symbol  of  office  a 
''black  cylindrical  cane  with  gold  head  and  silver  cord  and  tassels."  The  vice- 
president  may  use  a  "gilt  ferule  with  black  cord  and  tassels"  and  councilors 
may  carry  a  "cane  with  a  silver  head,  gilt  ferule,  and  black  cord  and  tassels." 
In  Spanish  times  the  governor-general  carried  a  cane  as  a  badge  of  office. 


THE    PROVINCES    AND    MUNICIPALITIES         85 

except  the  treasurer  and  public-school  teachers ;  make  appropria- 
tions for  proper  municipal  expenses;  erect  suitable  buildings; 
regulate  the  construction,  care,  and  use,  of  streets,  sidewalks  and 
piers ;  declare  and  abate  nuisances ;  prohibit  the  throwing  of  waste 
into  the  streets;  provide  for  the  disposition  of  garbage;  regulate 
the  keeping  and  use  of  animals  in  so  far  as  the  same  affects  public 
health  and  the  health  of  domestic  animals;  require  private  prem- 
ises to  be  kept  in  sanitary  condition  at  the  expense  of  the  owner; 
construct  and  maintain  sewers  and  drains  and  regulate  the  con- 
struction and  use  of  closets  and  drains;  regulate  the  burial  of  the 
dead ;  establish  or  authorize  the  establishment  of  and  regulate  the 
inspection  of  articles  of  food;  adopt  measures  to  prevent  the  in- 
troduction and  spread  of  disease;  establish  and  maintain  a  police 
department;  prohibit  gambling,  disorderly  houses  and  opium 
joints;  provide  for  the  punishment  of  prostitutes  and  habitual 
disturbers  of  the  peace,  intoxication,  and  disorderly  conduct; 
provide  for  the  regulation  and  suppression  of  vagrancy;  restrain 
riots  and  public  disturbances ;  suppress  and  punish  cruelty  to  ani- 
mals; provide  by  ordinance  for  the  levying  of  taxes  for  municipal 
purposes;  and  regulate  the  sale  of  intoxicating  malt  and  fer- 
mented liquors  at  retail."^^ 

In  addition  the  council  is  authorised  to : 

"suspend  or  remove  appointive  officers  and  employes ;  provide  for 
the  care  of  the  sick  and  the  insane ;  establish  fire  limits  and  make 
building  regulations;  provide  for  the  naming  of  streets,  the  num- 
bering of  houses,  lighting  and  sprinkling  of  streets;  establish 
roads,  streets,  canals  and  parks;  provide  a  building  for  a  post- 
office  ;  regulate  the  keeping  and  impounding  of  dogs  and  the  run- 
ning at  large  of  cattle ;  regulate  cockpits  and  the  keeping  of  game 
cocks;  regulate  stables  and  garages  and  the  keeping  of  vehicles 
for  hire;  designate  stands  for  public  vehicles;  regulate  cafes, 
hotels,  inns,  and  lodging  houses;  regulate  or  prohibit  public 
dance  houses  and  horse  races ;  regulate  and  provide  for  the  in- 
spection of  steam  boilers;  regulate  the  use  of  water  courses;  pro- 
vide for  the  impounding  and  sale  of  animals  at  large  contrary 
to  law;  and  regulate  any  business  or  occupation  subject  to  a 
municipal  license  tax." 


11  No  attempt  is  made  to  state  in  detail  all  the  powers  of  the  municipal 
council,  but  this  enumeration  is  necessary  to  show  what  the  American  super- 
vision requires  the  local  Filipino  officials  to  do. 


86  THE    PHILIPPINES 

Persons  engaged  in  certain  occupations  or  exercising  certain 
designated  callings  may  be  required  to  procure  licenses  at  rates 
fixed  by  ordinance. 

Certain  granted  powers  may  be  exercised  only  with  the  ap- 
proval of  the  governor-general.  On  that  condition  a  municipal 
council  may  exercise  the  power  of  eminent  domain  for  certain 
purposes.  It  may  also  appropriate  money  in  aid  of  any  insular 
and  provincial  charitable,  beneficial  or  educational  institution 
which  might  be  maintained  by  the  municipality.  The  duty  of 
providing  elementary  schools  is  imposed  on  the  municipalities^'' 
and  after  that  duty  has  been  performed  they  may  establish  and 
maintain  night  schools  in  English  and  even  special  or  professional 
schools. 

The  duty  of  maintaining  law  and  order  is  imposed  on  the  mu- 
nicipality and  for  that  purpose  it  must  maintain  the  necessary 
police  force.  For  a  number  of  years  the  municipal  police  were 
practically  useless.  Neglect  and  abuses  rendered  it  necessary  to 
restrict  the  powers  of  the  president  and  council  and  in  1911  the 
legislature  required  the  chief  of  constabulary  to  prepare  rules 
and  regulations  under  which  policemen  are  now  selected  from  a 
list  of  applicants  who  have  qualified  by  passing  a  special  examina- 
tion. The  president  still  appoints  the  members  of  the  force  with 
the  approval  of  the  council,  but  the  chief  of  police  in  each  mu- 
nicipality is  appointed  by  the  provincial  governor  on  the  rec- 
ommendation of  the  president  and  with  the  approval  of  the 
council." 

Each  municipality  must  provide  the  necessary  equipment  for 
fire  protection  and  where  there  is  no  paid  fire  department  the 
police  act  as  firemen. 

The  habit  of  excessive  indulgence  in  holidays  rendered  it  nec- 
essary to  restrict  the  municipal  fiestas  to  one  a  year.  Restrictions 
are  also  placed  on  cock  fighting  which  now  may  take  place  only 
in  licensed  cockpits  and  on  legal  holidays,  and  for  a  period  not 
exceeding  three  days  during  the  celebration  of  the  local  fiesta. 


"  See  Chapter  X. 
13  See  Chapter  XIII. 


THE    PROVINCES    AND    MUNICIPALITIEiS         87 

However,  when  the  provincial  board  decides  that  a  fair,  carnival 
or  agricultural  or  industrial  exhibit,  "or  any  other  act  which  may 
redound  to  the  promotion  of  the  general  interest"  shall  be  held 
the  municipal  council  may  authorize  the  cock  fighting  permitted 
at  a  local  fiesta  to  take  place  at  such  celebration  if  held  at  a  time 
other  than  that  of  the  local  fiesta. 

The  municipalities  have  ample  power  to  raise  the  necessary 
revenue.  Their  incomes  are  derived  from  an  ad  valorem  tax  on 
real  estate  and  from  license  taxes  and  fees  for  various  services 
and  the  proceeds  and  income  from  the  sale,  use  and  management 
of  the  property  held  by  the  corporation/*  It  is  held  to  be  a  fun- 
damental principle  that  the  revenues  obtained  from  taxation  shall 
be  derived  from  such  sources  only  as  are  expressly  authorized 
by  law.  Taxation  must  be  just  and  in  each  municipality  uni- 
form. No  taxes  in  any  form  may  be  imposed  on  goods  carried 
into  or  out  of  a  municipality.  The  collection  of  taxes  can  not 
be  farmed  out.  The  municipal  funds  must  be  collected  by  the 
proper  officers  and  when  collected  they  must  be  devoted  exclu- 
sively to  local  public  purposes.  The  taxes  are  collected  by  the 
provincial  treasurer,  who  may  use  the  municipal  treasurers  as 
his  deputies. 

The  money  collected  for  school  purposes  is  required  to  be 
kept  as  a  special  fund  and  certain  other  special  funds  are  also 
authorized  for  such  purposes  as  the  aid  of  provincial  indus- 
trial exhibitions,  but  the  money  may  be  appropriated  for  such 
purposes  only  with  the  approval  of  the  governor-general. 

Early  in  January  of  each  year  the  municipal  treasurer  is  re- 
quired to  prepare  and  present  to  the  council  a  detailed  state- 
ment of  the  municipal  receipts  and  disbursements  during  the 
preceding  year.  With  this  as  a  guide  the  council  must  then  make 
a  careful  estimate  of  the  probable  income  for  the  current  year 
and  upon  that  basis  make  its  allotments  for  the  year.  The  ap- 
propriations so  made  constitute  the  municipal  budget  which, 
after  the  allotment  for  school  purposes  has  been  approved  by 
the  division  superintendent  of  schools,  must  be  submitted  to  and 

"  See  Chapter  VII. 


88  THE    PHILIPPINES 

approved  by  the  provincial  treasurer  before  it  becomes  effective. 
If  that  official  disapproves  of  any  particular  item  or  items  the 
council  may  appeal  from  his  action  to  the  provincial  board  and 
its  action  thereon  is  final. 

The  old  custom  of  absorbing  the  revenues  in  payment  of  offi- 
cers and  employees  made  it  necessary  to  limit  the  amount  which 
may  be  used  for  salaries  and  wages,  other  than  teachers',  to  a 
fixed  proportion  of  the  income  ranging  according  to  the  class  of 
the  municipality  from  fifty  to  eighty  per  cent.  Detailed  pro- 
visions are  made  for  the  disbursements  of  public  funds. 

The  municipality  may  own,  conduct  or  provide  for  the  conduct- 
ing and  operation  of  public  utilities  such  as  water-works,  ferries, 
wharves,  markets  and  slaughter-houses. 

The  regularly  organized  provinces  were  supposed  to  be  in- 
habited by  civilized  Filipinos  who  were  able,  under  reasonable 
supervision,  to  conduct  a  modern  local  government.  The  coun- 
try inhabited  by  the  Moros  and  wild  tribes  required  radically 
different  treatment.  Lying  between  these  extremes  there  were 
provinces  in  which  the  people  were  in  an  intermediate  stage  of 
development  and  for  them  special  governments  were  created. 
In  the  more  advanced,  the  form  of  provincial  government  dif- 
fered but  little  from  that  of  the  regularly  organized  provinces 
except  that  the  officers  were  appointed  by  the  governor-general 
and  control  was  in  the  commission  instead  of  the  legislature. 
The  Filipinos  who  resided  in  these  provinces  were  active  in  the 
work  of  bringing  them  fully  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  legis- 
lature and  this  seems  to  have  been  effected  by  the  Administrative 
Code  of  1916,  which  contains  a  number  of  provisions  applica- 
ble only  in  specially  organized  provinces  under  the  departmental 
control  of  the  secretary  of  the  interior.  The  special  provisions 
applicable  to  these  provinces  are  a  little  confusing  and  are  of 
general  interest  only  in  so  far  as  they  illustrate  the  practise  of 
passing  the  natives  through  different  stages  and  granting  them 
additional  powers  of  local  government  as  they  become  more 
capable  of  exercising  them. 


THE    PROVINCES    AND    MUNICIPALITIES  89 

President  McKinley  instructed  the  commission  to  adopt,  in 
dealing  with  the  wild  tribes,  the  general  policy  which  had  been 
followed  by  Congress  with  reference  to  the  American  Indians 
and  to  permit  them  to  retain  their  tribal  organizations  while 
subjecting  them  to  a  firm  but  not  an  irritating  control. 

As  the  provincial  and  municipal  governments  provided  for  the 
civilized  people  were  not  suitable  for  the  wild  men,  special  laws 
were  passed  as  particular  provinces  in  the  non-Christian  terri- 
tory were  organized.  The  province  of  Benguet  was  thus  organ- 
ized as  early  as  1900^^  and  soon  thereafter  the  special  provinces 
of  Nueva  Vizcaya,  Lepanto,  Bantoc,  Palawan  and  Mindora 
were  created.  Gradually  a  form  of  government  suitable  for 
these  people  was  worked  out  and  in  1902  a  general  law  was  en- 
acted under  which  special  provinces  and  townships  were  there- 
after organized.  This  act  provided  for  a  provincial  governor, 
treasurer,  supervisor  and  attorney,  with  a  provincial  board  com- 
posed of  the  governor,  treasurer  and  supervisor.^®  The  governor 
was  required  to  see  that  the  laws  were  made  known  to  the  peo- 
ple and  faithfully  observed,  to  visit  each  township  and  settlement 
in  his  province  once  in  six  months,  to  control  the  local  police, 
to  act  as  sheriff  in  the  courts  of  first  instance,  and  to  care  for  the 
prisoners.  The  secretary  performed  the  usual  duties  pertaining 
to  such  an  office.  The  treasurer  collected  the  property  tax,  fines 
and  license  fees  and  supervised  the  assessment  of  taxes.  Once 
a  month  a  committee  consisting  of  the  governor,  supervisor  and 
district  superintendent  of  schools  counted  the  money  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  treasurer  and  reported  the  results  to  the  insular 
auditor.  The  supervisor  was  charged  with  the  construction, 
repair  and  maintenance  of  the  roads,  bridges  and  ferries  of  the 
province,  and  of  the  public  buildings  of  which  he  was  custodian. 
The  provincial  board  was  the  real  governing  body  of  the  province 
and  upon  it  were  imposed  many  ministerial  duties.  It  was  au- 
thorized to  pass  ordinances  for  designated  purposes,  to  approve 


"  Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1900-1903,  p.  60. 

^^  Some  of  the  provinces  were  divided  into  subprovinces  in  which  there 
were  lieutenant-governors  and  other  officers. 


90  THE    PHILIPPINES 

or  disapprove  of  acts  of  the  township  councils  of  the  province, 
and  to  require  the  council  of  any  township  to  pass  suitable  or- 
dinances and  upon  their  neglecting  to  do  so  to  issue  written 
orders  for  securing  the  ends  in  view  which  should  have  the  effect 
of  laws  subject  to  disapproval  by  the  secretary  of  the  interior. 

The  provincial  officers  were  informed  that  their  aim  should 
be  to  aid  the  people  of  the  several  townships  of  the  province  to 
acquire  the  knowledge  and  experience  necessary  for  successful 
local  popular  government  and  that  their  supervision  and  control 
should  be  confined  within  the  narrowest  limits  consistent  with 
the  requirements  that  the  powers  of  government  in  the  townships 
be  honestly  and  effectively  exercised  and  law  and  order  and  indi- 
vidual freedom  protected  and  maintained. 

The  board  was  also  required  to  provide  necessary  school  build- 
ings for  the  province  where  instruction  might  be  given  in  aca- 
demic and  commercial  subjects,  manual  training  and  agriculture, 
and  normal-school  work,  and  to  provide  for  the  maintenance  of 
such  schools  subject  to  the  general  supervision  of  the  division 
superintendent  and  the  director  of  education.  It  was  also  author- 
ized out  of  provincial  funds  to  make  loans  to  townships  for  school 
purposes  not,  however,  to  exceed  ten  per  cent,  of  the  gross  in- 
come of  the  province. 

When  in  its  opinion  the  inhabitants  of  any  township  or  settle- 
ment had  advanced  sufficiently  in  civilization  to  make  such  a 
course  practicable,  the  board  might,  with  the  approval  of  the 
secretary  of  the  interior,  provide  that  the  people  shall  no  longer 
be  exempt  from  the  payment  of  the  cedula  tax  and  that  other 
provisions  of  the  general  law  relative  to  taxation  shall  be  applica- 
ble to  said  township  or  settlement. 

An  annual  tax  of  two  pesos  is  imposed  on  every  male  inhabi- 
tant over  eighteen  and  under  sixty  years  of  age,  with  certain  ex- 
ceptions, to  create  a  fund  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  and  im- 
proving roads  and  trails  in  the  province  and  to  construct  public 
works.  A  person  delinquent  in  the  payment  of  this  tax  is  re- 
quired, in  person  or  by  substitute,  to  work  for  ten  days  on  the 
roads,  trails  or  public  works  under  the  direction  of  the  super 


THE    PROVINCES    AND    MUNICIPALITIES         91 

visor.  The  inhabitants  of  any  township  or  settlement  who  have 
not,  in  the  opinion  of  the  provincial  board,  advanced  sufficiently 
to  make  the  collection  of  the  tax  practicable  or  advisable  in  the 
public  interest,  may,  with  the  approval  of  the  secretary  of  the 
interior,  be  exempt  from  the  payment  of  this  tax. 

All  provincial  officers  in  these  provinces  were  subject  to  re- 
moval by  the  governor-general  with  the  consent  of  the  com- 
mission. 

There  were  many  provisions  which  related  to  particular  prov- 
inces only.  The  secretary  of  the  interior  was  required  to  visit 
and  inspect  each  province  at  least  once  each  fiscal  year,  but  under 
recent  legislation  the  supervision  of  the  secretary  is  exercised 
through  an  officer  entitled  "Delegate  of  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior  for  the  non-Christian  people." 

Going  still  further  down  in  the  system  we  find  the  township, 
the  government  of  which  is  vested  in  a  president,  vice-president, 
and  council  composed  of  one  resident  from  each  barrio.  There 
are  also  a  secretary,  treasurer,  and  such  non-elective  officers  and 
employees  as  the  council  deems  necessary  and  the  provincial 
board  authorizes. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  duties  of  the  provincial  board  and 
of  the  provincial  officers  in  these  provinces  are  largely  super^ 
visory  and  controlling.  The  government  of  the  non-Christian 
provinces  was  from  the  first  under  the  immediate  supervision  of 
the  secretary  of  the  interior  subject,  however,  to  the  control  of 
the  commission.  With  various  changes  of  detail  this  form  of 
government  is  still  in  force  and  under  it  the  wild  men  have  de- 
veloped considerably.  Schools  have  been  established  and  many 
hundreds  of  miles  of  roads  and  trails  constructed  through  the 
mountains.^'' 

Until  within  very  recent  years  it  was  recognized  that  the 
existence  of  the  Moros  in  the  southern  islands  created  peculiar 
conditions  which  required  special  governmental  treatment.     It 


17  The  reorganization  of  the  central  government  under  the  Act  of  August 
29,  1916,  which  abolished  the  commission,  will  necessitate  many  changes  in 
the  statutes  relating  to  the  special  provinces. 


92  THE    PHILIPPINES 

was  admitted  that  there  was  a  racial  and  religious  antagonism 
between  the  Moros  and  the  Filipinos  which  made  it  impossible 
to  associate  them  together  for  purposes  of  government.  It  was 
not  pretended  that  the  Moros  were  sufficiently  advanced  in  the 
ways  of  civilization  to  justify  granting  them  any  substantial 
part  in  the  work  of  operating  a  modern  government.  But  the 
Filipino  political  leaders  soon  adopted  a  theory  of  racial  unity 
and  claimed  that  the  Moros  were  merely  backward  Filipinos  who 
should  be  treated  as  wards  of  the  more  advanced  Filipino  peo- 
ple.^* This  theory  seems  to  have  been  adopted  by  the  Harrison 
administration  and  to  have  found  recognition  in  the  Philippine 
Government  Bill  of  1916. 

What  has  been  accomplished  in  the  way  of  civilizing  the  Moros 
and  bettering  the  condition  of  their  lives  was  done  under  a  form 
of  government  which  has  just  been  abolished.  What  can  be 
done  under  the  new  plan  is  necessarily  problematical. 

The  Act  of  Congress  of  July  1,  1902,  recognized  the  long- 
established  distinction,  based  on  religion  and  different  stages  of 
development,  between  the  Filipinos,  and  the  non-Christian  tribes 
and  Moros,  and  the  consequent  necessity  for  providing  different 
forms  of  government  for  the  different  groups  of  people.  On 
July  1,  1903,  that  part  of  the  Archipelago  inhabited  by  the 
Moros  was  by  the  commission  organized  as  a  separate  province 
under  the  name  of  the  Moro  Province,  with  a  form  of  local 
government  which  had  been  worked  out  by  Brigadier-General 
Davis  while  in  command  of  the  military  department.  Prior  to 
that  time  the  government  was  purely  military  and  thereafter 
military  influence  was  continued  by  the  detail  and  appointment  of 
army  officers  to  the  civil  offices.  From  the  organization  of  the 
province  until  the  reorganization  in  1913  Generals  Wood,  Bliss 
and  Pershing  in  turn  were  in  command  of  the  military  depart- 
ment while  occupying  the  civil  office  of  governor  of  the  province. 
During  that  time  nearly  all  of  the  subordinate  civil  offices  were 
also  held  by  army  officers.  The  number,  however,  was  grad- 
ually reduced  until  in  December,  1913,  when  General  Pershing 

^^  For  an  account  of  the  feeling  among  the  Moros,  see  the  Special  Report 
of  Secretary  of  War  Dickinson  after  his  visit  to  the  Philippines  in  1910,  p.  8.     ' 


92  rLIPPINES 

ind  religious  antagonism 

.OS  which  made  it  impossible 

ifises  of  government.     It  was 

'^  sufficiently  advanced  in  the 

.    granting  them  any  substantial 

i  operating  a  modem  government.     But  the 

-  '  "    1  .r»    J  ^  .-      _^.  y^  racial  unity 

rci  Filipinos  who 

vanced  Filipino  peo- 

by  the  Harrison 

w  i.a»-  "  ''••"  "^''"''ppine 

'  1916, 

led  in  the  way  of  civilizing  the  Moros 

if  their  lives  was  done  under  a  form 

'•    '   ^^.en  abolished.     What  can  be 

rtly  problematical. 

gniriaigq  .{ xirfol     K)2,  recognized  the  long- 

.1  o:i  religion  and  different  stages  of 

_.  ,.  ,.;.  .   .-    ....  -ilipinos.   i-^'  ilse  non-Christian  tribes 

and  Morns,  and  the  consequent  ne^  r  providing  different 

■overnment  for  the  different  groups  of  people.    On 

.   nX)3.  that        '      '^  -     ^     .     ..  .    .  .    .   .,.  ^j^^ 

was  bv  the  .  ^      vince 

orm  of  local 
)Ut  by  "-General 

;ii  cuijitu.-  ■■"  ''" L.     Prior  to 

he  covenirii  .        .  -^  thereafter 

as  continued  by  the  detail  and  appointment  of 

e  civil  <  ::ation  of  the 

-—'■'  ..,.  Wood,  Bliss 

military  depart- 

mor  of  the  province. 

civil  offices  wen* 

ever,  was  grad 

General  Pershinj, 

s   see  the  Special  Re  par 
'  ■  lUppines  in  1910,  p.  x 


THE    PROVINCES    AND    MUNICIPALITIES         93 

resigned,  only  the  position  of  health  officer  was  held  by  an 
officer  of  the  United  States  Army, 

The  Moro  Province  which  was  thus  governed  directly  or  in- 
directly by  military  officers  during  fifteen  years"  included 
nearly  all  of  the  island  of  Mindanao,  the  Sulu  Archipelago,  the 
Tawi  Tawi  group,  and  the  other  islands  south  of  the  eighth  par- 
allel except  Palawan,  Balabac,  and  certain  small  islands  adjacent 
thereto.  The  territory  was  divided  into  five  districts  with  sub- 
ordinate local  governments  in  each.  The  legislative  power  was 
vested  in  a  legislative  council  composed  of  the  provincial  gov- 
ernor, secretary,  treasurer  and  attorney.  This  council  was,  for 
legislative  purposes,  the  agent  of  the  Philippine  Commission 
in  which  the  primary  legislative  power  was  vested.  It  raised  rev- 
enues by  the  imposition  of  taxes  and  in  its  discretion  provided 
for  the  maintenance  of  a  school  system,  a  system  of  public  works, 
and  tribal  courts  for  the  determination  of  cases  in  which  the 
Moros  were  interested.  With  certain  reservations  it  exercised 
the  general  legislative  power  for  the  province.  Its  laws  had 
to  be  reported  immediately  to  the  Philippine  Commission  and 
by  it  approved  before  they  became  effective.  With  the  exception 
of  the  customs  receipts  collected  at  its  ports,  which  were  turned 
over  by  the  insular  government  to  the  provincial  government,  it 
was  dependent  upon  its  own  revenues.  It  received  nothing  from 
the  insular  government  for  public  works,  or  the  support  of  its 
schools. 

The  provincial  governor,  secretary,  treasurer  and  attorney, 
were  appointed  by  the  governor-general  with  the  consent  of  the 
commission.  The  governor  and  secretary  might  be,  and  in  fact 
always  were,  officers  of  the  army  detailed  by  the  commanding 
general  at  the  request  of  the  commission.  The  offices  of  en- 
gineer and  superintendent  of  schools  were  created  by  the  legis- 
lative council  and  the  incumbents  were  appointed  by  the  provincial 
governor  with  the  approval  of  the  council.  The  district  officers 
were  all  appointed  in  the  same  way. 


^9  It  is  only  in  a  restricted  sense  that  the  Moro  Province  was  under  mili- 
tary government.  The  control  was  in  the  Philippine  Commission  and  the 
governor-general. 


94  THE    PHILIPPINES 

The  jurisdiction  of  the  insular  courts  extended  over  the  Moro 
Province  but  it  was  subject  to  certain  restrictions  imposed  by- 
legislation  enacted  by  the  commission. 

During  the  life  of  the  Moro  Province  there  was  a  continuous 
agitation  by  the  Filipinos  for  the  abolition  of  military  rule  and 
the  organization  of  the  Moro  country  under  the  general  pro- 
vincial and  municipal  laws.  Control  by  the  Philippine  Legisla- 
ture, what  they  really  desired,  was  impossible  under  the  terms  of 
the  Act  of  Congress. 

During  the  latter  years  of  Governor-General  Forbes'  admin- 
istration considerable  progress  was  made  toward  the  substitu- 
tion of  civilian  for  military  officers  and  General  Pershing  rec- 
ommended that  the  provincial  government  be  reorganized  and 
turned  over  to  full  civilian  control.  Soon  after  the  change 
of  administration  the  newly-constituted  Philippine  Commission 
changed  the  name  of  the  Moro  Province  to  that  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Mindanao  and  Sulu^°  and  transferred  the  authority 
theretofore  exercised  by  the  secretary  of  the  interior  in  connec- 
tion with  the  province  of  Agusan  and  its  subprovince  of  Bukid- 
non,  to  the  government  of  the  new  department.  These  provi- 
sions became  effective  January  3,  1914,  and  Mr.  Frank  W. 
Carpenter,  who  for  several  years  had  held  the  office  of  executive 
secretary,  became  the  first  civilian  governor  for  the  Moros. 

Pursuant  to  another  act  of  the  commissions^  a  general  re- 
organization of  the  department  was  made  and  special  forms  of 
government  were  provided  for  the  provincial  or  local  municipal 
units.s^  The  administration  program  as  then  announced  had 
for  its  object  the  rapid  extension  of  the  regular  provincial  and 
municipal  codes  to  all  parts  of  the  Archipelago.^^ 


20  Act  No.  2309,  December  20,  1913. 

21  Act  No.  2408,  July  23,  1914.  See  the  first  report  of  the  provincial  gov- 
ernor, February  10,  1915,  in  Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1915,  pp.  324  et  seq. 

22  See  the  Administrative  Code,  Title  XIV,  Sees.  2560-2617. 

23  The  purposes  of  this  legislation  are  thus  stated  in  the  preamble  of  the 
act,  which  is  entitled,  The  Organic  Act  for  the  Department  of  Mindanao  and 
Sulu: 

"Whereas  the  change  of  government  in  the  Department  of  Mindanao  and 
Sulu,  effected  in  January  last,  necessitates  certain  reforms,  and  not  only  is 


41 


THE    PROVINCES    AND    MUNICIPALITIES         95 

The  legislative  control  formerly  exercised  by  the  Philippine 
Commission  over  Moroland  has  now,  under  the  Philippine  Gov- 
ernment Law  of  1916,  passed  to  the  new  Philippine  Legislature 
but  the  government  is  still  a  special  one  differing  from  that  in 
force  in  other  parts  of  the  Archipelago.  As  Secretary  of  War 
Dickinson,  after  his  visit  to  the  islands  in  1910,  said,  the  Moros 
will  have  "to  be  essentially  recreated  to  make  them  an  integral 
governing  part  of  a  republican  government  reuniting  them  with 
the  Filipinos."  The  form  of  rudimentary  government  provided 
for  the  subprovinces  of  the  Department  of  Mindanao  and  Sulu 
requires  no  special  consideration. 

The  cities  of  Manila  and  Baguio  are  governed  under  special 
charters.  Baguio  has  always  been  governed  by  Americans.  The 
government  of  Manila  has  passed  rapidly  from  American  to 
Filipino  control.  At  first  the  members  of  the  Municipal  Board 
were  appointed  by  the  governor-general.  A  certain  number  were 
then  made  elective  and  under  recent  legislation  the  entire  mem- 
bership is  elective.    The  results  have  not  been  very  satisfactory. 

The  provincial  and  municipal  governments  have  been  reason- 
ably efficient. 


the  time  ripe  for  these  reforms,  but  they  are  insistently  demanded  by  present 
conditions  in  said  department ;  and 

"Whereas  it  is  the  desire  of  the  people  of  the  islands  to  promote  the  most 
rapid  moral,  social,  and  political  development  of  the  inhabitants  of  said  de- 
partment in  order  to  accomplish  their  complete  unification  with  the  inhabi- 
tants of  other  provinces  of  the  archipelago;  and 

"Whereas  for  the  accomplishment  of  this  purpose  the  extension  thereto  of 
the  general  laws  of  the  country  and  of  the  general  forms  and  procedures  of 
government  followed  in  other  provinces  under  certain  limitations  in  harmony 
with  the  special  conditions  now  prevailing  in  said  department,  is  among  other 
measures  advisable  and  necessary,  but  always  with  the  understanding  that 
such  limitations  are  temporary  and  that  it  is  the  firm  and  decided  purpose  of 
the  Philippine  Commission  to  abolish  such  limitations,  together  with  the  de- 
partmental government,  as  soon  as  the  several  districts  of  said  region  shall 
have  been  converted  into  regularly  organized  provinces :   Now,  therefore."  etc. 

This,  in  substance  and  tone,  is  a  Filipino  document  expressing  the  "aspira- 
tions" of  the  Filipinos  rather  than  the  desires  of  the  Moros  or  the  judgment 
of  wise  Americans. 


CHAPTER  VI 
The  Commission  Government,  and  Its  Administration 

Changing  Character  of  Government — Self-government  and  Independence — 
The  System  of  Commission  Government — The  ResponsibiHty  of  the  Commis- 
sion— Represented  American  Sovereignty — American  Majority  in  Commission 
— Its  Duties — Organization  of  Executive  Departments — The  Grouping  of 
Bureaus — Rearrangement  in  1907 — Changes  in  Judicial  System  by  Organic 
Law — Tenure  of  Office  of  Justices — The  Personnel  of  the  Supreme  Court — 
Jurisdiction — The  Courts  of  First  Instance — No  Juries — Native  Judges — Re- 
organization Law  of  1914 — Injurious  to  Service — The  Official  Language — 
Spanish  Retained  in  Courts — Spanish  Used  in  the  Assembly — Probable  De- 
cline of  English — Creation  of  Philippine  Legislature  in  1907 — Two  Distinct 
Legislative  Bodies — Difficulties  Resulting  Therefrom — Unit  Subjects  of  Legis- 
lation— Residuum  of  Legislative  Power  in  Commission — Commission  Reor- 
ganized by  Wilson — Majority  of  Members  Filipinos — Loss  of  Prestige — Abol- 
ished in  1916 — ^The  Office  of  Governor-General — Sources  of  Authority — Spe- 
cific Powers  and  Duties — Delegation  of  Legislative  Power — Appropriations 
Subject  to  "Release"  by  Governor-General — Practise  Condemned — Office 
Magnified  by  President  Taft — Legislative  Activities  of  Governor-General — 
Log  Rolling — Disrepect  for  Laws — Failure  to  Pass  Current  Appropriation 
Bills — Automatic  Renewal  of  Appropriations — Assumption  of  Power  over 
Appropriations — ^The  "Advices"  to  the  Treasurer — Serious  Effect  of  Mis- 
construction of  the  Law — The  Executive  Secretary — The  Insular  Auditor — 
Independence  Largely  Imaginary — Resident  Commissioners — Influence  of  the 
Assembly — Methods  of  Legislation — Excessive  Deference  to  Speaker — Dif- 
ficulties of  Administration — Certain  Tendencies. 

On  October  16,  1916,  a  government  by  trained  Americans 
with  the  assistance  of  Filipinos  was  replaced  by  a  government 
of  Filipinos  with  the  advice  and  assistance  of  Americans.  After 
little  more  than  a  decade  of  preparation  for  self-government,  the 
country,  under  the  Philippine  Government  Law  of  1916,  is  en- 
tering upon  a  new  period  which  may  be  characterized  as  one  of 
preparation  for  absolute  independence.  The  slow  processes  of 
evolution  and  growth  through  training  and  experience  are  being 
hastened  by  congressional  legislation  based  upon  assumptions  of 
very  doubtful  validity. 

96 


THE    COMMISSION    GOVERNMENT  97 

For  fifteen  years  the  Philippines  had  a  system  of  commission 
government  very  similar  to  that  of  many  progressive  American 
cities.  During  the  greater  part  of  that  formative  and  con- 
structive period  the  United  States  Philippine  Commission  was, 
under  the  president,  responsible  to  Congress  and  the  American 
people  for  the  success  of  the  rather  unique  experiment  in  nation 
building  which  was  being  tried  in  the  Far  East.  It  was  the  sole 
legislative  body  for  all  parts  of  the  country  inhabited  by  non- 
Christians  and  Moros,  and  without  its  consent  no  legislation 
could  be  enacted  by  the  Philippine  Legislature,  of  which  it  was 
the  upper  house.  As  the  original  possessor  of  all  legislative 
power  in  the  islands,  it  in  law  if  not  in  fact  retained  for  the  en- 
tire Archipelago,  exclusive  legislative  control  over  all  subjects 
which,  in  their  nature^ere  not  capable  of  division  by  territorial 
lines.  (' 6^'  '^^ -.M.'^  (i  w 

The  original  Instructions  to  the  commission,  which  had  the 
force  of  law,  vested  it  with  executive  powers,  some  of  which  it 
retained  to  the  end.  Even  after  the  creation  of  the  office  of 
governor-general,  it  was  the  sole  agency  through  which  the 
insular  government  communicated  with  Congress.  The  secre- 
taries of  the  several  executive  departments  and  the  governor- 
general,  made  their  annual  reports  to  the  commission,  which  re- 
ported to  the  secretary  of  war  as  the  immediate  representative 
of  the  president.^  But  in  practise,  after  the  creation  of  the  as- 
sembly, the  power  and  prestige  of  the  commission  steadily  de- 
clined until,  during  the  closing  years  of  its  existence,  there  were 
few  so  poor  in  spirit  as  to  do  it  reverence. 

The  Schurman  Commission,  which  was  sent  out  by  the  State 
Department  in  the  spring  of  1899,  before  the  insurrection,  was 
an  investigating  body ;  its  functions  were  inquisitorial  and  recom- 
mendatory. The  second,  the  so-called  Taft  Commission,  was 
directed  by  President  McKinley  to  proceed  to  Manila  and  or- 
ganize a  government  on  the  lines  laid  down  in  his  Instructions. 


1  The  Administrative  Code,  enacted  Feb.  24.  1916.  requires  the  secretaries 
of  departments  to  make  annual  reports  to  the  governor-general.  The  execu- 
tive secretary  is  required  to  make  an  annual  report  "in  representation  of  the 
governor-general."    The  law  does  not  say  to  whom  this  report  shall  be  made. 


.    \ 


98  THE    PHILIPPINES 

The  form  which  the  central  government  should  take  was  deter- 
mined by  these  Instructions  and  the  commission  was  charged  with 
the  duty  of  working  out  the  details  of  the  government  in  accord- 
ance with  certain  declared  principles,  and  subject  to  the  restraints 
of  a  group  of  prohibitory  and  limiting  rules  which  were  the 
equivalent  of  a  bill  of  rights  in  an  American  constitution. 

On  September  1,  1900,  the  commission,  as  directed  by  its  In- 
structions, assumed  legislative  authority  over  the  Archipelago. 
On  July  4,  1901,  the  executive  power  of  the  military  governor 
in  the  pacified  provinces  passed  to  the  president  of  the  commis- 
sion, with  the  title  of  civil  governor.^  In  the  meantime  pro- 
vincial and  municipal  governments  had  been  established  and  spe- 
cial governments  authorized  for  the  Moros  and  the  wild  men.  At 
the  time  of  the  inauguration  of  the  civil  governor  the  member- 
ship of  the  commission  was  increased  from  five  to  seven,  by  the 
appointment  of  two  Filipinos.^  Soon  thereafter  the  work  of  the 
executive  was  apportioned  among  four  newly  created  executive 
departments,  designated  as  the  Departments  of  the  Interior,  Com- 
merce and  Police,  Finance  and  Justice,  and  Public  Instruction, 
each  with  its  group  of  bureaus.*  Each  American  commissioner 
became  secretary  or  head  of  one  of  these  departments.  The 
Bureaus  of  Audits,  Civil  Service,  the  city  of  Manila,  and  the 
Executive  Bureau,  were  left  outside  of  the  departmental  organi- 
zation and  placed  under  the  immediate  supervision  of  the  civil 
governor.^ 

The  institution  and  inauguration  of  the  new  legislature  has 
been  already  described.  As  its  members  were  all  Filipinos  and 
there  was  a  majority  of  but  one  American  in  the  commission, 
which  constituted  the  upper  house,  and  the  governor-general  did 
not  have  the  veto  power,  the  American  control  of  legislation  in 


2  The  military  governor  retained  control  of  the  unpacified  provinces  until 
July  4,  1902. 

3  Subsequently  the  number  of  commissions  was  increased  to  nine,  includ- 
ing the  governor-general,  who  was  president  of  the  commission. 

^Congress  subsequently  authorized  the  creation  of  another  department, 
but  it  was  never  established. 

^  The  title  of  civil  governor  was  changed  to  that  of  governor-general  by 
Act  of  Congress. 


I^B 


THE    COMMISSION    GOVERNMENT  99 

the  Christian  provinces  rested  on  a  very  delicate  foundation.^ 
Because  of  the  membership  of  the  assembly,  it  was  thus  impos- 
sible for  the  legislature  to  pass  a  law  without  the  consent  of  the 
Filipinos. 

The  judicial  system  had  been  reorganized  and  new  judges  and 
justices  appointed  by  the  commission  before  the  executive  power 
passed  to  the  civil  governor.  As  thus  organized  the  insular  gov- 
ernment continued  until  the  enactment  by  Congress  of  the  so- 
called  Organic  Law  of  July  1,  1902,  in  which  Congress  wisely 
contented  itself  with  approving  and  ratifying  what  had  been  done 
and  resolving  doubts  and  ambiguities  through  prohibitions,  limi- 
tations, and  grants  of  specific  powers. 

This  Act  of  Congress  made  very  material  changes  in  the  execu- 
tive department.  The  appointing  of  justices  of  the  Supreme 
Court  was  taken  from  the  civil  governor,  and  vested  in  the  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the 
Senate,  As  the  government  had  been  instituted  on  the  theory 
that  the  Filipinos  should  be  given  the  greatest  possible  part  in 
the  administration  of  which  they  were  capable  of  taking  advan- 
tage. Congress  took  the  radical  step  of  providing  for  the  early 
creation  of  a  legislature,  one  house  of  which  should  be  com- 
posed entirely  of  delegates  elected  by  Filipino  constituencies. 

It  was  recognized  that  for  some  years  the  Moros  and  wild  men 
would  have  to  be  governed  under  special  laws,  and  they  were  left 
under  the  control  of  the  commission.  In  1907  jurisdiction  over 
all  parts  of  the  Archipelago  not  inhabited  by  these  people  was 
transferred  to  the  new  legislature  and  from  that  date  until  1916 
there  were  theoretically  two  distinct,  independent  legislative 
bodies  in  the  islands. 

We  find,  thus,  that  from  July  4,  1901,  to  October  16,  1916. 
there  was  a  fairly  well-organized  central  government  at  Manila, 
with  the  usual  organs  of  a  free  popular  government.  The  execu- 
tive power  was  vested  in  a  governor-general  with  the  usual  sub- 
ordinates; the  judicial  power  in  a  system  of  courts  organized 

6  The  president  could  of  course  control  the  Filipino  members  of  the  com- 
mission, who  were  subject  to  removal. 


100  '         THE    PHILIPPINES 

on  the  model  of  American  courts;  and  the  legislative  power  in 
two  bodies,  one  of  which  constituted  the  upper  house  of  the  other. 
The  country  was  divided  into  provinces  in  which  there  were 
many  municipalities  and  other  local  governmental  bodies. 
The  Moro  country  was  organized  as  the  Moro  Province  with 
its  own  legislative  council  and  executive  officials  appointed 
by  the  governor-general,  but  subject  to  the  commission,  which 
existed  until  1914,  when  it  was  reorganized  as  the  Department  of 
Mindanao  and  Sulu.  The  laws  passed  by  the  legislative  council 
of  the  Moro  Province  did  not  go  into  effect  until  approved  by 
the  commission. 

The  administrative  work  of  the  insjular  government  was 
conducted  through  bureaus,  grouped  into  four  departments,  each 
under  a  secretary  who  was  also  a  member  of  the  commission. 
Three  bureaus  remained  under  the  immediate  supervision  of  the 
governor-general.  There  was  a  vice-governor  appointed  by  the 
president  from  among  the  secretaries,  who  became  acting  gover- 
nor-general during  the  absence  or  disability  of  the  governor- 
general.  The  members  of  the  commission,  the  governor-general, 
the  vice-governor,  the  secretaries  of  the  departments,  the  insular 
auditor,  the  insular  treasurer  and  the  justices  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  were  appointed  by  the  president  of  the  United  States,  by 
and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate,  and  held  office  at 
the  will  of  the  president.  All  other  officials  were  appointed  by 
the  governor-general  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  com- 
mission. 

Although  the  secretaries  of  the  departments  were  selected  from 
the  membership  of  the  commission,  the  offices  were  distinct,  dif- 
ferent salaries  being  attached  to  each  office.  The  vice-governor 
received  no  additional  compensation.  Under  this  organization, 
the  heads  of  the  executive  departments,  that  is,  the  members  of 
the  cabinet  of  the  governor-general,  had  seats  in  both  of  the 
legislative  bodies. 

The  military  government  had  created  an  unnecessarily  elab- 
orate bureau  organization  and  this,  to  some  extent,  continued 
through  the  whole  of  the  period  under  consideration.     When 


THE    COMMISSION    GOVERNMENT  101 

the  civil  government  was  formed  many  of  these  bureaus  were 
abolished  or  consolidated,  and  in  1907,  as  the  result  of  the  work 
of  what  was  known  as  the  head-hunting  committee,  a  general 
reorganization  was  effected.  Thereafter  no  material  changes 
were  made  until  the  Harrison  administration  came  into  power 
and  abolished  the  Bureau  of  Navigation.  The  original  distribu- 
tion of  bureaus  among  the  departments  was  not  very  logical, 
having  been  made  apparently  more  with  reference  to  the  desires 
and  qualifications  of  the  men  who  were  to  be  the  secretaries  than 
according  to  any  natural  method  of  grouping  correlated  subjects. 

Comparatively  few  changes  were  made  by  the  Administrative 
Code  which  became  effective  in  July,  1916.'^  It  designated  the 
governor-general  as  the  department  head  of  the  Executive  Bu- 
reau, the  Bureau  of  Audits,  the  Bureau  of  Civil  Service,  and  all 
other  unattached  offices  and  administrative  branches  of  the  gov- 
ernment. The  speaker  of  the  assembly  was  made  "the  depart- 
ment head  of  the  permanent  force  of  employees  of  the  assembly 
and  employees  of  committees  of  the  assembly  acting  during 
recesses." 

As  organized  at  the  end  of  the  commission  regime  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Interior  had  executive  control  and  supervision  over 
the  Philippine  Health  Service,  the  Philippine  General  Hospital, 
the  Bureaus  of  Quarantine  Service,  Science,  Weather,  Lands,  and 
Forestry,  the  supervision  of  Fisheries,  and  general  supervision 
over  the  non-Christian  inhabitants  except  in  the  Department  of 
Mindanao  and  Sulu.  The  administrative  supervision  vested  in 
the  secretary  of  the  interior  over  the  non-Christians  was  to  be 
exercised  through  an  officer  known  as  the  delegate  of  the  secre- 
tary of  the  interior  for  the  non-Christian  people.^ 

The  Department  of  Commerce  and  Police  controlled  the  Philip- 
pine Constabulary,  the  Bureaus  of  Public  Works,  Posts,  Labor, 
Coast  and  Geodetic  Survey,  with  supervision  over  all  corpora- 


7  Administrative  Code,  Chap.  VI.    For  the  changes  made  by  the  PhiHppine 
Government  Law  of  1916,  see  Chap.  XIX,  infra. 

8  This  is  a  new  office.     Previously  the  secretary  of  the  interior  devoted  a 
great  part  of  his  personal  attention  to  the  non-Christian  tribes. 


102  THE    PHILIPPINES 

tions  except  as  otherwise  provided.^  The  Department  of  Finance 
and  Justice  controlled  the  Bureaus  of  Justice,  Customs,  Internal 
Revenue,  and  the  Treasury,  with  general  supervision  of  banks, 
banking,  coinage  and  currency.  The  Department  of  Public 
Instruction  controlled  the  Bureaus  of  Education,  Agriculture, 
Supply,  Prisons  and  Printing. 

The  judicial  system,  established  by  the  military  government 
and  reorganized  by  the  commission,  was  but  slightly  changed  by 
the  Act  of  July  1,  1902.  The  Supreme  Court,  the  courts  of  first 
instance,  the  municipal  courts,  and  the  justice  courts,  were  re- 
tained, and  the  legislature  was  authorized  to  create  other  inferior 
courts,  a  power  which  it  subsequently  exercised  in  the  creation 
of  the  court  of  land  registration.  The  jurisdiction  of  the  Supreme 
Court  was  fixed  by  the  Act  of  Congress  and  the  independence 
of  the  justices  was  secured  by  vesting  the  appointing  power  in 
the  president.  The  Supreme  Court  was  composed  of  seven  jus- 
tices and  the  original  arrangement  of  four  Americans  and  three 
Filipinos,  one  of  whom  was  chief  justice,  has  been  retained  to 
the  present  time.  It  is  the  only  governmental  body  in  the  gov- 
ernment at  the  present  time  in  which  the  Filipinos  do  not  have 
a  majority. 

The  law  is  silent  as  to  the  tenure  of  office  of  the  justices,  and 
consequently  they  hold  during  good  behavior,  as  that  phrase  is 
understood  in  legal  nomenclature.  Although  appointed  by  the 
president,  by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate, 
they  are  not  federal  judges  in  the  technical  sense  and  are  not 
entitled  to  the  benefits  of  the  federal  retiring  law.  Probably 
they  are  removable  from  office  at  the  will  of  the  president,  al- 
though custom  has  made  their  tenure  permanent.  This  court  has 
always  enjoyed  the  deserved  confidence  and  respect  of  the  coun- 
try. It  is  a  tribunal  of  great  power  and  dignity  with  jurisdiction 
equivalent  approximately  to  that  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  a  state 
and  of  a  United  States  circuit  court  of  appeals  combined. 

There  have  been  but  few  changes  in  the  membership  of  the 

^  This  includes  all  corporations  except  those  engaged  in  banking.  Until 
abolished  the  Bureau  of  Navigation  was  in  this  department 


THE    COMMISSION    GOVERNMENT  103 

court.  Chief  Justice  Arellano  and  Mr.  Justice  Torres  have 
served  since  1901,  when  the  present  court  was  instituted.  Mr. 
Justice  Mapa,  also  one  of  the  original  judges,  served  until  1914, 
when  he  resigned  to  become  secretary  of  finance  and  justice  and 
was  succeeded  by  Manuel  Araullo,  who  had  been  a  judge  of  the 
court  of  first  instance  in  Manila.  The  Filipino  members  of  the 
court  are  all  learned  lawyers  with  the  judicial  outlook  and 
breadth  of  view  that  comes  with  a  knowledge  of  different  sys- 
tems of  jurisprudence. 

The  retention  of  the  Spanish  law,  with  its  background  of  old 
Spanish  codes  and  the  imposition  thereon  of  the  results  of  the 
legislative  activities  of  the  commission  and  the  Philippine  Legis- 
lature, soon  produced  a  rather  confusing  body  of  law  which  it 
would  have  been  extremely  difficult  for  a  court  composed  ex- 
clusively of  Americans  or  Filipinos  to  deal  with.  This  composite 
law  required  a  composite  court  and  had  there  been  no  personal 
and  political  reasons  for  so  constituting  the  court,  that  alone 
would  have  been  sufficient.  The  members  of  the  court  have 
worked  harmoniously  together  and  never,  apparently,  except  in 
one  instance,  have  the  justices  differed  on  racial  lines,  and  then 
upon  the  question  whether  a  Filipino  should  suffer  life  imprison- 
ment or  death,  the  Filipinos  voting  for  death,  and  the  Americans 
for  the  lesser  penalty.  Three  of  the  present  American  justices 
had  served  an  apprenticeship  in  the  lower  courts  of  the  islands 
and  came  to  the  appellate  court  with  full  knowledge  of  the  Span- 
ish laws  and  local  conditions. 

For  judicial  purposes  the  islands  are  divided  into  districts,  in 
each  of  which  there  is  a  court  of  first  instance  with  one  or  more 
judges.  These  courts  correspond  to  the  ordinary  district  or  cir- 
cuit courts  of  the  states  of  the  Union,  with  substantially  the 
same  jurisdiction  plus  the  admiralty,  customs,  patent,  bankruptcy, 
and  other  such  special  jurisdictions  of  the  United  States  district 
courts."    As  there  are  no  juries,"  the  trial  judges  bear  great  re- 


10  No  federal  courts  were  ever  organized  in  the  Philippines.  On  the  title 
page  of  Blounts'  The  American  Occupation  of  the  Philippines,  the  author  is 
described  as  former  judge  of  the  United  States  District  Court  in  the  Philip- 


104  THE    PHILIPPINES 

sponsibilities,  relieved  to  some  extent,  however,  by  the  law  which 
requires  that  the  record  of  every  criminal  case  in  which  the  death 
penalty  is  imposed,  shall  be  forwarded  to  the  Supreme  Court  and 
there  approved  before  the  sentence  is  actually  executed.  On  or- 
dinary appeals  by  the  defendant,  in  criminal  cases,  the  Supreme 
Court  may  affirm,  reverse,  reduce  or  increase  the  sentence  im- 
posed by  the  trial  court,  and  even  impose  the  death  sentence  when 
the  defendant  has  appealed  from  a  sentence  of  imprisonment 
only.  The  judges  of  these  courts  are  appointed  by  the  governor- 
general  subject  to  confirmation  by  the  commission  and  hold  office 
during  good  behavior,  subject  to  removal  by  the  governor-general 
with  the  consent  of  the  commission.  During  the  Taft  regime 
great  care  was  taken  to  divide  the  judicial  offices  as  nearly  as 
possible  equally  between  American  and  Filipino  lawyers,  and  a 
judge  who  did  reasonably  well  was  secure  in  his  place.  While 
there  have  been  charges  of  executive  pressure  being  brought  to 
bear  upon  judges  to  influence  their  official  actions,  there  was 
little,  if  any,  justification  therefor.  The  judges  of  first  instance 
are  assigned  to  districts  at  the  will  of  the  governor-general  and, 
as  the  salaries  vary  in  different  districts,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
desirability  of  living  and  working  in  the  large  cities,  the  chief 
executive  has  it  in  his  power  to  express  his  discontent  with  a 
judge  and,  in  effect,  reduce  his  salary  by  transferring  him  to  a 
less  desirable  field  of  activity.  The  power  is  a  dangerous  one 
but  it  has  been  seldom  abused. 

There  are  some  features  connected  with  the  recent  reorganiza- 
tion of  the  judiciary  which  are  of  doubtful  propriety.  Shortly 
after  Mr.  Harrison  became  governor-general  the  entire  judicial 
system  was  revised.  The  law  under  which  this  was  done,  which 
was  drafted  by  a  commission  that,  for  several  years,  has  been 
engaged  in  the  arduous  task  of  codifying  the  laws  of  the  islands, 
redistricted  the  country,  provided  for  a  number  of  additional 
judges,  abolished  the  court  of  land  registration,  and  made  its 

pines.     As  no  such  court  ever  existed  the  statement  is  evidently  a  misprint. 
The  author  was  one  of  the  judges  of  the  court  of  first  instance. 
^^  The  assessors,  authorized  by  law,  are  seldom,  if  ever,  utilized. 


i 


THE    COMMISSION    GOVERNMENT  105 

judges  members  of  the  court  of  first  instance  and  retired  all 
judges  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  without  a  pension.  It  seems  to 
have  created  an  unnecessary  number  of  judges,  thus  burdening 
the  country  with  additional  expense. 

A  very  unusual  and  indefensible  provision,  effecting  the  per- 
sonnel of  the  court,  resulted  disastrously  to  some  of  the  older  and 
more  experienced  American  judges,  and  the  charge  was  freely 
made  that  back  of  the  legislation  was  the  sinister  motive  of  dis- 
placing American  judges  and  providing  additional  offices  for 
aspiring  Filipino  lawyers.  The  law  simply  legislated  all  the 
judges  of  the  courts  of  first  instance  out  of  office  by  providing 
that  they  should  be  commissioned  anew  by  the  governor-general. 
A  number  of  the  American  judges  resigned  and  there  was  much 
dissatisfaction.^"  Governor-General  Harrison  reported  that  all 
the  judges  who  did  not  resign  were  in  fact  reappointed,  but 
the  assignment  to  districts  was  such  as  to  induce  some  forced 
resignations,  thus  creating  vacancies  to  be  filled  by  Filipinos. 
The  effect  was  to  increase  the  already  great  unrest  among  the 
Americans,  to  the  serious  injury  of  the  service.  The  vacating, 
by  an  act  of  the  legislature,  of  the  commissions  of  the  entire  ju- 
diciary of  the  islands  below  the  Supreme  Court  and  leaving  the 
question  of  their  reappointment  to  a  new  governor-general  who 
had  just  arrived  in  the  islands  and  who  was  supposed  to  receive 
his  information  with  reference  to  qualifications  from  Filipino 
sources  only,  was  a  serious  blow  to  the  principle  of  the  independ- 
ence of  the  judiciary,  upon  which  the  system  had  been  built. 

Great  care  had  been  taken  to  secure  honest  and  efficient  jus- 
tices of  the  peace.  Their  jurisdiction  is  practically  the  same  as 
that  of  similar  officers  in  the  United  States.  Justices  and  auxil- 
iary justices  are  all  appointed  by  the  governor-general  for  each 
municipality  and  district  and  the  cities  of  Manila  and  Baguio,  and 
hold  office  during  good  behavior,  under  the  present  law.^^  No 
person  is  eligible  to  appointment  unless  he  is  ( 1 )  at  least  twenty- 


^2  See  the  letters  of  Judge  J.  C.  Jenkins  in  New  York  Tribune,  July  21 
and  Aug.  8.  1916;  also  letter  of  Secretary  of  War  Baker,  New  York  Times, 
July  31,  1916. 

^3  Administration  Code,  Chap.  II,  Art.  I,  Sec.  239. 


106  THE    PHILIPPINES 

three  years  of  age,  (2)  a  citizen  of  the  Philippine  Islands  or  of 
the  United  States,  (3)  of  good  moral  character,  and  (4)  ad- 
mitted by  the  Supreme  Court  to  practise  law,  or  have  completed 
the  course  of  study  in  a  recognized  law  school,  passed  the  civil 
service  examination  for  clerk  of  court,  or  passed  the  examina- 
tion which  is  held  in  each  province  by  a  board  composed  of  a 
judge  of  the  court  of  first  instance,  the  provincial  fiscal  and  a  prac- 
tising lawyer  appointed  by  the  judge.  Only  a  member  of  the 
bar  is  eligible  to  appointment  in  Manila  or  in  any  provincial 
capital/*  The  examination  requirements  are  not  enforced  when 
the  appointee  is  an  officer  of  the  United  States  Army,^^  or  when 
no  one  having  the  necessary  qualifications  is  willing  to  accept  the 
office.    In  such  cases  temporary  appointments  are  made. 

Justices  of  the  peace  unless  otherwise  provided,  receive  sal- 
aries of  from  three  hundred  to  four  hundred  eighty  dollars 
per  year.  All  fees  are  paid  into  the  treasury.  In  Manila  the 
justice  is  paid  a  salary  of  one  thousand  eight  hundred  dollars  and 
in  the  provincial  capitals  amounts  running  from  five  hundred  dol- 
lars to  one  thousand  two  hundred  dollars.  The  judges  of  the 
courts  of  first  instance  exercise  certain  administrative  control 
over  the  justices  of  the  peace. 

Immediately  after  the  civil  government  was  established  Eng- 
lish was  made  the  official  language,  but  for  reasons  which  seemed 
satisfactory  to  the  commission,  Spanish  was  retained  as  the  offi- 
cial language  of  the  courts  until  the  year  1906.  There  was  bitter 
opposition  on  the  part  of  the  American  members  of  the  bar,  to 
this  concession,  but  it  was  a  very  just  and  reasonable  law  as,  to 
have  made  English  the  official  language  of  the  courts  at  that  time 
would  have  practically  eliminated  the  Filipino  lawyers  and  ne- 
cessitated the  appointing  of  Americans  only  as  judges.  There 
were  not  enough  natives  who  spoke  and  read  English  to  fill  the 
various  executive  and  clerical  positions  connected  with  the  courts 
and  it  seemed  but  fair  to  retain  the  Spanish  language  until  the 


1*  The  justice  courts  in  Manila,  Iloilo  and  Cebu  are  allowed  two  clerks, 
who  receive  salaries  from  the  cities. 

^^  In  the  remote  islands  it  has  occasionally  been  found  necessary  to  make 
such  appointments. 


THE    COMMISSION    GOVERNMENT  107 

native  lawyers  could  learn  English  and  the  public  schools  could 
train  young  men  for  clerical  and  other  minor  positions. 

The  opposition  to  the  English  language  has  always  been  much 
more  active  than  is  popularly  supposed,  and  under  strong  pres- 
sure the  time  when  it  should  become  the  official  language  of  the 
courts  was  extended  until  1912.  By  that  time  the  assembly,  then, 
as  always,  dominated  by  the  party  which  was  maneuvering  for 
independence,  was  opposing  everything  that  suggested  further 
Americanization  of  the  country,  and  as  there  could  be  no  legis- 
lation without  the  consent  of  the  assembly,  the  controversy  ended 
in  a  compromise  under  which  both  languages  are  used. 

In  the  executive  departments  English  has  been  used  from  the 
first  and  of  course  it  has  been  the  language  of  the  commission 
although  certain  Filipino  members  were  never  able  to  speak  it. 
In  the  assembly  there  probably  never  was  a  word  of  English 
spoken.  The  proceedings  have  always  been  in  Spanish  and  the 
elaborate  Diario  de  Sessiones  which  corresponds  to  the  Congres- 
sional Record,  is  printed  in  the  Spanish  language  only.  How- 
ever, under  the  law  the  English  translations  of  the  statutes  are 
the  official  copies,  and  as  the  translators  are  Americans,  the  laws, 
in  their  official  form,  take  the  phraseology  of,  and  thus  read  like, 
American  statutes. ^^  One  result  of  the  creation  of  the  new  legis- 
lature under  the  1916  law,  with  a  membership  solely  Filipino,  will 
be  that  the  laws  will  be  Spanish  in  form  and  substance  as  well  as 
language,  and  that  the  English  language  will  be  ignored  by  the 
legislative  department  of  the  government. 

The  peculiar  division  of  the  legislative  power  between  the 
Philippine  Commission  and  the  Philippine  Legislature  resulted 
in  considerable  friction  between  the  Americans  and  the  Filipinos. 
The  commission  has  been  criticized  by  certain  members  of  Con- 
gress who  had  no  just  conception  of  its  nature,  for  lack  of 
deference  to  the  assembly.  In  fact  it  was  the  excessive  deference 
shown  the  assembly  which  led  to  the  elimination  of  the  commis- 
sion.    The  jurisdiction  of  each  body  was  determined  by  territo- 


16  The  statutes  and  also  the  decisions  of  the  Supreme  Court  are  published 
in  both  English  and  Spanish,  in  separate  volumes. 


108  THE    PHILIPPINES 

rial  limits  and  not  by  the  subject-matter  of  legislation.  Each 
was  supposed  to  have  exclusive  control  over  all  subjects  of  legis- 
lation within  the  territory  where  certain  conditions  existed.  Con- 
gress defined  the  conditions  but  left  the  determination  of  the  fact 
of  their  existence  to  the  commission  which,  at  the  time,  was  the 
sole  legislative  body.  As  was  to  be  expected,  the  Philippine  Legis- 
lature, or,  rather,  the  lower  house  thereof,  the  assembly,  was, 
from  the  day  of  its  institution,  jealous  of  the  authority  exercised 
by  the  commission,  and  constantly  maneuvered  to  increase  its 
powers  and  prestige  at  the  expense  of  the  commission. 

But  legally  the  commission  retained  all  the  power  of  which  it 
was  not  deprived  by  the  Act  of  Congress.  The  president  had 
transferred  that  part  of  the  military  power  which  was  legislative 
in  its  character  from  the  military  governor  to  the  commission, 
which  was  thereby  vested  with  all  the  legislative  power  necessary 
and  proper  for  the  government  of  the  islands,  subject  to  certain 
express  and  implied  restrictions.  The  Act  of  July  1,  1902,  re- 
quired the  commission  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  new  Philippine 
Legislature,  and  declared  that,  after  it  was  convened  and  or- 
ganized, "all  the  legislative  power  heretofore  conferred  on  the 
Philippine  Commission  in  that  part  of  the  islands  not  inhabited 
by  Moros  or  other  non-Christian  tribes  shall  be  vested  in  a  legis- 
lature consisting  of  two  houses,  the  Philippine  Commission  and 
the  Philippine  Assembly."  The  effect  was  to  carve  out  of  the 
territory  over  which  the  commission  then  had  general  jurisdic- 
tion, certain  parts  thereof  and  to  transfer  to  the  newly  created 
body  the  legislative  power  which  had  previously  been  exercised 
by  the  commission  within  that  particular  territory.  The  division 
of  power  was  territorial,  no  direct  reference  being  made  to  any 
subject-matter  of  legislation. 

The  commission  continued  as  originally  created,  with  the  exec- 
utive power  transferred  to  the  governor-general  to  be  exercised 
in  certain  instances  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  commis- 
sion, but  deprived  of  that  part  of  its  legislative  power  which  it 
had  formerly  exercised  within  the  so-called  Christian  provinces. 
It  retained  all  its  original  legislative  power  which  had  not  been 


THE    COMMISSION    GOVERNMENT  109 

transferred  to  the  Philippine  Legislature.  The  jurisdiction  of 
the  new  legislature  was  limited  to  the  part  which  had  been  carved 
out  of  the  whole  and  that  part  was  determined  territorially  and 
not  according  to  subject-matter.  The  residuum  of  power  re- 
mained with  the  original  possessor  of  the  entirety  and  when,  for 
any  reason,  the  legislature  could  not  act  because  of  want  of 
power  the  legal  right  to  act  was  reserved  to  the  commission. 

There  are  certain  subjects  of  legislation  which  are  incapable 
of  division  upon  territorial  lines.  They  are  unit  subjects.  Laws 
relating  to  the  currency  and  coinage,  and  the  gold  standard  fund, 
which  exists  for  the  maintenance  of  the  parity  of  the  silver 
coinage  with  the  gold  standard  necessarily  affect  the  entire  coun- 
try. The  care,  custody,  investment  and  handling  of  the  gold 
standard  fund  was  a  proper  subject  of  legislation  but  it  had  no 
relation  to  particular  territory  as  determined  by  the  presence  or 
absence  of  either  Christians  or  non-Christians.  If  the  com- 
mission as  a  legislative  body  had  no  power  to  enact  laws  with 
reference  to  it  then  the  legislature,  as  the  legislative  body  for  a 
certain  defined  territory,  certainly  had  no  power.  Neither  could 
the  cooperation  of  two  distinct  legislative  bodies  increase  the 
powers  of  either.  The  enactments  of  each  body  had  to  find  their 
validity  in  the  sources  of  their  legislative  authority.  For  illus- 
tration, as  the  legislature  of  a  state  in  the  Union  has  no  power  to 
enact  a  law  regulating  interstate  commerce,  the  enactment  of  an 
identic  law  on  the  same  subject  by  every  state  legislature  in  the 
Union  would  not  legalize  such  an  act.  As  in  numbers,  so  in 
jurisdiction,  nothing  added  to  nothing  ad  infinitum  produces 
nothing. 

It  was  contended  that  the  commission  could  not  properly  ap- 
propriate money  for  use  in  the  non-Christian  territory  which  had 
been  raised  in  part  by  taxation  within  the  territory  under  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  legislature.  But  participation  by  the  legisla- 
ture in  making  appropriations  for  the  non-Christian  provinces 
would  have  been  to  extend  its  legislative  power  over  such  prov- 
inces in  violation  of  the  express  provisions  of  the  Act  of  Congress. 
If  the  commission  could  not  appropriate  money  out  of  the  insular 


no  THE    PHILIPPINES 

treasury  which  was  created  by  Congress  for  the  entire  Archi- 
pelago, for  use  in  the  non-Christian  provinces,  it  could  not  govern 
such  provinces  as  Congress  requires  it  to  do.  It  was  no  answer 
to  say  that  the  commission  as  the  upper  house  of  the  legislature 
could  prevent  an  undue  proportion  of  the  money  in  the  treasury 
from  being  appropriated  for  use  in  the  Christian  provinces  leav- 
ing nothing  for  the  territory  under  its  control.  It  certainly  could 
have  done  that,  but  the  assembly  could,  by  the  same  token,  have 
prevented  the  appropriation  of  any  money  for  the  use  of  the 
non-Christian  provinces.  It  would  have  been  in  the  power  of 
the  assembly  to  stop  the  wheels  of  government  unless  the  com- 
mission was  willing,  in  the  interests  of  peace  and  harmony,  to 
accede  to  its  demands.  The  result  would  have  been  a  complete 
deadlock  and  necessarily  an  appeal  to  Congress.  So  long  as  the 
Filipinos  were  in  a  condition  of  pupilage  it  was  proper  and  es- 
sential that  the  commission,  as  the  real  representative  of  Ameri- 
can sovereignty  and  responsibility,  should  have  the  ultimate  word 
on  questions  affecting  that  sovereignty. 

In  1908  the  commission  was  enlarged  by  the  appointment  of 
two  additional  Filipino  members,  thus  leaving  the  Americans 
with  but  one  majority.  Under  President  Taft  the  Filipino  mem- 
bers of  the  commission,  with  one  exception,  were  members  of  the 
political  party  which  was  in  favor  of,  and  in  sympathy  with, 
present  American  control.  But  President  Wilson  promptly  re- 
vised the  entire  commission  and  reconstituted  the  body  with  four 
American  and  five  Filipino  members,  all  of  whom  were  openly 
opposed  to  American  sovereignty  and  in  favor  of  immediate 
independence.^'^  As  thus  constituted,  the  commission  was  worse 
than  useless  for  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  originally  created 
and  it  was  very  properly  abolished  by  the  Philippine  Government 
Law  of  1916.  The  unfortunate  loss  of  prestige  by  the  commis- 
sion began  before  Mr.  Taft  ceased  to  be  president  and  was  due, 
partly  at  least,  to  his  disposition  to  regard  the  governor-general 

''■'^  The  Report  of  the  Philippine  Commission  for  the  Year,  1915,  is  signed 
by  Francis  Burton  Harrison,  president,  and  Rafael  Palma,  Victorino  Mapa, 
Jaime  C.  de  Veyra,  V.  Ilustre  and  V.  Singson  Encarnacion,  members. 


THE    COMMISSION    GOVERNMENT  111 

as  the  government  of  the  Phihppines  and  the  members  of  the 
commission  as  merely  conveniences  to  have  about  when  a  divided 
responsibihty  was  desired. 

The  powers  of  the  governor-general  during  the  commission 
regime  were  conferred  in  very  general  terms  or  left  to  be  implied 
from  the  nature  of  the  office.  The  executive  order  of  July  1, 
1901,  directed  that  the  president  of  the  Philippine  Commission, 
who  was  appointed  civil  governor,  should  exercise  the  executive 
authority  in  all  civil  affairs  in  the  government  theretofore  exer- 
cised by  the  military  government.  The  latter,  as  the  representa- 
tive of  the  president  under  his  war  powers,  had  been  vested  with 
all  the  executive  authority  which  was  necessary  for  the  govern^ 
ment  of  the  country  while  it  was  subject  to  military  control. 
This  authority  was  to  be  exercised  in  conformity  to  the  Instruc- 
tions to  the  Philippine  Commission  of  April  7,  1900,  and  subject 
to  the  approval  and  control  of  the  secretary  of  war  as  the  im- 
mediate representative  of  the  president. ^^ 

The  president  of  the  commission  was  appointed  civil  governor 
and  this  practise  was  continued  although  there  was  no  law  which 
required  the  two  positions  to  be  filled  by  the  same  person.^® 

The  Act  of  July  1,  1902,  ratified  the  acts  of  the  president  in 
creating  these  offices  with  authority  "to  exercise  the  powers  of 
government  to  the  extent  and  in  the  manner  and  form  set  forth 
in  the  executive  order  of  June  21,  1901" — that  is,  to  exercise 
the  powers  previously  vested  in  the  military  governor.  Congress 
conferred  no  other  powers  upon  the  governor-general""  until  it 


18  This  order,  according  to  its  strict  terms,  vested  the  executive  power  in 
the  president  of  the  commission  as  such  and  not  in  the  civil  governor.  The 
latter  was  authorized  merely  to  exercise  the  power  to  appoint,  which  had 
been  vested  in  the  commission  and  the  military  governor. 

18  The  office  of  vice-governor  was  created  by  an  executive  order  dated 
October  29,  1901.  Subsequently  Congress  changed  the  title  of  the  chief 
executive  from  civil  governor  to  governor-general,  but  evidently  by  over- 
sight left  the  title  of  vice-governor  unchanged.  Act  of  February  6,  1905, 
Sec.  8.  Air.  Wright  was  the  first  to  bear  tlie  title  of  governor-general.  Mr. 
Taft  was  civil  governor. 

20  By  ratifying  the  act  of  the  commission  creating  the  four  executive  de- 
partments. Congress  conferred  general  supervision  over  the  heads  of  those 
departments  on  the  governor-general  and  approved  the  powers  which  had 
already  been  conferred  on  the  governor-general  by  the  various  acts  of  the 
commission. 


112  THE    PHILIPPINES 

passed  the  Philippine  Government  Law  of  1916.  His  authority 
had  therefore  to  be  exercised  in  conformity  with  certain  specific 
instructions  of  the  president  and  subject  to  the  approval  and  con- 
trol of  the  secretary  of  war  who,  however,  could  confer  no  new 
powers. 

The  powers  and  duties  which  have  been  imposed  by  the  local 
legislative  bodies  are  exceedingly  numerous  and  often  inconse- 
quential. His  express  approval  is  required  of  innumerable  acts, 
ranging  from  those  of  the  greatest  importance  to  matters  of  pet- 
tiest detail.  It  became  the  common  practise  to  insert  in  a  pro- 
posed law  to  which  there  was  reason  to  expect  opposition  in  the 
assembly,  a  provision  that  it  should  not  go  into  effect,  or  that 
something  authorized  thereby  should  not  be  done,  without  the 
express  approval  of  the  governor-general.  Masses  of  unim- 
portant details  were  thrown  into  the  executive  office  where  the 
approval  of  His  Excellency  was  generally  expressed  by  his  sec- 
retary or  a  clerk. 

Another  practise  which,  while  plausible  on  its  face,  was  viola- 
tive of  the  foundation  principles  of  legislative  law  and  pro- 
cedure grew  up  in  the  legislature  and  produced  unfortunate  re- 
sults in  connection  with  the  finances.  Appropriations  can  only 
be  legally  made  by  the  legislature,  and  the  Organic  Law  provides 
that  no  money  shall  be  expended  except  in  pursuance  of  an  ap- 
propriation previously  made.  When  the  Payne  Tariff  Law  went 
into  effect  in  1909,  it  was  feared  that  it  might  temporarily  re- 
duce the  revenues  of  the  Philippine  government  and  thus  inter- 
fere with  the  policy  of  internal  improvement  which  was  just  being 
launched.  If  the  revenues  should  fall  off  it  would  be  necessary 
to  retrench;  if  not,  the  work  could  proceed  as  planned.  As  a 
precautionary  measure,  there  was  attached  to  the  Public  Works 
Appropriation  Bill  a  provision  that  certain  money  appropriated 
should  not  be  expended  until  "released"  by  the  governor-general. 
Fortunately,  the  tariff  law  did  not  appreciably  reduce  the  revenues 
and  the  money  thus  appropriated  was  made  available  and  ex- 
pended. It  was  a  proper  enough  thing  to  do  in  the  face  of  an 
emergency,  but  thereafter  the  legislature  continued  to  make  all 


THE    COMMISSION    GOVERNMENT  113 

sorts  of  appropriations  with  the  proviso  that  the  money  should 
not  be  expended  until  released  by  the  governor-general,  thus 
transferring  to  the  executive  the  power  to  appropriate  as  well  as 
expend  the  public  funds.  The  expenditure  of  an  appropriation 
was  already  under  the  control  of  the  executive.  The  money  was 
in  law  appropriated  regardless  of  the  proviso  and  was  no  longer 
in  the  treasury  and  "not  otherwise  appropriated."  The  result  was 
to  confuse  the  legislature  and  the  public  and  lead  to  the  making 
of  appropriations  which  would  not  otherwise  have  been  made. 

One  result  of  this  method  of  making  appropriations  was  de- 
scribed by  Mr.  Warwick  Greene,  the  director  of  public  works : 
"We  have  been  left  in  doubt  even  after  the  permanent  improve- 
ments appropriations  have  been  made  because  of  the  proviso  that 
they  were  subject  to  release  by  the  governor-general.  These  ap- 
propriations, in  accordance  with  the  intent  of  this  provision,  have 
been  released  only  after  it  was  fully  assured  that  the  revenues 
would  provide  ample  funds.  As  a  consequence  the  bureau  is 
kept  in  doubt  from  month  to  month  in  any  given  year  as  to  the 
exact  funds  that  will  be  available  for  expenditure.  It  results  that 
at  times  the  organization  of  the  bureau  is  too  large  for  the  work 
in  hand,  and  at  other  times  the  work  crowds  on  the  bureau  too 
fast  and  we  find  the  organization  too  small  to  handle  it  to  ad- 
vantage. Our  technical  personnel  are  largely  civil  service  em- 
ployes, who  can  not  be  laid  off  when  the  work  is  slack,  nor  would 
it  be  desirable  to  do  so.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  absolutely  im- 
possible to  increase  our  technical  personnel  at  short  notice,  as  for 
the  most  part  they  must  be  secured  from  the  United  States,  and 
are  generally  of  little  service  to  us  until  they  have  had  at  least 
six  months'  experience  in  the  islands.  Often,  too,  the  bureau  is 
comparatively  idle  during  the  part  of  the  dry  season  when  work 
can  be  most  economically  carried  on;  later,  funds  are  made 
available  and  strong  pressure  is  brought  to  bear  on  the  bureau 
to  start  work  at  once,  with  the  consequence  that  construction  is 
often  prolonged  into  the  rainy  season,  and  as  a  result  the  cost  is 
increased." 

It  was  desirable  that  the  office  of  governor-general   should 


114  THE    PHILIPPINES 

loom  very  large  in  the  eyes  of  the  public  and  that  the  prestige  of 
the  office  should  be  maintained.  But  it  was  not  necessary  that 
the  governor-general  of  the  Philippines  should  be  made  more 
powerful  and  independent  than  the  governor-general  of  India, 
who  is  required  to  exercise  his  power  in  connection  with  an  exec- 
utive council.  In  the  beginning  under  military  government  the 
governor  was  in  a  very  real  sense  the  representative  of  the 
president  of  the  United  States  and  wielded  an  indefinite  and 
almost  despotic  power.  Mr.  Taft,  as  civil  governor  and  subse- 
quently as  secretary  of  war  and  president,  gradually  magnified 
the  office  and  minimized  the  importance  of  the  commission.  He 
also  seems  in  practise  to  have  allowed  the  governor-general  to 
appoint  and  remove  the  other  members  of  the  commission, ^^  on 
the  entirely  erroneous  theory,  it  is  respectfully  submitted,  that 
the  commissioners,  although  holding  under  independent  appoint- 
ments by  the  president,  constituted  the  cabinet  of  the  governor- 
general,  thus  delegating  to  the  governor-general  the  power  of 
appointment  which  Congress  declared  should  be  exercised  by  the 
president  himself  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate.  A 
governor-general  was  thus  in  practise  able  to  secure  the  removal 
from  office,  without  notice  and  an  opportunity  to  be  heard,  of 
members  of  the  commission  and  heads  of  departments,  on  his 
mere  representation  that  they  differed  from  him  on  matters  of 
public  policy. ^^  Had  it  been  the  intention  of  the  law  to  vest  this 
power  in  a  governor-general  it  is  probable  that  he  would  have 
been  authorized  to  appoint  the  commissioners  or  at  least  the  heads 
of  the  departments  who  served  in  an  executive  capacity  under 


21  It  seems  that  there  was  a  good  precedent  for  this,  as  President  McKin- 
ley  pei-mitted  Mr.  Taft  to  select  the  other  members  of  the  first  commission. 
Olcott's  Life  of  McKinley,  II,  p.  178.  _  _ 

22  There  are  certain  things  which  inhere  in  our  conceptions  of  justice,  and 
one  is  that  no  man  shall  be  condemned  unheard.  In  a  celebrated  case  Mr. 
Justice  Fortesque,  whose  sense  of  justice  seems  to  have  been  more  highly 
developed  than  that  of  the  president,  said :  "The  laws  of  God  and  man  both 
give  a  party  an  opportunity  to  make  defense  if  he  has  any.  I  remember  to 
have  heard  it  observed  by  a  very  learned  man  upon  such  an  action  that  even 
God  himself  did  not  pass  sentence  upon  Adam  before  he  was  called  on  to 
make  his  defense.  'Adam,'  says  God,  'Where  art  thou?  Hast  thou  not  eaten 
of  the  tree  whereof  I  commanded  thee  that  thou  should  not  eat?'  And  the 
same  question  was  put  to  Eve  also."    Bentleys  Case,  2  Ld.  Raymond  1334. 


THE    COMMISSION    GOVERNMENT  115 

him,  and  constituted  his  actual  cabinet,  as  the  president  does  at 
Washington.  A  commissioner  with  a  portfoHo  received  a  salary 
in  excess  of  that  paid  a  member  of  the  president's  cabinet  and  it 
would  seem  to  have  been  the  intention  that  the  president  should 
select  for  the  office  a  man  of  a  type  who  would  be  expected  and 
entitled  to  form  and  express  an  independent  judgment  upon  pub- 
lic questions  without  fear  of  losing  his  position  through  secret 
representations  conveyed  to  the  ear  of  the  president,  that  he  was 
not  working  harmoniously  with  the  governor-general.  The  presi- 
dent's theory  of  the  relation  between  the  commissioners  and  the 
governor-general  tended  to  cultivate  subserviency  and  to  con- 
vert the  holders  of  great  offices  into  timid  clerks.  The  secretary 
of  a  department  and  member  of  the  cabinet  was  of  course  en- 
tirely subject  to  the  orders  of  the  governor-general  as  the  chief 
executive,  but  as  a  commissioner  with  legislative  duties  only  to 
perform  he  should  have  been  regarded  as  entitled  to  exercise  an 
independent  judgment  and  act  accordingly. 

The  prestige  of  office  is  an  important  factor  in  the  East  where 
the  people  are  accustomed  to  see  high  officials  vested  with  real 
personal  power.  It  was  necessary  to  vest  great  power  in  and  im- 
pose great  responsibility  upon  the  governor-general  but  it  was 
neither  safe  nor  consistent  with  American  theories  of  govern- 
ment to  make  an  autocrat  of  him.  And  it  was  at  least  ques- 
tionable policy  to  trust  the  success  of  the  American  experiment 
in  colonial  government  to  one  man  and  then  deprive  him  of  the 
disinterested  and  independent  advice  of  his  associates. 

Nevertheless,  there  were  comparatively  few  instances  in  which 
the  governors-general  appointed  by  McKinley,  Roosevelt  and 
Taft  abused  their  great  powers  to  the  injury  of  individuals. 

Under  the  commission  government  the  governor-general  had 
no  veto  power  but  he  was  an  active  working  member  of  both  leg- 
islative bodies.  Naturally  his  influence  there  was  great  and  far- 
reaching.  But  it  is  probable  that  it  was  seriously  damaged  by 
the  hand-to-hand  contests  with  the  politicians  of  the  assembly 
with  whom  he  was  brought  into  close  personal  relations.  The 
trading,  dickering  and  dealing,  which  was  rendered  necessary 


116  THE    PHILIPPINES 

by  the  hostile  or  passive  attitude  of  the  assembly,  might  better 
have  been  left  to  any  one  other  than  the  governor-general.  Pos- 
sibly such  experiences  in  securing  desirable  legislation  tended  to 
cultivate  a  lack  of  reverence  for  the  laws  and  a  willingness  to 
ignore  them  whenever  possible. 

The  disposition  of  all  executive  officers  to  minimize  the  force 
of  legislative  restrictions  on  the  expenditure  of  money  was  well 
illustrated  in  the  Philippines  where  the  executive  has  felt  re- 
sponsible for  the  making  as  well  as  the  execution  of  the  laws. 
It  was  always  possible  that  there  might  be  an  energetic  governor- 
general,  with  no  knowledge  of  the  law,  little  appreciation  of  gov- 
ernment as  a  science,  and  a  vaguely  concealed  contempt  for  an 
amateur  legislative  body  which  had  the  power  and  disposition 
to  obstruct,  who  would  be  inclined  to  treat  such  restrictions  with 
slight  respect.  Where  there  was  room  for  the  construction  of 
a  statute  such  an  executive  would  jump  at  any  theory,  however 
attenuated,  which  would  give  him  the  greatest  liberty  of  action. 
-,  The  appropriation  of  money  is  the  most  important  of  all  legis- 
lative powers,  and  Congress  provided  that  in  the  Philippines  no 
money  should  be  expended  except  in  pursuance  of  a  legal  appro- 
priation. So  long  as  the  Philippine  Commission  was  the  sole 
legislative  body,  and  the  governor-general  and  the  heads  of  the 
executive  departments  under  him  were  members  of  and  con- 
stituted a  majority  of  that  body,  there  was  no  difficulty  in 
apportioning  the  revenues  in  a  satisfactory  manner.  But  the 
institution  of  the  assembly  injected  a  disturbing  element  into  the 
situation.  Congress  realized  that  this  body  would  be  composed 
entirely  of  Filipinos  who  might  attempt  to  enforce  their  wishes 
by  refusing  to  make  the  appropriations  necessary  for  the  support 
of  the  government.  To  guard  against  such  a  contingency  it 
provided  that : 

"If  at  the  termination  of  any  session  the  appropriations  nec- 
essary for  the  support  of  government  shall  not  have  been  made, 
an  amount  equal  to  the  sums  appropriated  in  the  last  appropria- 
tion bills  for  such  purposes,  shall  be  deemed  to  be  appropriated  ; 
and  until  the  legislature  shall  act  in  such  behalf  the  treasurer  may, 


THE    COMMISSION    GOVERNMENT  117 

with  the  advice  of  the  governor-general,  make  the  payments  nec- 
essary for  the  purposes  aforesaid." 

By  the  year  1911  the  antagonism  between  the  assembly  and  the 
commission  had  become  so  great  that  the  former  refused  to  con- 
cur in  the  appropriation  bills  and  as  the  commission  felt  it  nec- 
essary to  adhere  to  its  position,  the  current  appropriation  bill 
failed  to  pass.  The  effect  was  to  continue  automatically  the  ap- 
propriations which  had  been  passed  for  the  fiscal  year  ending 
June  30,  1911. 

It  would  seem  that  the  above  quoted  language  of  the  Act  of 
Congress  could  not  well  be  misunderstood.  In  his  speech  at 
the  opening  of  the  first  session  of  the  Philippine  Legislature  in 
1907,  Secretary  Taft  said:  *'If  there  is  not  an  agreement  as  to 
appropriations  between  the  commission  and  the  assembly,  then 
the  appropriations  of  the  previous  year  will  be  continued."^' 

As  Secretary  Root^*  has  said: 

"The  intention  was  to  continue  the  former  appropriation  just 
as  if  the  former  appropriation  bill  had  been  re-enacted  and  there 
was  no  intention  to  put  into  the  hands  of  the  executive  a  gross 
sum  equal  to  the  gross  appropriation,  leaving  him  to  appropriate 
it  as  he  saw  fit." 

However,  Governor-General  Forbes  had  other  views  and  as- 
sumed control  over  a  sum  of  money  equal  to  the  gross  amount 


23  Address  at  the  opening  of  the  first  Philippine  legislature.  Rcpt.  Phi!. 
Com.,  1907,  Pt.  I.  p.  224. 

2*  On  November  6,  1913,  Senator  Root  wrote  with  reference  to  an  opinion 
I  prepared  for  the  Insular-Auditor  (printed  in  Congressional  Record,  Feb- 
ruary. 1913),  "I  have  examined  carefully  the  opinion  which  you  rendered 
regarding  the  meaning  and  effect  of  the  provision  in  the  Philippine  Act 
.  .  .  I  can  not  very  well  dispossess  myself  of  the  intention  that^  we 
had  when  the  bill  was  drafted  as  I  knew  it.  The  intention  was  to  continue 
the  former  appropriation  just  as  if  tlie  former  appropriation  bill  had  been 
re-enacted  and  there  was  no  intention  to  put  into  the  hands  of  the  executive 
a  gross  sum  equal  to  the  gross  amount  of  the  former  appropriation,  leaving 
him  to  appropriate  it  as  he  saw  fit.  I  do  not  myself  think  that  the  language 
of  the  act  expresses  such  an  idea  and  I  agree  with  the  view  which  you  state 
in  your  very  clear  and  comprehensive  opinion." 

If  there  ever  was  any  question  as  to  this  being  the  correct  construction  of 
the  statute,  it  has  been  resolved  by  the  Philippine  Government  Act  of  August 
29,  1916.    See  infra,  p.  439. 


118  THE    PHILIPPINES 

appropriated  by  the  former  appropriation  bill  and  reapportioned 
and  distributed  it  for  the  support  of  the  government  in  such 
manner  as  he  thought  proper.  As  he  subsequently  stated,  '7  exer- 
cised my  will  and  judgment  in  the  application  of  the  $8,/ij,8p4/' 
Incidentally  he  took  advantage  of  the  occasion  to  create  over  a 
hundred  new  offices  to  which  he  affixed  such  salaries  as  he 
thought  proper.^^  It  was  without  doubt  a  gross  usurpation  of 
legislative  power.  A  complacent  nisi  prius  judge  in  Porto  Rico, 
after  holding  that  his  court  had  no  jurisdiction,  had  expressed  the 
opinion  that  the  governor  of  Porto  Rico  had  such  power  under  a 
similar  provision  of  the  Act  of  Congress  relating  to  that  island. 
This  was  seized  on  as  authority.  The  idea  appealed  to  the  gover- 
nor-general because  it  enabled  him  to  apportion  the  money  free 
from  legislative  restriction.  It  also  impressed  certain  of  his  sub- 
ordinates who  felt  confident  that  their  departments  or  bureaus 
would  receive  more  favorable  consideration  by  the  governor-gen- 
eral than  they  had  received  by  the  legislature.  Refusing  to  ask 
for  the  opinion  of  his  constitutional  legal  adviser,  the  attorney- 
general,  and  with  the  approval  of  certain  subordinates  in  the 
War  Department,  although  against  the  advice  of  lawyers  in  his 
cabinet,  the  governor-general  proceeded  to  rewrite  the  former  ap- 
propriation bill  into  what  he  called  his  "Advice"  to  the  treasurer, 
thus  practically  enacting  a  new  appropriation  bill  according  to  his 
own  ideas. 

1^  The  motives  which  actuated  the  governor-general  in  this  mat- 
ter need  not  be  questioned.  He  undoubtedly  believed  that  he 
could  take  the  $8,713,894  and  use  it  to  better  advantage  than 
could  the  legislature.  But  the  result  was  very  unfortunate  for 
him  and  for  his  administration.  The  assembly  passed  a  resolu- 
tion of  censure  practically  charging  the  misuse  of  public  funds, 


25  After  his  action  had  been  criticized  the  governor-general  appointed  a 
committee  of  three,  of  which  the  executive  secretary  was  one,  to  study  the 
legal  question.  This  committee  made  the  interesting  discovery  that  the  new 
jobs  were  employments,  not  offices,  because  offices  could  be  created  by  the 
legislature  only.  Having  been  created,  they  must  be  something.  The  legis- 
lature only  could  create  offices.  They  had  not  been  created  by  the  legisla- 
ture ;  they  must  therefore  be  employments.  Hence  as  they  were  merely  em- 
ployments they  could  be  legally  created  by  the  governor-general. 


THE    COMMISSION    GOVERNMENT  119 

which  it  cabled  to  Washington,  thus  further  compHcating  the 
relations  of  the  executive  with  the  Filipino  delegates.  It  was  all 
important  that  the  American  officials  who  were  assuming  to  train 
an  undeveloped  people  in  the  art  of  government,  should  act  in  a 
spirit  of  strict  legality.  A  strained  construction  of  the  law  which 
resulted  in  the  transfer  of  such  important  power  of  a  legislative 
nature  from  the  legislature  to  the  chief  executive,  in  violation  of 
established  principles  of  constitutional  government,  was  certain 
to,  and  certainly  did,  leave  a  very  bad  impression. 

In  1912  the  legislature  again  failed  to  pass  the  appropriation 
bill  for  current  expenses.  The  governor-general  was  then  on 
leave  of  absence  and  acting  Governor-General  Gilbert  prepared 
another  appropriation  bill  under  the  title  of  "Advice"  on  the  prin- 
ciples which  had  been  applied  by  Governor-General  Forbes. 
There  never  was  any  justification  for  these  rather  high-handed 
proceedings.  They  were  unnecessary  and  did  much  to  injure  the 
administration  and  to  induce  Governor-General  Forbes'  rather 
peremptory  removal  from  office  by  President  Wilson.^''  Soon 
after  Harrison  became  governor-general  the  legislature  passed  an 


26  Mr.  Forbes  was  seriously  ill  for  several  months  before  he  left  the 
islands  on  leave  and  it  is  charitable  to  assume  that  his  naturally  good  judg- 
ment was  somewhat  affected  by  his  troubles.  Shortly  before  retiring  from 
office  he  issued  and  circulated  an  ill-advised  pamphlet  in  defense  of  his  ad- 
ministration. In  it  he  attempted  to  throw  the  responsibiUty  for  his  miscon- 
struction of  the  Act  of  Congress  relating  to  appropriations  upon  Secretary  of 
War  Dickinson. 

The  records  show  that  on  October  11,  1911,  Governor-General  Forbes 
called  Secretaries  Gilbert,  Worcester,  Araneta  and  EUiott  together  and  re- 
quested their  opinions  as  to  whether  he  had  the  power  to  redistribute  the 
amount  of  the  previous  appropriation  bill.  Had  a  ruling  been  made  before 
that  time  by  the  secretary  of  war  the  question  would  have  been  closed.  Mr. 
Forbes  then  produced  the  letter  from  the  auditor  written  in  response  to  his 
own  request,  to  which  he  refers  in  his  pamphlet.  There  was  a  difference  of 
opinion  among  the  secretaries  and  the  question  of  asking  for  instructions 
from  the  secretary  of  war  was  fully  considered.  Mr.  Forbes  was  then  re- 
quested to  ask  for  the  opinion  of  the  attorney-general,  which  he  declined  to 
do.  On  the  following  day  the  matter  was  submitted  to  Washington  by  cable 
and  the  chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Insular  Affairs  (a  general,  not  a  lawyer) 
promptly  replied  that  "the  Porto  Rico  case  governs."  Judge  Dickinson  in- 
forms me  that  he  has  no  recollection  of  advising  the  governor-general  with 
reference  to  the  construction  of  the  provision,  and  as  he  ceased  to  be  secre- 
tary of  war  several  months  before  the  question  was  raised  at  the  consultation 
of  October  11,  it  is  reasonably  certain  that  Mr.  Forbes  was  mistaken. 


120  THE    PHILIPPINES 

appropriation  bill  appropriating  $7,351,662.88  "in  compensation 
for  the  services  of  the  insular  government"  for  the  fiscal  year 
ending  December  31,  1914."  The  inference  from  the  peculiar 
language  is  that  the  assembly  had  by  that  time  convinced  itself 
that  the  insular  government  was  its  employee  and  that  the  laborer 
was  worthy  of  his  hire. 

Very  close  relations  existed  between  the  office  of  the  governor- 
general  in  charge  of  the  private  secretary,  and  later  of  the  secre- 
tary to  the  governor-general,  and  the  executive  bureau.  During 
the  latter  years  of  the  commission  regime  the  distinction  between 
the  two  offices  seems  almost  to  have  disappeared.  The  executive 
bureau  had  jurisdiction  over  matters  relating  to  patents,  copy- 
rights and  trade-marks  and  was  charged  with  the  care  of  the 
archives  and  records  of  the  government,  the  custody  of  the  Great 
Seal  and,  most  important  of  all,  with  the  general  supervision  of 
the  provincial  and  mimicipal  governments  and  their  officers. 
(  He  also  does  the  work  which,  in  an  independent  government, 
falls  to  a  foreign  office.  He  conducts  the  correspondence  with  the 
secretary  of  war,  and  with  foreign  governments  and  foreign  offi- 
cers in  connection  with  extradition  and  other  matters  in  which 
the  Philippine  government  is  interested.  Subject  to  the  civil  serv- 
ice law  and  the  supervising  power  of  the  governor-general,  the 
executive  secretary  controls  the  personnel  of  the  government 
other  than  such  as  are  appointed  by  the  president  of  the  United 
States.  Because  of  his  close  relations  with  the  governor-general 
the  executive  secretary  is  always  one  of  the  most  important  sub- 
ordinate officers  of  the  government.  He  is  also  in  closer  personal 
touch  with  the  Filipino  officials  and  employees  than  any  other  in- 
sular officer  and  during  the  decade  preceding  the  advent  of  the 
Harrison  administration  the  executive  secretary  was  largely  re- 
sponsible for  the  nature  of  the  relations  which  existed  between 
the  Filipinos  and  the  administration.  He  was  the  faithful,  effi- 
cient eliminator  of  friction  and  adjuster  of  difficulties  of  a 
personal  nature.  It  is  very  probable  that  but  for  the  tact  and 
knowledge  of  native  character  possessed  by  Executive  Secretary 

27  Act  No.  2319. 


/: 


THE    COMMISSION    GOVERNMENT  121 

Carpenter  the  assembly  and  the  commission  would  more   fre- 
quently have  been  in  a  condition  of  deadlock. 

The  insular  auditor  and  the  insular  treasurer  were  appointed  by 
'the  president  with  the  approval  of  the  commission  and  through 
these  officers  the  secretary  of  war  was  supposed  to  exercise  an 
independent  control  over  the  finances.  In  the  case  of  the  treas- 
urer it  amounted  to  little,  as  his  powers  were  mostly  ministerial 
and  were  exercised  under  the  direction  of  the  secretary  of  finance 
and  justice  who  was  responsible  to  the  governor-general.  The 
office  of  treasurer  has  been  well  administered. 
y  The  insular  auditor  was,  by  the  Act  of  Congress,  given  final 
jurisdiction  over  all  matters  of  accounting  and  his  decisions 
thereon  were  made  final  and  conclusive.  He  corresponded  freely 
with  the  secretary  of  war  to  whom  he  was  required  to  make  fre- 
quent reports  on  financial  conditions.  In  addition  to  control  over 
the  accounting  system  the  auditor  had  the  power  of  a  comptroller 
of  the  treasury.  However,  the  independence  of  the  auditor  was 
in  practise  largely  a  matter  of  theory.  As  the  head  of  the  Bu- 
reau of  Audits  he  was  subject  to  the  general  control  of  the 
governor-general  and  when  any  serious  controversy  arose  be- 
tween the  auditor  and  the  governor-general  Washington  gen- 
erally sustained  the  latter.  One  auditor  who  clashed  with  the 
chief  executive  was  removed  from  office  and  his  successor  who 
criticized  the  financial  policy  of  Governor-General  Forbes  was 
effectively  suppressed  by  the  action  of  the  president  in  practically 
delegating  the  power  of  removal  to  the  governor-general,  upon 
whose  actions  the  auditor  was  by  law  required  to  exercise  a 
check.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  thereafter  the  particular  auditor 
felt  no  independent  responsibility  for  the  financial  conditions. 
Of  course  the  auditor  was  generally  unpopular  with  the  other  offi- 
cers of  the  government  with  whose  operations  his  duties  required 
him  frequently  to  interfere. 

X  It  has  been  said  that  "the  mysteries  of  accounting,  like  the 
mysteries  of  religion,  must  be  handled  by  the  uninitiated  with 
reverence."  With  all  due  and  proper  reverence  it  may  be  re- 
corded that  while  the  accounting  system  of  the  Bureau  of  Audits 


122  THE    PHILIPPINES 


/ 


was  praised  by  the  experts  it  was  frequently  damned  by  those 
who  were  seeking  accurate  information  as  to  the  condition  of  ap- 
propriations in  which  they  were  interested.  The  system  was  so 
scientifically  perfect  that  at  one  time  accounting  threatened  to 
>,  become  the  principal  occupation  of  the  government. 

It  was  entirely  proper  for  Congress  to  provide  for  Filipino 
resident  commissioners  at  Washington.  It  is  doubtful,  however, 
whether  it  fully  realized  that  it  was  establishing  quite  so  efficient 
an  agency  through  which  the  assembly  and  the  anti-expansionists 
in  the  United  States  could  accelerate  the  independence  movement 
and  throw  the  insular  government  machine  out  of  gear.  The  po- 
litically disaffected  Filipinos  were  thus  enabled  to  maintain  their 
own  agents  at  Washington.  As  it  has  worked  out,  Aguinaldo 
might  as  well  have  been  accorded  the  right  to  maintain  diplomatic 
representatives  near  the  American  government.  The  delegates 
were  accepted  as  quasi  members  of  the  House  of  Representatives 
and  from  that  position  were  able  to  set  fires  in  the  rear  of  the 
Americans  and  Filipinos  whom  the  president  and  Senate  had 
selected  and  made  responsible  for  the  success  of  the  local  admin- 
istration. Although  elected  by  the  Philippine  Legislature  they  had 
little  if  any  real  connection  with  the  insular  government.  They 
represented  the  dominant  party  in  the  assembly,  which  was  always 
antagonistic  to  the  commission  and  to  the  American  government, 
the  opposition  in  the  Philippines  and  the  anti-imperialist  element 
in  the  United  States.  It  is  probable  that  Mr.  Quezon  had  as  many 
articulate  constituents  in  New  England  as  in  the  Philippines  and 
he  represented  them  all  with  great  skill  and  ability.  The  Organic 
Law  required  that  each  house  of  the  legislature  should  designate 
a  resident  commissioner  but  that  both  commissioners  should  be 
elected  by  the  two  houses.  With  the  growing  confidence  in  its 
power  which  came  to  the  assembly,  it  soon  claimed  the  right  to 
select  both  commissioners  on  the  theory  that  they  were  to  repre- 
sent not  the  insular  government  but  the  Filipino  people  and  that 
the  assembly  was  the  special  guardian  of  the  interests  of  the  peo- 
ple. But  for  the  intervention  of  President  Taft  it  is  probable  that 
this  claim  would  have  been  conceded  by  the  commission,  and 


I 


THE    COMMISSION    GOVERNMENT  123 

Sencr  Legarda,  one  of  the  sincerest  friends  the  Americans  ever 
had,  sacrificed  to  the  exigencies  of  some  imaginary  poHtical  neces- 
sity. The  deadlock  which  resulted  was  broken  by  Congress  by 
a  joint  resolution  extending  the  terms  of  the  incumbents  until 
their  successors  should  be  elected. ^^ 

The  institution  of  the  assembly  and  the  division  of  the  legis- 
lative power  greatly  increased  the  difficulties  of  administration. 
Nevertheless,  for  a  time  the  commission  and  the  assembly  man- 
aged to  get  along  together  fairly  well.  While  the  delegates  to  the 
assembly  were  familiarizing  themselves  with  their  duties  the  two 
bodies  worked  in  harmony,  but  as  the  assembly  gained  confidence 
in  its  own  powers  it  began  to  assert  itself  until  it  finally  claimed 
the  right  to  the  final  word  on  all  matters  which  were  supposed  to 
affect  the  Filipino  people. 

The  laws  enacted  by  the  Philippine  Legislature  compare  very 
favorably  with  those  of  the  average  state  legislature,  but  the  en- 
comiums which  have  been  so  freely  passed  on  it  take  no  account 
of  the  existence  of  an  upper  house  or  of  the  influence  and  work  of 
the  American  members  of  the  commission.  The  legislative  work 
of  the  assembly  was  subject  to  constant  supervision  and  direction 
without  which  many  foolish  bills  would  have  become  laws.  Some 
at  least  of  the  best  statutes  for  which  the  assembly  has  been 
given  credit  were  prepared  for  introduction  into  the  assembly  by 
the  American  commissioners  or  by  American  lawyers  in  the  attor- 
ney-general's office.  It  must  not  be  forgotten  that,  regardless  of 
the  forms,  the  assembly,  like  the  entire  Filipino  element,  was  in  a 
state  of  pupilage.    It  was  in  training. 

Although  the  commission  was  one  of  the  independent  chambers 
of  the  legislature  it  really  acted  as  a  sort  of  advisory  body  shaping 
legislation  and  as  far  as  possible  keeping  the  legislature  out  of 
trouble.  The  assembly  held  its  public  sessions  in  the  marble  hall 
of  the  Ayuntamiento  and  devoted  much  time  to  speech-making 
and  the  other  ornamental  parts  of  legislative  work.    The  commis- 


28  The  assembly  published  a  pamphlet  in  which  the  arguments  in  favor  of 
its  views  were  elaborated.  See  Eleccion  dc  Comisionados  Rcsidcntes  en  los 
Estados  UnidoSj  etc.  (Manila,  1911). 


124  THE    PHILIPPINES 

sion  met  behind  closed  doors  in  the  office  of  the  governor-general 
and  the  public  was  admitted  only  when  hearings  were  had  on  cer- 
tain proposed  measures.  Although  laws  were  passed  according 
to  the  usual  legislative  procedure,  its  sessions  were  rather  consul- 
tative than  deliberative.  No  speeches  were  ever  made  in  the 
commission.  The  Diario  de  Sesiones  contained  the  proceedings 
of  the  assembly  only.  It  was  as  though  the  Congressional  Record 
should  contain  nothing  of  what  occurred  in  the  Senate. ^^  The 
legislative  meetings  of  the  commission  were  very  informal.  Prior 
to  1911,  when  a  large  table  was  installed,  the  commissioners  occu- 
pied primitive  rocking  chairs  which  were  drawn  up  in  an  intimate 
fashion  about  the  governor-general's  desk. 

Great  deference  was  always  shown  the  assembly  and  all  its 
constituent  elements.  It  was  part  of  the  general  policy.  The 
office  of  speaker  was  magnified  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  im- 
portance of  its  functions.  Mr.  Taft  when  secretary  of  war  de- 
scribed the  speaker  as  the  second  person  in  rank  in  the  islands 
to  the  great  disgust  of  the  vice-governor  and  the  major-general 
commanding  the  army,  and  their  respective  ladies.  The  speaker 
was  given  the  permanent  use  of  the  spacious  and  ornate  room  in 
the  Ayuntamiento  formerly  occupied  by  the  Spanish  governors- 
general  while  the  American  governor-general  occupied  modest 
offices  elsewhere  in  the  crowded  building.  For  presiding  over 
the  lower  house  of  the  legislature  during  ninety  days  in  each  year 
the  speaker  was  paid  an  annual  salary  of  eight  thousand  dollars 
and  given  control  of  a  large  contingent  fund  which  he  might  use 
for  purely  political  purposes.  The  appropriations  asked  by  the 
assembly  for  its  own  use  were  freely  passed  by  the  commission. 
A  committee  of  the  legislature,  the  members  of  which  were  ap- 
pointed by  the  speaker  and  who  received  fifteen  dollars  per  day, 
were  authorized  to  sit  while  the  legislature  was  not  in  session,  for 
the  purpose  of  considering  desirable  legislation.  Although  it  was 
a  form  of  graft,  the  commission  joined  in  appropriating  the 
money  because  the  situation  was  beyond  its  control  and  it  did  not 
deem  it  policy  to  quarrel  with  the  assembly. 

23  An  outline  of  the  proceedings  of  the  commission  was  published  annually 
under  the  name  of  The  Journal  of  the  Commission. 


THE    COMMISSION    GOVERNMENT  125 

After  an  equal  power  in  legislation  had  been  granted  to  the  Fili- 
pinos it  was  absolutely  necessary  to  get  along  with  them  and  the 
only  way  to  get  legislation  and  keep  the  governmental  machine 
going  was  to  cater  to  their  wishes.  During  the  later  years  of 
the  Forbes  administration  legislation  became  largely  a  matter  of 
private  arrangement  between  the  governor-general  and  the 
speaker.  The  governor-general  was,  of  course,  anxious  to  secure 
the  passage  of  necessary  laws.  Mr.  Osmena,  the  speaker  and 
leader  of  his  political  party,  was  greatly  interested  in  his  party 
and  his  own  position  and  in  legislation  which  would  bring  nearer 
the  day  of  independence.  He  generally  maneuvered  so  that  every 
important  law,  or  the  conditions  of  its  enactment,  was  in  some 
subtle  way  made  to  strengthen  native  influence  in  the  government. 
The  influence  exercised  by  Osmena  was  often  insidious  but  none 
the  less  real  and  effective.  The  Filipinos  regarded  him  as  the  real 
head  of  the  government.  The  situation  was  very  difficult  and 
probably  the  governor-general  can  not  properly  be  criticized  for 
showing  excessive  deference  to  the  speaker  and  his  party.  It 
was  necessary  in  order  to  secure  legislation  which  was  required 
to  carry  out  the  policy  of  the  administration. 

It  will  be  apparent  to  the  most  casual  reader  that  after  the 
institution  of  the  assembly  the  government  was  not  an  easy  one 
to  administer.  It  was  complicated  by  conflicting  legal  theories 
and  impeded  by  diverse  racial  interests.  The  American  admin- 
istrators were  charged  with  the  duty  of  satisfying  the  political 
aspirations  of  the  Filipinos  to  a  certain  indefinite  point  only.  It 
was  an  impossible  task;  the  balance  was  too  delicately  adjusted. 
The  grant  of  either  more  or  less  power  to  the  Filipinos  would 
have  made  the  work  easier.  After  giving  due  consideration  to 
the  peculiar  conditions  which  existed  from  the  institution  of  the 
assembly  to  the  end  of  the  Forbes  administration  the  student  of 
Philippine  affairs  must  admit  that  the  government  was  admin- 
istered with  sincere  regard  for  the  interests  of  the  Filipinos  and 
the  credit  of  the  United  States.  The  results,  other  than  possibly 
the  political  ones,  were  all  to  the  credit  of  the  American  govern- 
ment and  the  Filipinos  who  worked  in  harmony  with  it. 


126  THE    PHILIPPINES 

The  administrative  organism  never  hardened  into  a  bureau- 
cracy although  it  had  some  of  the  faults  and  also  the  virtues  of  a 
bureaucratic  government.  The  civil  service  lacked  the  education, 
special  training  and  esprit  de  corps  which  makes  that  of  India  so 
remarkably  efficient.  The  policy  v^hich  required  the  constant 
weeding  out  of  Americans  after  they  had  been  trained  for  the 
service  to  make  places  for  qualified  or  potentially  qualified  Fili- 
pinos necessarily  affected  the  efficiency  of  the  service.  It  was 
the  price  paid  for  the  popular  government  which  is  supposed  to 
furnish  compensation  in  other  forms. 

The  fifteen  years  of  commission  government  were  experimental 
but  constructive.  The  officials,  from  the  governor-general  to  the 
lowest  clerk  had  to  be  trained  for  the  special  work  in  hand.  Cer- 
tain tendencies  very  soon  became  apparent  and  persistent  through- 
out the  period  under  consideration.  It  was  inevitable  that  the 
power  of  the  executive  should  steadily  grow.  The  commission 
gradually  declined  in  importance  until  during  the  years  immedi- 
ately preceding  its  abolition  by  Congress  it  was  without  any  real 
authority.  Filipino  influence  in  the  legislature  increased  steadily 
until  during  the  latter  part  of  the  Forbes  administration  the  as- 
sembly was  boldly  withholding  the  necessary  appropriations  for 
the  support  of  the  government  and  asserting  the  overlordship  in 
the  government  which  was  finally  conceded  to  it  by  the  adminis- 
tration of  Governor-General  Harrison. 


CHAPTER  VII 

Finance,  Taxation  and  Trade 

The  General  Financial  Policy — Control  by  Local  Government — Taxation  Rea- 
sonable— Financial  Embarrassment — Caused  by  Public  Improvements — Pres- 
ent Conditions — Bonded  Indebtedness — Income  and  Expenditure — The  Cur- 
rency and  Coinage — The  Gold  Standard — The  Fund  to  Maintain  Parity — 
Sources  of  Revenue — The  Customs — Illustration  of  Duties — The  Internal 
Revenue — Sources  of — The  Cedilla,  Stamp  and  Privilege  Taxes — Business  and 
Occupation  Taxes — Specific  Taxes — Revenues  of  Provinces  and  Municipali- 
ties— The  City  of  Manila — Gross  Earnings  and  Franchise  Taxes — Trade 
Development. 

The  financial  policy  of  the  Philippine  government  has  been  a 
very  simple  one.  The  country  was  taken  over  from  Spain  free 
from  debt.  There  was  no  occasion  for  complicated  refunding 
operations  or  for  heavy  taxes  to  pay  for  the  extravagance  of 
former  rulers.  The  United  States  imposes  no  taxes  for  its  bene- 
fit on  the  Filipinos  and  receives  no  financial  return  for  the  services 
rendered  in  supervising  the  government  and  protecting  the  coun- 
try. Subject  to  the  reserve  power  of  Congress  to  annul  laws,  and 
the  approval  of  the  president  of  tariff  legislation,  the  local  gov- 
ernment is  free  to  impose  taxes  other  than  that  on  incomes,  and 
to  expend  the  proceeds  thereof  in  the  ways  deemed  by  it  most  for 
the  advantage  of  the  people  of  the  islands.  During  its  time  the 
commission  was  required  to  report  annually  to  the  secretary  of 
war  who  thus,  and  through  the  reports  of  the  auditor,  was  able 
to  keep  informed  as  to  the  condition  of  the  finances.^ 

Congress  has  legislated  directly  with  reference  to  certain  mat- 
ters, such  as  export  and  import  duties  and  the  coinage  and  cur- 


1  The  statement  in  Hepburn's  History  of  the  Currency  of  the  United 
States,  p.  471,  that  the  fiscal  affairs  of  the  Philippines  are  administered  by  the 
United  States  is  true  only  in  a  very  general  sense.  They  are  administered  by 
the  government  of  the  Philippines  under  the  authority  of  Congress,  the  ex- 
ecutive only  being  subject  to  the  direct  supervision  of  the  secretary  of  war  as 
the  representative  of  the  president. 

127 


128  THE    PHILIPPINES 

rency,  but  ordinarily  it  has  in  general  terms  simply  authorized  the 
government  of  the  Philippines  to  exercise  certain  powers  subject 
in  some  cases  to  definite  limitations  but  generally  in  the  manner 
deemed  by  it  proper  and  advisable.  With  these  exceptions  the 
local  government  has  been  left  practically  free  to  determine  its 
financial  policy. 

Congress  has  refused  to  authorize  the  Issue  of  bonds  on  a  large 
scale  for  public  works,  as  recommended  by  the  commission  and 
in  this  it  has  probably  shown  a  wise  although  extreme  conserva- 
tism. In  a  fiinancial  sense  the  United  States  has  not  been  so  lib- 
eral with  the  Philippines  as  other  countries  have  been  with  their 
colonies,^  and  by  refusing  to  trust  the  judgment  of  the  men  on  the 
ground  it  has  imposed  the  entire  burden  of  constructing  necessary 
public  works  upon  the  present  generation.^ 

The  revenues  of  the  central  and  local  governments  have  been 
raised  without  unreasonable  taxation  and  the  money  has  been  ex- 
pended honestly  and  for  purposes  deemed  necessary  and  proper. 
Whether  the  finances  have  always  been  handled  with  skill  as  well 
as  honesty  is  a  question  on  which  there  may  be  a  difference  of 
opinion. 

The  controlling  idea  has  been  to  raise  as  much  money  as  pos- 
sible without  imposing  an  excessive  burden  of  taxation,  to 
conduct  the  government  as  economically  as  is  consistent  with 
reasonable  efficiency,  to  maintain  the  necessary  sinking  funds  and 
expend  the  annual  balance  on  education  and  public  works.  In  the 
absence  of  extensive  borrowing  the  development  of  the  country 
has  necessarily  been  measured  by  the  amount  of  its  current  in- 
come and  that  income  is  determined  by  the  business  of  the  islands. 


2  As,  for  instance,  Great  Britain  in  South  Africa. 

3  The  Phihppine  Government  Law  of  1916  authorized  the  issue  of  addi- 
tional bonds.  General  Mclntyre's  suggestion  (Special  Report,  Dec.  1,  1915) 
that,  had  the  local  government  possessed  greater  borrowing  powers,  it  could 
not  have  withstood  the  temptation  to  contract  excessive  debts  for  public 
works,  ignores  the  fact  that  it  could  issue  no  bonds  without  the  approval  of 
the  secretary  of  war,  who  represents  the  president,  and  under  legislation 
which  may  be  annulled  by  Congress.  It  should  not  be  forgotten  that  every 
important  action  of  the  Philippine  government  is  approved  by  Washington. 
The  daily  cablegram  from  Washington  arrives  as  regularly  at  Manila  as  the 
morning  paper. 


I 


FINANCE,    TAXATION    AND    TRADE  129 

The  government  has  therefore  striven  by  every  means  under  its 
control  to  increase  the  volume  of  trade  and  business. 

Tariff  duties  have  been  imposed  for  the  purpose  of  revenue 
without  much  reference  to  protection  for  infant  industries,  and 
the  skill  or  want  of  skill  of  the  administrators  has  been  shown 
principally  in  the  methods  and  purposes  of  expenditure.  Natu- 
rally in  this  respect  there  have  been  illustrations  of  extreme  con- 
servatism and  iridescent  optimism — the  personal  equation.  Dur- 
ing recent  years  there  has  been  criticism,  much  of  it  of  a  partisan 
character,  of  the  way  in  which  the  finances  were  handled  during 
the  latter  years  of  the  Taft  regime.  Undoubtedly  mistakes  have 
been  made  in  the  Philippines  as  well  as  at  Washington  and  in  the 
states,  and  some  money  has  been  wasted,  but  the  most  serious  mis- 
takes were  recognized  and  the  remedy  applied  during  the  closing 
years  of  the  administration  of  Governor-General  Forbes.  If 
there  ever  was  a  "headlong  rush  of  the  insular  government  to- 
ward bankruptcy"  as  was  alleged  by  Governor-General  Harri- 
son,* it  was  checked  during  the  spring  of  1912,  a  year  before  Mr. 
Harrison  assumed  office,  when  effective  measures  were  taken  to 
place  the  government  again  in  sound  financial  condition. 

It  is  a  fact  that  from  1909  to  1913  there  was  an  annual  excess 
of  expenditure  over  income.  As  the  chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Insu- 
lar Affairs  very  justly  says :  "Unless  one  has  clearly  in  mind  the 
very  large  portion  of  expenditure  .  .  .  that  has  been  made  for 
permanent  public  improvements  one  would  get  the  impression 
that  since  the  end  of  the  fiscal  year  1910  the  financial  condition 
of  the  Philippine  government  had  grown  steadily  worse."  How- 
ever, he  adds:  "If  one  gives  proper  value  to  the  public  works 
constructed  and  now  in  beneficial  use,  the  resulting  condition  be- 
comes one  of  only  temporary  difficulty,  to  be  justified  or  not  ac- 
cording to  one's  judgment  of  the  timeliness  or  value  of  the  work 
accomplished. "° 

Governor-General  Forbes  and  the  commission  came  to  a  real- 


*  Message  of  Oct.  16,  1915.    Cong.  Rec,  June  4,  1916. 

6  Special  Report  of  Brig.-Gen.  Frank  Mclntyre  to  the  Secretary  of  War, 
Dec.  1,  1915. 


130  THE    PHILIPPINES 

izing  sense  of  the  fact  that  in  their  zeal  for  the  development  of 
the  country  they  were  traveling  more  rapidly  than  conditions 
justified  and  a  halt  v^as  called.  Fully  a  year  before  the  change  of 
administration  numerous  economies  were  instituted,  construction 
work  was  largely  suspended,  and  the  government  entered  upon  a 
period  of  waiting  which  was  to  continue  until  the  accumulating 
revenues  would  justify  further  expenditure.  The  policy  thus 
instituted  was  continued  by  Governor-General  Harrison  and  as 
a  result  he  was  able  to  inform  the  legislature  at  the  opening  of 
the  October,  1915,  session,  that  by  the  exercise  of  patience  and 
self-denial  the  treasury  had  been  placed  on  a  sound  financial 
basis  and  that  at  the  end  of  the  year  there  would  be  an  actual 
cash  balance  on  hand.  His  reference  to  the  "overwhelming  bur- 
den of  expenditure  raised  by  carelessness  and  extravagance"  dur- 
ing the  administration  of  Mr.  Forbes  may  be  attributed  to  the 
spirit  of  partisanship  which  had  been  injected  into  the  Philippine 
situation. 

Whatever  one  may  think  of  Governor-General  Forbes'  admin- 
istration of  Philippine  finances,  it  is  absurd  to  charge  that  its 
effect  was  to  impose  an  "overwhelming  burden  of  expenditure" 
on  the  country.  Taxation  was  not  increased  during  his  adminis- 
tration and  no  floating  debt  was  created.  The  mere  suspension 
for  a  time  of  the  operations  of  the  Bureau  of  Public  Works  while 
funds  to  cover  the  over  appropriations  accumulated  in  the  treas- 
ury, was  sufficient  to  restore  normal  conditions. 

In  the  meantime  the  roads,  bridges,  harbors  and  markets  were 
in  beneficial  use.  At  most,  as  General  Mclntyre  says,  if  the  work 
was  valuable,  and  as  to  that  there  can  be  no  serious  question,  the 
only  question  is  as  to  the  timeliness  of  the  construction  and  as  to 
that  men  may  entertain  different  opinions. 

A  great  deal  more  money  was  wasted  on  ill-advised  public 
works  during  the  first  few  years  of  American  occupation  than 
during  the  Forbes  administration.  But  Governors-General  Taft, 
Wright,  Ide  and  Smith  were  careful  to  see  that  there  was  a  rea- 
sonable surplus  in  the  treasury  at  the  end  of  each  fiscal  year.  Mr. 
Forbes  was  a  financier  of  a  well-known  type  rather  than  a  states- 


FINANCE,    TAXATION    AND    TRADE  131 

man,  and  large  figures,  even  in  the  form  of  threatened  deficits, 
seemed  to  have  no  terror  for  him.  He  had  the  entire  confidence 
of  the  president,  who  apparently  closed  his  ears  to  all  suggestions 
that  the  financial  machinery  was  being  operated  at  too  great  a 
speed,  and  the  policy  was  continued  until  the  administration 
found  itself  facing  a  crisis. 

Mr.  Forbes  became  acting  governor-general  May  7,  1909,  and 
in  his  report  to  the  commission  for  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30, 
1909,  he  said :  "The  insular  government  began  the  year  with 
$1,745,500  available  for  appropriation.  There  was  an  additional 
surplus  of  $4,368,000,  which  had  been  appropriated  but  not  yet 
spent."^ 

On  June  30,  1910,  the  surplus  stood  at  $1,935,229.26,  and  in  his 
report  for  that  year  the  governor-general,  after  noting  the  fact, 
said :  "As  $2,000,000  is  the  reserve  which  it  is  estimated  should 
be  held  in  the  insular  treasury  against  contingencies,  it  will  be 
seen  that  the  present  figures  are  eminently  satisfactory  and  prove 
that  the  treasury  is  in  a  safe  financial  condition."^  Although 
there  was  no  decrease  in  revenue  and  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of 
$1,500,000  of  bonds  had  been  paid  into  the  treasury,  the  surplus 
on  June  30,  1911,  had  fallen  to  $223,666.18,  and  on  June  30, 
1912,  there  would  have  been  a  deficit  of  nearly  $2,000,000  had 
not  certain  appropriations  been  reverted  and  $1,698,513.82  been 
taken  from  the  gold  standard  fund  and  placed  in  the  general  fund 
available  for  appropriations.  But  it  must  be  remembered  that  this 
situation  had  been  created  solely  by  the  large  appropriations  for 
public  works  and  that  a  large  part  of  the  money  had  been  appro- 
priated by  the  legislature  with  a  proviso  that  it  should  not  be  ex- 
pended until  released  by  the  governor-general.  This  very  objec- 
tionable method  of  making  appropriations  which  originated  at  the 
time  of  the  passage  of  the  Payne  Tariff  Law  was  found  so  con- 
venient for  executive  purposes  that  it  was  continued  in  all  future 
public  works  bills  with  the  evil  result  that  the  legislature  became 
willing  to  appropriate  almost  any  amount  asked  for  on  thus  being 


6  Kept.  Phil.  Com.,  1909,  p.  57. 

7  Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1910,  p.  24. 


132  THE    PHILIPPINES 

assured  that  the  money  would  not  be  spent  unless  it  was  there  to 
spend.  The  appropriations  became  excessive  and  the  surplus  and 
a  part  of  the  gold  standard  fund  was  used  up  but  no  indebtedness 
in  excess  of  the  money  in  the  treasury  was  ever  actually  con- 
tracted. These  financial  methods  which  might  have  been  per- 
fectly proper  in  dealing  with  a  private  business  were  dubious 
ones  for  a  government  and  would  have  led  to  serious  trouble  had 
not  a  halt  been  called.  "WTiat  criticism  is  due  must  be  shared  by 
the  secretary  of  war  and  the  president,  who  were  fully  informed 
and  approved  all  that  was  done  and  also  by  Congress  which  ap- 
proved the  legislation  by  not  annulling  it  when  submitted  for  its 
action.* 

The  Philippine  government  seems  to  have  been  placed  again  in 
sound  financial  condition  by  the  simple  expedient  of  increasing 
direct  taxation.  Mr.  Harrison  became  governor-general,  with  a 
majority  of  Filipino  members  in  both  houses  of  the  legislature,  in 
September,  1913.  The  net  income  of  the  insular  government  for 
the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1914,  was  approximately  $10,400,- 
000  and  it  received  from  the  liquidation  of  assets  an  additional 
$1,000,000,  making  a  total  of  $11,400,000.  The  expenses  of 
operation  for  that  year  were  approximately  $8,000,000  which, 
with  the  $800,000  fixed  charges,  makes  a  total  of  $8,800,000 
expended  for  the  operation  and  support  of  the  government.  On 
the  face  of  these  figures  there  was  an  excess  of  revenue  of  $2,700,- 
000.  But  during  the  year  $1,300,000  was  expended  for  perma- 
nent improvements  and  $2,700,000  was  given  in  aid  to  the  pro- 
vincial and  municipal  governments,  with  the  result  of  a  deficit  of 
$1,400,000. 

The  revenue  from  customs  dues  fell  from  $8,908,123.64  for 
the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1912,  to  $7,774,944.74  for  the 
year  ending  June  30,  1913.    This  was  the  last  year  of  the  Forbes 


s  In  the  report  of  the  secretary  of  war  for  1913  Secretary  Garrison  said 
that  the  plan  of  public  works  pursued  contemplated  a  grant  of  authority  to 
issue  additional  bonds  and  the  receipt  of  funds  as  a  consequence  thereof,  and 
that  "very  largely  as  a  result  of  this  the  available  cash  balance  for  general 
purposes  in  the  Philippine  treasury  was,  at  the  end  of  the  fiscal  year  1913, 
somewhat  lower  than  it  had  been  in  any  year  since  1905."  It  is  a  mistake  to 
assume  that  the  expectation  of  a  bond  issue  had  any  influence  on  the  appro- 
priations. 


FINANCE,    TAXATION    AND    TRADE  133 

administration  and  a  year  before  the  European  war  commenced. 
The  fixed  charges  had  been  reduced  from  $1,389,931.47  during 
1912  to  $654,473.93  in  1913.  Governor-General  Harrison  saved 
a  few  thousand  dollars  by  reducing  the  salaries  and  discharging 
American  employees  but  the  difference  between  the  receipts  and 
demands  was  too  great  to  be  met  by  such  methods.  It  was  a 
choice  between  restricting  the  construction  of  public  work,  stop- 
ping the  constant  flow  of  money  from  the  insular  to  the  provin- 
cial and  municipal  treasuries,  or  increasing  direct  taxation. 

The  pressure  from  the  local  governments  for  financial  aid  is 
very  great  and  rather  than  withstand  it  the  administration  elected 
to.  impose  additional  taxes.  During  the  session  of  1914-15  the 
legislature  passed  a  new  internal  revenue  bill  which  greatly  in- 
creased the  burden  of  direct  taxation.  By  its  terms  this  law  was 
to  continue  in  force  only  until  the  end  of  the  calendar  year  1915, 
but  the  policy  thus  adopted  required  that  the  increase  should  be 
made  permanent,  and  this  was  done  by  a  revised  internal  revenue 
law  which  was  passed  early  in  the  year  1916. 

So  far  as  bonded  indebtedness  is  concerned,  the  islands  are  in 
good  condition.  At  the  present  time  the  insular  government  has 
outstanding  the  following  bonds : 

Amount 

Land-purchase  bonds,  4% $7,000,000 

Public  works  and  improvement  bonds,  4% 2,500,000 

Public  works  and  improvement  bonds,  4% 1,000,000 

Public  works  and  improvement  bonds,  4%....     1,500,000  1919  1939 


Redeemable 

Due 

1914 

1934 

1915 

1935 

1916 

1936 

Total    $12,000,0009 

An  additional  four  million  dollars  of  bonds  are  now  being 
offered  for  sale  under  authority  given  by  the  Philippine  Govern- 
ment Law  of  1916,  to  provide  funds  to  pay  for  the  stock  of  a 
railway  company — which  needs  the  money. 

The  friar  land  bonds  are  supposed  to  be  provided  for  by  the 
sale  of  the  land  upon  which  they  are  in  effect  a  lien. 


^  There  is  also  the  contingent  liability  for  the  interest  on  the  bonds  issued 
by  the  Philippine  Railway  Company  and  the  Manila  Railroad  Company  and 
the  practical  assumption  of  about  $10,000,000  of  tlie  bonds  of  the  latter  com- 
pany involved  in  the  proposed  purchase  of  the  road. 


134  THE    PHILIPPINES 

The  provinces  and  municipalities,  other  than  Manila  and  Cebu, 
have  no  bonded  indebtedness.  Manila  has  outstanding  four  per 
cent,  sewer  and  water-works  bonds  amounting  to  $3,000,000; 
Cebu,  $125,000  of  bonds  of  the  same  character.  All  other  debts 
of  provinces  and  municipalities  are  owing  to  the  insular  govern- 
ment. The  total  debts  of  the  provincial  governments  of  this 
character  amount  to  approximately  $2,000,000.  The  total  pro- 
vincial revenues  are  about  $2,500,000  and  those  of  the  munici- 
palities, including  townships  and  settlements,  $3,755,000.  The 
revenues  of  the  city  of  Manila  amount  to  approximately  $1,500,- 
000,  which  is  supplemented  by  contributions  from  the  insular 
government  which  may  not  exceed  $625,000  a  year.  The  total 
amount  of  taxes  collected  in  the  islands  is  approximately 
$18,000,000.^'' 

The  table  on  the  opposite  page  shows  the  receipts  and  disburse- 
ments of  the  insular  government  for  each  year  since  1906. 

The  condition  of  the  circulating  medium  for  some  time  after 
the  occupation  probably  justified  the  statement  that 

"all  the  artificial  eccentricities  of  the  place  and  people  are  con- 
centrated in  the  currency.  It  was  bad  enough  in  the  old  days,  and 
it  seemed  that  it  could  not  be  worse,  but  now,  for  our  sins,  we  are 
given  practical  proof  that  it  could  be  worse,  for  it  is.  Under  the 
Spanish  rule  Philippine  currency  was  an  extremely  mixed-up 
affair,  so  mixed  up  that  it  constituted  the  study  of  a  lifetime,  and 
various  people  who  devoted  their  lives  to  the  study  of  it  used  to 
make  money  out  of  it  at  the  expense  of  the  people  whose  time 
was  otherwise  occupied.  Sometimes  a  peso  was  a  peso,  and  some- 
times it  was  a  problem  in  fractional  equations ;  sometimes  a  Fili- 
pino dollar  was  a  Mexican,  and  sometimes  a  Spanish  dollar  was 
a  Filipino;  sometimes  there  was  a  gold  currency  without  any 
gold,  but  at  all  times  and  under  all  circumstances  the  banks,  ex- 
change brokers,  and  a  few  clever  Chinese  and  others,  managed 
to  juggle  with  the  fluctuations  in  change  and  currency  legisla- 
tion so  as  to  score  always."" 


I*'  For  the  amounts  collected  and  expended  during  the  latter  years  of  the 
Spanish  rule,  see  Elliott,  The  Philippines:  To  the  End  of  the  Military 
Regime,  pp.  266-269. 

^^  From  an  article  in  the  Manila  Times,  sent  by  Secretary  Gage  to  Sec- 
retary Root,  July  27,  1899.     Extracts  from  this  article  and  correspondence 


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136  THE    PHILIPPINES 

The  task  of  finding  a  remedy  was  rendered  peculiarly  difficult 
by  the  proximity  of  the  islands  to  China  and  the  other  Oriental 
countries  which  were  on  a  silver  basis. 

Prior  to  1857  the  Philippine  government  had  no  currency  of 
its  own ;  that  in  use  being  brought  from  Spain,  Mexico,  the  South 
American  republics  and  the  near-by  countries  of  Asia,  All  sorts 
of  coins  were  in  use.  The  official  accounts  were  kept  in  pesos, 
reales,  quartos,  ounces,  grams  or  maravades,  at  the  will  of  the 
accountants.  In  1861  a  mint  was  established  at  Manila  and  for  a 
time  gold  and  silver  coins  were  abundant,  but  under  the  law  of 
1876  it  soon  became  profitable  to  exchange  Mexican  dollars  for 
gold,  and  by  1884  the  latter  had  all  disappeared. 

At  the  time  of  the  American  occupation  the  money  in  use  was 
principally  the  Mexican  silver  dollar  supplemented  by  the  Span- 
ish-Filipino peso,  silver  and  paper,  and  fractional  silver  and 
copper  coins.  As  the  local  banks,  Spanish  and  English,  were  in- 
clined to  adopt  an  extremely  selfish  policy,  both  the  Schurman 
and  Taft  Commissions  recommended  the  establishment  of  Amer- 
ican banks,  which  would  be  more  in  sympathy  with  American 
ways  of  doing  business. ^^ 

For  some  years  the  importing  of  Mexican  currency  had  been 
unlawful,  although  it  had  constantly  been  done  with  the  con- 
nivance of  the  officials.  The  influx  of  American  money  and  the 
presentation  of  sterling  letters  of  exchange  for  which  Mexican 
dollars  were  demanded,  required  more  of  this  currency  and  on 
August  19,  1898,  the  request  of  the  banks  for  permission  to  im- 
port Mexican  dollars  was  granted  by  the  military  governor  on 
their  specific  agreement  to  maintain  a  rate  of  exchange  of  not 
less  than  two  Mexican  dollars  for  one  gold  dollar. 


between  the  officials  in  Manila  and  Washington  are  printed  in  a  pamphlet 
entitled  Memorandum  on  Currency  and  Exchange  in  the  Philippines,  by 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Clarence  R.  Edwards,  Washington,  1900. 

12  "It  is  the  opinion  of  the  commission  that  the  banks  have  not  co-operated 
to  the  extent  that  they  legally  and  morally  ought  to  have  done  in  maintaining 
a  ratio  of  2  to  1,  in  pursuance  of  the  guaranty  of  August  19,  1898,  and  that 
their  refusal  to  receive  deposits  in  United  States  money  subject  to  check  is  a 
direct  discrimination  against  United  States  money  and  has  been  one  of  the 
effective  causes  of  the  difficulty  of  the  situation."  Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1901, 
p.  106. 


FINANCE,    TAXATION    AND    TRADE  137 

Under  this  agreement  the  banks  imported  Mexican  currency 
and  exchanged  it  for  American  money,  or  the  reverse,  with  a  good 
profit  for  each  exchange.  Until  some  time  in  July  of  that  year 
the  market  price  of  silver  had  been  such  that  the  banks  could 
maintain  their  guaranty  and  make  a  profit  on  the  transactions, 
but  a  rise  in  the  price  of  silver  in  the  markets  of  the  world  and 
the  increased  demand  for  Mexican  dollars  for  the  payment  of 
troops  and  the  purchase  of  supplies  due  to  the  military  operations 
in  northern  China,  rendered  these  banking  operations  unprofit- 
able. Thereupon  the  banks,  regardless  of  their  agreement,  estab- 
lished a  rate  of  one  dollar  and  ninety-eight  cents  Mexican  for 
one  dollar  American  money.  Learning  thus  that  it  was  possible 
for  American  money  to  fall  in  value  the  small  traders  cut  it  as 
low  as  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents  Mexican  and  business  was 
greatly  disturbed. 

The  banks  now  proposed  to  introduce  the  Straits  dollar,  but 
fortunately  this  was  forbidden  by  the  government,  as  the  effect 
would  have  been  to  allow  them  to  deposit  it  in  their  vaults  in  place 
of  the  four  million  dollars  Mexican  they  held  for  the  government, 
and  export  the  latter  to  China  at  a  large  profit  to  themselves. 

To  relieve  the  situation  the  military  governor  directed  the  col- 
lectors of  the  customs  and  internal  revenue  to  receive  United 
States  currency  in  payment  of  customs  dues  and  taxes  at  the  rate 
of  two  to  one.  An  agreement  was  also  made  with  the  banks  in 
which  the  government  deposits  were  kept  by  which  they  were  to 
purchase  from  the  public  over  the  counter  United  States  gold, 
silver  and  notes  at  the  rate  of  two  for  one,  and  upon  their  render- 
ing weekly  to  the  treasurer  a  statement  of  the  amount  of  such 
transactions,  the  later  would  transfer  an  equivalent  amount  from 
the  insular  currency  to  the  balance  held  by  the  United  States 
treasurer  in  his  gold  deposit  account,  at  the  same  rate.  This  ar- 
rangement enabled  the  public  to  obtain  at  the  banks  two  Mexican 
dollars  for  one  American  dollar  and  as  a  result  American  money 
was  freely  accepted  in  business  transactions.  However,  this  was 
merely  a  temporary  expedient,  as  the  government's  balance  in 
Mexican  money  was  certain  soon  to  be  exhausted  and  it  could  be 


138  THE    PHILIPPINES 

maintained  only  by  purchasing  and  importing  Mexican  dollars 
at  a  loss. 

In  order  to  increase  its  use  the  appropriations  were  made  in 
and  all  salaries  were  made  payable  in  American  money,  and  an 
export  tax  of  ten  per  cent,  imposed  on  Mexican  silver  effectually 
prevented  the  banks  from  sending  the  government  silver  to 
China. 

The  poHcy  of  the  local  banks  is  illustrated  by  their  requirement 
that  all  deposits  should  be  made  and  all  checks  drawn  on  them  in 
Mexican  currency.  When  a  large  check  was  drawn  by  a  gov- 
ernment ofificial  on  a  government  gold  deposit  the  person  receiv- 
ing the  check  had  first  to  exchange  it  for  Mexican  money  at  the 
market  price,  or  exchange  the  gold  realized  upon  the  check  for 
Mexican  money  from  the  government's  deposit.  In  practise,  of 
course,  the  holder  of  a  check  would  obtain  the  silver  from  the 
government  deposit  and  then  deposit  it  in  the  bank  to  his  indi- 
vidual credit  and  the  Mexican  money  would  thus  never  leave  the 
bank. 

Soon  after  the  legislative  power  was  vested  in  the  commission 
a  law  was  passed  which  required  the  local  banks  to  receive  de- 
posits in  United  States  money  subject  to  check,  on  the  same  terms 
as  those  accorded  to  deposits  of  Mexican  money.^^ 

These  various  expedients  and  the  fall  in  the  price  of  silver  due 
to  the  decreased  demand  in  China,  resulted  in  a  large  accumula- 
tion of  silver  and  Mexican  currency  in  the  government  deposit. 
As  there  was  now  no  inducement  to  export  silver,  the  ten  per 
cent,  export  tax  was  repealed.  After  August,  1900,  Mexican 
and  United  States  money  was  maintained  at  two  to  one,  although 
the  government  continued  to  sustain  a  loss  by  receiving  the  taxes 
in  local  currency  at  that  rate  when  intrinsically  the  Mexican 
money  was  worth  2.02  or  2.04  to  1. 

As  long  as  the  principal  currency  of  the  islands  was  Mexican 


13  The  banks  protested  against  this  law  to  the  secretary  of  war,  but  the 
action  of  the  commission  was  approved  as  a  proper  regulation  of  banking 
institutions.  It  simply  deprived  them  of  a  kind  of  profit  which  it  was  unjust 
for  them  to  reap,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  they  were  getting  it  by  a  discrimina- 
tion against  the  money  of  the  sovereign  power  in  the  islands. 


FINANCE,    TAXATION    AND    TRADE  139 

money  the  ratio  of  exchange  would  be  subject  to  constant  fluctua- 
tion due  to  the  changing  market  vakie  of  silver  and  the  demands 
of  the  near-by  Chinese  markets.  An  entire  new  currency  for  the 
country  was  necessary.  In  1902  Congress  authorized  the  Philip- 
pine government  to  establish  a  mint  and  to  issue  a  coin  of  the  de- 
nomination of  fifty  centavos  of  a  weight  of  192.9  grains,  a  coin 
of  the  denomination  of  twenty  centavos  and  weight  of  77.16 
grains  and  a  coin  of  the  denomination  of  ten  centavos  and  weight 
of  38.58  grains,  the  standard  to  be  such  that  of  1,000  parts  by 
weight  900  would  be  pure  metal  and  100  of  copper  alloy." 

The  amount  of  this  subsidiary  silver  currency  to  be  coined 
from  silver  bullion  to  be  purchased  was  left  to  the  discretion  of 
the  government  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  secretary  of  war. 
The  Spanish-Filipino  dollars  and  subsidiary  silver  coins  might  be 
re-coined  at  discretion.  Authority  was  also  given  to  issue  minor 
coins  of  denomination  of  one-half  centavo,  one  centavo  and  five 
centavos  of  designated  weight  and  alloy.^^ 

It  was  generally  agreed  that  the  introduction  of  American 
gold  currency  as  the  exclusive  money  of  the  Philippines  would 
produce  serious  disturbances  in  prices  and  wages,  and  the  experts 
and  almost  all  the  local  business  men  concurred  in  the  opinion 
that  it  would  be  injurious  to  business  to  place  the  country  im- 
mediately upon  a  gold  basis.  After  a  careful  study  of  the  situa- 
tion the  commission  recommended  that  a  definite  relation  should 
be  fixed  by  law  between  the  standard  silver  coins  of  the  country 
and  the  United  States  gold  dollar.  The  plan,  which  was  sim- 
ilar to  that  which  had  been  successful  in  Japan,  and  India,  in- 
volved the  adoption  as  the  standard  of  value  of  a  theoretical  gold 
peso  of  the  value  of  a  half  United  States  dollar,  and  the  coinage 
of  a  silver  Philippine  peso  containing  a  smaller  percentage  of 
silver  than  the  Mexican  dollar,  which  would  pass  as  the  equivalent 
of  fifty  cents  United  States  money.  The  shortage  of  silver  in  the 
peso  would  not  be  sufficient  to  encourage  its  export,  and  its  con- 


it  The  Act  of  March  2,  1903,  changed  the  weight  of  the  50  centavo  coin  to 
208  grains,  the  20  centavo  coin  to  83.1  grains  and  the  10  centavo  coin  to  41.55 
grains. 

15  Act  of  July  1,  1902,  12  Stat.  L.,  710. 


140  THE    PHILIPPINES 

vertibility  into  American  money  at  uniform  fixed  rates  would 
insure  its  becoming  the  ordinary  currency  for  business  purposes. 
It  was  believed  that  all  the  benefits  of  a  gold  standard  could  thus 
be  secured  without  any  sudden  shock  to  business. ^^ 

The  Act  of  Congress  which  authorized  the  coinage  of  subsidi- 
ary and  minor  coins  for  the  use  of  the  Philippines  provided  no 
standard  unit  and  did  not  make  it  clear  whether  such  coins  should 
be  legal  tender  in  large  amounts.^^  If  after  the  new  authorized 
coins  were  issued  Congress  should  make  the  Philippine  peso  equal 
in  value  to  fifty  cents  gold,  they  would  have  greater  value  than 
if  Congress  should  declare  them  to  be  only  fractional  parts  of  a 
free  silver  peso  coined  under  free  coinage  principles,  or  of  the 
Mexican  peso  in  general  circulation.  The  Manila  banks  were  of 
the  opinion  that  the  coins  would  be  fractional  parts  of  a  peso 
worth  fifty  cents  gold  and  were  ready  to  accept  and  hoard  them. 
In  view  of  the  uncertainty  the  commission  decided  to  coin  no 
money  until  Congress  should  establish  a  unit  of  value. 

This  was  done  by  the  Act  of  March  3,  1903,^^  which  provided 
that  the  unit  of  value  in  the  Philippines  should  be  a  gold  peso 
consisting  of  12.90  grains  of  gold,  .90  fine  and  that  this  peso 
should  become  the  unit  of  value  when  the  government  of  the 
Philippines  had  coined  and  had  ready  for  use  five  million  dollars 
of  the  new  pesos. 

In  addition  to  the  coinage  authorized  by  the  Act  of  July  1, 
1902,  authority  was  now  given  to  coin  in  an  amount  not  exceed- 
ing seventy-five  million  pesos  a  silver  coin  of  the  denomination 
of  one  peso  and  of  the  weight  of  four  hundred  sixteen  grains,  the 
standard  being  such  that  of  one  thousand  parts  by  weight  nine 
hundred  should  be  pure  metal  and  one  hundred  copper  alloy.  The 
gold  coins  of  the  United  States,  at  the  rate  of  one  dollar  for  two 
pesos,  were  made  legal  tender  for  all  debts,  public  and  private, 
and  the  silver  coins  legal  tender  for  all  debts  contracted  after 


1^  See  the  Special  Report  on  Coinage  and  Banking,  by  Charles  A.  Conant, 
November  25,  1901,  and  the  Repts.  of  the  Secretary  of  Finance  and  Justice, 
in  Repts.  Phil  Com..  1900-1903. 

"  Act  of  July  1,  1902,  32  Stat.  L.,  691. 

18  Chap.  1903,  Z2,  Stat.  L.,  952. 


FINANCE,    TAXATION    AND    TRADE  141 

December  31,  1903,  unless  otherwise  specifically  provided  by 
contract.  The  subsidiary  coins  were  made  legal  tender  to  the 
amount  of  ten  dollars. 

But  the  price  of  silver  continued  to  rise  and  at  the  end  of  1905 
the  Philippine  peso  was  worth  more  as  bullion  than  as  coin.  The 
commission  again  prohibited  the  exportation  from  the  islands 
of  Philippine  silver  coins  or  bullion  but,  notwithstanding  the 
heavy  penalties,  large  quantities  were  surreptitiously  exported 
and  it  became  clear  that  the  value  of  the  coins  would  have  to  be 
reduced. ^^  Accordingly,  on  June  23,  1906,  Congress  authorized 
the  insular  government  to  reduce  the  weight  and  fineness  of  the 
Philippine  peso  to  not  less  than  700  parts  of  pure  silver  and 
300  parts  of  alloy,  and  the  weight  and  fineness  of  subsidiary 
coins  in  proportion.  Under  this  authority  the  commission,  in 
December,  1906,  provided  for  the  present  silver  coinage  as  fol- 
lows: one  peso  of  20  grams  of  silver  .800;  a  fifty-centavo  piece 
of  10  grams  of  silver  .750;  a  twenty-centavo  piece  of  4  grams  of 
silver  .750,  and  a  ten-centavo  piece  of  2  grams  of  silver  .750 
fine.  The  silver  coins  then  in  circulation  were  to  be  recoined  at 
the  new  weight  and  fineness  and  this  was  immediately  com- 
menced.^"   The  alloy  must  be  copper. 

Having  fixed  the  standard,  Congress  authorized  the  Philippine 
government  to  adopt  such  measures  as  it  deemed  proper  to  pro- 
tect its  currency.  For  that  purpose  it  was  authorized  to  issue 
and  sell  short-time  certificates  of  indebtedness  to  create  a  fund 
to  be  used  solely  for  the  purpose  of  maintaining  the  parity  of  the 
gold  and  silver  pesos.  Under  this  authorization  the  Philippine 
government  provided  for  the  creation  of  what  is  now  known  as 
the  Gold  Standard  Fund.  Mr.  C.  A.  Conant,  the  expert  em- 
ployed by  the  government,  had  expressed  the  opinion  that  if  the 
new  peso  contained  83.10  grains  of  silver,  the  seigniorage  de- 
rived from  the  coinage  would  soon  provide  a  fund  sufficient  for 
the  purpose.    But  the  commission  added  to  the  profits  of  seignior- 

"See  Report  of  Secretary  H.  C.  Idc,  Kept.  Phil.  Com.,  1905,  Pt.  I, 
pp,  68-70. 

20  See  Administrative  Code  of  1916,  Sec.  1769. 


142  THE    PHILIPPINES 

age,  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  the  certificates,  the  profits  re- 
sulting from  the  issue  of  the  silver  pesos  and  subsidiary  and 
minor  coins,  the  sale  of  exchange  by  the  government  between 
the  Philippines  and  the  United  States,  and  all  other  receipts 
which  might  inure  to  the  government  in  the  exercise  of  its  func- 
tion of  furnishing  a  convenient  currency.  To  this  was  sub- 
sequently added  the  interest  or  other  profits  from  investments 
or  loans  made  from  the  Gold  Standard  Fund  and  premiums  from 
the  sale  of  inter-island  telegraphic  transfers  and  demand  drafts 
sold  in  Manila  on  provincial  treasurers. ^^  The  trust  fund  thus 
created  should  be  used  "for  the  purpose  of  maintaining  the 
parity  of  the  silver  Philippine  peso  with  the  gold  standard  peso 
provided  in  the  Act  of  Congress." 

For  that  purpose  and  also  to  keep  the  currency  equal  in  vol- 
ume only  to  the  demands  of  trade,  the  insular  treasurer  was 
authorized,  among  other  things,  (a)  to  exchange  on  demand  at 
the  treasury  for  Philippine  currency  offered  in  sums  of  not  less 
than  five  thousand  dollars,  drafts  on  the  Gold  Standard  Fund  de- 
posited in  the  United  States  or  elsewhere,  charging  for  the  same 
a  premium  of  three-fourths  of  one  per  cent,  for  demand  drafts 
and  one  and  one-eighths  per  cent,  for  telegraphic  transfers,  and 
required  to  direct  the  depositories  of  the  funds  of  the  Philippine 
government  in  the  United  States  to  sell  exchange  against  the 
Gold  Standard  Fund  in  the  Philippine  Islands  at  fixed  rates,  (b) 
to  exchange  at  par  United  States  money  for  Philippine  currency 
and  Philippine  currency  for  United  States  money,  and  (c)  to 
exchange  in  sums  of  not  less  than  five  thousand  dollars  United 
States  gold  for  Philippine  currency,  and  (d)  to  withdraw  the 
United  States  money  or  the  Philippine  currency  thus  received 
from  circulation. 

The  operations  under  this  law  have  been  profitable  as  well  as 
successful.  The  certificates,  from  the  sale  of  which  the  original 
fund  was  established,  were  soon  retired.  By  the  end  of  1911 
the  fund  had  become  unnecessarily  large  and  it  was  determined 
that  it  should  thereafter  be  maintained  at  thirty-five  per  cent. 

21  Administrative  Code,  Art  II,  Sec.  1781. 


FINANCE,    TAXATION    AND    TRADE  143 

of  the  money  of  the  government  of  the  Phihppines  in  circulation 
and  available  for  circulation,  exclusive  of  the  silver  certificates 
in  circulation  protected  by  a  gold  reserve,  and  that  the  excess 
should  be  turned  into  the  treasury  and  become  available  for 
appropriation.'^ 

On  June  30,  1912,  after  the  sum  of  $1,698,513.82  had  been 
transferred  to  the  general  fund,  the  Gold  Standard  Fund  stood 
at  $9,135,470.38. 

The  amount  at  that  time  reverted  aided  materially  in  reliev- 
ing the  financial  situation  which  was  then  threatening  to  become 
acute.  Experience  seemed  to  show  that  there  was  no  necessity 
for  holding  all  this  money  in  the  treasury,  or  in  depositories  where 
it  drew  but  a  low  rate  of  interest,  and  after  consulting  with  finan- 
cial experts  and  with  the  approval  of  the  secretary  of  war,  the 
legislature  authorized  the  loaning  of  fifty  per  cent,  of  the  fund  to 
provinces  and  municipalities  for  investment  in  productive  public 
works,  and  temporarily,  that  one-half  of  such  fifty  per  cent, 
might  be  loaned  to  the  Manila  Railroad  Company  to  assist  it  in 
extending  its  authorized  lines. 

The  loanable  proportion  was  subsequently  increased  to  eighty 
per  cent,  of  the  fund  and  the  purposes  for  which  it  might  be 
loaned  were  extended  so  as  to  include  ordinary  real  estate  mort- 
gages as  well  as  (1)  the  provincial  and  municipal  share  of  the 
cost  of  cadastral  surveys,  (2)  the  construction  of  insular  build- 
ings "or  other  realizable  public  works  and  improvements  in  the 
form  and  under  the  terms  and  conditions  that  the  legislature 
might  authorize  and  impose  by  law,"  (3)  the  mortgage  bonds  of 
corporations  organized  to  erect  and  operate  sugar  centrals,  manu- 
facturing copra  and  cocoanut  oil,  manufacturing  hemp  and  prod- 
ucts derived  therefrom,  (4)  "or  any  and  all  of  these  products  un- 
der such  terms  and  conditions  as  maybe  authorized  or  required  by 
law,"  under  regulations  prescribed  by  the  auditor,  for  the  estab- 
lishing of  agricultural  colonies,  (5)  to  corporations  organized  for 
the  purpose  of  building,  maintaining  and  improving  irrigation 


22  Act  2083,  Dec.  8.  1911.    See  Kept.  Phil.  Com.,  1912,  pp.  9,  207,  and  Adm. 
Code,  Sees.  1781-1785. 


144  THE    PHILIPPINES 

systems,  (6)  in  loans  to  the  Manila  Railroad  Company  not  to  ex- 
ceed $2,313,500.00,  (7)  in  the  opening  of  a  credit  for  the  Manila 
Railroad  Company  in  the  sum  of  $1,250,000.00  to  be  used  in 
equipment  and  construction  work,  such  credit  to  be  opened  with 
the  prior  approval  of  the  governor-general  and  upon  such  terms 
as  he  may  fix  and  with  such  security  as  he  may  require,  and  (8) 
temporarily  to  purchase  fifty-one  per  cent,  of  the  outstanding 
stock  of  the  Manila  Railroad  Company.^^ 

The  phraseology  of  this  law  as  well  as  some  of  the  purposes 
for  which  the  money  is  to  be  used,  suggests  that  it  originated  in 
the  assembly.  The  investment  of  such  a  large  proportion  of  the 
money  in  loans  to  commercial  and  manufacturing  enterprises,  is 
of  doubtful  propriety.  Its  investment  in  the  stock  of  an  embar- 
rassed railroad  corporation  was  dangerous  and  unjustifiable. 

The  total  silver  coinage  of  the  original  issue  amounted  to 
$16,389,640.90.  Of  this  amount,  on  January  1,  1915,  all  but 
$1,209,339.20  had  been  withdrawn  from  circulation  and  re- 
coined.  On  that  date  there  had  been  received  from  the  mint 
silver  coinage  of  the  present  weight  and  fineness  amounting  to 
$25,157,560.03. 

Until  recently  the  Bank  of  the  Philippines,  the  former  Spanish- 
Filipino  Bank,  was  the  only  institution  in  the  islands  authorized 
to  issue  notes.  To  July  1,  1915,  $2,663,746.25  of  its  notes  had 
been  issued. 

The  Act  of  March  2,  1903,  authorized  the  insular  treasurer 
to  receive  deposits  of  the  standard  silver  peso  in  sums  of  not  less 
than  twenty  pesos  and  to  issue  silver  certificates  therefor  in  de- 
nominations of  not  less  than  two  or  more  than  five  hundred 
pesos,  the  coin  to  be  held  for  the  redemption  of  this  paper  cur- 
rency on  demand.  These  silver  certificates  were  made  receivable 
for  customs,  taxes  and  all  public  dues  in  the  Philippines.  On  Jan- 
uary 1,  1914,  $15,022,785.00  of  these  certificates  were  in  circula- 
tion. Originally  only  silver  was  receivable;  but  Congress  later 
authorized  the  acceptance  of  gold  as  a  reserve  and  the  issue  of 
certificates  against  that  also.     This  gold  reserve  is  gradually  be- 

23  Kept.  Phil.  Com.,  1914,  p.  246. 


FINANCE,    TAXATION    AND    TRADE  145 

ing  increased  and  will  probably  in  time  render  the  gold  standard 
fund  unnecessary. 

The  total  money  in  actual  circulation  in  the  islands  on  January 
1,  1915,  was  $26,287,553.87,  which  on  the  basis  of  population 
shown  by  the  census  of  1903,  makes  a  per  capita  circulation  of 
$3.44. 

An  institution  known  as  the  Philippine  National  Bank  has  re- 
cently been  organized,  with  a  capital  of  ten  million  dollars,  of 
which  the  government  is  to  own  a  majority  of  the  shares.^*  It  is 
to  be  a  government  institution  with  a  minority  of  the  shares  of 
stock  held  by  individuals.  This  bank  is  authorized  to  issue  its 
circulating  notes  in  an  amount  not  exceeding  seventy-five  per 
cent,  of  the  securities  held  by  it,  subject  to  the  limitation  that  the 
total  amount  of  notes  outstanding  shall  not  at  any  time  ex- 
ceed sixty  per  cent,  of  its  capital  and  surplus.  In  addition  thereto 
it  may  issue  notes  against  gold  coin  of  the  United  States  to  the 
full  value  thereof.  All  these  notes  are  made  receivable  for  taxes 
and  other  dues  of  the  government. 

The  income  of  the  insular  government  is  derived  from  cus- 
toms dues  and  certain  impositions,  fees  and  charges  which  are 
known  as  internal  revenue  taxes,  including  charges  for  forest 
products  and  the  part  of  the  United  States  income  tax  collected 
in  the  Philippines.^^  The  interest  arising  from  special  funds  and 
certain  treasury  operations  now  constitutes  a  material  addition 
to  the  income  of  the  government. 

The  proceeds  of  the  land  tax  go  into  the  provincial  and  mu- 
nicipal treasuries,  certain  of  which  also  share  in  the  taxes  paid 
on  the  gross  earnings  by  railway  and  other  corporations  operat- 
ing under  franchise.     The  municipalities  raise  their  revenue  by 


24  Act  2612,  February  4,  1916. 

25  "The  administration  of  the  law  and  the  collection  of  the  taxes  imposed 
in  Porto  Rico  and  the  Philippine  Islands  shall  be  by  the  appropriate  internal 
revenue  officers  of  those  governments,  and  all  revenues  collected  in  Porto 
Rico  and  the  Philippine  Islands  thereunder  shall  accrue  intact  to  the  general 
governments  thereof,  respectively."  Federal  Income  Law  of  October  3,  1913, 
Sec.  3176  M.  This  is  the  only  tax  imposed  in  the  Philippines  by  the  direct 
action  of  Congress. 


146  THE    PHILIPPINES 

taxation  and  license  fee  imposed  under  the  authority  of  the  gen- 
eral government  about  as  do  similar  public  corporations  in  the 
United  States.  The  provincial  and  municipal  governments  have 
never  been  entirely  self-supporting,  as  they  should  be,  and  have 
contracted  the  chronic  habit  of  relying  upon  the  central  govern- 
ment for  assistance,  particularly  for  loans  which  they  hope  never 
to  be  called  on  to  repay.  The  only  requirement  imposed  by  the 
Organic  Law  is  that  taxation  shall  be  uniform. 

For  purposes  of  tariff  legislation  the  Philippines  have  been 
treated  very  much  as  foreign  territory.  The  laws  imposing  du- 
ties on  goods  imported  into  the  United  States  never  applied  to 
importations  from  foreign  countries  into  the  islands.  For  a 
time,  under  military  occupation,  the  duties  imposed  by  the  old 
Spanish  customs  laws  were  collected.  These  duties  were  modi- 
fied and  new  rates  fixed  by  the  executive  order  of  the  president, 
Df  July  12,  1898,  which  was  confirmed  by  the  Act  of  July  1, 
1902.  But  the  way  in  which  the  duties  were  imposed  was  not 
satisfactory  and  on  September  17,  1901,  the  commission  passed 
an  act  to  amend  and  revise  the  tariff  laws  and  Congress,  by  the 
Act  of  March  8,  1902,"^  re-enacted  the  commission  law,  thus  mak- 
ing it  a  federal  statute.  After  much  discussion  and  considera- 
tion the  entire  tariff  was  again  revised  by  the  congressional  act 
of  March  3,  1905,  which,  as  amended  in  minor  respects  in  1906, 
continued  in  force  until  the  passage  of  the  Col  ton  Law  of  Au- 
gust 5,  1909.  The  rates  collected  under  the  Dingley  Act  on 
Philippine  products  entering  the  United  States  were  practically 
prohibitive  and  not  until  1909  was  any  material  concession  made 
to  the  islands.  The  Payne  Act,  passed  the  same  day  as  the 
Colton  Act,  provided  for  free  trade  between  the  United  States 
and  the  Philippines,  subject  to  certain  restrictions  which  were 
finally  removed  by  the  Underwood  Tariff  Law  of  October  3, 
1913.  At  the  present  time  there  is  complete  free  trade  between 
the  United  States  and  the  Philippines." 

2^  Chap.  140,  Z2  Stat.  L.   54. 

27  The  Underwood  Tariff  Law  (Sec.  IV  C,  38  Stat.  L.,  114,  Ann.  Stat.  Sup. 


FINANCE,    TAXATION    AND    TRADE  147 

It  was  anticipated  that  for  a  few  years  the  Colton  Law  would 
greatly  reduce  the  revenue  of  the  Philippine  government  but  it 
was  hoped  that  the  development  of  new  markets  in  the  United 
States  would  more  than  compensate  the  islands  for  such  loss.  In 
fact,  however,  it  did  not  have  that  effect,  as  there  were  increased 
importations  from  other  countries  and  the  net  revenue  from  the 
customs  during  the  fiscal  year  following  the  passage  of  the  law 
amounted  to  $7,809,659.06,  as  against  $7,652,054.57  for  the  pre- 
vious year. 

The  effect  of  the  Payne  tariff  on  trade  with  the  United  States 
was  instantaneous  and  the  importations  from  the  Philippines  into 
the  United  States  during  that  year  amounted  to  $10,776,128.00 
as  against  $4,693,831.00  for  the  previous  year. 

The  duties  imposed  by  the  existing  law  upon  importations 
are  very  moderate  and  there  is  a  very  liberal  free  list.  It  is,  with 
very  few  exceptions,  a  tariff  for  revenue  only.  The  average  duty 
imposed  is  about  twenty-five  per  cent,  ad  valorem.  For  illus- 
tration the  ad  valorem  rate  is,  on  porcelain  and  earthenware,  from 
ten  to  fifty  per  cent. ;  precious  stones  and  imitations  thereof, 
fifteen  per  cent,  to  seventy  per  cent. ;  cutlery,  twenty  per  cent, 
to  thirty  per  cent. ;  fire  arms,  forty  per  cent. ;  copper  and  alloys 
and  other  metals,  ten  per  cent,  to  twenty-five  per  cent. ;  drugs 
and  chemicals  in  some  cases  specific,  but  not  less  than  twenty-five 
per  cent. ;  paints,  dyes  and  varnish,  ten  per  cent,  to  twenty  per 
cent. ;  opium  for  medical  use,  thirty-five  per  cent. ;  proprietary 
medicines,  fifty  per  cent,  to  seventy  per  cent. ;  vegetable  oils, 


1914,  p.  125)  provides  that  "all  articles,  the  growth  or  product  of  or  manu- 
factured in  the  Philippine  Islands  from  material  the  growth  or  product  of 
the  Philippine  Islands,  or  of  the  United  States,  of  or  both,  or  which  do  not 
contain  foreign  materials  of  the  value  of  more  than  20%  of  their  total  value, 
upon  which  no  drawback  of  customs  duties  has  been  allowed  therein,  coming 
into  the  United  States  from  the  Philippine  Islands,  shall  hereafter  be  ad- 
mitted free  of  duty  .  .  .  and  all  articles  the  growth,  product  or  manu- 
facture of  the  United  States,  upon  which  no  drawback  of  customs  duties  has 
been  allowed  therein,  shall  be  admitted  to  the  Philippine  Islands  from  the 
United  States  free  of  duty."  Such  free  admission  is  conditioned  upon  the 
shipments  being  direct,  under  a  through  bill  of  lading  from  the  country  of 
origin  to  the  country  of  destination  and  the  payment  in  each  country  of  a  tax 
equal  to  the  internal  revenue  there  imposed  on  like  articles  of  domestic 
manufacture.  For  the  present  powers  of  the  Philippine  Legislature  to  change 
the  tariff  laws,  see  infra,  p.  439.     " 


148  THE    PHILIPPINES 

fifteen  per  cent,  to  twenty-five  per  cent. ;  perfumery,  etc.,  forty  per 
cent. ;  cotton  waste,  ten  per  cent. ;  yarns,  threads  and  cordage, 
ten  per  cent,  to  forty  per  cent. ;  textiles  specific  by  weight,  but  not 
less  than  the  equivalent  of  from  twenty-five  per  cent,  to  forty 
per  cent. ;  printing  paper,  ten  per  cent. ;  books,  etchings  and  other 
such  things  not  classed  as  works  of  art,  which  are  free,  thirty  per 
cent. ;  common  wood  logs,  $1.00  each,  when  cut  to  size,  fifteen  per 
cent. ;  fine  woods,  twenty  per  cent,  to  twenty-five  per  cent ;  live 
animals,  horses  and  mules,  $10.00  each;  bovine  animals,  $2.00 
each;  swine,  $1.00  each;  birds,  including  poultry,  ten  cents  each; 
undercloths,  forty  per  cent. ;  other  cloths,  twenty-five  per  cent ; 
boots  and  shoes,  fifteen  per  cent,  to  twenty  per  cent. ;  musical  in- 
struments, twenty-five  to  thirty  per  cent. ;  typewriters,  fifteen  per 
cent. ;  electrical  machinery,  ten  per  cent. ;  engines,  fifteen  per  cent, 
to  twenty  per  cent. ;  wagons  and  carts,  fifteen  per  cent. ;  automo- 
biles, fifteen  per  cent,  to  twenty-five  per  cent. ;  boats,  including 
cost  of  repair  in  foreign  ports,  for  which  adequate  facilities  are 
not  afforded  in  the  Philippines,  fifty  per  cent. ;  rice,  prior  to  May 
1,  1910,  unhusked,  fifty  per  cent,  and  husked,  $1.00  per  hun- 
dred kilos;  rice  flour,  $2.00  per  hundred  kilos,  after  that  date, 
unhusked  eighty  cents,  and  husked  $1.20  per  hundred  kilos  ;^* 
spirits,  wines,  malt  and  other  beverages  pay  specific  rates,  not  less 
than  the  equivalent  of  forty  per  cent,  ad  valorem.  In  a  number 
of  instances  specific  rates  are  fixed  with  a  proviso  that  it  must 
be  the  equivalent  of  a  named  ad  valorem  rate.  Thus  gold  and 
silver  wares  pay  a  specific  duty,  not  less,  however,  than  twenty- 
five  per  cent,  ad  valorem;  wrought  iron  and  steel,  a  specific  rate 
not  less  than  fifteen  per  cent,  ad  valorem. 

This  will  give  a  fair  idea  of  the  rates  imposed  on  imports.  The 
Colton  Law  imposed  an  export  tax  upon  abaca  (hemp),  sugar, 
copra  and  tobacco  when  exported  to  any  country  other  than  the 
United  States,  and  from  this  source  the  government  secured  a 

28  Provided  that  the  governor-general  with  the  consent  of  the  commission 
may  keep  the  higher  rate  in  force  until,  in  his  judgment,  conditions  in  the 
islands  warrant  the  imposition  of  the  lower  rate  and  provided  further  that 
the  governor-general,  with  the  consent  of  the  commission,  may  suspend  afl 
duties  on  rice  when  local  conditions  so  require. 


FINANCE,    TAXATION    AND    TRADE  149 

much  needed  addition  to  the  income  of  about  five  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars  per  year,  but  in  1913  the  provision  was  repealed  by 
the  Underwood  Tariff  Law  and  at  present  there  are  no  export 
duties. 

With  certain  changes  the  Spanish  revenue  laws  were  continued 
in  force  for  about  five  years  after  the  American  occupation.^' 
The  changes  which  were  made  from  time  to  time  resulted  in  de- 
creasing the  income  of  the  insular  government.  The  lottery,  the 
mint  charges  and  the  contract  for  the  sale  of  opium  were  sus- 
pended. The  tax  on  rentals  of  urban  property  was  repealed  and 
a  tax  imposed  on  the  market  value  of  real  estate.  The  personal 
cedula  was  reduced  from  an  average  of  five  pesos  to  one  peso  on 
each  adult  male,  thus  reducing  the  revenue  from  that  source, 
by  about  five  million  pesos.  The  various  changes  made  in  the 
documentary  stamp  tax  alone  reduced  the  revenue  from  ap- 
proximately eight  hundred  seventy  thousand  pesos  in  1896-7  to 
about  two  hundred  forty  thousand  pesos  for  the  fiscal  year 
1902-3.  There  was  a  slight  increase  in  collections  from  the 
industria  taxes  and  the  royalties  on  forestry  products,  but  the 
loss  resulting  from  the  decrease  of  cedula  taxes  greatly  exceeded 
the  increase  from  other  sources. 

During  the  fiscal  year  1896-7  the  Spaniards  collected  yearly 
twelve  million  pesos  from  the  internal  tax  sources,  which  in 
1902-3  produced  a  trifle  less  than  four  and  one-half  million  pesos. 

Under  the  Spanish  system  the  internal  taxes  accrued  to  the 
insular  and  the  surtaxes  to  the  provincial  and  municipal  treas- 
uries. As  our  government  abolished  the  surtaxes  and  appropri- 
ated the  internal  taxes,  as  well  as  the  new  land  taxes,  to  the  uses 
of  the  provincial  and  municipal  governments,  the  central  govern- 
ment was  left  dependent  for  support  on  the  customs  dues.  The 
Dingley  Tariff  Law  rates  against  imports  from  the  Philippines 


2!>See  Rcpt.  Phil.  Com.,  1900-1903,  pp.  116,  120:  hitcrnal  Ta.vatioyx  in  the 
Philippines,  by  John  S.  Hord,  J.  H.  Univ.  Studies,  Series  XXV,  No.  1  (1907). 
This  is  a  very  valuable  paper  by  the  Collector  of  Internal  Revenue,  who,  with 
Secretary  Ide,  prepared  the  law  of  1904. 


150  THE    PHILIPPINES 

practically  closed  the  American  markets^"  to  the  leading  Philip- 
pine products,  and  it  was  necessary  to  find  other  sources  of  rev- 
enue for  the  insular  government.  The  Spanish  law  had  many 
good  features  but  it  imposed  no  proper  tax  on  objects  generally 
regarded  as  luxuries,  such  as  tobacco  and  alcohol.  The  subject 
of  excise  taxation  was  given  careful  study.  It  seemed,  as  Sec- 
retary H.  C.  Ide  said,  that  "a  reasonable  system  of  internal  rev- 
enue taxes  by  which  large  industries,  corporations  and  the  manu- 
facturers of  liquors,  tobaccos  and  cigars  contribute  a  reasonable 
sum  for  the  protection  which  they  receive  from  the  government 
and  for  the  franchises  that  are  secured  to  them,  ought  to  provide 
a  material  addition  to  the  available  resources  and  to  prevent  fur- 
ther deficits." 

The  original  draft  of  what  became  the  Internal  Revenue  Law 
of  1904  was  prepared  by  Secretary  Ide  and  Mr.  John  S.  Hord. 
For  several  months  it  was  subjected  to  much  general  as  well  as 
technical  criticism.^^  After  most  of  the  proposed  rates  had  been 
materially  reduced  and  the  provisions  for  taxing  corporations, 


30  The  Act  of  March  8,  1902,  even  required  the  PhiHppine  government  to 
refund  all  export  duties  imposed  on  articles  exported  from  the  islands  and 
consumed  in  the  United  States.  By  1904  $1,060,460  had  been  thus  collected  in 
the  Philippines  for  the  benefit  principally  of  American  manufacturers  of 
hemp  products.  It  was  simply  a  bounty  paid  to  American  manufacturers  out 
of  the  Philippine  treasury. 

31  "During  several  days,  at  morning  and  afternoon  sessions,  the  Philippine 
Commission  heard  debates  in  which  no  one  had  a  good  word  to  say  for  the 
bill.  The  tenor  of  the  remarks  was  that  the  measure  was  in  principle  rank 
economic  heresy  and  if  enacted  would  in  practice  result  in  an  iniquitous  con- 
fiscation of  vested  rights.  ...  It  was  recommended  that  the  imposition 
of  internal  taxes  be  postponed  indefinitely  because  the  burden  would  be  more 
than  the  already  languishing  liquor  industry  could  survive,  and  that  neither 
could  such  taxes  be  imposed  on  the  tobacco  industry  because  that  would  mean 
the  ruination  of  the  only  thriving  industry  in  the  islands. 

"The  internal  taxes  to  which  the  people  of  the  Philippine  Islands  had  be- 
come accustomed  in  the  past  had  nearly  all  been  taxes  of  direct  payment.  It 
was  not  therefore  a  matter  for  surprise  that  they  should  fail  to  grasp  the 
meaning  of  indirect  taxes  such  as  were  contained  in  the  proposed  law.  The 
shifting  of  tax  payments  they  could  not  understand, — it  was  to  their  way  of 
reasoning  a  new  and  dangerous  departure.     .     .     . 

"The  few  who  came  to  understand  that  the  consumers  were  the  ones  who 
really  paid  the  tax,  still  remained  hostile.  They  claimed  that  the  increase  in 
price,  due  to  the  tax,  would  put  the  poor  man's  cigarette  and  vino — a  popular 
native  liquor — entirely  beyond  his  reach.  Cigarettes  and  vino,  they  claimed, 
were  in  the  Philippines  not  luxuries  but,  on  the  contrary,  absolute  necessi- 
ties."   Hord,  Internal  Taxation  of  the  Philippines,  pp.  21,  22. 


FINANCE,    TAXATION    AND    TRADE  151 

legacies  and  inheritances  omitted,  the  bill  was  passed  and  went 
into  effect  January  1,  1905.  For  some  time  the  business  men, 
almost  without  exception,  continued  antagonistic  to  the  law. 
They  were  unanimous  in  condemning  many  features  of  the  old 
law,  but  they  preferred  its  known  evils  to  the  uncertainties  of  the 
new  system  which  they  could  not  understand.  In  time,  however, 
they  learned  that  their  fears  were  groundless  and  became  well 
satisfied  with  the  new  system. 

The  Internal  Revenue  Law  of  1904  was  revised  in  1914,^^ 
amended  in  1915,^^  and  incorporated  in  the  new  Administrative 
Code  of  1916,  which  is  now  in  force.^* 

At  present  the  sources  of  internal  revenue  for  the  insular  gov- 
ernment are  (a)  the  ccdiila  tax,  (b)  the  documentary  tax,  (c) 
the  privilege  tax  on  business  or  occupation  and  on  signs,  (d) 
specific  taxes  on  manufactured  products,  (e)  taxes  on  resources 
of  banks,  receipts  of  insurance  companies  and  receipts  of  cor- 
porations paying  a  franchise  tax;  (f)  charges  for  forest  prod- 
ucts, (g)  fees  for  testing  and  sealing  weights  and  measures,  (h) 
internal  revenue,  including  the  income  tax  collected  in  the  Phil- 
ippine Islands  under  laws  enacted  by  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States,  and  (i)  ad  valorem  tax  on  the  output  of  mines. 

The  cedilla,  which  is  simply  a  poll  tax  of  one  peso,  must  be  paid 
each  year  by  all  male  inhabitants  over  eighteen  and  under  sixty 
years  of  age,  except  commissioned  officers  and  enlisted  soldiers, 
sailors  and  marines  of  the  army  and  navy,  civilian  employees  of 
the  military  or  naval  branches  of  the  United  States  government 
who  have  come  to  the  Philippine  Islands  under  orders  of  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  United  States,  diplomatic  and  consular  repre- 
sentatives and  officials  of  foreign  powers,  paupers,  insane  per- 
sons, imbeciles  and  persons  serving  a  sentence  of  more  than  one 
year  in  a  public  prison.^^    Delinquents  must  pay  a  surtax  of  from 


32  Act  No.  2339,  February  26.  1914. 

33  Act  No.  2541,  December  21.  1915.  This  was  a  temporary  act  declared  to 
be  in  force  only  from  January  1.  1916,  to  December  31.  1917. 

3*  Enacted  February  24,  1916.  This  Code  repeals  Act  No.  2339,  subject  to 
certain  qualifications  stated  in  Sec.  1744. 

35  Non-Christians  residing  elsewhere  than  in  the  Provinces  of  Mindanao 
and  Sulu  may  be  exempted  by  resolution  of  the  provincial  board. 


152  THE    PHILIPPINES 

fifty  per  cent,  to  one  hundred  per  cent.,  but  liberal  provision  is 
made  for  the  extension  of  time  for  payment  of  the  cedulas.  In 
the  city  of  Manila  and  in  the  provinces  other  than  the  Mountain 
Province  and  Nueva  Vizcaya,  the  cedula  may  be  doubled  by 
resolution  of  the  provincial  or  municipal  board  and  a  resolution 
when  passed  remains  in  force  until  the  governor-general  agrees 
to  its  revocation.  The  extra  amount  thus  raised  goes  into  the 
road  and  bridge  fund. 

A  certificate  showing  payment  of  the  cedula  tax  must  be  ex- 
hibited when  any  ofHcial  business  is  transacted,  such  as  taking  an 
oath  of  office,  registration  as  a  voter,  acknowledging  a  document 
before  a  notary,  or  executing  any  instrument  which  is  required  to 
be  recorded. 

The  stamp  tax  must  be  paid  by  affixing  and  canceling  the  stamp 
upon  documents,  instruments  and  papers  and  upon  acceptances, 
assignments,  sales  and  transfers  of  the  obligation,  right,  or  prop- 
erty incident  thereto,  by  the  person  making,  signing,  issuing  or 
transferring  the  same.  The  tax  is  very  moderate,  but  produces 
a  substantial  income  for  the  government.  For  illustration,  bank 
checks,  drafts  and  certificates  of  deposit  not  drawing  interest, 
require  a  two-centavo  stamp;  promissory  notes,  bills  of  ex- 
change, and  certificates  of  deposit  drawing  interest  require  a  two- 
centavo  stamp  for  each  two  hundred  pesos  or  fractional  part 
thereof  of  their  face  value.  Insurance  policies  require  ten  cen- 
tavos  for  each  two  hundred  pesos  of  the  amount  insured;  indem- 
nity bonds,  one  centavo  for  each  four  pesos  of  premium  charged ; 
warehouse  receipts,  twenty  centavos ;  bills  of  lading  for  goods  to 
be  exported,  ten  centavos ;  for  goods  to  be  shipped  to  another  local 
port,  four  centavos ;  each  passenger  ticket  for  travel  on  other  than 
a  government  vessel,  from  one  to  three  pesos,  depending  on  the 
cost  of  the  ticket.  A  mortgage  on  real  or  personal  property  and 
an  assignment  or  renewal  thereof  requires  a  fifty-centavo  stamp 
where  the  amount  is  from  one  thousand  to  three  thousand  pesos, 
and  fifty  centavos  extra  on  each  additional  three  thousand  pesos 
or  fractional  part  thereof.  A  charter  party,  contract,  or  agree- 
ment for  the  charter  of  a  ship  requires  from  six  to  twenty  pesos 


FINANCE,    TAXATION    AND    TRADE  153 

in  stamps  according  to  the  tonnage  of  the  ship.  Bonds  and  cer- 
tificates of  indebtedness  of  the  insular  or  any  provincial  or  mu- 
nicipal government,  checks,  drafts,  warrants  and  bills  of  exchange 
drawn  by  the  United  States  on  the  insular  or  local  government, 
policies  of  insurance  issued  by  fraternal  and  beneficial  societies 
operated  on  the  lodge  system  or  local  cooperative  plan  and  all 
certificates,  acknowledgments  and  other  papers  required  from  the 
government  officials  in  the  exercise  of  their  official  duties  are 
exempt  from  the  documentary  tax. 

A  privilege  tax  on  businesses  and  occupations  is  imposed  in 
addition  to  the  percentage  tax  on  the  volume  of  sales  by  a  mer- 
chant. The  privilege  tax  must  be  paid  before  any  designated 
business  or  occupation  can  be  lawfully  begun  or  pursued  and  the 
tax  is  payable  on  each  separate  or  distinct  establishment  or  place 
where  the  business  is  conducted  and  for  each  occupation  or  line 
of  business  although  combined  with  some  other  for  which  a  tax 
has  been  paid.  The  occupation  tax  must  be  paid  by  each  individ- 
ual engaged  in  a  calling  subject  thereto  and  the  tax  on  a  business 
by  the  person,  firm  or  company  conducting  the  same. 

Every  person — except  pedlers,  fruit-stand  keepers  and  those 
engaged  in  certain  minor  occupations,  in  which  the  volume  of 
business  is  very  small — engaged  in  a  business  on  which  a  per- 
centage tax  is  imposed  must  pay  an  annual  tax  of  two  pesos; 
but  if  his  receipts  do  not  reach  the  minimum  established  for  the 
percentage  tax,  he  pays  only  the  two  pesos  for  that  year. 

A  distinction  is  thus  made  between  a  business  and  an  occupa- 
tion tax.  Fixed  taxes  on  business  are  imposed  as  follows:  (a) 
distillers  of  spirits,  two  hundred  pesos;  (b)  brewers,  two  hundred 
pesos;  (c)  rectifiers  of  distilled  spirits,  two  hundred  pesos;  (d) 
manufacturers  of  tobacco,  twenty  pesos;  (e)  manufacturers  of 
cigars,  twenty  pesos;  (f)  wholesale  liquor  dealers  in  the  city  of 
Manila,  two  hundred  pesos,  and  in  any  other  place,  sixty  pesos ; 
(g)  retail  liquor  dealers,  forty-eight  pesos;  (h)  retail  zino  deal- 
ers, eight  pesos;  (i)  wholesale  dealers  in  fermented  liquors,  sixty 
pesos;  (j)  retail  dealers  in  fermented  liquors,  twenty  pesos;  (k) 
retail  dealers  in  tuba,  basi,  and  tapuy,  ten  pesos;  (1)  tobacco  deal- 


154  THE    PHILIPPINES 

ers,  eight  pesos;  (m)  retail  leaf  tobacco  dealers,  twenty  pesos; 
(n)  wholesale  pedlers  of  manufactured  tobacco,  or  of  distilled, 
manufactured,  or  fermented  liquor,  or  both,  eighty  pesos;  (o) 
retail  pedlers  of  manufactured  tobacco,  or  of  distilled  manu- 
factured, or  fermented  Hquor,  or  both,  sixteen  pesos;  (p) 
pedlers  of  merchandise  traveling  from  place  to  place,  except 
pedlers  of  foodstuffs  and  those  whose  stock  in  trade  amounts 
to  less  than  fifty  pesos  in  value,  eight  pesos,  to  be  refunded  if 
thereafter  they  shall  pay  the  merchants'  tax  for  the  quarter  in 
a  sum  in  excess  of  eight  pesos;  (q)  proprietors  of  cockpits,  two 
hundred  pesos,  and  for  each  cock-fight  (soltada) ,  a  tax  of  twenty- 
five  centavos;  (r)  proprietors  of  theaters,  museums,  cinemato- 
graphs and  concert  halls,  in  the  city  of  Manila,  two  hundred 
pesos,  and  in  any  other  place,  one  hundred  pesos,  or  in  this  case, 
by  the  month,  ten  pesos;  (s)  proprietors  of  circuses  giving  ex- 
hibitions in  one  or  more  places  or  provinces,  two  hundred  pesos ; 
(t)  proprietors  of  billiard  rooms,  for  each  table,  ten  pesos;  (u) 
owners  of  race  tracks,  for  each  day  on  which  races  are  run  on 
any  track,  sixty  pesos;  (v)  pawnbrokers,  four  hundred  pesos; 
(w)  stockbrokers,  eighty  pesos;  (x)  moneylenders,  eighty  pesos; 
(y)  real  estate  brokers,  eighty  pesos;  (z)  merchandise  brokers, 
eighty  pesos. 

On  occupations  the  following  privilege  taxes  must  be  paid  an- 
nually: (a)  customs  and  emigration  brokers,  eighty  pesos;  (b) 
lawyers,  medical  practitioners,  land  surveyors,  architects,  public 
accountants,  and  civil,  electrical,  mechanical  or  mining  engineers, 
fifty  pesos;  (c)  dental  surgeons,  opticians,  photographers,  lithog- 
raphers, engravers  and  professional  appraisers  or  connoisseurs 
of  tobacco  and  other  domestic  or  foreign  products,  forty  pesos; 
(d)  procuradors  judicales,  agents  de  negocios,  insurance  agents 
and  sub-agents,  and  veterinarians,  forty  pesos;  (e)  pharmacists, 
farriers,  chiropodists,  manicurists,  tattooers  and  masseurs,  twenty 
pesos;  (f)  mid-wives  and  cirujanos  ministrantes  in  medicine  or 
dentistry,  ten  pesos. 

For  the  privilege  of  maintaining  outdoor  signs  and  bill-boards 


FINANCE,    TAXATION    AND    TRADE  155 

a  privilege  tax  of  from  one  to  two  pesos  per  square  meter  or  frac- 
tion thereof,  must  be  paid. 

All  merchants  not  specifically  exempted  because  of  the  insig- 
nificance of  their  business,  must  pay  a  tax  of  one  per  cent,  on  the 
gross  value  in  money  of  the  commodities,  goods,  wares  and  mer- 
chandise sold,  bartered,  exchanged  or  consigned  abroad  by  them, 
such  tax  being  based  on  the  actual  selling  price  or  value  at  which 
the  goods  in  question  are  disposed  of  or  consigned,  whether  con- 
sisting of  raw  material  or  of  manufactured  or  partially  manu- 
factured products,  and  whether  of  domestic  or  foreign  origin.^* 
Things  subject  to  a  specific  tax  and  agricultural  products  when 
sold  by  the  producer  or  owner  of  the  land  where  grown  or  by  any 
other  person  than  a  merchant  or  commission  merchant,  are  ex- 
cluded from  this  percentage  tax  on  merchants'  sales. 

The  specific  internal  revenue  taxes  apply  to  goods  manufac- 
tured or  produced  in  the  Philippine  Islands  for  domestic  sale  or 
consumption  and  the  things  imported  from  the  United  States  or 
foreign  countries,  but  not  to  anything  produced  or  manufactured 
in  the  islands  which  shall  be  removed  for  exportation  and  which 
is  actually  exported  without  returning  to  the  islands,  whether  so 
exported  in  its  original  state  or  as  an  ingredient  or  part  of  any 
manufactured  article  or  product.  In  case  of  importations  the 
internal  revenue  tax  is  added  to  the  customs  duties.  No  specific 
tax  is  collected  on  any  articles  sold  and  delivered  directly  to  the 
United  States  Army  or  Navy  for  actual  use  or  issue  by  the  army 
or  navy,  or  on  any  article  sold  to  the  Bureau  of  Coast  and  Geo- 
detic Survey  purchased  with  funds  furnished  by  the  government 
of  the  United  States. 

Specific  taxes  on  domestic  products  must  be  paid  by  the  manu- 
facturer, purchaser,  owner  or  person  having  possession  of  the 


36  "Merchants"  as  here  used  means  a  person  engaged  in  the  sale,  barter  or 
exchange  of  personal  property  of  whatever  character.  It  includes  manufac- 
turers who  sell  articles  of  their  own  production  and  commission  merchants 
having  establishments  of  their  own  for  the  keeping  and  disposal  of  goods  of 
which  sales  and  exchanges  are  effected,  but  does  not  include  merchandise 
brokers,  who  are  required  to  pay  a  percentage  tax  equivalent  to  4%  of  the 
gross  compensation  received  by  them  in  excess  of  500  pesos  per  quarter. 


156  THE   PHILIPPINES 

same,  and,  except  as  otherwise  specifically  allowed,  such  taxes 
must  be  paid  immediately  before  removal  from  the  place  of  pro- 
duction. 

The  principal  specific  taxes  are  those  imposed  on  liquors  and 
cigars.  Upon  distilled  spirits  there  is  collected,  with  certain  ex- 
ceptions, specific  taxes  as  follows:  (a)  if  produced  from  sap 
of  the  nipa,  cocoanut  or  buri  palm  or  from  the  juice  or  sirup  or 
sugar  of  the  cane,  per  proof  liter,  twenty-five  centavos;  (b)  if 
produced  from  any  other  material,  per  proof  liter,  seventy  cen- 
tavos. Medicinal  and  toilet  preparations,  flavoring  extracts  and 
all  other  preparations  of  which,  excluding  the  water,  distilled 
spirits  form  the  chief  ingredient,  are  subject  to  the  same  tax  as 
such  chief  ingredient. 

Domestic  alcohol  of  not  less  than  one  hundred  eighty  degrees 
proof  when  denatured,  is  exempt  from  a  specific  tax,  when  with- 
drawn for  use  for  fuel,  light,  power,  or  in  the  arts  and  indus- 
tries. 

On  wines  and  imitation  wines  there  is  collected  per  liter  of 
volume  capacity,  regardless  of  proof,  the  following  tax:  (a) 
sparkling  wines,  one  peso;  (b)  still  wines  containing  fourteen 
per  cent,  of  alcohol  or  less,  eight  centavos;  (c)  still  wines  con- 
taining more  than  fourteen  per  cent,  of  alcohol,  fifteen  centavos. 
Imitation  wines  containing  more  than  twenty-five  per  cent,  of 
alcohol  are  taxed  as  distilled  spirits.  Beer,  ale,  porter  and  other 
fermented  liquors  pay  four  centavos  per  liter  of  volume  capacity. 

Manufactured  products  of  tobacco,  except  cigars,  cigarettes 
and  tobacco  specially  prepared  for  chewing  so  as  to  be  unsuitable 
for  consumption  in  any  other  manner,  but  including  all  other 
tobacco  twisted  by  hand  or  reduced  into  condition  to  be  consumed 
in  any  manner  other  than  the  ordinary  method  of  drying  and 
curing,  and  all  tobacco  prepared  or  apparently  prepared  for  sale 
or  consumption,  and  all  fine  cut  shorts,  and  refuse,  scraps,  cut- 
tings, clippings  and  sweepings  of  tobacco,  pay  forty-eight  cen- 
tavos on  each  kilogram.  Tobacco  products  intended  for  indus- 
trial use  are  exempt  from  the  tax. 

Cigars  and  cigarettes,  except  hand-made  cigars  and  cigarettes 


FINANCE,    TAXATION    AND    TRADE  157 

prepared  by  a  consumer  for  his  own  consumption  and  so  used, 
pay  the  full  tax:  (a)  when  a  manufacturer's  usual  wholesale 
value,  less  the  amount  of  the  tax,  is  twenty  pesos  per  thousand 
or  less,  on  each  thousand,  two  pesos ;  when  it  is  more  than  twenty 
pesos  but  not  more  than  fifty  pesos  per  thousand,  on  each  thou- 
sand, four  pesos;  when  it  exceeds  fifty  pesos  per  thousand,  on 
each  thousand,  six  pesos;  (b)  cigarettes,  weighing  not  more  than 
two  kilograms  per  thousand,  on  each  thousand,  one  peso ;  weigh- 
ing more  than  two  kilograms,  two  pesos  per  thousand.  Matches 
pay  on  each  gross  of  boxes  containing  not  more  than  one  hundred 
twenty  sticks  to  the  box,  forty  centavos;  when  containing  more, 
a  proportionate  additional  tax. 

Condensed  skimmed  milk,  and  all  skimmed  milk,  in  whatever 
form,  sold  in  the  islands,  pays  twenty  centavos  for  each  kilogram 
of  gross  weight  of  the  milk  containers.  Refined  and  manufac- 
tured mineral  oils  pay  (1)  naphtha,  gasoline  and  all  other  later 
products  of  distillation,  three  centavos;  (2)  kerosene  or  pe- 
troleum, one  and  one-half  centavos;  (3)  and  lubricating  oils,  two 
centavos,  per  liter  of  volume  capacity. 

Coal  and  coke  pay  fifty  centavos  per  meter  ton.  Cinemato- 
graphic films  imported  or  manufactured  in  the  islands  pay  three 
centavos  per  lineal  meter.  Playing  cards,  containing  not  more 
than  fifty-eight  cards  per  pack,  pay  each  twenty  centavos. 

Banks  pay  a  tax  of  one  twenty-fourth  of  one  per  cent,  upon  the 
capital  employed  (not  including  money  borrowed  in  the  usual 
course  of  business  from  persons  not  interested  in  the  bank)  for 
each  month,  one-eighteenth  of  one  per  cent,  for  each  month  upon 
the  average  deposits  subject  to  check  or  represented  by  certifi- 
cates of  deposit,  one-twelfth  of  one  per  cent,  on  the  average  ac- 
tual circulation,  and  one  per  cent,  for  each  month  additional  on 
the  average  amount  of  such  circulation  in  excess  of  the  amount 
of  the  paid-in  capital.  Foreign  banks  pay  on  the  proportion  of 
their  total  capital  that  the  net  earnings  from  business  in  the 
Philippines  bears  to  the  total  net  earnings  of  the  institution. 
Savings  institutions  are  exempt  from  the  tax  on  all  deposits  not 
exceeding  four  thousand  pesos  made  in  the  name  of  one  person, 


158  THE    PHILIPPINES 

and  on  all  their  deposits  which  are  invested  in  securities  satis- 
factory to  the  insular  treasurer. 

Persons  and  corporations  transacting  an  insurance  business 
(except  purely  cooperative  associations)  pay  one  per  cent,  on  the 
total  premiums  collected  each  year.  Gross  earnings  taxes  are 
provided  for  in  the  charters  of  all  railroad  and  other  corporations 
to  which  franchises  are  granted. 

Fixed  charges  are  made  for  each  cubic  meter  of  lumber,  fire- 
wood, stone  and  earth,  cut  or  taken  from  any  public  forest  or 
forest  reserve.  The  fees  charged  for  inspecting  and  sealing 
weights  and  measures  are  classed  as  Internal  revenue.  An  ad 
valorem  tax  equal  to  one  and  one-half  per  cent,  of  the  market 
value  is  collected  on  the  gross  output  of  each  mine. 

The  provincial  and  municipal  governments  also  exercise  the 
taxing  power  under  grants  of  authority  from  the  legislature.  A 
land  tax  levied  by  the  provincial  board,  furnishes  the  chief  rev- 
enue of  the  provinces,  which,  however,  share  in  the  internal 
revenue  receipts  of  the  central  government.  In  addition  to  a  land 
tax  levied  for  school  purposes,  the  municipalities  exact  license 
fees  for  privileges,  occupations,  and  grants  of  fishery  rights,  and 
receive  profits  from  certain  business  enterprises  such  as  public 
markets  in  which  they  are  authorized  to  engage.  Like  the  prov- 
inces, they  receive  a  substantial  portion  of  the  internal  revenue. 

The  city  of  Manila  is  practically  a  province  as  well  as  a  mu- 
nicipality. Its  principal  revenues  are  derived  from  the  land  tax, 
licenses,  and  other  impositions  such  as  are  ordinarily  collected  by 
municipal  governments.  Real  estate  is  assessed  by  the  city  as- 
sessor and  collector,  subject  to  an  appeal  to  a  board  of  tax  appeals 
composed  of  seven  members  appointed  annually  by  the  governor- 
general,  and  on  the  valuation  thus  fixed  an  annual  tax  of  one  and 
one-half  per  cent,  is  levied. 

Machines,  mechanical  contrivances,  and  appliances  used  for 
industrial,  agricultural  or  manufacturing  purposes,  whether  or 
not  technically  fixtures,  are  excluded  from  the  value  of  the  land. 
Lands  owned  by  government,  burial  grounds,  churches  and  their 
adjacent  parsonages  and  conventos,  and  lands  and  buildings  used 


FINANCE,    TAXATION    AND    TRADE  159 

exclusively  for  religious,  charitable,  scientific  and  educational 
purposes,  and  not  for  profit,  are  exempt ;  but  the  exemption  does 
not  include  lands  or  buildings  held  for  investment,  the  income  of 
which  is  devoted  to  religious,  charitable,  scientific,  or  educational 
purposes.    The  exemptions  are  excessive. 

In  the  face  of  strong  opposition,  and  after  years  of  urging, 
the  legislature  recently  authorized  the  city  of  Manila  to  levy  spe- 
cial assessments  for  benefits  on  real  estate  to  the  extent  of  sixty 
per  cent,  of  the  cost  of  contemplated  public  improvement.  Only 
land  owned  by  the  United  States  or  the  government  of  the  Philip- 
pines is  exempt  from  this  special  assessment  tax. 

The  provinces  and  municipalities  receive  forty  per  centum  of 
the  proceeds  of  the  internal  revenue  tax  levied  and  collected  by 
the  insular  government,  ten  per  cent,  being  set  aside  as  a  pro- 
vincial, ten  per  cent,  as  a  road  and  bridge,  and  twenty  per  cent, 
as  a  municipal  allotment. ^^  For  purposes  of  allotment,  which  are 
made  on  the  basis  of  population,  a  chartered  city,  township,  or 
other  local  governmental  division  not  constituting  a  part  of  a 
municipality  proper,  is  deemed  a  municipality.  The  city  of  Ma- 
nila receives  the  share  which  it  would  receive  both  as  a  munici- 
pality and  a  regularly  organized  province.  The  cedula  tax  all 
goes  into  the  provincial  treasuries  although  in  provinces  where 
the  regular  one-peso  charge  is  doubled  the  extra  peso  goes  into 
the  road  and  bridge  fund  or  the  road  and  public  works  funds. 

The  proceeds  of  fees  for  sealing  weights  and  measures  and  all 
license  taxes  on  theaters,  museums,  cockpits,  concert  halls,  bond 
brokers,  billiard  rooms,  and  retail  dealers  in  tiiba,  basi,  tapuy, 
or  like  domestic  liquors,  go  to  the  municipality  where  collected. 

Franchise  taxes  paid  by  a  grantee  which  has  outstanding  bonds 
the  interest  on  which  is  guaranteed  by  the  government,  and  by 


37  These  allotments,  however,  can  not  exceed  the  amount  allotted  for  the 
same  purpose  during  the  fiscal  year  1909.  The  provincial  allotment  is  appor- 
tioned to  the  treasuries  of  the  provinces  and  accrues  to  their  general  funds. 
The  road  and  bridge  allotments  are  apportioned  among  the  provinces  wherein 
the  road  tax  continues  in  force  and  other  provinces  wherein  the  annual  cedula 
tax  is  maintained  at  two  pesos.  The  municipal  allotments,  the  Administrative 
Code  declares,  "shall  be  for  the  benefit  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  islands,  in 
the  purview  of  their  community  requirements,"  being  available  for  municipal 
or  other  designated  uses. 


160 


THE    PHILIPPINES 


the  grantee  of  a  submarine  telegraph  cable,  go  in  their  entirety 
to  the  insular  treasury.  Where  the  franchise  is  for  a  steam  rail- 
road, a  marine  railroad,  an  electric  or  tramway  line,  or  a  public 
service  plant,  the  proceeds  of  the  tax  are  divided  in  fixed  propor- 
tion between  the  insular  government  and  the  provinces  and  mu- 
nicipalities interested — the  insular  government  receiving  from 
one-half,  in  the  case  of  an  ordinary  railroad,  to  one-fifth  in  the 
case  of  a  public  service  plant. 

The  foregoing  summary  statement  will  give  the  reader  a  fair 
idea  of  the  system  of  taxation  and  the  extent  of  the  burden  im- 
posed on  the  people.  The  burden  is  cast  upon  those  members  of 
the  community  who  are,  presumptively,  at  least,  most  able  to 
bear  it.  There  is  no  personal  property  tax  and  the  documentary 
stamp  tax  only  is  imposed  on  mortgages  and  such  securities  for 
debt.  The  administrative  machinery  by  which  the  revenues  are 
collected  now  seems  to  be  working  with  very  little  friction. 

Under  this  system  the  revenues  of  the  government,  other  than 
from  the  cedula  and  a  few  other  items,  are  determined  by  the 
volume  of  business  transacted  in  the  islands  and  with  foreign 
countries.  The  table  which  shows  the  annual  income  of  the  gov- 
ernment shows  also  that  there  has  been  a  steady  improvement  of 
business  conditions.  The  foreign  commerce  of  the  country,  as 
shown  by  the  following  tables,  continued  to  grow  steadily  until 
interfered  with  by  the  European  war. 

The  imports  for  the  years  1906-1914,  exclusive  of  gold  and 
silver,  were  as  follows : 


From — 

Twelve  months  ending  December — 

United 

Other 

Total 

States 

countries 

1906   

$4,477,886 

$21,925,882 

$26,403,768 

1907 

5,067,538 

25,386,272 

30,453,810 

1908   

5,101,836 

24,084,284 

29,186,120 

1909  

6,445,331 

24,639,088 

31,084,419 

1910  

20,068,542 

29,650,819 

49,719,361 

1911   

19,156,987 

28.867,420 

48.024,407 

1912   

24,309,010 

37,358,941 

61,667,951 

1913   

26,676,261 

26,636,525 

53,312,786 

1914  

24,020,395 

24,568,258 

48,588,653 

FINANCE,    TAXATION    AND    TRADE 


161 


The  exports  for  the  years  1906-1914,  exclusive  of  gold  and 
silver,  were  as  follows; 


Twelve  months  ending  December — 


To- 


United 
States 


Other 
countries 


Total 


1906 
1907 
1908 
1909 
1910 
1911 
1912 
1913 
1914 


$11,869,289 
10,329,387 
10,450,755 
14,726,513 
17,241,725 
19,827,030 
22,814,238 
16,434,018 
24,427,710 


$20,773,603 
22,768,480 
22,150,317 
20,197,824 
23,386,738 
24,760.261 
31,970,500 
31,338,938 
24,261,924 


$32,642,892 
33,097,867 
32,601,072 
34,924,337 
40,628,463 
44,587,291 
54,784,738 
47,772,956 
48,689,634 


The  total  foreign  trade  for  the  year  1915  was  larger  than  in 
any  previous  year  in  the  history  of  the  islands.^^  The  imports 
amounted  to  $49,312,188,  and  the  exports  to  $53,863,004,  mak- 
ing a  total  of  $102,675,292.  The  exports  to  the  United  States 
amounted  to  $50,034,560. 


3»Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1915,  p.  192  (Rept.  Secretary  of  Finance  and  Justice, 
dated  May  2.  1916). 


CHAPTER  VIII 
Defense  and  Public  Safety — The  Army  and  Navy 

Cooperation  of  Civil  and  Military  Authorities — The  Navy — Status  of  Army 
— Gradual  Reduction — Cost  of  Military  Establishment — Defense  from  Ex- 
ternal Enemies — Moral  Effect  of  Army  Presence — Relation  with  Civil  Gov- 
ernment— Detailed  Army  Officers — Organization  of  Native  Troops — The 
Scouts — The  Constabulary — The  Municipal  Police — Seditious  Movements. 

At  a  dinner  in  Cairo  the  talk  was  of  what  had  been  accom- 
pHshed  under  British  rule  for  the  regeneration  of  Egypt.  After 
generous  praise  had  been  given  to  the  diplomats,  army  officers 
and  engineers,  an  elderly  civilian  remarked,  "But  do  not  forget, 
gentlemen,  that  this  all  rests  on  the  work  of  one  man,  Mr. 
Tommy  Atkins."  After  the  excitement  of  war  times  has  sub- 
sided and  men  are  absorbed  with  commerce,  trade  and  the  mul- 
tifarious problems  of  civil  government  and  administration,  it  is 
very  easy  to  forget  the  work  of  the  soldier  and  sailor  who  made 
it  all  possible. 

Since  the  fall  of  Manila  the  navy  has  had  no  direct  connec- 
tion with  the  government  of  the  Philippines,  but  the  constant 
presence  of  some  part  of  the  Asiatic  fleet  in  Manila  Bay  and  the 
location  of  the  naval  stations  at  Cavite  and  Olongapo  have  re- 
quired the  careful  coordination  of  the  work  of  the  civil,  military 
and  naval  authorities.  Admiral  Dewey  stands  out  as  the  con- 
spicuous figure  of  the  first  few  months  of  American  control,  but 
from  the  nature  of  their  duties  naval  officers  have  had  little  con- 
nection with  the  administrative  work  of  the  insular  government. 

The  control  of  the  army  ceased  in  1902,  and  since  that  time 
it  has  borne  the  same  relation  legally  to  the  insular  government 
that  it  does  to  a  state  government  when  occupying  a  military 
reservation  in  the  United  States.  The  commanding  general  of 
the  department  of  the  Philippines  has  had  no  more  control  over 
the  civil  government  than,  for  instance,  the  commander  of  the 
department  of  the  East  has  over  the  government  of  the  state  of 

162 


DEFENSE    AND    PUBLIC    SAFETY  163 

New  York.  Nevertheless,  the  peculiar  local  conditions  and  the 
direct  control  of  the  secretary  of  war  over  the  military  and  civil 
authorities  have  necessitated  active,  and  in  recent  years,  very  cor- 
dial cooperation.  The  governor-general  is  the  ranking  official 
in  the  islands,^  and  his  relation  with  the  administration  at  Wash- 
ington is  always  such  that  on  questions  of  general  policy  his 
word  is  usually  final,  with  the  result  that  on  matters  not  purely 
military  the  commanding  general  must  work  in  harmony  with 
the  governor-general. 

In  1901,  when  Taft  became  civil  governor,  there  were  approx- 
imately 23,000  United  States  troops  scattered  throughout  the 
Archipelago  from  Jolo  to  northern  Luzon.^  As  the  country  be- 
came quiet  and  the  ability  of  the  constabulary  to  maintain  order 
in  most  localities  was  demonstrated,  the  number  of  regular  troops 
was  reduced  and  concentrated  in  posts  near  the  larger  cities  I 
like  Manila,  Batangas,  Iloilo,  Cebu  and  Zamboanga,  and  at  dan-  I, 
ger  points  like  Jolo  and  Camp  Keithley.  In  1912  the  number 
had  been  reduced  to  16,702,  of  which  5,732  were  scouts.  The 
withdrawal  of  the  regulars  continued  until  at  present^  there  are 
11,884.  All  but  the  scouts  are  now  stationed  in  the  vicinity  of 
Manila  or  near  by  in  the  island  of  Luzon.  As  now  organized, 
these  units  constitute  a  colonial  army  with  permanent  stations 
in  the  Far  East,  the  officers  and  men  being  relieved  after  com- 
pleting fixed  tours  and  replaced  by  others  transferred  from  the 
United  States. 

The  cost  of  maintaining  the  army  in  the  Philippines  since  the 
close  of  the  insurrection  has  often  been  greatly  exaggerated. 
Nevertheless,  it  is  considerable.  Including  the  scouts,  it  has  av- 
eraged about  $9,000,000  per  annum.*     The  scouts  alone  cost 


^  A  governor-general  is  entitled  to  17  guns,  a  vice-governor  to  15  guns, 
and  a  major-general  to  13  guns.  In  the  British  Crown  colonies  the  governor 
is  also  commander  of  the  military  forces,  but  in  recent  years  the  position  is 
merely  nominal. 

2  The  United  States  Volunteers  enlisted  under  the  Act  of  March  2,  1899, 
were  returned  to  San  Francisco  between  January  and  June,  1901,  and  mus- 
tered out. 

3  June  3,  1916. 

*  There  have  been  various  estimates  of  the  expenses  properly  chargeable 
to  the  Philippine  situation.  The  above  figures  are  from  the  statement  pre- 
pared by  the  War  Department,  Appendix  J,  p.  523,  infra. 


164  THE    PHILIPPINES 

about  $1,000,000  a  year  and  they  exist  only  because  of  the 
American  occupation  of  the  islands.  But  the  remainder  of  the 
army  must  be  maintained  somewhere,  and  only  the  excess  cost 
of  keeping  them  in  the  islands  is  properly  chargeable  to  the  Phil- 
ippine situation.  This  was  made  up  principally  of  transporta- 
tion charges,  increased  cost  of  supplies  and  extra  pay  for  foreign 
service.^ 

To  the  credit  side  should  be  placed  the  creation  of  an  efficient 
transport  system,  the  improvement  of  the  quartermaster  and 
commissary  departments,  and  the  greatly  increased  effectiveness 
of  both  officers  and  men. 

Why  are  these  troops  kept  in  the  Philippines  at  the  expense 
of  the  United  States  instead  of  being  made  a  charge  on  the  in- 
sular government  ?  The  Philippines  are  American  territory,  and 
the  duty  to  defend  its  territory  from  external  aggression  rests 
upon  the  nation.  For  that  purpose,  at  the  national  expense,  mod- 
ern fortifications  have  been  erected  on  Corregidor  and  other  small 
islands  which  guard  the  entrance  to  Manila  Bay  and  on  Isle 
Grande  in  Subig  Bay,  behind  which  lies  the  Olongapo  Naval  Sta- 
tion. There  has  always  been  a  difference  of  opinion  among  ex- 
perts as  to  the  value  of  these  expensive  works.  Corregidor  is 
probably  impregnable  from  naval  attack,  but  it  could  easily  be 
reduced  by  great  guns  placed  in  the  mountains  back  of  Mari vales. 
The  placing  of  such  guns  there  could  be  prevented  only  by  a 
mobile  army  such  as  the  United  States  will  never  be  willing  to 
maintain  in  the  Philippines.  Manila,  which  lies  at  the  foot  of 
the  bay  twenty-five  miles  from  Corregidor,  could  easily  be  cap- 
tured by  a  large  army  which  could,  in  the  absence  of  naval  pro- 


5  In  ordinary  times  the  Spaniards  maintained  about  15,000  soldiers  in  the 
islands.  The  budget  of  1888  provided  for  9,470  infantry,  artillery  and  engi- 
neers, 407  cavalry,  630  disciplinary  troops  (convicts),  3,342  civil  guards  (con- 
stabulary), and  400  civil  guards  corps.  This  establishment  cost  approximately 
$2,000,000  (gold)  per  year.  The  civil  guards  were  very  unpopular  with  the 
people.    See  Appendix  J. 

Some  of  the  towns  maintained  at  their  own  expense  guards  called  Qua- 
rilleros.  They  were  enlisted  from  the  worst  element  of  the  population  and 
not  infrequently  were  closely  identified  with  the  bandits  against  whom  they 
were  supposed  to  protect  the  public. 


DEFENSE    AND    PUBLIC    SAFETY  165 

tection,  be  landed  on  the  shores  of  Lingayen  Bay  about  one  hun- 
dred miles  to  the  north.  The  march  south  would  be  over 
perfectly  level  country,  but  a  comparatively  small  army,  in  even 
hastily  constructed  trenches,  could  at  least  delay  it  very  con- 
siderably. The  city  itself  has  no  defensive  works.  But  after 
capturing  the  city  the  invading  army  would  find  itself  bot- 
tled up  in  Manila.  The  victory  would  be  a  barren  one  so  long 
as  Corregidor  controlled  the  entrance  from  the  sea;  and  before 
the  forts  could  be  reduced  the  issue  would  be  determined  on  the 
high  seas  or  on  the  coasts  of  continental  America. 

It  is  often  said  that  the  Philippines  are  a  source  of  military 
weakness,  but  it  is  true  only  in  the  sense  that  any  remote  valuable 
possession  offers  attractions  to  the  predatory.  If  made  the  main 
object  of  attack  by  a  first-class  near-by  power  the  islands  could 
not,  of  course,  be  successfully  defended.  But  the  Philippine 
Islands  will  never  be  the  cause  of  a  war  between  the  United 
States  and  any  other  power;  nor  even  in  the  event  of  such  a  war 
would  their  temporary  possession  be  of  much  importance  to 
either  contestant. 

The  American  naval  base  is  now  at  Hawaii,  and  in  the  event 
of  a  war  with  Japan  the  Philippines  would  doubtless  be  blockaded 
and  the  small  American  force  there  neutralized  while  the  issue 
was  being  determined  elsewhere.  The  islands  would  remain  with 
or  go  to  the  victor,  and  the  determining  battles  would  be  fought 
far  from  their  shores. 

While  the  nation  has  been  at  peace  the  army  has  been  the 
power  in  reserve  back  of  the  civil  government — the  guaranty 
of  internal  quiet  and  order.  The  sight  of  its  marching  columns 
has  dampened  the  enthusiasm  of  many  a  would-be  insurgent. 

For  several  years  there  was  considerable  friction  between  the 
military  and  the  civil  authorities,  but  the  old  feeling  of  antag- 
onism has  long  since  disappeared.  The  dissatisfaction  which 
existed  in  the  early  days  is  easily  understood  and  was  to  some 
extent  justified  by  facts.  After  the  installation  of  civil  govern- 
ment many  of  the  ex-generals  of  the  insurrecto  armies  were 
elected  provincial  governors  or  held  other  important  civil  [xjsts. 


166  THE   PHILIPPINES 

As  some  of  them  with  whom  the  army  was  brought  into  close 
official  relations  had  acquired  unenviable  military  reputations 
during  the  war  for  deeds  of  cruelty  and  barbarism,  and  as  they 
openly  boasted  of  the  numbers  of  American  soldiers  they  had 
killed,  their  occupancy  of  high  civil  posts  did  nothing  to  decrease 
the  bitterness  of  the  army. 

A  writer  who  assumes  to  express  the  army  view  asserts  that 
"from  the  beginning  there  was  a  systematic  belittling,  on  the  part 
of  the  Taft  Commission,  of  the  work  of  the  army,  incidentally, 
too,  belittling  the  reality  and  unanimity  of  the  opposition  which 
was  daily  calling  it  forth."® 

Such  statements  are  entirely  without  justification.  Certainl)' 
the  president  and  the  secretary  of  war  gave  the  army  full  credit 
for  its  admirable  work.  In  his  general  amnesty  proclamation 
of  July  4,  1902,  President  Roosevelt  spoke  words  of  generous 
praise.  When  the  army  was  accused  of  wholesale  cruelty  in  re- 
taliation against  a  treacherous  and  barbarous  people  and  maligned 
and  lied  about  in  the  press  and  on  the  floors  of  Congress,''  Sec- 
retary Root,  in  a  public  address,  said  :^ 

"In  the  Philippines  .  .  .  the  army  has  put  down  an  insur- 
rection of  seven  millions  of  people.  .  .  .  And  with  the  sword 
it  has  carried  the  school-book,  the  blessings  of  peace  and  self- 
government  and  individual  liberty,  .  .  .  Our  soldiers  have 
been  criticized,  and  some  of  them  have  been  accused,  but  however 
ready  men  at  ease  here  may  be  to  believe,  to  repeat,  to  rejoice 
in  accusations  against  their  brethren  who  are  fighting  under  the 
American  flag  in  support  of  American  sovereignty,  let  me  tell 
you  that  .  .  .  these  men  shall  not  be  condemned  unheard. 
.  .  .  When  the  record  comes  to  be  made  up  in  the  cool  judg- 
ment of  the  American  people  and  of  mankind,  after  Cuba  with 
its  brilliant  page,  after  China  with  its  glorious  achievement,  will 

^  Blount,  The  American  Occupation  of  the  Philippines,  p.  299. 

"^  See  Sen.  Doc.  205,  57th  Cong,  ist  Sess. 

A  senator  from  Tennessee  stigmatized  the  lamented  Funston  as  a  "blath- 
erskite brigadier."  A  senator  from  Idaho  said :  "I  do  not  know  who 
General  Wheaton  is,  but  I  imagine  he  is  a  charity  boy  who  was  appointed  to 
West  Point  by  some  representative  or  senator  and  who  was  educated  by  the 
government."  These  are  but  samples  of  the  abuse  showered  on  distinguished 
officers  by  senators  who  were  unworthy  to  stand  in  their  presence. 

8  Address  at  West  Point,  June  11,  1902. 


DEFENSE    AND    PUBLIC    SAFETY  167 

be  written  another  page,  equally  glorious,  on  which  will  be  re- 
corded the  achievements  in  war  and  in  peace  of  the  American 
army  in  the  Philippines." 

And  so  the  record  has  been  made  up  and  the  judgment  entered. 

Under  the  circumstances  misunderstandings  between  the  civil 
and  military  officials  were  inevitable.  The  army  expected  not 
only  to  conquer  the  country,  but  in  the  natural  course  of  events 
to  govern  it  for  a  good  many  years.  This  could  not  be  per- 
mitted. The  policy  of  the  Washington  administration  was  based 
on  principles  which  are  the  very  antithesis  of  those  which  influ- 
ence military  men  when  dealing  with  matters  within  the  scope 
of  their  profession.  These  antagonistic  theories  and  methods 
of  administration  caused  much  trouble,  dissatisfaction  and  sore- 
ness, but  by  the  judicious  adjusting  of  conflicting  forces  an 
equilibrium  was  finally  established  and  time  and  loyalty  did  the 
rest. 

The  volunteer  soldier  is  a  citizen  of  the  republic  who  for  a 
time  is  released  from  the  common  restraints  of  every-day  life 
and  subjected  to  a  new  set  of  restrictions  which  greatly  gall  his 
somewhat  exaggerated  ego.  The  regular  soldier  is  simply  a  vol- 
unteer who  has  found  himself  and  recognizes  the  wisdom  of 
surrendering  a  little  of  his  individualism  for  the  common  good. 
Both  retain  what  they  regard  as  the  natural  right  to  form  their 
own  opinions  on  questions  of  public  policy.  Each  has  his  own 
independent  and  breezy  methods. 

".     .     .     illogical,  elate. 
He  greets  th'  embarrassed  Gods,  nor  fears 

To  shake  the  iron  hand  of  Fate 
Or  match  with  Destiny  for  beers." 

The  military  theory  was  "that  the  army  was  there  to  put  down 
an  insurrection,  not  to  have  a  symposium  with  its  leaders  on  the 
rights  of  men."  It  did  not  at  all  approve  President  McKinley's 
policy  of  benevolence.  In  a  general  way  the  soldier  accepted  the 
theory  of  the  old  army,  that  the  only  good  Indian  was  a  dead 
Indian,  and  he  embodied  the  idea  in  a  marching  song  which  was 


168  THE    PHILIPPINES 

once  as  well  known  in  the  Philippines  as  was  Tipperary  some- 
where in  northern  France : 

"Underneath  the  starry  flag 
Civilize  him  with  a  Krag 
And  return  us  to  our  own  beloved  homes." 

He  already  had  a  superabundance  of  black  brothers  at  home 
and  objected  to  adopting  a  few  millions  more  of  the  brown  sort. 
As  to  the  Filipino,  he  was  willing  to  admit  that 

"He  may  be  a  brother  of  WiUiam  H.  Taft" 

but  felt  certain  that 

"He  ain't  no  brother  of  mine." 

The  undeniable  fact  is  that  the  soldiers,  almost  without  ex- 
ception, from  commanding  general  to  private,  were  out  of  sym- 
pathy with  the  altruistic  policy  of  the  McKinley  administration. 
A  few  indeed  had  vision  and  could  grasp  the  meaning  of  the 
great  experiment,  but  even  they  believed  that  the  work  of  Fili- 
pinization  was  pushed  forward  too  rapidly. 

While  it  is  true,  as  John  Hay  said,  that  there  never  was  an 
army  that  could  be  trusted  as  an  army  to  govern  a  conquered 
country,  it  is  certain  that  army  officers  when  detached  and  as- 
signed to  civil  work  make  highly  efficient  and  faithful  adminis- 
trators. Some  of  the  very  best  service  rendered  in  the  Philip- 
pines has  been  by  officers  who  were  detailed  and  appointed  to 
civil  office,  and  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  more  of  them  were  not 
utilized  for  such  work.  Leonard  Wood,  Tasker  H.  Bliss  and 
John  J.  Pershing  did  remarkable  work  as  civil  governors  of  the 
Moro  Province  while  performing  also  their  military  duties  as 
department  commanders.  Allen,  Bandholtz,  Baker,  Rivers, 
Hershey,  Hall,  Bennett,  Nolan,  Kilboume  and  other  officers  de- 
tailed from  the  regular  army  were  largely  responsible  for  mak- 
ing the  Philippine  Constabulary  one  of  the  most  efficient  bodies 
of  native  military  police  in  the  world.    The  army  trains  admin- 


DEFENSE    AND    PUBLIC    SAFETY  169 

istrators,  and  colonial  administrative  work  develops  soldiers. 
Lord  Cromer  was  a  major  of  artillery  when  detailed  for  civil 
service  in  India  and  later  in  Egypt.  Sir  Reginald  Wingate,  the 
governor-general  of  the  Soudan,  is  a  general  in  the  army.  Most 
of  the  great  leaders  of  the  French  and  British  armies  of  to-day 
were  trained  in  civil  colonial  administration.  Lord  Kitchener 
spent  a  great  part  of  his  life  in  colonial  civil  and  military  admin- 
istrative work.  Joffre  built  railroads  on  the  West  African  coast 
and  organized  and  managed  an  Industrial  Exposition  in  Tonkin. 
Gallieni  was  a  successful  civil  administrator  in  West  Africa, 
Tonkin  and  Madagascar.  Roque  and  Lyautey,  his  successor  at 
the  French  War  Office,  had  many  years  of  such  service. 

All  colonial  powers  maintained  native  troops  as  auxiliary  to 
their  regular  military  establishments,  and  the  organization  of 
Filipino  regiments,  which  would  permit  the  withdrawal  of  many 
of  the  American  troops  and  thus  reduce  expenses,  was  given 
early  consideration  by  both  the  military  and  civil  authorities. 
There  seems  to  have  been  a  general  consensus  of  opinion  that 
native  regiments  to  serve  with  the  regular  army  and  also  a 
native  constabulary  to  serve  under  the  civil  governor  should 
be  organized.  It  was  believed  that  they  would  be  faithful,  effi- 
cient and  loyal  if  properly  commanded,  and  the  belief  has  been 
justified  by  experience.  In  its  first  report  the  commission  ad- 
vised the  organization  of  ten  regiments  of  native  troops  of  in- 
fantry and  cavalry,  the  field  officers  and  company  commanders 
to  be  Americans  and  the  lieutenants  to  be  Filipinos.^ 

"Much  thought,"  said  Secretary  Root,  "has  been  given  both 
by  the  War  Department  and  by  the  commanding  officers  in  the 
Philippines  to  the  question  of  organizing  native  troops  for  the 
performance  of  this  duty.  I  have  no  doubt  that  this  is  practica- 
ble. The  experiments  which  we  have  already  made  demonstrate 
its  practicability.  We  have  already  organized  several  different 
bodies  of  native  scouts  under  American  officers.^"     .     .     .     All 


9  Kept.  Phil.  Com.  1900,  p.  93. 

10  At  that  time  there  was  one  company  under  Lieutenant  Batson,  com- 


170  THE    PHILIPPINES 

these  have  proved  faithful,  courageous  and  responsive  to  dis- 
cipHne  when  under  the  immediate  control  of  American  officers. 
The  main  trouble  has  been  to  restrain  them  to  the  usages  of 
civilized  warfare." 

It  would  be  economical  as  well  as  safe.     Secretary  Root  said : 

"There  would  be  no  difficulty  in  securing  from  among  the 
natives  the  entire  number  of  troops  necessary  for  the  Philippines 
if  we  wish  to  do  so.  Neither  the  needs  of  the  native  troops  nor 
the  customary  wages  in  the  islands  would  justify  giving  them 
the  same  pay,  allowances  and  subsistence  which  we  give  to  our 
American  soldiers.  One-half  the  cost  of  the  American  soldiers 
in  all  these  respects  will  be  ample  and  satisfactory.  ...  It  can 
properly  proceed  only  so  rapidly  as  the  officers  available  for  the 
purpose  are  able  not  only  to  organize  and  train  the  new  soldiers, 
but  to  cultivate  in  them  the  habit  of  subordination,  respect  for 
authority,  self-control  and  regard  for  the  usages  of  civilized 
warfare.  The  military  requirements  of  the  Philippines  may 
accordingly  be  summed  up  as  follows :  We  need  there  for  the 
immediate  future  about  sixty  thousand  men.  We  may  expect 
this  number  to  be  progressively  decreased.     .     .     ."" 

It  was  then  contemplated  that  a  portion  of  the  expense  of  the 
scouts  should  be  paid  out  of  the  income  of  the  insular  govern- 
ment as  "the  great  wealth  and  rapidly  increasing  revenues  of 
the  islands  make  it  evident  that  at  no  distant  day  the  islands 
themselves  will  be  able  to  pay  whatever  they  justly  should  for 
the  support  of  their  own  police  protection."^^ 

In  1901  Congress  authorized  the  president  to  enlist  a  body  of 
scouts  which  in  due  time  should  become  a  part  of  the  regular 
army  of  the  United  States.  The  original  organizations  were 
mustered  out  as  employees  of  the  insular  government  and  re- 
enlisted  and  organized  as  companies  constituting  a  part  of  the 


posed  of  Macabebes;  one  under  Lieutenant  Castner,  composed  of  Tagalogs ; 
others  of  Visayans  in  Samar  and  Negros;  and  a  squadron  of  Filipino  cavalry 
under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  Batson  as  Major  of  Volunteers. 

11  Rept.  Secretary  of  War,  1902,  p.  249. 
'     12  Rgpf_  Secretary  of  War,  1900  {Annual  Repts.  of  the  Secretary  of  War, 
1900-1903,  p.  136). 


DEFENSE    AND    PUBLIC    SAFETY  171 

regular  establishment.    The  experience  of  the  year  was  encourag- 
ing and  the  secretary  advised  that :" 

"The  Philippine  scouts  should  be  continued.  They  enable  us 
to  reduce  the  force  of  American  troops  in  the  Philippines  more 
rapidly  than  we  could  without  them,  and  their  knowledge  of  the 
country,  language  and  the  ways  of  the  people  make  them  espe- 
cially valuable  in  hunting  down  ladrones,  which  for  a  good  while 
to  come  will  be  an  urgent  business." 

The  relation  between  the  scouts  maintained  at  the  expense  of 
the  United  States  and  the  constabulary,  which  has  been  created 
and  was  being  maintained  by  the  insular  government,  was  left 
to  be  worked  out  in  the  light  of  future  experience. 

The  scouts  are  excellent  soldiers.  In  1907  Brigadier-General 
A.  L.  Mills  said : 

"The  discipline  of  these  companies  is  very  good,  and  hard 
work  in  the  field  has  shown  these  soldiers  to  be  loyal,  patient  and 
efficient.  .  .  .  They  are  good  material  of  which  to  form  an 
insular  army  to  be  used  in  maintaining  peace  and  order  in  the 
archipelago,  and  in  time  of  war,  when  associated  with  American 
troops,  in  repelling  hostile  attacks  from  without." 

"After  serving  nearly  two  years  with  the  Philippine  scouts," 
wrote  Major  C.  R.  Elliott,  "it  is  my  honest  opinion  that  they 
are  the  best  soldiers  in  the  islands  to-day.  I  do  not  bar  any 
regiment  over  here.  You  understand,  I  mean  for  scnnce  in  this 
country.  They  are  more  willing  to  work,  can  outmarch  either 
the  infantry  or  cavalry,  will  work  day  and  night  if  necessary 
without  growling,  can  work  in  the  mud  and  water  better  than 
white  troops,  and  if  necessary  can  construct  their  own  quarters 
from  native  material  where  white  troops  could  or  would  not. 
They  are  more  contented  in  the  field  or  outlying  stations,  can 
shoot  as  well  as  the  average  white  troops,  are  far  more  amenable 
to  discipline,  and  are  not  so  liable  to  tropical  sickness, 

"  Kept.  Secretary  of  War,  1901,  p.  176. 

Various  plans  have  been  proposed  for  consolidating  the  scouts  and  con- 
stabulary into  one  native  force  under  the  control  of  the  Philippine  govern- 
ment, but  it  has  so  far  been  found  impossible  to  adjust  the  conflicting 
interests. 


172  THE    PHILIPPINES 

But  they  would  be  of  little  value  under  Filipino  officers,  whom 
they  obey  with  ill  grace."" 

I  believe  this  expresses  the  general  feeling  of  regular  army 
officers  who  have  commanded  the  scouts.  They  are  good  soldiers 
when  under  American  officers.  There  is  not  much  question  as 
to  their  loyalty  to  such  officers. 

During  recent  years  the  scouts  have  numbered  about  6,000. 
In  1903  there  were  99  officers  and  4,805  men.  In  1916  there 
were  182  officers  and  5,733  enlisted  men,  not  including  thirteen 
captains  of  the  line  detailed  with  the  scouts  as  majors  of  bat- 
talions.^^ At  present  six  of  the  officers  are  natives  of  the  Philip- 
pines, and  of  these  three  are  graduates  of  West  Point.^^ 

But  there  was  work  to  be  done  for  which  the  American 
soldiers  were  not  particularly  well  qualified.  As  they  were  to 
be  withdrawn  from  the  small  stations  and  concentrated  in  larger 
garrisons,  it  was  necessary  for  the  civil  government  to  provide 
for  the  maintenance  of  order  in  the  scattered  towns  and  villages 
of  the  provinces.  The  charter  of  the  city  of  Manila  provided 
for  a  regular  police  force  and  the  municipal  code  required  each 
municipality  to  establish  and  maintain  a  police  force,  but  the  mu- 
nicipal police  were  notoriously  unreliable  and  inefficient.  It  was 
therefore  necessary  to  organize  a  body  of  police  on  military 
lines  which  would  be  under  the  control  of  the  insular  govern- 
ment and  available  for  use  in  all  parts  of  the  islands.  Policy  as 
well  as  economy  required  that  it  be  composed  of  natives.^^    The 


i^The  method  of  selecting  company  officers  from  old  non-commissioned 
officers  is  bad.  They  should  be  selected  as  constabulary  officers  are,  from 
young  college  graduates. 

15  The  scouts  have  no  regimental  organization. 

IS  The  Philippine  government  is  allowed  to  keep  two  Filipino  cadets  at  the 
Military  Academy. 

1^  Secretary  Root,  in  his  Report  for  1903,  said : 

"In  the  beginning  the  employment  of  natives  for  such  a  purpose  was  re- 
garded as  a  dubious  experiment.  There  were  prophets  of  evil  who  did  not 
hesitate  to  foretell  disaster  as  the  result  of  such  a  course  of  procedure.  It 
was  asserted  both  by  friendly  and  unfriendly  critics  that  the  natives  would 
prove  cruel,  inefficient,  and  disloyal.  A  careful  study,  however,  of  oriental 
peoples  and  especially  of  the  Filipino  people,  caused  the  commission  to  con- 
clude that  these  fears  were  groundless  and  that  under  American  direction  and 
leadership  they  would  not  only  prove  reliable  but  in  addition  could  be  made 


DEFENSE    AND    PUBLIC    SAFETY  173 

experience  of  the  military  authorities  had  already  demonstrated 
that  Filipino  soldiers,  when  properly  commanded,  could  be 
trusted,  and  this  "put  at  rest  the  only  practical  question  that 
ever  arose  as  to  their  availability." 

On  July  18,  1901,^^  the  commission  provided  for  an  armed, 
equipped  and  disciplined  force,  to  be  called  the  Philippine  Con- 
stabulary, to  consist  of  not  exceeding  one  hundred  and  fifty  men 
for  each  province,  the  whole  to  be  under  a  chief  and  four  assist- 
ant chiefs.  For  administrative  purposes  the  islands  were  divided 
into  four  departments  with  an  assistant  chief  in  charge  of  each. 
The  constabulary  were  declared  to  be  peace  officers  and  were 
charged  particularly  with  the  duty  to  prevent  and  suppress  brig- 
andage, insurrection,  unlawful  assemblies  and  breach  of  peace. 

The  plan  contemplated : 

1.  That  Americans  should,  as  a  general  rule,  be  in  command 
of  the  forces  to  be  organized  in  the  provinces  and  that  the  non- 
commissioned officers  and  privates  should  be  Filipinos. 

2.  That  each  province  should  furnish  its  quota  of  men,  whose 
operations  ordinarily  were  to  be  confined  to  their  own  province. 

The  policy  of  the  British  and  Spanish  had  been  to  utilize  na- 
tive troops  as  constabulary  in  districts  other  than  that  from 
which  they  were  drawn,  thereby  taking  advantage  of  tribal  an- 
tagonism and  avoiding  the  embarrassment  incident  to  dealing 
with  their  immediate  friends  and  neighbors.  But  the  commis- 
sion thought  that  as  against  the  disadvantages  there  were  sub- 
stantial benefits  to  be  derived  from  pursuing  the  opposite  course. 
It  was  believed  that  if  properly  officered  and  trained  there  need 
be  no  fear  of  treachery,  and  that  there  were  in  fact  many  ad- 


far  more  eflfective  for  service  to  be  performed  than  even  a  greater  number  of 
American  soldiers.  It  seemed  plain  to  the  commission  that  the  .A.merican 
people  would  be  adverse  to  a  policy  which  eliminated  the  native  Filipinos  as 
a  factor  in  maintaining  order.  Not  only  did  the  consideration  of  expense  cut 
a  most  important  figure  but  in  addition  continued  occupancy  of  the  islands 
under  a  purely  military  regime  in  which  the  Filipinos  were  to  have  no  part 
seemed  wholly  opposed  to  American  ideas.  In  short,  it  was  believed  that 
unless  the  Filipinos  thus  could  be  largely  utilized  in  this  and  other  branches 
of  the  government,  American  administration  must  prove  an  expensive  and 
mortifying  failure." 
18  Act  No.  175. 


174  THE    PHILIPPINES 

vantages  in  having  the  poHce  famihar  with  the  terrain  and  the 
people  of  the  province  in  which  they  were  operating. 

The  constabulary  was  organized  in  1901  with  Captain  Henry 
T.  Allen  as  chief  and  Captain  D.  J.  Baker  as  first  assistant  chief. 
The  other  assistant  chiefs  were  selected  from  non-commissioned 
officers  and  soldiers  then  serving  in  the  Philippines.  Subse- 
quently Congress  provided  that  officers  of  the  United  States 
Army  might  be  detailed  for  service  as  chiefs  and  assistant  chiefs 
of  constabulary,  and  that  during  the  continuance  of  such  de- 
tails the  officer  serving  as  chief  should  have  the  rank  and  al- 
lowance of  a  brigadier-general,  and  an  officer  serving  as  assist- 
ant chief  that  of  colonel. ^^ 

The  Philippine  government  was  required  to  pay  the  difference 
in  salaries  due  to  such  increase  in  rank.  It  was  customary  to 
detail  regular  army  officers  as  inspectors  of  constabulary  and 
thus  place  them  in  training  for  appointment  as  assistant  chiefs. 

It  was  far  from  easy  to  secure  qualified  officers  and  trustworthy 
enlisted  men,  but  by  the  end  of  the  year  1901  about  one  thou- 
sand had  been  secured,  and  the  commission  reported  that  the 
constabulary  had  rendered  good  service  in  breaking  up  bands 
of  ladrones  and  eliminating  notorious  criminals.  It  was  inevi- 
table that  there  would  be  friction  with  the  native  authorities, 
and  there  was  much  criticism  of  the  work  of  the  constabulary. 
That  there  were  abuses  of  power  on  the  part  of  both  officers 
and  men  is  certain,  but  they  were  frequently  exaggerated  for 
political  effect.^" 


19  Act  of  January  30,  1903. 

20  "Of  course,"  said  Governor  Taft,  "the  abuses  of  the  Constabulary  are 
very  grossly  exaggerated  by  deliberate  misrepresentations  by  persons  whose 
sympathy  and  profit  are  with  the  Ladrones  and  who  do  not  welcome  the 
presence  of  the  Constabulary  on  any  ground.  Another  difficulty  has  been  the 
lack  of  tact  on  the  part  of  some  of  the  American  inspectors  engaged  in 
the  provinces.  The  authority  which  they  exercise  over  the  constabulary  of  the 
province,  which  generally  is  the  only  effective  police  body,  is  apt  to  make 
them  feel  independent  of  the  government  of  the  province,  especially  if  they 
are  young  and  inexperienced;  and  when  they  think  that  they  do  not  find  in  the 
native  governor  the  active,  energetic  assistance  to  which  they  are  entitled,  they 
conduct  themselves  in  a  manner  not  calculated  to  conciliate  the  governor  or 
to  secure  any  useful  cooperation  with  him.  It  has  been  my  steady  effort  to 
convince  these  inspectors  that  next  to  dishonesty  and  cruelty  a  failure  to 
show  proper  respect  to  the  governor  of  the  province  and  to  accord  him  the 


DEFENSE    AND    PUBLIC    SAFETY  175 

The  constabulary  exists  to-day  about  as  it  was  originally  or- 
ganized."^ It  has  averaged  about  five  thousand  enlisted  men. 
The  unit  is  the  company,  there  being  neither  battalions  nor  regi- 
ments. The  company  is  frequently  broken  into  smaller  bodies, 
which,  under  non-commissioned  officers,  are  scattered  through- 
out the  remotest  parts  of  the  country.  The  nature  of  their  work 
and  the  conditions  under  which  it  is  done  render  it  impossible 
to  train  and  discipline  them  like  regular  soldiers. ^^  Nor  is  it 
necessary  or  desirable.  They  are  trained  for  their  special  du- 
ties. The  men  are  enlisted  from  all  the  provinces  from  among 
the  civilized  people  and  the  uncivilized  tribes.  There  are  fifteen 
or  twenty  companies  of  Moros  from  the  South  and  several  of 
wild  men  from  the  Mountain  Province.  The  former  are  fight- 
ing men  by  virtue  of  their  religion  and  take  readily  to  military 
life,  but  it  is  doubtful  whether  in  endurance,  skill  and  discipline 
they  are  superior  to  the  non-Mohammedans  and  Filipinos. 

The  companies  of  mountain  men,  the  head-hunters  of  former 
days,  are  remarkably  efficient  in  dealing  with  their  own  people 
in  their  native  habitats.  They  follow  the  criminal  through  the 
mountain  fastnesses  with  marvelous  skill  and  persistence.  Clear- 
eyed  and  without  nerves,  they,  like  the  Moros,  are  unsurpassed 
as  marksmen. 

There  is  no  better  way  of  civilizing  the  wild  man  than  en- 
listing him  in  the  constabulary,  and  pictures  of  the  Igorot  before 
and  after  taking  the  constabulary  treatment  are  always  produced 
when  proof  of  progress  in  the  Philippines  is  called  for. 

As  was  to  be  expected,  many  of  the  officers  first  appointed 
proved  unsatisfactory  and  it  was  necessary  to  replace  them  by 
others  of  better  quality.  For  several  years  past  the  selections 
have  been  made  from  graduates  of  colleges  and  military  schools 
in  the  United  States,  and  as  a  class  they  are  equal  to  the  average 


courtesy  which  the  dignity  of  his  office  requires  will  be  considered  the  great- 
est dereliction  of  duty  of  which  they  can  be  gnailty  and  will  be  cause  for  in- 
stant dismissal."    Kept.  Civil  Governor,  Nov.  1,  1902. 

21  See  Adm.  Code,  Sees.  1038-1119. 

22  The  companies  at  the  larger  stations  are  well  drilled  and  make  a  very 
soldierly  appearance. 


176  THE    PHILIPPINES 

young  men  who  receive  commissions  as  lieutenants  in  the  regular 
army.  After  reaching  the  islands  they  are  sent  to  the  constabu- 
lary school  at  Baguio  for  three  months'  intensive  training  in  the 
work  of  a  constabulary  officer.  After  graduation  they  are  ap- 
pointed third  lieutenants  and  sent  out  to  work.  This  excellent 
school  was  maintained  by  the  constabulary  out  of  its  general 
appropriations,  but  recently  it  has  been  enlarged  and  now  exists 
as  the  "Academy  for  Officers  of  the  Philippine  Constabulary," 
The  purpose  of  the  enlarged  institution  is  to  educate  and  train 
officers  for  the  constabulary  or  any  other  similar  institution  which 
may  be  created.  Of  course,  this  law^^  is  designed  to  provide  a 
sort  of  West  Point  for  the  training  of  officers  for  the  armies 
of  the  independent  republic  of  the  Philippines  when  it  shall 
materialize. 

The  institution  is  under  the  charge  of  a  superintendent,  who 
must  be  a  constabulary  officer,  and  other  officers  and  instructors 
appointed  by  the  chief  of  constabulary  with  the  approval  of  the 
secretary  of  commerce  and  police.  There  is  to  be  appointed 
annually  not  to  exceed  sixty  cadets,  to  be  selected  after  an  ex- 
amination, from  among  nominees,  three  by  the  governor-general, 
three  by  the  speaker  of  the  Philippine  Assembly,  two  by  each 
member  of  the  upper  house  of  the  Philippine  Legislature,  and  one 
by  each  member  of  the  Philippine  Assembly.^*  The  cadets  must 
for  a  period  of  two  years  pursue  a  course  of  study  determined 
by  the  chief  of  constabulary  with  the  approval  of  the  secretary 
of  commerce  and  police.  The  course  must  include  military  art, 
the  constabulary  manual,  the  criminal  law  of  the  Philippines, 
military  law,  international  law,  topography,  equitation,  athletics 
and  the  municipal,  provincial  and  insular  governments.  Upon 
the  completion  of  the  course  cadets  will  be  appointed  to  fill  va- 
cancies in  the  grade  of  third  lieutenant  of  the  constabulary  or 
in  the  same  grade  in  any  similar  organization  which  may  here- 
after be  created. ^^ 


"  Act  No.  2605,  February  4,  1916. 

2*  This  law  was  passed  before  the  reorganization  of  the  legislative  depart- 
ment under  the  act  of  August  29,  1916. 

25  This  provision  looks  to  the  future  national  guard. 


DEFENSE    AND    PUBLIC    SAFETY  177 

The  constabulary  school,  as  maintained  for  a  number  of  years, 
was  an  excellent  institution  and  prepared  constabulary  officers 
very  well  for  their  duties.  The  new  academy  which  is  its  suc- 
cessor is  a  much  more  ambitious  institution. 

The  duties  imposed  upon  the  constabulary  are  multifarious  and 
onerous.  The  scouts  live  in  comfortable  quarters,  receive  good 
pay,  are  equipped  like  regular  United  States  soldiers;  and  dur- 
ing recent  years,  except  when  detailed  to  assist  the  constabulary 
in  rinderpest  quarantine  work,  they  have  had  nothing  much  to  do 
but  to  keep  fit.  Among  his  own  people  the  scout  is  a  sort  of 
military  aristocrat  who  is  believed  to  keep  his  own  tniichacho. 
The  constabulary  soldier  is  a  military  working  man  who  is  busy 
every  day  of  the  year.  His  pay  is  less  than  that  of  a  scout.  For 
him  there  are  few  fine  barracks — he  is  generally  moving,  chasing 
criminals,  enforcing  quarantine  regulations  and  performing  other 
duties  too  numerous  to  be  mentioned  in  detail.^^  He  looks  upon 
the  scout  as  a  favored  individual,  and  occasionally  when  his  en- 
listment expires  takes  on  with  the  scouts  in  the  hope  of  there- 
after enjoying  peace,  quiet  and  plenty.^'' 

The  military  authorities  were  slow  to  recognize  the  real  value 
of  the  constabulary.  At  first  there  was  a  disposition  to  regard 
the  officers  as  policemen — of  a  sublimated  sort,  possibly,  but  po- 
licemen nevertheless — and  entitled  to  official  and  social  recog- 
nition as  such  only.  The  fact  that  the  chief  and  assistant  chiefs 
were  regular  army  officers  made  the  situation  a  trifle  difficult, 
and  when  Congress  made  the  chief  a  brigadier-general  and  his 
assistants  colonels  it  became  even  more  complicated.  Their  rank 
was  real,  not  "Mex" ;  regular,  not  constabulary.  Allen  and  his 
successor,  Bandholtz,^^  were  chiefs  of  constabulary  in  the  civil 
government — itself  a  sort  of  a  war  department  agency — and 
therefore,  under  the  Act  of  Congress,  brigadier-generals  in  the 


26  In  the  early  days  the  constabulary  controlled  the  telegraph  lines  and 
maintained  a  commissary  for  the  convenience  of  civil  government  employees. 
See  Kept,  of  Gen.  Allen,  Kept.  Phil.  Com.  1902.  Exhibit  G. 

27  This  is  not  so  common  as  formerly.  The  seven-year  period  of  en- 
listment in  the  scouts  has  made  the  constabulary  service  with  its  three-year 
period  somewhat  more  attractive. 

28  The  present  chief  is  Brigadier-General  Herman  Hall. 


178  THE    PHILIPPINES 

United  States  Army.  The  fact  that  the  higher  rank  was  tem- 
porary did  not  affect  its  reahty. 

There  was  at  first  some  difficulty  about  the  constabulary  uni- 
form, and  great  pains  were  taken  to  prevent  a  constabulary  officer 
from  being  mistaken  by  the  uninitiated  for  an  army  officer.  But 
the  constabulary  officers  soon  proved  their  metal  in  the  field  and 
their  right  to  recognition  as  officers  and  gentlemen,  and  they  were 
accepted  as  such  personally  and  officially.  The  rather  fantastic 
collar  and  shoulder  strap  insignia  which  was  understandable  by 
the  initiated  only  was,  with  the  approval  of  the  commanding 
general,  made  to  conform  to  those  of  officers  of  the  same  rank 
in  the  army.^^  Finally  a  constabulary  officer  was  made  aide  to 
the  governor-general  in  the  place  of  a  captain  of  regulars.  The 
recognition  of  the  constabulary  was  due  to  the  positive  merits 
of  the  organization,  the  personal  qualities  of  the  officers,  and 
the  fact  that  the  majority  of  the  higher  officers  also  held  com- 
missions in  the  regular  army. 

The  arrangement  under  which  these  details  were  made  from 
the  army  was  not  entirely  satisfactory  to  the  constabulary  officers, 
who  felt  that  they  were  thereby  excluded  from  the  higher  com- 
mands. There  was  some  slight  justification  for  the  feeling,  but 
Taylor,  Mair,  White,  Griffith  and  others  who  had  been  appointed 
from  the  volunteers  or  from  civil  life  reached  the  rank  of  assist- 
ant chief  on  their  merits.  The  army  men  brought  into  the  con- 
stabulary an  element  essential  for  its  highest  efficiency,  and  the 
results  obtained  fully  justified  the  policy. 

In  the  early  days  scout  officers  objected  to  serving  under  con- 
stabulary officers  of  higher  rank.  Regardless  of  theories  and 
names,  the  constabulary  was  and  still  is  a  military  organization, 
created  to  relieve  the  American  soldiers  and  scouts  from  the 
performance  of  a  portion  of  their  regular  duties.  There  was  a 
common  reason  for  the  existence  of  both  organizations.  The 
scouts  were  subject  to  the  orders  of  the  department  commander, 


29  The  initials  "I.  C."  (insular  constabulary)  at  first  worn  on  the  collar, 
had  to  be  changed  to  "P.  C."  It  was  found  that  the  former  among  the  regu- 
lars stood  for  "inspected  and  condemned."    This  would  never  do. 


DEFENSE    AND    PUBLIC    SAFETY  179 

the  constabulary  to  those  of  the  governor-general;  but  both  the 
commanding  general  and  the  governor-general  received  their 
orders  from  the  president  through  the  secretary  of  war,  who  was 
immediately  responsible  for  the  management  of  the  entire  Phil- 
ippine situation. 

It  was  inevitable  that  two  such  bodies  of  natives  serving  in 
the  same  territory  under  such  conditions  would  occasionally  be 
required  to  act  together.  Congress  therefore  authorized  the 
placing  of  the  scouts  under  the  command  of  the  regular  army 
officers  who  were  serving  as  chief  and  assistant  chiefs  of  con- 
stabulary. During  the  year  1903  from  three  to  five  thousand 
scouts  were  thus  detailed  for  service  under  the  civil  government 
and  the  practise  has  been  continued  down  to  the  present  time. 
Governor  Taft  reported  that  General  Wood  and  General  Davis 
had  responded  promptly  to  the  calls  for  scouts  and  that  the  ar- 
rangement had  worked  very  well,  as  it  enabled  the  civil  govern- 
ment to  suppress  disorder  with  native  troops.^"  But  it  presented 
some  anomalies  which  seemed  serious  to  those  trained  in  the 
niceties  of  military  administration.  "It  is  greatly  regretted," 
wrote  General  Davis,  "that  political  considerations  seem  to  re- 
quire the  captains,  field  officers  and  generals  of  the  forces  here 
to  occupy  the  mortifying  position  which  the  execution  of  the 
law  involves;  viz.,  to  be  forbidden  to  lead  into  action  the  troops 
of  their  command  whom  they  have  organized,  instructed  for 
years,  and  whose  material  wants  under  other  leadership  they 
must  still  supply." 

Such  views  and  feelings  evidenced  a  complete  failure  to  un- 
derstand the  situation  or  to  appreciate  the  purpose  for  which 
the  scouts  existed.  As  Governor  Taft  said:  "Nothing  could 
be  further  from  the  truth,  nothing  could  be  more  unfounded  or 
unfair  than  the  inference  that  the  use  of  the  scouts  in  associa- 
tion with  the  constabulary  for  the  suppression  of  disorder  is  a 
reflection  upon  the  military  establishment  or  upon  those  who  are 
in  command  thereof." 

The  chief  and  assistant  chiefs  of  constabulary  were  regular 


30  Report,  November  15,  1903. 


180  THE    PHILIPPINES 

army  officers  of  mature  age  and  much  senior  in  rank  to  the  offi- 
cers immediately  in  command  of  the  scout  companies.  It  was 
in  fact  merely  the  temporary  transfer  of  command  from  one 
regular  officer  to  another. 

The  local  municipal  police  had  always  been  the  source  of  much 
trouble.  They  were  appointed  by  the  presidentes  and  were  gen- 
erally little  more  than  his  personal  servants.  In  the  early  days 
the  municipal  elections  were  very  lively  affairs.  There  was  little 
violence,  but  the  political  workers  could  have  given  an  old-time 
American  caucus  manipulator  cards  and  spades  and  beaten  him 
at  his  own  game.  The  police  represented  the  presidente's  pat- 
ronage and  after  their  appointment  they  were  his  henchmen, 
ready  to  fetch  and  carry  for  their  boss.  As  guardians  of  the 
peace  they  were  practically  useless.  Discipline  was  unknown. 
Without  arms,  they  were  useless  against  the  ladrones  who  in- 
fested the  surrounding  country.  In  the  small  towns,  with  arms, 
they  were  merely  a  tempting  bait — an  invitation  for  the  raiders, 
who  came,  tied  up  the  frightened  policemen,  and  carried  away 
the  coveted  firearms.  When  the  constabulary  was  first  organ- 
ized it  was  contemplated  that  the  provincial  inspectors  should 
devote  much  of  their  time  to  getting  the  municipal  police  into 
some  sort  of  shape;  but  for  several  years  they  were  kept  so  busy 
with  ladrones  that  little  was  done.  As  the  country  quieted  down 
more  attention  was  given  the  matter  and  some  improvement 
was  effected.  The  root  of  the  trouble  was  in  the  method  of  ap- 
pointment, control  and  removal  of  the  policemen.  Finally,  early 
in  1912,  an  act  was  passed  which  provided  for  their  reorganiza- 
tion. The  chief  of  the  constabulary,  with  the  approval  of  the 
secretary  of  commerce  and  police,  was  required  to  prepare  regu- 
lations for  their  government,  discipline  and  inspection  which 
should  be  binding  on  all  the  municipalities.  A  board,  composed 
of  the  senior  inspector  of  constabulary,  the  third  member  of  the 
provincial  board,  and  a  presidente  named  by  the  provincial  board, 
was  created  in  each  province  and  charged  with  the  duty  of  de- 
termining the  qualifications  of  those  who  would  be  policemen. 
Examinations  were  directed  to  be  held  each  year.     In  order  to 


DEFENSE    AND    PUBLIC    SAFETY  181 

be  eligible  a  candidate  was  required  to  be  a  native  of  the  Phil- 
ippines, from  twenty-one  to  forty  years  of  age,  of  good  habits, 
in  good  condition  physically,  have  no  criminal  record,  be  able 
to  read  and  write  English  or  Spanish,  have  a  perfect  reading 
and  writing  knowledge  of  the  vernacular,  and  not  have  been  dis- 
honorably discharged  from  any  civil  or  military  organization. 
A  different  examination  was  required  for  those  who  aspired  to 
the  office  of  chief  of  police.  The  list  of  residents  of  a  munici- 
pality deemed  by  this  board  to  be  qualified  was  furnished  to  the 
municipal  authorities  and  from  it  only  appointments  could  be 
made.  The  police  force  was  appointed  from  this  list  by  the 
presidente  with  the  consent  of  the  municipal  council.  The  chief 
of  police  was  appointed  by  the  provincial  governor  upon  the  rec- 
ommendation of  the  presidente  by  and  with  the  consent  of  the 
municipal  council. 

Enlistments  in  the  local  police  are  for  four  years  and  removals 
can  be  made  only  after  a  public  hearing  and  for  the  causes  stated 
in  the  statute.  The  chief  of  constabulary  prescribes  the  uniform 
insignia  and  equipment  of  the  municipal  police,  but  it  must  not 
resemble  that  of  the  army  or  constabulary.  The  arms  are  fur- 
nished by  the  municipality.  A  policeman  can  not  act  as  an  elec- 
tion officer,  be  a  candidate  for  office  or  solicit  votes  for  any  can- 
didate. 

It  was  always  a  question  whether  it  was  necessary  or  advisable 
to  keep  so  large  a  force  of  American  soldiers  in  the  islands.  Ten 
or  fifteen  thousand  men  would  be  of  no  particular  use  in  the 
event  of  war  with  Japan.  As  many  scouts  and  constabulary 
additional,  assuming  that  they  were  all  loyal,  would  have  con- 
stituted merely  an  invitation  to  the  Japanese — as  the  armed  mu- 
nicipal police  were  to  the  ladrones — to  come  and  get  their  equip- 
ment. It  was  convenient,  in  view  of  our  treaty  obligations,  to 
have  troops  near  in  the  event  of  disturbances  in  China,  as  was 
demonstrated  at  the  time  of  the  attack  on  the  legations.  Unques- 
tionably the  primary  reason  for  maintaining  United  States  troops 
in  the  Philippines  was  to  guard  against  another  uprising  of  the 
natives.    Just  how  serious  the  danger  was  can  never  be  known. 


182  THE    PHILIPPINES 

The  military  always  exaggerated  and  the  civil  authorities  mini- 
mized it;  neither  neglected  to  take  reasonable  precautions.  The 
Intelligence  Department  of  the  Army  and  the  Secret  Service  Divi- 
sion of  the  Constabulary  kept  in  close  touch  with  what  was  going 
on  under  the  surface.  Conditions  occasionally  became  suffi- 
ciently serious  to  justify  conveying  to  the  leaders  some  of  the 
information  in  the  possession  of  the  government.  On  one  oc- 
casion a  certain  party  was  quietly  handed  a  list  of  the  men  who 
I  were  said  to  be  marked  to  stand  against  the  wall.  Nothing  in- 
■  surrectionary  occurred.  On  another  occasion  eight  thousand 
troops  marched  through  the  streets  of  Manila  a  few  days  before 
the  reported  date  set  for  an  uprising.  A  review  at  that  particu- 
lar time  may  have  been  a  mere  coincidence,  but  Sefior  Juan  de  la 
Cruz,  who  had  somewhere  among  his  possessions  a  fine  new  com- 
mission as  colonel  in  the  "Army  of  Liberation,"  could  never  feel 
absolutely  certain  about  it. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  Filipinos  are  a  conquered  peo- 
ple. Practically  all  of  them  acquiesced  in,  if  they  did  not  at 
heart  accept,  American  sovereignty;  but  a  few  irreconcilables, 
from  a  position  of  safety  in  Hong  Kong,  continued  to  plot  sedi- 
tion and  insurrection.  These  men  kept  up  a  connection  with 
a  remnant  of  the  old  insurrectos,  who  remained  in  the  islands, 
took  the  oath  of  allegiance  and  maintained  outwardly  the  attitude 
of  loyalty  to  the  government.  Certain  seditiously  inclined  jour- 
nalists also  were  constantly  striving  to  excite  the  people  against 
the  Americans,  and  there  was  always  danger  that  they  might  in- 
duce them  to  engage  in  some  mad  attempt  to  start  another  revolt. 
Aside  from  the  serious  efforts  of  some  of  our  friends  in  Hong 
Kong  and  Japan,  paper  organizations  were  occasionally  effected 
by  knaves  who,  by  false  promises  or  threats,  induced  their  dupes 
to  contribute  small  amounts  to  pay  the  expenses  of  a  proposed 
insurrection.  Of  course  the  money  always  went  into  the  pockets 
of  the  organizers.  In  one  province  the  people  were  told  that 
there  was  war  between  the  United  States  and  Japan  and  that 
Japan  was  soon  to  land  an  army  which  would  drive  out  the 
Americans  and  aid  the  Filipinos  in  setting  up  their  own  gov- 


DEFENSE    AND    PUBLIC    SAFETY  183 

ernment.  Many  ignorant  people  were  induced  to  pay  fifteen 
cents  each  for  a  duly  signed  paper  which  certified  that  the  bearer 
was  a  friend  of  Japan  and  should  not  be  molested.  In  many 
instances  commissions  as  officers  in  an  imaginary  insurrectionary 
army  were  sold  for  cash  to  aspirants  for  fame  and  glory.  It 
is  needless  to  say  that  the  money  went  no  farther  than  the  pock- 
ets of  the  leaders.  For  a  number  of  years  a  few  men  earned  a 
dishonest  living  by  such  methods. 

Manila  finally  became  accustomed  to  uprisings  which  never 
arose  and  refused  to  take  the  rumors  seriously.  Acts  merely 
criminal  were  often  magnified  into  insurrections  by  the  papers  in 
the  United  States.  In  1911  a  Filipino  provincial  governor  who 
had  killed  a  prisoner  confined  in  the  provincial  jail  was  convicted 
of  the  offense.  Pending  an  appeal,  he  jumped  his  bail  and 
induced  his  friends  in  a  small  village  in  the  foothills  to  aid  him 
in  robbing  a  provincial  treasurer,  and  then,  following  the  good 
old  ladrone  custom,  escaped  to  the  mountains.  He  was  soon 
captured  by  a  detachment  of  the  constabulary  and  was  ultimately 
hanged  for  the  murder.  The  newspapers  in  the  United  States, 
in  glaring  head-lines,  described  the  incident  as  a  serious  uprising 
on  the  part  of  the  Filipinos.  Disturbances  in  the  winter  of  1913, 
which  the  Harrison  administration  reported  as  local  riots  orig- 
inating with  a  band  of  Christmas  enthusiasts,  were  claimed  by 
military  and  non-ofificial  observers  to  have  been  serious  attempts 
at  a  new  insurrection. 

After  making  due  allowance  for  false  alarms,  exaggerations 
and  the  reports  of  those  who  were  prone  to  see  spooks,  it  is  rea- 
sonably certain  that  but  for  the  presence  in  the  islands  of  a  con- 
siderable body  of  American  troops  on  several  occasions  formid- 
able movements  would  have  been  started,  with  results  serious  to 
Americans  residing  in  the  islands,  and  even  more  serious  to  the 
ignorant  and  easily  misled  people.  Native  troops  alone,  even 
under  American  officers,  could  not  have  been  relied  upon. 


CHAPTER  IX 

Sanitation  and  Health 

Interest  in  Tropical  Medicine — Sanitation  in  the  East — Early  Conditions  in 
Philippines — Enormous  Death  Rate — Superstitution  and  Fatalism — Spanish 
and  Filipino  Doctors — Clean-up  by  American  Army — New  Health  Regula- 
tions— First  Board  of  Health — The  Civil  and  Military  Hospitals — Functions 
of  Health  Officers — Causes  of  Communicable  Diseases — Public  Health  Pur- 
chasable— Small  Expenditure  in  Philippines — Attitude  of  Natives — Education 
in  Sanitation — Disposal  of  Garbage  and  Waste — The  New  Sewer  System — 
Public  Laundries — Cemeteries — The  Modern  Markets — The  Drug  and  Food 
Law — The  Milk  Supply — The  Water  Supply — Manila  and  Cebu  Water- 
Works — Artesian  Wells — The  Bubonic  Plague — Cholera — The  Smallpox — ■ 
Results  of  Vaccination— Leprosy  and  Its  Treatment — Beriberi — Infant  Mor- 
tality— Tuberculosis — Malaria  and  Dysentery — Mosquitoes  and  Rats — An  Un- 
finished Work — The  Moro  Hospital  Ship — Present  Organization. 

The  American  occupation  of  the  Philippines,  Cuba  and  Porto 
Rico  came  at  a  time  when  the  study  of  the  diseases  peculiar  to 
the  tropics  was  engaging  the  serious  attention  of  governments  as 
well  as  the  medical  profession.  Recent  discoveries  had  suggested 
the  possibility  that  cholera,  plague,  yellow  fever  and  malaria 
might  not  only  be  controlled,  but  almost,  if  not  entirely,  prevented 
and  the  tropics  made  safe  places  of  residence  for  white  men. 
The  possibility  of  saving  the  thousands  of  lives  which  were  being 
destroyed  annually  by  these  dread  diseases  appealed  strongly  to 
the  humanitarian  instincts  of  the  world. 

The  governments  which  were  engaged  in  the  development  of 
tropical  countries  had  purely  business  reasons  also  for  desiring 
the  reduction  of  the  ravages  of  disease.  They  were  to  some  ex- 
tent directly  responsible  for  the  manner  in  which  contagious  and 
infectious  diseases  had  spread  throughout  the  Orient  and  for  the 
economic  losses  incident  thereto.  The  frequent  destructive  epi- 
demics were  closely  connected  with  the  efforts  to  equalize  the 

184 


SANITATION    AND    HEALTH  185 

labor  supply  of  the  world  by  the  transfer  of  laborers  from  con- 
gested to  poorly  supplied  regions.  Wherever  these  migratory 
workers  went  they  carried  the  diseases  peculiar  to  their  native 
lands.  The  interchange  of  products  between  countries  is  always 
a  distinct  source  of  danger,  necessitating  the  strictest  quarantine 
and  inspection  laws.  The  bubonic  plague  is  supposed  to  have 
been  carried  into  the  Philippines  by  rats  concealed  in  shipments 
of  merchandise  imported  from  China.  Breaking  the  virgin  soil 
in  connection  with  railroad  construction  or  for  agriculture  always 
causes  an  increase  of  malaria.  Other  less  definitely  understood 
factors  enter  into  the  situation  and  the  opening  up  of  a  new 
country  is  invariably  followed  by  an  increase  in  disease  and  a 
higher  death  rate  even  among  the  natives. 

Imported  labor  is  expensive  and  an  epidemic  of  cholera  or 
plague  among  workmen  brought  from  a  distant  country  means 
heavy  financial  loss  to  their  employers  and  sometimes  the  failure 
of  great  commercial  enterprises.  It  is  possible  that  the  realiza- 
tion of  the  economic  facts  tended  even  more  effectively  to  arouse 
interest  in  the  study  of  tropical  medicine  than  the  humanitarian 
desire  to  preserve  the  lives  of  the  natives  of  the  tropics  for  their 
own  sakes. 

Long  before  the  days  of  Lister  and  the  bacilli,  Lord  Beacons- 
field  told  the  colonists  that  sanitas  sanitatum  omnia  sanitas 
should  be  their  guiding  principle.  It  was  a  good  principle  but 
more  was  required  than  a  formula.  The  modem  campaign 
against  tropical  diseases  was  initiated  in  England  in  1897  by  Sir 
Patrick  Manson  in  an  address  delivered  at  St.  George's  Hos- 
pital, in  which  he  urged  the  importance  of  the  special  training  of 
students  in  the  science  of  tropical  medicine.  Fortunately  this 
address  attracted  the  attention  of  Joseph  Chamberlain,  then 
secretary  of  state  for  the  colonies,  and  through  his  influence 
schools  of  tropical  medicine  were  soon  thereafter  established 
in  London  and  Liverpool.  IMajor  Ross,  who  had  discovered  the 
part  played  by  the  mosquito  in  the  carriage  of  malaria,  was  sent 
by  the  Liverpool  school  to  Africa  to  continue  his  investigations. 
Shortly  thereafter  the  American  investigators  in  Cuba  identified 


186  THE    PHILIPPINES 

the  mosquito  which  carries  the  yellow  fever  parasite.  The  cam- 
paign against  the  diseases  of  the  tropics  was  thus  well  under  way 
when  Manila  was  taken  over  from  the  Spaniards. 

There  seems  to  exist  between  the  Oriental  and  the  earth  a 
natural  affinit3^  which  renders  him  partial  to  dirt  and  indifferent 
to  squalor.  The  traveler  who  visits  the  interior  of  China  or 
views  Canton  on  his  way  to  the  Five  Towered  Pagoda  will  be 
able  to  form  an  excellent  idea  of  sanitary  conditions  as  they  were 
in  the  Philippines  before  and  at  the  time  of  the  American  occu- 
pation. 

The  Filipinos  realized  nothing  of  the  importance  of  sanitation 
and  the  Spanish  officials  paid  little  attention  to  such  matters. 
There  was  one  notable  exception.  General  Juan  Arolas  seems 
to  have  been  gazetted  governor  of  the  plague-infected  city  of  Jolo 
with  the  implied  understanding  that  he  would  show  his  apprecia- 
tion of  the  honor  by  personally  utilizing  the  unusual  facilities 
offered  by  the  place  for  the  contraction  of  deadly  diseases.  But 
Arolas  cheated  his  superiors  by  renovating  Jolo  and  making  it 
one  of  the  healthiest  towns  in  the  Archipelago.  He  is  said  to 
have  taken  so  much  pride  in  the  work  that  he  bore  a  lasting 
grudge  against  any  unfortunate  who  should  inconsiderately  die 
at  Jolo  through  any  other  agency  than  the  bolo  or  kampilan. 

Superstition  had  much  to  do  with  the  way  in  which  both  Span- 
iards and  Filipinos  lived.  The  belief  that  the  night  air  contained 
some  poisonous  miasma  productive  of  malarial  fever  prevailed 
generally  and  the  natives  closed  both  doors  and  windows  to  ex- 
clude the  asuang,  the  devil  spirits  which  flew  abroad  only  at 
night.  The  climate  and  the  physical  environment  were  unfavor- 
able to  the  maintenance  of  health.  That  efficient  ally  of  the  sani- 
tarian, cold  weather,  was  unknown.  Bacteria  and  parasites  flour- 
ished throughout  the  entire  year.  The  alternating  heat  and 
moisture  bred  mosquitoes  and  other  insects  innumerable.  Where 
science,  skill  and  well  directed  energy  were  so  badly  needed  they 
were  all  unknown. 

For  many  years  the  death  rate  in  the  Philippines  had  been  so 
high  that  the  population  was  at  a  standstill.  There  are  no  com- 
plete records  of  deaths  but  it  is  estimated  that  the  rate  must  have 


SANITATION    AND    HEALTH  187 

been  at  least  fifty  in  the  thousand.  Probably  forty  thousand  peo- 
ple died  each  year  of  smallpox  and  even  a  greater  number  from 
tuberculosis.  Cholera,  the  plague,  malaria,  beriberi  and  other 
diseases  killed  vast  numbers  and  the  people  in  their  ignorance 
and  blindness  continued  to  do  the  very  things  which  were  most 
certain  to  bring  death.  They  drank  the  water  from  the  streams 
in  which  they  and  their  work  animals  bathed  and  from  shallow 
open  wells  into  which  streets  and  cemeteries  drained.  Artesian 
wells  were  unknown.  The  water  supply  for  the  city  of  Manila, 
with  its  quarter  of  a  million  inhabitants,  was  drawn  from  the 
Maraquina  River  at  a  point  below  where  it  was  used  by  at  least 
ten  thousand  people  for  every  purpose  for  which  a  water  supply 
should  not  be  used. 

The  city,  situated  on  Manila  Bay  and  along  the  low  banks  of 
the  often-overflowing  Pasig  River,  was  always  partially  sub- 
merged at  high  tide.  There  was  no  sewer  system.  All  garbage, 
household  waste  and  night-soil,  when  not  simply  thrown  into  the 
streets  and  alleys  with  the  hope  that  it  would  be  disposed  of  by 
hogs  and  other  animals,  was  handled  in  the  crudest  possible  man- 
ner. The  twenty-five  miles  of  esteros,  the  narrow  tidal  canals 
which  intersected  the  city,  were  open,  sluggish,  filthy  water 
courses  into  which  all  sorts  of  refuse  found  its  way  to  be  stirred 
up  at  intervals  by  lighters  and  other  craft.  The  moats  without 
the  ancient  city  walls  were  festering  masses  of  disease-breeding 
corruption.  Quinine  was  in  great  demand  but  it  was  scarce  and 
imitation  pills  of  the  precious  drug  were  sold  at  exhorbitant 
prices  to  the  people  in  the  provinces.  The  part  played  by  the 
mosquito  in  carrying  malaria  was  unknown. 

There  were  no  food  laws,  no  animal  inspection,  no  proper 
slaughter-houses,  and  the  numerous  markets  were  filthy  beyond 
description.  Fruit  and  provisions  were  commonly  sold  from 
the  ground  and,  covered  with  dust  and  dirt,  were  eaten  without 
being  washed  or  cooked. 

There  were  no  building  restrictions  and  in  sections  of  Manila 
inhabited  by  from  ten  to  twenty  thousand  people  there  were 
neither  streets  nor  alleys  and  the  people  reached  their  habitations, 
which  were  built  on  posts,  by  passing  under  those  of  their  neigh- 


188  THE    PHILIPPINES 

bors.  It  was  not  uncommon  for  half  a  dozen  persons  to  sleep  in  a 
room  measuring  six  by  eight  feet,  with  all  the  doors  and  windows 
securely  closed  against  the  imaginary  night-flying  spirits,  in  bliss- 
ful disregard  of  the  millions  of  very  real  microbes  in  their  midst. 

As  suitable  ground  for  burial  places  was  limited,  a  single  grave 
would  often  be  used  several  times.  What  remained  of  the  dis- 
possessed tenants  was  scattered  about  or  thrown  ignominiously 
on  a  pile  at  the  foot  of  a  cross  erected  in  the  center  of  the  ceme- 
tery. 

Leprosy  was  common  and  sufferers  wandered  almost  at  will 
about  the  country.  The  insane  were  ignored  or  at  times  chained 
to  posts  under  the  houses  and  often  burned  during  the  conflagra- 
tions which  so  frequently  swept  away  the  flimsy  bamboo  and  nipa 
structures.  A  thousand  deaths  a  day  in  the  city  of  Manila  from 
epidemic  diseases  was  not  unusual  during  one  of  the  frequent 
pestilential  visitations.  In  the  provinces  entire  villages  were 
sometimes  depopulated.  Bubonic  plague  had  found  its  way  into 
the  islands.  The  dreaded  amoebic  dysentery,  for  which  no  rem- 
edy was  known,  destroyed  its  hundreds  each  year. 

The  maritime  quarantine  was  entirely  inadequate,  being  merely 
an  instrument  of  graft,  and  dangerous  communicable  diseases 
were  constantly  being  introduced  from  the  cities  of  the  China 
coast,  where  no  attempts  whatever  were  made  to  control  epi- 
demics. The  Chinese  Emperor  Tung  Chin  once  issued  a  decree 
informing  his  people  that,  "We  have  had  the  good  fortune  this 
month  to  contract  smallpox."^  Although  the  Filipinos  may  not 
have  regarded  a  case  of  smallpox  as  a  stroke  of  good  fortune, 
they  did  consider  the  disease  as  one  of  the  common  incidents 
of  life,  as  we  regard  measles  and  whooping-cough.  The  statue 
of  Charles  IX  which  stands  in  front  of  the  Ayuntamiento  in 
Manila  was  erected  in  honor  of  the  introduction  of  vaccination 
into  the  Philippines,  but  only  an  infinitesimal  portion  of  the  popu- 
lace had  ever  been  vaccinated.  Through  ignorance  and  indiffer- 
ence little  effort  was  made  to  avoid  contaeion.^     Persons  cov- 


1  Bland  &  Blackhouse,  China  Under  the  Empress  Dowager,  p.  120. 

2  Parents  often  intentionally  exposed  their  children  to  smallpox  on  the 


SANITATION    AND    HEALTH  189 

ered  with  the  eruptions  went  freely  about  the  streets  and  rode 
in  public  conveyances.  The  clothing  of  those  who  died  was 
passed  on  without  disinfection  for  use  by  other  members  of  the 
family. 

Because  of  infection  at  birth,  improper  food  and  lack  of  care, 
it  is  said  that  more  than  one-half  of  the  children  bom  in  the 
islands  never  lived  to  see  the  second  anniversary  of  their  birth- 
days. 

The  common  people  applied  their  remedies  with  due  regard 
to  theological  considerations.  A  good  wife  explained  to  the  friar 
that  she  had  done  everything  reasonable  to  cure  her  husband  of 
congestion  of  the  lungs.  She  had  "prepared  and  applied  a  poul- 
tice of  three  heads  of  garlic  in  honor  of  the  Three  Persons  of  the 
Blessed  Trinity;  this  not  producing  the  desired  effect,  she  then 
made  a  poultice  of  five  heads  of  garlic  in  honor  of  the  Five 
Wounds  of  our  Blessed  Savior,  and  successively  of  seven  heads 
in  honor  of  the  Seven  Pains  of  the  Blessed  Virgin;  twelve  in 
honor  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  and  last  of  all  a  poultice  of  thirty- 
three  heads  of  garlic  in  honor  of  the  thirty-three  years  our 
Blessed  Savior  remained  on  earth."  The  priest  nodded  approval 
as  she  went  on,  but  as  she  stopped  he  asked,  "And  then?"  to 
which  the  lady  replied,  "Well,  then  he  died." 

Many  died  each  year  from  ills  which  would  have  been  cured 
in  any  western  country.  The  hospitals  were  inadequate  and 
badly  equipped.  The  members  of  the  medical  profession,  includ- 
ing the  Spanish,  were,  to  state  it  mildly,  behind  the  times.  Most 
of  them  were  ignorant,  indifferent  and  little  more  efficient  than 
the  herb-brewers  and  witch-doctors  of  the  lower  classes.  Like 
the  ancient  practitioner  of  the  poem,  their  philosophy  was  simple : 

"I  physicks,  bleeds  and  sweats  'em. 

If  after  that  they  choose  to  die,  why — I  lets  'em." 

A  French  surgeon  named  Paul  de  la  Gironiere.^  when  urged  by 


theory  that  as  they  would  certainly  have  it  at  some  time  the  sooner  it  was 
over  the  better. 

3  A  medical  practitioner  in  the  Philippines  from  1814  to  1834.  See  his 
Vingt  Annees  aux  Philippines,  Paris,  1853.  An  Enghsh  translation  of  this 
book  was  published  in  New  York  in  1854. 


190  THE    PHILIPPINES 

a  Spanish  doctor  to  establish  himself  in  Manila,  pleaded  lack  of 
the  necessary  professional  outfit.  "That  is  of  no  consequence," 
replied  the  Spaniard,  "I  have  all  that  you  would  require,  a  coat 
almost  new,  and  six  capital  lancets !"  It  is  said  that  as  late  as 
1892  there  was  not  a  surgeon  in  the  Philippines  who  would  ven- 
ture to  open  the  human  abdomen.* 

The  physicians  and  surgeons,  with  their  modern  hospital  equip- 
ment, who  came  with  the  American  Army  in  1898,  found  an  ample 
field  for  their  energies  and  they  were  in  immediate  demand,  as, 
"the  soldiers  promptly  contracted  about  all  the  different  ailments 
to  be  found  in  the  islands."  Prompt  and  efficient  work  was  nec- 
essary for  their  protection  and  within  a  short  time  Manila  had  re- 
ceived such  a  scrubbing  and  cleaning  as  had  never  before  been 
experienced  by  any  city  east  of  Suez. 

The  work  of  sanitation  fell  naturally  to  the  medical  corps  of 
the  army.  A  provisional  board  of  health  was  immediately  organ- 
ized, and  rules  and  regulations  published.  The  city  was  divided 
into  districts  and  a  municipal  physician  appointed  for  each.  This 
board  continued  In  existence  until  August  26,  1899,  when  It  was 
reorganized  with  Doctor  Guy  L,  Edie  as  commissioner  of  public 
health.  A  bacteriological  department  was  added  to  the  Munici- 
pal Laboratory,  a  Municipal  dispensary  organized,  a  Plague 
Hospital  established  and  provist^  made,.for'the  registration  of 
births,  marriages  and  deaths,  which  previously  had  been  in  charge 
of  the  parochial  priests. 

After  the  legislative  power  was  vested  in  the  commission  the 
provost  marshal-general  was  authorized  to  promulgate  health 
ordinances  for  the  "city  and  the  rules  and  regulations  were 
embodied  in  an  ordinance  which  was  enforced  by  the  military 
authorities.  This  ordinance  covered  nearly  every  phase  of  mu- 
nicipal sanitation  and  was  the  foundation  of  the  sanitary  codes 
which  were   subsequently  enacted.      It  provided   among  other 


*  Harvey,  P.  F.,  "Native  Medical  Practice,"  New  York  Medical  Journal, 
LXXIV,  p.  203,  August  3,  1901 ;  Doherty,  "Medicine  and  Disease  in  Philip- 
pines," Journal  American  Medical  Association,  June  16,  1900;  Flexner  and 
Barker,  "Report  Special  Committee  for  Johns  Hopkins  University,"  in  Jour- 
nal Military  Service  Institution,  XXVI  (May,  1900),  pp.  421-433. 


SANITATION    AND    HEALTH  191 

things  that  a  physician  who  visited  or  examined  any  case  of  in- 
fectious or  contagious  disease  should  immediately  cause  such 
patient  to  be  isolated  and  notice  given  to  the  health  authorities. 
The  term  "infectious  and  contagious  disease"  as  defined  in  the 
ordinance  included  not  only  the  well-known  diseases  of  that  char- 
acter, but  all  diseases  declared  by  the  board  to  be  dangerous  to 
the  public  health.  It  was  made  the  duty  of  every  person  in 
Manila  to  be  successfully  vaccinated  at  intervals  of  one  year  and 
a  person  who  had  been  exposed  to  smallpox  was  required  to  be 
successfully  vaccinated  or  revaccinated  a  sufficient  number  of 
times,  at  intervals  of  two  weeks,  to  render  it  evident  that  suc- 
cessful vaccination  was  impossible.^ 

This  code  has  been  frequently  amended  and  many  special  ordi- 
nances relating  to  sanitation  have  been  enacted.  In  the  provinces 
reliance  had  to  be  placed  on  local  municipal  ordinances  and  rules 
and  regulations  made  by  the  Bureau  of  Health  and  as  a  result 
there  was  much  diversity  and  dissatisfaction.  The  legislature 
could  not  be  induced  to  pass  a  sanitary  code  for  the  entire  islands. 

After  the  civil  government  was  fully  organized  the  subject  of 
health  and  sanitation  was  transferred  from  the  Board  of  Health 
for  the  City  of  Manila,  to  the  Board  of  Health  for  the  Philippine 
Islands  which,  in  1905,  became  the  Bureau  of  Health  in  the  De- 
partment of  the  Interior.  It  was  required  to  act  also  as  a  board 
of  health  for  the  city  of  Manila.  The  service  was  finally  reor- 
ganized in  the  present  form  by  the  Health  Service  Reorganization 
Act  which  became  efifective  July  1,  1915.^ 

The  first  commissioner  of  health  under  the  new  organization 
was  Major  Louis  L.  Maus,  M.  C,  U.  S.  A.,  who  in  August,  1902, 
was  succeeded  by  Major  E.  L.  Carter,  M.  C,  U.  S.  A.,  who 
served  until  April,  1905,  when,  upon  the  reorganization  of  the 
government  bureaus  Doctor  Victor  G.  Heiser  of  the  United 
States  Public  Health  and  Quarantine  Hospital  Service^  became 
director  of  the  new  bureau.    Doctor  Heiser  remained  in  charge 


5  Act  No.  62. 

«  Act  No.  2468. 

T  Now  called  the  United  States  Public  Health  Service. 


192  THE    PHILIPPINES 

until  February,  1915,  when  he  resigned  and  was  succeeded  by 
Doctor  John  D.  Long  of  the  same  service. 

After  the  organization  of  the  Bureau  of  Health,  the  army 
continued  to  maintain  its  own  hospitals  for  the  care  of  the  sol- 
diers and  its  medical  corps  has  worked  in  harmonious  relation 
with  the  civil  health  authorities.  The  War  Department  created 
and  has  maintained  a  board  for  the  study  of  tropical  diseases  as 
they  exist  in  the  Philippines,  and  some  of  the  most  elaborate 
special  studies  of  diseases  and  local  conditions  have  been  made 
by  members  of  this  board  working  often  in  connection  with  the 
civil  health  authorities  with  the  facilities  afforded  by  the  Bureau 
of  Science  and  the  Bureau  of  Health.* 

In  addition  to  a  good  administrative  organization  a  successful 
fight  against  the  diseases  which  prevailed  in  the  Philippines  re- 
quired expert  physicians,  scientific  students  and  the  best  possible 
hospital  accommodations.  None  of  these  was  at  first  available.* 
The  necessary  physicians  and  surgeons  were  supplied  by  importa- 
tions from  the  United  States  and  Europe  and  by  the  slow  proc- 
ess of  educating  young  Filipinos.  A  College  of  Medicine  and  Sur- 
gery with  a  modern  laboratory  and  the  latest  equipment  for 
teaching  by  instructors  who  are  specialists  in  their  respective 
branches,  was  established  in  1906  and  is  now  graduating  doctors 
after  a  five-year  course  of  study.  The  entrance  requirements, 
courses  of  study  and  practical  hospital  training,  are  claimed  to  be 
higher  than  the  average  in  the  United  States.  Second  only  to 
that  for  physicians  and  surgeons  was  the  demand  for  trained 
nurses,  and  this  want  is  being  supplied  as  rapidly  as  possible  by 
the  Nurses'  School,  which  has  at  present  about  three  hundred 
young  women  students.  It  is  universally  conceded  that  the  grad- 
uates of  this  school  make  excellent  nurses. 

The  hospital  facilities  are  now  far  superior  to  those  of  any 
other  far-eastern  country.     The  Philippine  General   Hospital, 


8  See  Woodruff,  The  Effect  of  Tropical  Light  on  White  Men  and  same 
author's  Expansion  of  Races,  New  York,  1909. 

^  The  Spaniards  established  hospitals  soon  after  their  occupation  of  the 
country,  but  they  had  never  been  modernized. 


SANITATION    AND    HEALTH  193 

with  a  capacity  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  beds,  costing  three- 
fourths  of  a  milHon  dollars,  was  opened  in  1910,  and  is  unques- 
tionably the  most  modem  and  best  equipped  hospital  in  the  Far 
East,  and  compares  favorably  with  the  leading  hospitals  in 
Europe  and  America.  In  the  outpatient  clinic  more  than  eighty 
thousand  persons  are  treated  each  year,  which  means  "that  thou- 
sands upon  thousands  are  receiving  relief  and  are  free  from  pain, 
amongst  whom  agony  and  distress  existed  before.""  The  pres- 
ent policy  of  elimination  has  resulted  in  placing  a  Filipino  at  the 
head  of  this  great  hospital. 

Smaller  hospitals  are  now  maintained  by  the  government  at 
Cebu  and  in  the  mountains  at  Baguio  and  Bontoc,  the  latter  in 
the  center  of  the  wild  man's  country.  The  reformed  head  hunt- 
ers who  formerly  sacrificed  their  domestic  animals  and  their 
neighbors  to  propitiate  the  evil  spirits,  now  put  their  trust  in  the 
surgeon  who  by  the  use  of  anesthetics  can,  as  they  understand  it, 
kill  men  painlessly  and  bring  them  to  life  again. 

Communicable  diseases  and  a  few  insane  are  cared  for  at  the 
San  Lazaro  Hospital  in  Manila,  and  lepers  are  sent  to  Culion. 
The  University  Hospital,  St.  Paul's  Hospital  and  the  Mary  J. 
Johnson  Hospital,  are  modern  private  institutions  supported  re- 
spectively by  the  Protestant  Episcopal,  Catholic  and  Methodist 
churches.  The  old  San  Juan  de  Dios  Hospital,  which  was  estab- 
lished centuries  ago,  has  been  modernized  and  is  fairly  well 
equipped.  Notwithstanding  these  modern  facilities  there  are  still 
great  sections  of  the  islands  which  are  entirely  without  hospitals 
and  their  necessities  can  not  be  supplied  until  the  government  can 
find  the  necessary  funds  from  its  always  inadequate  income.  Ar- 
rangements are  now  being  made  to  send  a  hospital  ship  to  cruise 
among  the  islands  of  the  Sulu  Archipelago,  which  will  bring  re- 
lief to  the  suffering  Moros. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  three  main  functions  of  a  hospital  are 


10  For  a  full  description,  see  Historv  and  Description  of  the  Philip f'^e 
General  Hospital,  by  Dr.  John  E.  Snodgrass,  Manila,  1911.  The  hospital  has 
recently  been  placed  under  the  control  of  a  Filipino  physician.  See  infra, 
p.  420. 


194  THE    PHILIPPINES 

the  care  of  the  sick,  the  education  of  the  people  and  the  advance- 
ment of  science,  and  that  those  of  the  health  officials  are  the  care 
for  the  well,  the  education  of  the  people  with  regard  to  conditions 
of  health,  and  the  advancement  of  life  through  sanitary  science. 
The  preservation  of  public  health  is  almost  entirely  a  mat- 
ter of  education  and  finance.  If  people  were  as  much  afraid  of 
the  concealed  but  well-known  dangers  to  health  as  they  are  of 
the  mechanical  dangers  by  which  they  are  threatened,  the  problem 
of  the  health  officer  would  be  greatly  simplified.  But  timid  per- 
sons who  make  every  effort  to  avoid  the  dangers  of  the  street, 
and  always  lock  their  doors  against  thieves,  live  bravely  in  the 
same  house  with  a  tubercular  patient  and  take  no  precaution 
against  the  germs  of  malaria,  dysentery  and  other  diseases. 

It  is  now  known  that  all  dangerous  communicable  diseases 
are  due,  not  to  climate  or  bad  odors,  but  to  definite  preventable 
causes,  and  that  they  are  caused  by  agents  that  attack  from  with- 
out and  against  which  defense  is  possible.  The  public  health 
official  is  charged  with  the  duty  to  wage  war  against  these  causes 
and  educate  the  public  in  ways  and  means  of  self-defense.  As- 
suming intelligence  and  activity,  his  success  will  be  measured  by 
the  funds  available  for  the  work.  In  other  words,  public  health  is 
a  purchasable  commodity  and  obtainable  by  any  community  that 
is  willing  to  pay  the  price.  This  has  been  demonstrated  in  the 
Philippines,  where  a  reduction  of  sixty  thousand  deaths  per  year 
has  been  effected  by  an  expenditure  of  about  ten  cents  per  capita 
of  the  population,  under  a  civil  regime  where  administration 
has  been  expensive  because  the  many  obstacles  have  had  to  be 
overcome  by  persuasion  or  fought  through  the  courts.  It  is  un- 
questionably true  that  if  the  government  would  spend  as  much 
money  for  health  purposes  as  for  public  works  and  public  protec- 
tion the  lives  of  many  thousands  now  sacrificed  through  igno- 
rance and  poverty  could  be  saved.  A  committee  appointed  to 
study  the  cause  of  the  excessive  infant  mortality  reported  to  the 
Philippine  Legislature  that  an  additional  one-centavo  (half -cent) 
stamp  placed  upon  every  letter  mailed  in  the  Philippines  would 


SANITATION    AND    HEALTH  195 

furnish  money  to  save  the  Hves  of  twenty-five  thousand  babies  a 
year  and  increase  enormously  the  health  efficiency  and  earning 
capacity  of  the  community.^^ 

The  early  institution  of  civil  governments  in  some  ways  inter- 
fered with  the  work  of  the  health  officers.  In  judging  of  what 
has  been  accomplished  it  should  be  remembered  that  they  are 
civil  officials,  subject  to  the  restraints  of  the  civil  law  and  not 
possessed  of  the  arbitrary  power  and  unlimited  funds  which  en- 
abled the  military  authorities  on  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  and  in 
Cuba  to  effect  so  much  in  so  short  a  space  of  time.  Conditions 
were  entirely  different.  It  is  difficult  enough  to  enforce  stringent 
health  ordinances  in  the  cities  of  the  United  States  where  the 
people  do  not  ordinarily  regard  health  inspectors  as  their  natural 
enemies ;  it  was  more  than  difficult  in  the  Philippines.  Neverthe- 
less the  results  in  the  Philippines  compare  favorably  with  those 
in  Panama.  In  the  Philippines  there  was  spent  less  than  twenty 
cents  per  capita  for  health  purposes ;  in  Panama,  about  three  dol- 
lars and  fifty  cents.  The  death  rate  in  Manila,  Colon  and  Pan- 
ama cities  was  approximately  forty-three  per  thousand.  This 
was  reduced  to  about  twenty-five  in  Panama.  In  Manila  in  1914 
it  reached  twenty-three  and  a  fraction  per  thousand.  The  death 
rate  among  ten  thousand  employees  in  Panama  and  the  same  num- 
ber in  the  Philippine  Civil  Service  was  about  the  same;  usually 
less  than  five  per  cent,  per  thousand. 

The  natives  seemed  satisfied  with  conditions  as  they  were  and 
objected  strenuously  to  having  their  families  and  personal  lives 
supervised  by  any  one.  Rather  than  be  put  to  so  much  trouble 
they  preferred  to  take  the  chances  of  life  and  death  under  the 
conditions  to  which  they  were  accustomed.  If  half  of  their 
children  died  it  must  be  the  will  of  the  good  God  or  it  would  not 
have  happened.    The  resistance  which  was  offered  to  the  health 


ii  There  has,  of  course,  been  a  difference  of  opinion  between  the  engineers 
and  the  doctors  as  to  the  proper  apportionment  of  the  always  inadequate 
funds  between  pubHc  works  and  public  health.  By  using  the  money  for  the 
protection  of  the  latter  the  population  is  increased,  but  left  in  unsatisfactory 
economic  conditions. 


196  THE    PHILIPPINES 

authorities  was  seldom  active;  it  was  generally  of  that  passive 
and  subtle  nature  which  is  more  difficult  to  overcome  than  active 
opposition. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  American  government  was 
attempting  to  do  much  more  than  had  been  customary  in  tropical 
colonies.  The  movement  to  include  the  natives  within  the  scope 
of  sanitary  and  health  regulations  was  in  its  infancy.  The  ordi- 
nary plan  was  to  protect  the  white  officers  and  residents  and 
permit  the  natives  to  live  as  they  had  been  accustomed.  The  at- 
tempt to  clean  up  the  Orient  for  the  benefit  of  its  own  people 
was  regarded  by  most  medical  men  in  the  East  as  additional  evi- 
dence of  the  Quixotic  impracticability  of  the  Americans  as  col- 
onizers. 

A  great  deal  has  been  written  about  the  opposition  of  the  Fili- 
pinos to  the  sanitary  and  health  measures  established  by  the 
Americans.  It  is  true  that  they  were  often  unreasonable,  but 
when  their  ignorance  and  experience  with  such  matters  are  con- 
sidered, they  should  not  be  too  severely  condemned.  Under  civil 
government,  the  education  of  the  people  is  the  most  important 
function  of  the  sanitary  officer  and  the  first  principle  for  his  guid- 
ance should  be  that  public  sanitation,  to  be  effective,  must  rest 
upon  public  sentiment.  In  the  Philippines  this  sentiment  had  to 
be  created.  As  Doctor  Heiser  says:  "It  was  but  natural  that  a 
people  should  resist  measures  which  they  in  their  inmost  hearts 
believed  were  being  enforced  by  the  governing  power  for  the  ex- 
press purpose  of  making  them  miserable,  unhappy  and  uncom- 
fortable. As  soon  as  the  better  class  of  Filipinos  observed,  how- 
ever, that  no  cases  of  cholera  occurred  among  the  Americans 
who  drank  water  that  had  been  boiled  and  ate  only  food  that 
had  been  cooked  and  was  served  hot,  this  simple  plan  had  many 
imitators  and  much  of  the  success  that  was  obtained  in  later  chol- 
era campaigns  may  be  attributed  to  the  measures  that  the  Filipino 
people  invoked."  With  reference  to  the  fight  against  cholera,  he 
says:  "On  the  whole  it  may  be  said  that  the  campaign  waged 
against  cholera  in  the  begining  was  not  as  successful  as  could 
have  been  hoped  for,  but  the  experience  gained  paved  the  way  for 


SANITATION    AND    HEALTH  197 

attacking  future  outbreaks  with  considerable  more  success.  It 
was  soon  learned  that  there  was  nothing  to  be  gained  by  using  ac- 
tual force.  The  opposition  which  was  engendered  caused  far 
more  difficulty  than  the  good  which  was  accomplished  in  an  indi- 
vidual case  in  which  it  was  used.  The  early  efforts  to  combat 
plague  resulted  in  a  similar  lack  of  success.  .  .  .  The  lack 
of  success  in  these  efforts  soon  made  it  apparent  that  before  much 
could  be  accomplished  in  the  islands  a  set  of  laws  would  have  to 
be  prepared  in  which  considerable  deference  should  be  given  to 
local  prejudices.  ...  In  other  words,  it  became  apparent 
that  the  sanitary  regeneration  of  the  Philippine  Islands  had  to  be 
brought  about  not  in  spite  of  the  Filipino  people,  but  with  their 
assistance. "^^ 

The  defense  against  microbes  has  been  compared  to  a  trident 
with  the  three  points  of  (1)  the  extermination  of  vermin,  (2) 
pure  food  and  drink  and  (3)  vaccination.    Now  dirt,  in  what  we 


12  "Sanitation  in  the  Philippine  Islands,"  Journal  of  Race  Development, 
Oct.,  1912,  reprinted  in  Cong.  Rcc.  for  July,  1913.  The  general  attitude  of 
the  radical  element  of  the  Filipino  public  is  very  well  shown  by  an  editorial 
in  a  leading  Manila  paper,  El  Ideal,  Feb.  4,  1915,  when  Doctor  Heiser  re- 
signed from  the  service. 

"Men  may  diflfer  in  their  opinions  as  to  the  methods  used  by  Doctor 
Heiser  in  the  fulfilment  of  his  duty  to  look  after  and  improve  the  public 
health,  and  they  are  indeed  conflicting ;  there  are  many  who  sincerely  believe 
that  Doctor  Reiser's  success  would  have  been  greater  had  he  been  able  to  win 
the  support  and  confidence  of  the  people,  and  there  is  no  mistaking  the  fact 
that  they  are  right;  there  may  be  others  who,  not  without  reason,  criticize 
Doctor  Heiser  for  his  conspicuous  proneness  to  forget  the  native  element  and 
to  minimize  the  merits  deserved  by  his  Filipino  assistants ;  but  when  his  work 
is  reviewed  as  a  whole,  when  results  are  taken  together,  when  we  overlook 
the  serious  shortcomings  of  his  temperament,  and  see  naught  but  the  im- 
movable, severe  executive  officer,  one  who  is  constitutionally  unadaptable  to 
our  local  surroundings  and  who  is  even  tyrannical,  then  we  must  perforce 
own  that  Doctor  Heiser  is  and  has  been  a  valuable  factor  of  progress  and  of 
the  material  development  of  these  islands. 

"In  the  name  of  the  people  it  represents.  El  Ideal — which  has  many  times 
criticized  him  sharply,  but  with  conviction  and  honesty — is  glad  to  express  to 
him  its  highest  tribute  and  its  most  cordial  esteem.  Let  us  all  wish  that  m 
his  future  enterprises  he  may  not  be  forsaken  by  the  courage,  the  industry 
and  the  spirit  of  loyalty  to  duty  which  have  marked  his  long  and  brilliant 
administrative  career  as  Director  of  Health." 

I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  the  ingrained  antagonism  of  the  native  papers 
toward  the  secretary  of  the  interior  accounted  for  many  of  the  attacks  on  the 
director  of  the  Bureau  of  Health,  which  was  in  the  Department  of  the  Inte- 
rior. A  side  light  is  thrown  on  Filipino  political  methods  by  tlie  custom  of 
the  editors  to  warn  Doctor  Heiser  of  an  impending  onslaught  and  assure  him 
that  nothing  personal  was  intended. 


198  THE    PHILIPPINES 

may  call  the  natural  state,  is  not  in  itself  unhealthy,  but  it  is  the 
home  of  the  bacilli  and  of  the  vermin-bearing  animals.  Cleanli- 
ness is  therefore  the  primary  object  of  the  sanitarian.  Manila 
is  to-day  the  cleanest  city  in  the  Far  East,  but  this  result  has  not 
been  reached  without  many  neart-breaking  experiences.  Great 
progress  has  been  made  in  teaching  the  people  how  to  dispose  of 
and  care  for  human  waste. ^^  The  collection  and  disposition  of 
garbage  and  waste  is  a  difficult  problem  in  any  city,  one  requiring 
much  scientific  consideration ;  in  the  tropics  it  is  peculiarly  troub- 
lesome. Until  recently  in  Manila  each  householder  was  required 
to  provide  himself  with  a  garbage  can  of  approved  design  and 
construction  and  the  collection  was  made  by  the  city.  But  many 
of  the  people  were  too  poor  to  purchase  the  receptacles  and  either 
appropriated  those  of  their  prosperous  neighbors  or  used  such 
boxes,  cans  and  baskets  as  were  available.  The  system  was  so 
unsatisfactory  that  the  city  finally  adopted  the  plan  of  furnishing 
the  receptacle  at  a  small  yearly  rental  and  letting  the  contract 
to  collect  and  dispose  of  the  garbage  to  a  private  concern  which 
uses  modem  appliances  and  converts  the  refuse  into  something 
of  value. 

At  a  cost  of  approximately  two  million  dollars  a  modern  sani- 
tary sewer  system  has  been  installed  in  Manila,  but  prior  to  1914 
its  general  use  was  delayed  by  short-sighted  householders  who 
contested  the  right  of  the  government  to  compel  them  to  make  the 
necessary  connections.^*  Supplemented  by  a  pail  system,  the 
new  sewer  has  solved  the  difficult  problem  of  the  disposal  of 
human  waste.  The  filthy  latrines  and  cesspools  have  been  re- 
placed by  modern  flush  closets  and  public  rest  and  comfort  sta- 
tions are  being  installed  as  rapidly  as  possible.  The  public  dance 
halls  which  have  been  important  factors  in  the  spread  of  com- 
municable diseases  are  now  subject  to  the  control  and  inspection 
of  the  health  officers. 


13  The  objectionable  custom  of  using  human  waste  as  a  surface  fertilizer 
for  vegetables,  resulting  formerly  in  the  increase  of  the  death  rate  by  several 
thousand  each  year,  has  been  made  illegal. 

i*The  system  was  completed  in  1909.  The  injunction  obtained  in  1910 
was  finally  dissolved  by  the  Supreme  Court  in  1913. 


SANITATION    AND    HEALTH  199 

The  private  washerwoman  has  always  been  a  prohfic  carrier  of 
germs  and  many  a  case  of  troublesome  clobe  itch  and  even  worse 
disease  has  been  due  to  the  picturesque  but  unsanitary  custom  of 
using  the  river  shore  for  a  laundry  as  well  as  a  swimming  place 
for  men  and  beasts/^  Public  laundries  are  now  being  established. 
The  jails  and  prisons  which,  under  the  old  regime,  were  vile 
beyond  description  have  been  cleaned  up,  sanitary  equipment 
installed,  and  the  loathsome  skin  diseases  formerly  prevalent 
among  prisoners  have  disappeared.  Most  of  the  jails  in  the 
provinces  are  now  inspected  a  number  of  times  each  year  by  the 
director  of  health.  Systematic  exercise  by  the  prisoners  is  en- 
forced in  all  provincial  jails  as  well  as  in  the  central  Bilibid 
prison.  The  death  rate  among  the  Bilibid  prisoners  has  been 
reduced  from  seventy-eight  to  thirteen  per  thousand.  In  July, 
1910,  the  old  cemeteries  of  Manila  were  closed  and  all  bodies 
not  cremated  must  be  buried  in  the  modem  Del  Norte  Cemetery 
or  in  the  adjoining  new  Catholic  cemetery  of  Lalomboy.  Streets 
and  alleys  have  been  cut  through  the  congested  sections  of  the 
city  so  that  all  houses  may  be  approached  from  the  front  and  the 
low-lying  poorer  sections  of  the  city  are  slowly  being  filled  to 
an  established  level  and  rebuilt  with  small  model  houses.  Thou- 
sands of  small  houses  have  been  removed  from  low  disease- 
infected  to  sanitary  sites.  In  the  sections  of  the  city  where 
housing  conditions  have  been  improved  there  has  been  a  marked 
improvement  in  the  general  health  of  the  people. 

The  old  markets  were  an  abomination.  Constructed  generally 
of  wood  and  bamboo  with  thatched  roofs  and  dirt  floors,  they 
were  prolific  breeding  places  of  vermin  and  insects.  Under  such 
conditions  it  was  impossible  to  enforce  sanitary  rules.  In  most 
of  the  larger  towns  reinforced  concrete  public  market  buildings 
with  concrete  floors  and  stands  have  now  been  constructed.  Early 
in  1912  the  legislature  authorized  the  loaning  of  a  certain  por- 
tion of  the  Gold  Standard  Fund  to  provinces  and  municipalities 

^5  Private  steam  laundries  have  been  established  in  Manila,  but  most 
American  families  maintain  a  lavendara,  among  the  other  numerous  house- 
hold servants. 


200  THE   PHILIPPINES 

for  the  construction  of  public  works  of  a  remunerative  character 
and  the  markets  built  with  the  proceeds  of  these  loans  have  proved 
extremely  profitable,  in  some  instances  earning  four  hundred  per 
cent,  per  annum  without  any  increase  in  the  unit  space  rental 
price.  In  order  to  secure  such  a  loan  standard  conditions  as  to 
location  and  construction  must  be  complied  with.  The  market 
site  must  contain  not  less  than  two  and  one-half  acres  of  land 
with  distinct  boundaries  and  be  convenient  of  access.  The  main 
central  building  must  be  from  thirty-six  to  ninety  feet  in  width 
with  length  in  proportion,  with  the  required  stores  and  stalls  so 
arranged  that  they  can  be  securely  closed  and  locked.  The  tables 
from  which  foodstuffs  are  sold  must  be  of  concrete  and  the  con- 
tents always  visible  to  inspectors.  Most  of  the  new  buildings 
are  roofed  with  tiling  and  present  an  attractive  appearance. 

In  Manila  all  the  markets  have  been  modernized.  Only  fresh 
meat,  fish,  poultry  and  green  stuff  may  be  sold.  The  meat  must 
be  kept  in  screened  cages  made  of  copper  wire  to  which  only  the 
vender  has  access. 

The  public  markets  are  vastly  important  factors  in  the  lives  of 
the  people  and  their  maintenance  in  a  cleanly  sanitary  condition 
is  of  vital  importance  to  the  health  of  the  community. 

The  esteros  have  been  cleaned  and  put  in  reasonably  good 
condition.  The  ancient  moats  of  unsavory  memory  have  been 
converted  into  beautiful  parks  and  attractive  playgrounds  for 
school  children. 

The  extent  to  which  adulterated  drugs  and  articles  of  food 
were  formerly  sold  to  the  Filipinos  is  almost  inconceivable^^  and 
it  is  certain  that  much  of  the  illness  that  has  commonly  been  at- 
tributed to  the  climate  was  caused  by  the  chemicals  in  the  food 
products  prepared  by  foreign  manufacturers  for  the  use  of  the 
residents  of  tropical  countries.  Conditions  are  being  revolution- 
ized under  the  Pure  Food  and  Drugs  Law  which  is  now  strictly 
enforced.   The  Act  of  Congress  of  June  30,  1906,"  which  is  in 


^•5  See  an  article  by  Doctor  E.  C.  Hill  on  "Colorado  Medicine,"  quoted  in 
Rept.  Bureau  of  Health,  1908. 

"  34  Stat.  L.  768,  Fed.  Stat.  Ann.,  Supp.,  1909,  p.  136. 


SANITATION    AND    HEALTH  201 

force  in  the  insular  possessions,  makes  it  a  crime  to  manufacture 
within  any  state  or  territory  any  article  of  food  or  drug  which  is 
adulterated  or  misbranded,  or  to  introduce  the  same  from  any 
foreign  country  or  to  ship  or  receive  the  same  from  any  state  or 
territory.  As  the  act  did  not  provide  all  the  machinery  necessary 
for  its  proper  enforcement  in  the  Philippines,  the  commission 
enacted  a  law  which  embodies  all  the  provisions  of  the  congres- 
sional statute,  with  such  additions  as  were  required  by  the  local 
situations/^  This  law  is  administered  by  the  director  of  health 
with  the  advice  of  a  Board  of  Food  and  Drug  Inspection,  the 
members  of  which  are  selected  from  other  interested  bureaus. 

Probably  nowhere  else  has  so  much  injury  been  done  by  the 
sale  of  fake  nostrums  as  in  the  Orient,  where  the  people  are  very 
credulous  and  susceptible  to  the  influence  of  advertising. 

It  has  so  far  been  found  impossible  to  provide  an  adequate 
safe  milk  supply  for  Manila.  The  natives  ordinarily  use  the  milk 
of  the  goat  and  carahalla,  the  water  buffalo,  and  the  cows  from 
which  milk  is  furnished  to  Americans  and  Europeans  are  gen- 
erally kept  beyond  the  city  limits  under  conditions  which  make 
proper  inspection  almost  impossible.  The  Jersey  cows  kept  and 
petted  by  the  fortunate  few  are  great  luxuries.  Americans  use 
the  various  brands  of  canned  milk  which  is  imported  in  vast 
quantities.  But  it  is  the  poorer  class  of  Filipinos,  particularly 
the  children,  who  suffer  from  unhealthy  milk.  The  milk  of  the 
carahalla  is  rich  in  fats  and  is  often  diluted  with  bad  water,  the 
proportion  of  proteids  being  secured  by  the  addition  of  rice, 
flour  and  cocoanut  oil,  resulting  in  a  most  unsanitary  mixture. 
One  specimen  examined  contained  62,391,600  bacteria  per  cubic 
centimeter.  In  1906  a  voluntary  society  of  ladies,  organized  to 
supply  pure  milk  for  infants,  known  as  the  Gota  de  Leche,  which 
had  existed  for  several  years,  was,  at  the  instance  of  the  Woman's 
Association  of  Manila,  incorporated  as  La  Proteccion  de  la  Infan- 
cia  and  it  now  receives  some  financial  aid  from  the  government. 
But  such  organizations  can  affect  conditions  but  little  and  until 
the  situation  is  such  as  to  justify  the  government  in  forbidding 


18  Act  No.  1651. 


202  THE    PHILIPPINES 

absolutely  the  sale  of  any  but  sterilized  milk  it  is  certain  that 
many  hundreds  of  the  people  of  Manila  will  find  the  seeds  of 
disease  in  the  milk  supply. 

Recently  Mr.  Nathan  Straus  of  New  York  donated  a  milk  ster- 
ilizing outfit  to  the  Gota  de  Leche  and  the  legislature  appropriated 
the  money  necessary  for  its  installation.  Here  again  we  find 
an  illustration  of  the  rule  that  public  health  is  a  purchasable  com- 
modity. By  the  expenditure  of  a  definite  sum  of  money  a  definite 
lowering  of  the  death  rate  can  be  produced. 

The  drinking  of  bad  water  has  caused  more  illness  in  the  Phil- 
ippines than  all  other  acts  combined.  The  natives,  rendered 
measurably  immune  by  generations  of  experience,  drink  what  is 
called  unpolluted  water  with  comparative  safety,  but  very  few 
wells  and  streams  are  unpolluted.  There  is  no  water  in  the 
islands  that  an  American  can  drink  with  safety  in  its  natural 
state.  Even  the  cool  gushing  mountain  springs  are  liable  to  con- 
tain the  germs  of  the  amoebic  dysentery  which,  probably  more 
than  any  other  disease,  has  been  the  greatest  obstacle  in  the  path 
of  the  white  man  in  the  tropics. 

The  Americans  soon  learned  to  drink  only  distilled  or  boiled 
water,  but  a  long  and  strenuous  campaign  of  education  was  nec- 
essary to  convince  the  common  Filipino  people  that  most  of  the 
diseases  from  which  they  suffered  were  due  to  drinking  bad 
water.  In  the  provinces  good  w^ater  could  seldom  be  secured, 
but  it  could  always  be  boiled.  Manila  had  a  fairly  good  but  in- 
adequate and  unsafe  water  system.  In  the  eighteenth  century 
a  Spanish  philanthropist  named  Carriedo  left  a  sum  of  money 
with  directions  that  it  should  be  allowed  to  accumulate  until  it 
was  sufficient  to  provide  a  system  of  water-works  for  the  city  of 
Manila.  The  system  was  installed  in  1884  and  thereafter  the 
city  was  supplied  with  water  taken  from  the  Mariquina  River 
at  Santolan.  But  as  the  supply  was  insufficient  for  the  new  city 
and  the  source  was  subject  to  pollution,  an  entirely  new  system 
was  installed  by  the  American  government  and  opened  in  1908. 
The  water  is  now  taken  from  the  Mariquina  River  at  a  point 
sixteen  miles  above  Santolan  and  about  twenty-five  miles  from  * 


SANITATION    AND    HEALTH  203 

Manila,  where,  at  an  elevation  of  two  hundred  and  twelve  feet 
above  sea  level,  the  river  has  been  dammed  and  a  reservoir 
with  a  capacity  of  two  billion  gallons  created.  From  there 
the  water  is  carried  by  gravity  into  a  distributing  reservoir 
from  which  it  flows  by  means  of  the  old  system  and  its 
extensions  throughout  the  city.  The  old  reservoir,  the  San 
Juan  Deposito,  with  a  capacity  of  sixteen  million  gallons, 
has  been  retained  as  a  reserve.  The  first  year  after  the 
water  from  the  new  reservoir  was. used  the  deaths  in  Manila 
from  gastro-intestinal  diseases  were  reduced  by  about  one  thou- 
sand. In  the  spring  of  1912  a  break  in  the  dam  necessitated  the 
temporary  use  of  the  water  from  the  old  deposito  (which  had 
been  taken  from  the  river  at  the  old  intake  near  Santolan)  and 
the  deaths  from  such  diseases  immediately  increased  but  de- 
creased at  once  when  the  new  system  was  again  in  operation. 
But  unfortunately,  owing  to  hasty  construction,  the  new  system 
has  proved  inadequate  and  every  year  Manila  is  threatened  with 
a  shortage  of  water  which  makes  it  necessary  to  use  the  auxiliary 
Santolan  pumping  station,  with  a  resulting  increase  of  the  death 
rate  varying  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  per 
month.  It  appears  that  there  are  fissures  in  the  bottom  and  in 
the  cliffs  which  form  the  sides  of  the  new  reserv'oir,  which  should 
have  been  discovered  by  the  construction  engineers,  through  which 
probably  one-half  of  the  accumulated  water  escapes."  This  has 
been  partially  remedied  by  the  construction  of  a  flume  which  car- 
ries the  water  from  a  point  above  the  leaks  to  the  main  pipe 
below. 

A  modern  system  of  water  supply  has  also  been  installed  in 
the  city  of  Cebu  and  less  elaborate  systems  in  other  places.  In 
some  towns  good  water  is  now  brought  down  from  the  mountains 
through  simple  bamboo  pipes. 

But  the  great  and  future  supply  of  pure  water  is  the  artesian 
wells  which  are  being  opened  in  all  parts  of  the  islands.     These 


^9  The  Spanish  engineers  were  always  too  slow,  the  American  too  anxious 
to  complete  their  work.  If  proper  preliminary  investigation  had  been  made 
the  cracks  and  fissures  would  have  been  discovered. 


204  THE    PHILIPPINES 

wells  have  been  probably  the  most  efficient  single  agency  in  the 
health  campaign.  Fortunately  it  is  possible  at  a  reasonable  cost 
to  find  pure  artesian  water  almost  anywhere  in  the  lowlands  by 
sinking  a  well  to  a  moderate  depth.  Some  are  flowing  wells,  others 
require  pumping.  In  1905-  two  artesian  wells  were  in  use ;  now 
more  than  one  thousand  are  in  operation  and  the  work  of  con- 
struction continues  as  rapidly  as  money  for  the  purpose  can  be 
obtained.  Wherever  an  artesian  well  is  installed  the  death  rate 
is  immediately  reduced.^" 

Any  water  can  be  rendered  safe  by  boiling,  and  as  fire  and  a 
kettle  are  always  available,  there  is  no  excuse  for  illness  con- 
tracted by  drinking  polluted  water.  The  utmost  care  has  been 
taken  to  teach  the  native  this  simple  method,  but  the  effect  of 
boiling  is  frequently  nullified  by  some  such  act  of  stupidity  as 
cooling  the  sterilized  water  with  additions  from  the  well.  It  has 
been  found  very  difficult  to  enforce  the  ordinance  which  requires 
the  use  of  sterilized  water  only  in  restaurants,  soft  drink  estab- 
lishments and  other  public  places.  At  present  licenses  are  granted 
only  to  places  that  have  apparatus  for  boiling  water,  or  use  water 
obtained  from  the  government  ice  plant. 

Until  recently  the  government  has  sold  distilled  water  for 
drinking  to  the  public  and  those  using  it  have  been  free  from 
amoebic  dysentery.  But  owing  to  the  fact  that  distilled  water 
does  not  contain  the  salts  found  in  ordinary  water  its  continuous 
use  was  found  inadvisable  and  artesian  well  water  has  been  sub- 
stituted. 

By  the  most  strenuous  efforts  the  ravages  of  cholera,  smallpox 
and  plague  have  been  reduced  to  a  minimum,  but  all  except  pos- 
sibly the  plague  are  endemic  in  the  islands.  The  bubonic  plague 
appeared  in  Manila  in  1899  and  between  that  time  and  1906  there 
were  744  deaths.  There  were  fifty-nine  deaths  in  Manila  in  1913. 
Since  that  time  sporadic  cases  have  appeared,  but  no  cases  have 


20  In  1911  it  was  found  that  some  of  these  wells  were  infected  with 
amcebae.  It  was  probably  due  to  the  pump  having  been  carelessly  primed 
with  contaminated  water,  thus  again  illustrating  the  fact  that  in  the  East 
eternal  vigilance  is  the  price  of  safety. 


SANITATION    AND    HEALTH  205 

appeared  anywhere  in  the  islands  since  1914.  It  is  believed  that 
the  disease  has  been  completely  obliterated,  although  it  is  liable  to 
reappear  at  any  time.-^  Epidemics  of  cholera  had  been  frequent 
before  the  arrival  of  the  Americans.^^  Between  1902  and  1904  a 
serious  epidemic  taxed  all  the  resources  of  the  government,  the 
deaths  between  March,  1902,  and  April,  1904,  amounting  to 
4,386  in  Manila  and  105,075  in  the  provinces.  It  was  only  by  the 
strictest  enforcement  of  quarantine  and  sanitary  regulations  in 
the  face  of  much  opposition  that  the  epidemic  was  finally  sup- 
pressed."^ About  a  year  later  it  broke  out  anew.  It  was  impos- 
sible to  determine  whether  it  had  been  reintroduced  from  Asia 
or  whether  it  had  remained  latent  in  some  form  during  the  year 
and  a  half  in  which  no  cases  were  detected.  During  the  outbreak 
of  1902  the  natives  showed  a  fatalistic  indifference  to  the  meas- 
ures taken  for  their  protection,  preferring  to  rely  on  nightly  re- 
ligious processions.  But  the  campaign  of  education  then  con- 
ducted convinced  the  more  intelligent  that  they  could  avoid  the 
disease  by  cleaning  their  habitations,  eating  only  hot  food  and 
drinking  water  that  had  been  boiled.  They  learned  that  the 
germs  could  be  taken  into  the  system  through  the  mouth  only 
and  that  they  were  easily  killed.  By  the  time  of  the  second  epi- 
demic the  health  authorities  as  well  as  the  people  had  been  edu- 
cated in  methods  of  attack  and  defense  and  it  was  finally  sup- 
pressed, after  there  had  been  22,938  deaths  out  of  34.238  cases. 
Again,  in  1908,  there  were  18,811;  in  1909,  7.306;  in  1910. 
6,940;  and  in  1911,  203  deaths.  From  1911  until  1913  there 
seems  to  have  been  no  cholera  in  the  islands.  In  the  latter  year  it 
reappeared  and  in  1914  and  1915  there  were  many  cases.  The 
fact  is  that  cholera  is  generally,  if  not  always,  present  in  the 


21  For  a  description  of  plague  in  the  Philippines,  see  an  article  by  Doctor 
Heiser  in  the  Philippine  Journal  of  Science.  Feb.,  1914.  See  also  Rcpt.  Bu- 
reau of  Health,  1906,  p.  30:  Kept.  Bureau  of  Health,  1912.  pp.  68-71. 

22  The  Spaniards  and  Filipinos  accepted  the  dangerous  theory  that  cholera 
is  an  air-born  disease.  A  circular  of  instructions  issued  by  tlie  Spanish  gov- 
ernment in  1888  will  be  found  in  the  Annual  Report  of  the  Comwission  of 
Public  Health,  Sept.  15,  1904. 

23  Rept.  Com.  Pub.  Health,  Sept.  15,  1904,  pp.  44-69.  For  a  history  of  this 
outbreak  and  the  methods  used  by  the  health  authorities,  see  Worcester,  His- 
tory of  Asiatic  Cholera  in  the  Philippine  Islands  (1908). 


206  THE    PHILIPPINES 

islands  and  it  is  only  by  the  exercise  of  the  utmost  vigilance  that 
it  can  be  prevented  from  becoming  epidemic."* 

Smallpox  has  been  practically  eradicated  by  the  thorough  and 
systematic  vaccination  of  the  entire  population.  "It  seems  almost 
incredible,"  says  Doctor  Heiser,  "that  in  spite  of  the  absolute 
proof  that  effective  vaccination  practically  makes  smallpox  im- 
possible, there  should  still  be  dissenters."  An  idea  of  the  magni- 
tude of  the  work  of  vaccination  is  conveyed  by  the  fact  that  dur- 
ing the  year  1908,  1,686,767  persons  were  vaccinated.  During 
the  first  nine  months  of  1914,  1,540,913  persons  were  vaccinated 
in  the  provinces  and  79,640  in  Manila.  Since  1898  a  total  of 
20,000,000  vaccinations  have  been  performed.  At  first  much 
of  the  work  was  done  by  local  native  health  officers,  but  satis- 
factory results  were  not  obtained  until  it  was  placed  under  the 
direct  control  of  the  director  of  health.  The  disease  still  occurs 
among  unvaccinated  children  and  other  unprotected  persons,  due 
generally  to  neglect  to  carry  out  the  regulations  of  the  health 
authorities.  Before  the  American  occupation  the  deaths  from 
smallpox  averaged  forty  thousand  a  year.  Six  thousand  were 
dying  annually  in  the  provinces  near  Manila !  The  year  after  the 
inhabitants  were  vaccinated  there  were  no  deaths  from  smallpox. 
No  case  has  occurred  in  Manila  since  1910,  and  but  few  in  the 
provinces. ^^ 

The  manner  in  which  leprosy  has  been  handled  in  the  Phil- 
ippines is  of  special  interest. 

The  first  international  conference  on  leprosy,  which  was  held 
at  Berne  in  1897,  reported  that  the  system-  of  isolation  which  had 
been  introduced  in  Norway  was  the  only  known  method  of  check- 
ing its  spread.  The  second  conference,  held  at  Bergen  two 
years  later,  admitted  that  none  of  the  numerous  remedies  and 
methods  of  treatment  which  had  been  tried  had  been  success- 
ful, and  again  approved  the  policy  of  isolation  which  then  had 


2*  The  Report  of  the  Philippine  Health  Service  for  the  third  quarter,  1915, 
shows  2,391  deaths  from  cholera  in  the  islands  during  the  previous  year. 

25  See  "Smallpox  and  Vaccination  in  the  Philippine  Islands,"  Public 
Health  Reports,  XXVI,  No.  10  (1911)  ;  "Notes  on  Smallpox  and  Vaccination 
in  the  Philippines,"  Public  Health  Reports,  XXVI,  No.  15  (1911). 


SANITATION    AND    HEALTH  207 

been  introduced  into  Germany,  Sweden  and  Iceland,  as  well  as 
Norway.  The  resolutions  which  were  adopted  made  no  refer- 
ence to  what  had  been  done  in  the  Philippines,  although  Sir 
Allan  Perry,  the  principal  medical  officer  of  Ceylon,  stated  in  an 
address  delivered  in  Manila  in  1910  that  it  had  been  his  privilege 
two  years  before,  "to  see  some  of  Dr.  Reiser's  work  in  the  man- 
agement of  leprosy  in  the  Philippine  Islands,  and  after  attending 
the  Bergen  Conference  last  year  I  was  impressed  by  the  fact 
that  the  government  of  the  Philippines  had  anticipated  the  meas- 
ures recommended  by  the  members  of  that  conference  by  some 
years.""" 

The  disease  is  said  to  have  been  introduced  into  the  Philip- 
pines by  a  sort  of  Trojan  horse  performance  which  has  its  amus- 
ing as  well  as  tragic  elements.  The  Spanish  missionaries  were 
endeavoring  to  extend  their  work  into  Japan  and  the  shogun 
either  out  of  good  will  or  with  malice  aforethought  loaded  a  ship 
with  lepers  who  could  well  be  spared  from  his  abundance  and 
sent  them  wnth  his  compliments  to  the  friars  at  Manila.  They 
were  of  course  accepted  and  cared  for,  but  as  no  precautions  were 
taken  to  prevent  the  disease  from  spreading,  it  was  soon  comfnon 
in  all  parts  of  the  Archipelago.  The  new  field  thus  created  for 
charitable  w^ork  w^as  assigned  to  the  Franciscans  and  during  the 
entire  Spanish  period  they  were  in  charge  of  the  work  of  car- 
ing for  the  lepers.  For  a  time  the  afflicted  were  admitted  to  a 
hospital  in  Manila,  but  upon  the  expulsion  of  the  Jesuits  after  the 
departure  of  the  British  in  1763,  their  estate  at  San  Lazaro  was 
sequestrated  and  turned  over  to  the  Franciscans  with  the  under- 
standing that  they  should  maintain  thereon  a  leper  hospital.  In 
addition  to  the  San  Lazaro  Hospital  the  Franciscans  in  later 
times  maintained  smaller  establishments  of  a  similar  nature  in 
Cebu  and  Nueva  Caceres.  Some  of  the  larger  municipalities  also 
established  leper  camps  in  their  suburbs.  All  of  this  work  was 
charitable  in  character  and  the  effect  of  the  partial  segregation 
on  the  public  health  was  merely  incidental.    The  friars  were  car- 


26  Philippine  Journal  of  Science,  section  B,  Aug.,  1910. 


208  THE    PHILIPPINES 

ing  for  the  lepers  merely  as  unfortunates  who  were  entitled  to 
their  kindly  ministrations.^^ 

Leprosy  spreads  by  contact,  and  by  the  time  of  the  American 
occupation  it  had  become  common  in  all  parts  of  the  islands. 
San  Lazaro  is  near  Manila  and  during  the  exciting  times  just 
prior  to  the  capture  of  the  city  the  friars  abandoned  their  charges, 
who  wandered  away  and  concealed  themselves  in  various  places 
throughout  the  city.  The  provost-marshal  placed  an  official  in 
charge  of  the  hospital  and  most  of  the  lepers  were  soon  gathered 
up  and  returned  to  their  quarters. 

It  was  recognized  that  better  means  must  be  provided  for  iso- 
lating these  unhappy  people.  Although  the  number  of  lepers 
in  the  country  was  indeed  greatly  exaggerated,  the  disease  con- 
stituted a  serious  menace  to  public  health.  The  idea  of  a  col- 
ony was  entertained  from  the  beginning.  In  the  first  report  of 
the  Board  of  Health  it  was  said :  "The  desirability  of  establishing 
a  colony  where  persons  in  the  early  stages  of  leprosy  can  have 
a  home,  cultivate  the  soil  and  in  general  lead  a  free  out-of-doors 
life  instead  of  being  practically  in  prisons  and  compelled  to  pass 
their  days  in  company  with  fellow-unfortunates  in  the  last  stages 
of  this  horrible  disease,  has  long  been  appreciated  by  both  mili- 
tary and  civil  authorities."  The  search  for  an  island  suitable  for 
such  a  colony  resulted  in  the  recommendation  by  a  military  board 
of  Caygayan  de  Sulu,  but  it  was  soon  evident  that  the  estimates 
submitted  of  the  number  of  Moro  inhabitants  on  the  island  was 
erroneous  and  also  that  the  water  supply  was  inadequate.  A 
new  board  appointed  by  the  commission  after  a  careful  examina- 
tion recommended  the  island  of  Culion  in  the  Calimianes  group, 
about  two  hundred  miles  southwest  of  Manila,  "on  account  of 
its  healthful  climate,  rich  soil,  extensive  cattle  ranges,  abundance 
of  water  supply,  good  harbors  and  small  population."  This  re- 
port was  approved  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  were  appropriated 
by  the  commission  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  warehouses  and 
suitable  buildings  for  hospital  purposes  at  a  place  called  Halsey 
Harbor. 


27  Manuel  Rogel  Lebras,  Lepra  en  Bisayas,  Manila,  1897. 


SANITATION    AND    HEALTH  209 

Because  of  the  prevalence  of  plague  and  cholera  in  the  islands 
it  was  found  impossible  to  commence  construction  work  until 
late  in  the  following  year  and  then,  after  several  thousand  dollars 
had  been  expended,  it  was  found  necessary  to  abandon  the  Hal- 
sey  Harbor  site  because  of  the  inadequate  water  supply,  and  to 
locate  the  colony  on  the  site  of  the  old  town  of  Culion.^''  The 
property  of  the  few  inhabitants  of  the  town  was  then  purchased 
and  a  new  town  site  was  laid  out.  By  May,  1906,  accommodations 
had  been  provided  for  six  hundred  persons.  It  was  estimated 
that  there  were  then  five  thousand  lepers  in  the  island  and 
to  maintain  that  number  at  Culion  would  cost  the  government 
about  four  hundred  thousand  dollars  annually.  Funds  for  such 
an  elaborate  project  were  not  available  and  the  work  of  collect- 
ing the  colonists  progressed  slowly. 

As  the  work,  to  be  effective,  required  the  arbitrary  disregard 
of  ordinary  personal  rights,  the  commission  enacted  a  law  which 
authorized  the  apprehension,  detention,  segregation  and  compul- 
sory treatment  of  lepers  and  made  it  the  duty  of  insular,  pro- 
vincial and  municipal  officers  to  cause  any  person  believed  to 
be  a  leper  to  be  arrested  and  turned  over  to  the  health  officers. 
To  conceal  a  leper  was  made  a  crime.  As  there  was  great  danger 
that  such  a  law  would  be  abused,  it  was  provided  that  mere  sus- 
pects should  not  be  taken  away  from  their  homes  until  their 
cases  had  been  carefully  considered  and  the  diagnosis  confirmed 
by  bacteriological  methods.  It  was  found  that  in  some  instances 
individuals  and  communities  were  inclined  to  take  advantage  of 
the  facilities  thus  afforded  to  dispose  of  their  insane,  blind,  crip- 
pled and  other  incurable  dependents,  as  well  as  lepers.^'' 

As  the  work  of  collection  progressed  it  appeared  that  the  num- 
ber of  lepers  in  the  islands  had  been  greatly  overestimated,  as 
not  more  than  one-half  of  those  reported  as  lepers  were  found  to 


28  Doctor  Mercado,  one  of  the  leading  Filipino  officers  of  the  Bureau  of 
Health,  has  recently  asserted  that  after  all  that  has  been  done,  Culion  is 
unsuite'd  to  the  purposes  of  a  leper  colon^^    El  Ideal.  June  14,  1916. 

29  Ex-Secretary  Worcester  says  that  the  natives  were  inclined  to  fear  the 
Filipino  examiners  and  to  ask  for  the  services  of  Americans.  It  is  sometimes 
impossible  to  determine  whether  a  suspected  person  is  a  leper.  See  Doctor 
Heiser's  article  in  The  World's  Work,  Jan.,  1916. 


210  THE    PHILIPPINES 

be  suffering  from  the  disease.  Notwithstanding  the  inadequacy 
of  funds  available,  by  1910  Doctor  Heiser  was  able  to  report  that 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  isolated  cases  practically  all  the  lepers 
outside  of  the  Moro  country  had  been  segregated,  but  that  new 
cases  must  be  expected  to  develop  for  some  years  to  come.  As 
795  lepers  were  admitted  in  1913,  and  837  in  1914,  it  seems  that 
the  new  cases  developed  more  rapidly  even  than  was  expected. 
In  1914  the  records  of  the  colony  showed  that  8,502  persons  had 
been  admitted,  that  5,204  had  died,  and  that  3,298  remained.^" 

This  leper  colony  is  the  largest  of  its  kind  in  the  world  and 
is  interesting  as  a  sociological  as  well  as  a  medical  experiment. 
The  town  is  laid  out  with  regular  streets,  blocks  and  squares,  and 
is  organized  with  a  simple  municipal,  form  of  government  in 
which  the  colonists  have  as  large  a  part  as  possible.  It  is  situated 
on  high  ground  and  looks  out  over  the  sea.  Good  water  is  sup- 
plied from  a  reservoir  into  which  it  is  pumped  from  a  spring  and 
from  which  it  is  carried  by  pipes  to  all  parts  of  the  town.  Ample 
bathrooms  and  modern  flush  closets  are  supplied.  A  complete 
sewerage  system  carries  all  waste  through  septic  tanks  to  the 
sea.  The  buildings,  many  being  of  reinforced  concrete  construc- 
tion, are  substantial  and  comfortable  and  adapted  to  the  climatic 
conditions.  There  is  a  good  church  building,  town  hall  and  suit- 
able residences  for  the  presidente  and  councilmen.  A  police 
force  selected  by  the  presidente  from  among  the  colonists  main- 
tains order  and  sees  that  the  ordinances  and  sanitary  regulations 
are  obeyed.  The  American  superintendent  has  the  powers  of  a 
justice  of  the  peace.  The  colonists  elect  their  principal  officers 
and  thus  practically  govern  themselves. 

It  was  at  first  thought  that  some  form  of  industry  could  be  de- 
veloped which  would  provide  the  colonists  with  occupation  and 
make  them  at  least  partially  self-supporting,  but  this  idea  had 
to  be  abandoned.  The  most  that  the  people  are  able  to  do  is  to 
raise  a  few  chickens  and  pigs  and  cultivate  small  gardens.  They 
traffic  among  themselves  and  for  their  accommodation  a  special 
coinage  of  aluminum  has  been  struck  which  represents  actual 

30  A  few  had  been  discharged  as  apparently  cured. 


SANITATION    AND    HEALTH  211 

value,  being  redeemable  in  real  money.  Everything  possible  is 
done  to  make  life  pleasant  for  the  people  who  seem  marked  by 
fate  for  death.  They  have  their  social  amusements  and  live  the 
life  of  an  ordinary  Filipino  community.  A  brass  band  com- 
posed entirely  of  lepers  furnishes  the  musical  element  so  neces- 
sary to  the  happiness  of  the  Filipino. 

The  segregation  of  lepers  protects  the  general  community 
from  contagion  and  instead  of  living  as  beggars  and  outcasts  the 
unfortunates  are  protected  and  cared  for  by  the  state.  The  con- 
tinuance of  the  present  policy  for  another  decade  should  free 
the  Philippines  from  one  of  its  ancient  scourges.  But  it  will  take 
longer  than  was  expected,  as  the  new  cases  continue  to  develop 
in  surprising  numbers.  No  certain  remedy  for  leprosy  has  been 
discovered,  but  the  treatment  by  a  hypodermic  injection  of  a  mix- 
ture of  chaulmoogra  oil  has  given  encouraging  results,  and  experi- 
ments wath  it  are  being  conducted  at  Manila  and  by  the  United 
States  Leprosy  Investigation  Commission  in  Hawaii. ^^ 

The  present  stage  of  the  chaulmoogra  oil  treatment  "does  not 
warrant  the  belief  that  anything  like  a  specific  for  leprosy  has 
been  found,  but  experience  does  show  that  it  gives  more  con- 
sistently favorable  results  than  any  other  that  has  come  to  our 
attention  and  it  holds  out  the  hope  of  further  improvement.  The 
situation  may  be  summed  up  as  follows:  it  produces  apparent 
cures  in  some  cases,  causes  great  improvement  in  others,  and  ar- 
rests the  progress  of  the  disease  in  every  instance  in  which  we 
have  tried  it."^" 


31  In  1908  the  Bureau  of  Science  succeeded  in  cultivating  the  leper  bacilli 
in  artificial  media  and  it  was  hoped  that  it  would  lead  to  the  discovery  of  a 
serum  or  vaccine.  See  "Experiment  in  the  Cultivation  of  Bacilli  Leprae,"  by 
M.  C.  Clegg,  Philippine  Journal  of  Science,  Section  B,  April,  1909,  and  Dec, 
1909,  and  Reports  Bureau  of  Health,  1910  and  1913.  It  was  thought  for  a 
time  that  the  X-ray  treatment  would  be  effective,  but  this,  too,  proved  to  be 
a  disappointment.  Chaulmoogra  oil  is  obtained  from  a  tree  which  is  in- 
digenous to  India.  The  people  of  the  East  have  always  claimed  that  this  oil 
would  cure  leprosy.  The  difficulty  was  that  after  a  time  it  produced  nausea 
to  such  an  extent  that  the  patient  could  not  take  it.  It  is  now  mixed  with 
camphorated  oil  and  resorcin  and  given  hypodermically,  and  all  the  progress 
is  due  to  this  change  of  method.  See  United  States  Public  Health  Reports. 
Supp.  No.  20,  Oct.  16,  1914:  American  Journal  of  Tropical  Diseases  for  Nov., 
1914;  The  World's  Work,  Jan.,  1916.  p.  310.  .        ,, 

32  Doctor  V.  G.  Heiser,  "Fighting  Leprosy  in  the  Philippines,  The 
World's  Work  for  Jan.,  1916. 


212  THE    PHILIPPINES 

Recent  investigations  show  that  beriberi,  which  has  been  one 
of  the  worst  diseases  of  the  East,  is  caused  by  the  excessive  use 
of  poHshed  rice,  and  little  else,  as  food.  It  has  been  thought  that 
the  disease  is  peculiar  to  the  tropics,  but  it  now  appears  that  it 
prevails  there  simply  because  the  people  live  almost  exclusively 
on  rice  from  which  certain  elements  essential  to  health  have  been 
removed.  Europeans  who  use  a  diversified  diet,  of  which  polished 
rice  forms  a  reasonable  part,  never  suffer  from  beriberi.  The 
disease  has  prevailed  in  the  rice-eating  East  for  centuries.  Dur- 
ing the  Chino- Japanese  war  of  1894,  nearly  one-half  of  the  Jap- 
anese soldiers  had  beriberi,  and  in  the  Russo-Japanese  war 
eighty-five  thousand  cases  were  reported. 

The  experiments  of  Eraser  and  Stanton  in  the  Straits  Settle- 
ments, and  Arons  and  others  in  the  Philippines,  demonstrate  that 
beriberi  may  be  prevented  by  the  substitution  of  unpolished  for 
polished  rice,^^  or  by  a  diversified  diet  which  supplies  the  element 
which  is  absent  in  polished  rice.  The  people  are  slow  to  recognize 
this  fact,  but  they  are  being  educated  to  the  use  of  the  more  nu- 
tritious article.  Before  the  unpolished  rice  was  issued,  and  the 
government  now  issues  no  other,  there  were  nearly  a  thousand 
cases  of  beriberi  each  5^ear  among  the  United  States  Scouts,  and 
from  sixty  to  eighty  deaths  per  month  at  the  Culion  Leper  Col- 
ony. Now  beriberi  has  disappeared  from  Culion  and  the  army 
is  free  from  it.  The  practical  eradication  of  this  disease  is  one 
of  the  greatest  triumphs  of  medical  science  in  the  Orient. 

The  appalling  mortality  of  children  under  five  years  of  age 
is  not  peculiar  to  the  Philippines.  Conditions  there  are  not  much 
worse  relatively  than  in  many  other  parts  of  the  world.  Never- 
theless at  present  more  infants  die  out  of  every  hundred  bom  in 
the  Philippines  than  out  of  a  thousand  born  in  Australia.  The  lives 
of  a  large  proportion  of  these  children  could  be  saved  if  the  neces- 
sary money  was  available.    There  is  at  present  an  active  world- 


^^  Rept.  Bureau  of  Health,  1913,  pp.  105-110.  The  government  at  one  time 
contemplated  legislation  regulating  the  importation  of  polished  rice,  but  this 
■will  probably  be  unnecessary.  It  is  not  the  polished  rice,  but  its  excessive 
use,  to  the  exclusion  of  other  articles,  that  causes  the  disease.  See  Graham 
Lusk,  The  Fundamental  Basis  of  Nutrition,  New  Haven,  1915. 


SANITATION    AND    HEALTH  213 

wide  movement  for  the  protection  of  children,  and  the  government 
of  the  Philippines  is  doing  all  it  can  with  the  money  at  its  disposal. 
Some  progress  has  been  made  and  the  mortality  has  been  greatly 
decreased.  The  recent  rather  discouraging  report  to  the  legis- 
lature by  a  special  committee,  composed  of  some  of  the  most  ex- 
perienced medical  men  in  the  Orient,  shows  that  not  until  the 
conditions  of  life  among  the  poor  are  materially  improved  can 
the  evil  be  remedied.  According  to  this  committee,  "seventy-five 
thousand  babies  are  to-day  nursing  poor  quality  of  milk  from 
under-nourished  and  sick  mothers,  and  another  fifty  thousand 
are  eating  dangerous  and  poisonous  mixtures  given  in  the  name 
of  food.  Many  of  these  babies,  even  in  the  city  of  Manila,  are 
being  fed  mixtures  so  badly  contaminated  that  ten  drops  of  the 
food  injected  into  a  Guinea  pig  causes  the  death  of  the  animal 
from  blood  poisoning  within  forty-eight  hours. "^* 

It  is  evident  that  the  work  of  the  American  health  authorities 
in  the  Philippines  is  not  yet  completed. 

Notwithstanding  all  that  has  been  done,  health  conditions 
among  the  Filipinos,  when  compared  with  what  they  should  be, 
are  far  from  satisfactory.  But  little  has  been  done  to  eradicate 
the  hook-worm,  with  which  great  numbers  of  the  natives  are  af- 
fected and  which  is  doubtless  the  cause  of  much  of  their  indolence 
and  lack  of  ambition.^^  Tuberculosis,  malaria,  beriberi  and  in- 
testinal diseases  are  still  responsible  for  many  deaths  annually. 
Americans  suffer  much  from  dengue  fever.^®  Recent  outbreaks 
of  bacillary  dysentery  are  due  entirely  to  the  use  of  bad  water, 
uncooked  vegetables  and  uncleanliness  in  the  preparation  of  food. 
The  dread  amoebic  dysentery  is  now  being  treated  successfully. 
Very  little  provision  has  been  made  for  the  care  of  the  insane. 
The  fight  against  tuberculosis  has  been  begun  by  private  organ- 

34 This  committee  was  composed  of  Doctor  W.  E.  Musgrave.  chairman; 
Doctor  Luis  Guerro;  Doctor  Proceso  Gabriel;  Doctor  Joaquin  Quintos  and 
Doctor  Jose  Albert.    For  the  report,  see  Rept.  Bureau  of  Health,  1914.  p.  10. 

35  For  a  description  of  this  disease,  see  Rept.  Bureau  of  Health,  1908,  pp. 
60-69. 

3«  A  very  troublesome  but  not  deadly  fever.  See  Phil.  Journal  of  Science, 
Sec.  B,  May,  1907,  p.  93.  For  an  account  of  dengue  fever  in  Indo-China,  see 
Phil.- Journal  of  Science,  Sec.  B,  Feb.,  1909. 


214  THE    PHILIPPINES 

izations  with  some  government  aid,  but  little  can  be  accomplished 
without  the  expenditure  of  much  money.  This  is  also  true  of 
typhoid.  The  suppression  of  malaria  is  merely  a  matter  of  kill- 
ing mosquitoes,  and  the  campaign  against  them  and  the  almost 
equally  dangerous  house  fly  is  being  energetically  conducted.^'' 

The  death  rate  in  Manila  has  been  greatly  reduced  by  draining 
the  lowlands,  spraying  the  places  where  mosquitoes  breed,  and 
supplying  the  people  with  quinine.  Towns  formerly  notorious 
for  malaria  are  now  almost  entirely  free  from  it.  By  lectures, 
pictures  and  circulars  the  public  is  slowly  being  made  to  under- 
stand the  deadly  character  of  these  pests  and  the  necessity  for 
sleeping  under  mosquito  nets.  To  the  best  of  their  ability  they 
are  cooperating  with  the  authorities  in  the  work  of  destroying 
the  breeding  places  of  the  mosquitoes.  But  constant  pressure  is 
necessary  to  keep  the  people  from  neglecting  the  most  ordinary 
precautions.  By  systematic  work  myriads  of  plague-bearing  rats 
have  been  destroyed,^®  and  the  construction  of  rat-proof  build- 
ings only  is  now  permitted  in  Manila,  The  discovery  by  Doctor 
Richard  P.  Strong  that  salvarsan  is  a  specific  for  the  yaws,  a 
disease  resembling  syphilis  which  has  been  very  prevalent  among 
the  mountain  people,  has  relieved  many  sufferers. ^^ 

The  Filipinos  are  an  underfed  and  insufficiently  nourished 
race.  It  was  found  in  Manila  that  thousands  of  children  came  to 
school  without  breakfast.  A  system  of  school  lunches  was  pro- 
vided in  connection  with  the  teaching  of  hygiene  and  domestic 
science,  and  for  two  cents  a  child  was  given  a  bowl  of  hot  soup 
or  stew,  a  buttered  sandwich  and  a  piece  of  cake  or  a  dish  of  ice- 
cream. For  the  most  of  them  it  was  the  most  wholesome  meal 
of  the  day.  During  1912,  twelve  thousand  of  these  lunches  were 
served  daily  in  the  primary  and  intermediate  schools,  and  at  the 
end  of  the  year  the  medical  inspector  reported  an  improvement  of 


37  The  yellow  fever  has  never  appeared  in  the  Philippines,  although  the 
mosquito  which  carried  it  is  present.  It  has  been  feared  that  the  opening  of 
the  Panama  Canal  might  bring  the  disease  to  Manila. 

38  In  Manila  during  the  fourth  quarter,  1914,  21,772  rats  were  caught  by- 
traps  and  poison.  The  third  quarter,  1915,  yielded  171,184.  After  years  of 
active  work  the  rats  still  seem  to  be  numerous. 

39  See  Phil.  Journal  of  Science,  Sec.  B,  Oct.,  1907. 


SANITATION    AND    HEALTH  215 

ninety  per  cent,  in  the  health  of  the  children.  Improved  material 
conditions,  physical  exercise  and  a  diversified  diet  have  already 
produced  an  improvement  in  the  physique  of  the  new  generation. 
The  death  rate  has  been  very  materially  reduced,  that  among 
white  men  in  Manila  being  about  the  same  as  in  such  cities  as 
Minneapolis. 

What  has  been  accomplished  has  been  in  the  face  of  many 
serious  difficulties.  We  have  noted  the  health  and  sanitary  situ- 
ation which  existed  at  the  time  of  the  American  occupation,  due 
to  ignorance,  indifference  and  conditions  inherent  in  a  tropical 
environment.  The  prejudices,  superstitions  and  ignorance  of 
the  people  were  formidable  obstacles  to  the  introduction  of  mod- 
ern methods.  It  was  a  fertile  field  for  the  medicine  man,  the 
fake  healer  and  the  vender  of  nostrums. 

Sanitary  rules  are  useless  unless  backed  by  the  power  and  will  to 
compel  their  enforcement,  and  punish  their  breach,  which  means 
infringement  on  the  assumed  rights  of  men  to  do  as  they  please 
on  their  own  premises.  A  health  officer  is  necessarily  something 
of  an  autocrat  if  not  even  a  tyrant.  He  sometimes  abuses  the 
power  with  which  it  is  necessary  to  invest  him.  The  temptation 
to  do  so  is  peculiarly  strong  when  white  men  are  dealing  with  an 
inferior  and  less  informed  race  of  people.  The  mere  fact  of  the 
superiority  of  the  governors  is  irritating  to  the  governed  and 
when  arbitrary  power  is  absent  infinite  tact  and  judgment  are 
necessary  to  secure  results. 

The  Filipinos  regarded  many  of  the  strict  rules  established  by 
the  health  officers  as  unnecessary  and  devised  merely  to  render 
them  unhappy.  The  native  papers  took  the  same  attitude  and  de- 
manded that  the  enforcement  of  health  regulations  should  be 
left  more  to  the  local  native  officials.  Whenever  that  was  done 
the  rules  were  not  enforced.  It  was  of  course  necessary,  under 
the  circumstances,  to  use  native  officials,  particularly  in  the  prov- 
inces, and  some  of  them  proved  willing  and  efficient.  Generally, 
however,  they  could  not,  and  can  not  at  present,  be  trusted  to 
brave  public  sentiment  at  the  expense  of  personal  unpopularity. 
It  requires  more  nerve  than  the  average  native  officer  possesses 


\ 


216  THE    PHILIPPINES 

to  order  a  Filipino  provincial  governor  to  clean  up  his  premises, 
A  number  of  skilful  Filipino  health  officers  have  been  trained,  but 
the  experience  of  nearly  two  decades  has  shown  that  only  with 
strict  American  supervision  can  what  has  been  gained  be  held 
and  further  advance  be  made. 

The  Moros  have  been  even  more  difficult  to  reach  than  the 
head-hunting  tribes  of  northern  Luzon.  They  sufifer  from  mal- 
nutrition and  the  diseases  which  are  fostered  by  filth  and  negli- 
gence. Malaria,  hook-worm,  dysentery  and  various  skin  diseases 
are  very  common.  Dispensaries  have  been  established  in  Min- 
danao and  Jolo,  but  the  people  who  are  scattered  over  the  small 
islands  of  the  Sulu  Archipelago  can  only  be  reached  by  a  hos- 
pital ship.  Through  the  influence  of  Doctor  Heiser,  who  is  now 
director  for  the  Far  East  of  the  International  Health  Board  of 
the  Rockefeller  Foundation,  funds  were  obtained  to  provide  such 
a  ship,  and  arrangements  have  been  made  for  its  equipment  and 
operation  at  the  joint  expense  of  the  board  and  the  Philippine 
government.  The  ship  will  visit  the  principal  towns  at  regular 
intervals,  give  out  patient  treatment  and  general  instructions  to 
the  people.  The  seriously  affected  will  be  transferred  to  the  base 
hospitals  at  Zamboanga  and  Jolo.**^  This  work  will  undoubtedly 
greatly  influence  the  attitude  of  the  Moros  toward  the  Americans. 

The  new  Public  Health  Law,^^  under  which  the  service  has 


40  Annual  Report,  The  Rockefeller  Foundation,  1915,  p.  77. 

In  commenting  on  this  project  the  American  press  has  shown  a  disposition 
to  underestimate  the  work  done  for  the  Moros  by  the  civil  and  military  au- 
thorities. For  the  last  ten  years  the  majority  of  the  Moros  in  the  great 
island  of  Mindanao  have  been  peaceful  and  orderly.  They  should  be  distin- 
guished from  the  Moros  of  Jolo  (which  is  a  small  island)  and  the  islands  to 
the  southward. 

In  a  private  letter  of  December  2,  1916,  Dr.  Heiser  says :  "The  effort 
which  it  is  proposed  to  make  is  in  the  nature  of  a  new  departure  in  dealing 
with  the  Moro  situation.  Several  years  ago  dispensaries  were  established 
throughout  the  main  island  of  Mindanao  and  their  success  was  so  very  great 
that  it  was  deemed  desirable  to  come  in  more  direct  touch  with  the  300  or 
more  islands  which  make  up  the  Sulu  Archipelago.  As  you  know,  these 
islands  have  had  practically  no  contact  with  the  outside  world  and  they  are 
inhabited  largely  by  Moros  who  are  more  or  less  of  a  piratical  character.  It 
was  thought  that  by  the  hospital  ship  ...  a  point  of  contact  might  be 
established  with  these  people  which  would  eventually  lead  to  the  opening  of 
schools  and  thus  bring  them  gradually  to  the  ways  of  peace  and  civilization." 

41  Administrative  Code,  Title  VII,  Sections  746-942  (1916), 


SANITATION    AND    HEALTH  217 

been  reorganized,  has  many  good  features,  but  it  has  some  pro- 
visions of  doubtful  value.  Under  it  the  chief,  who  is  now  called 
the  director  of  health,  may  be  invested  with  emergency  powers  in 
localities  threatened  with  an  epidemic,  by  an  order  of  the  gover- 
nor-general, and  authorized  to  prescribe  such  regulations  as  are 
necessary,  which  shall  have  the  force  of  law. 

The  service  is  administered  by  the  director  under  the  super- 
vision of  the  secretary  of  the  interior  and  with  the  advice  and 
assistance  of  a  council  of  hygiene  composed  of  a  professor  of  the 
College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  of  the  University,  a  professor 
of  the  medical  faculty  of  the  University  of  Santo  Tomas,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Colegio  Medico-Farmaceutico,  a  senior  officer  of  the 
Philippine  Health  Service,  one  attorney-at-law  and  one  other 
person  who  shall  be  an  owner  of  real  estate  in  the  islands, — all 
appointed  by  the  governor-general  on  the  nomination  of  the  sec- 
retary of  the  interior.  The  president  of  this  body  receives  a 
salary  and  the  appointed  members  who  are  not  government  em- 
ployees receive  ten  dollars  for  each  meeting  attended. 

This  formidable  body,  so  suggestive  of  Spanish  times,  is  au- 
thorized to  conduct  investigations,  prepare  drafts  of  laws,  meas- 
ures relating  to  a  long  list  of  subjects,  and  perform  certain  serv- 
ices with  the  approval  of  the  director  of  health.  It  is  merely 
an  advising  body  with  no  real  authority.*^ 

The  Public  Health  Service,  as  it  is  called,  is  given  a  sort  of 
military  form,  and  all  the  officers  whose  duties  require  profes- 
sional skill  in  medical  science,  are  graded  in  a  commissioned  and 
uniformed  service,  as  senior  medical  inspectors,  medical  inspect- 
ors, senior  surgeons  and  surgeons. 

The  islands  are  divided  into  health  districts  designed  each  to 
include  a  province,  in  each  of  which  there  is  a  health  officer  who 
represents  the  service,  under  whom  such  additional  officers  as 
are  necessary  may  be  assigned.    Provision  is  made  for  a  munici- 

*2This  council  is  intended  to  operate  as  a  check  on  the  director  of  health, 
and  his  efficiency  will  be  impaired  exactly  in  proportion  to  his  fear  of  adverse 
local  sentiment  as  expressed  by  that  body.  The  statement  by  the  director 
in  the  report  for  the  first  quarter  of  1916,  that  he  devotes  a  paragraph  to  its 
work  "with  the  previous  consent  of  the  president  of  the  council"  suggests  a 
degree  of  deference  which  is  not  reassuring. 


218  THE    PHILIPPINES 

pal  board  of  health  in  each  municipality,  composed  of  a  regis- 
tered physician  as  president,  a  school-teacher  appointed  by  the 
division  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  the  municipal  sec- 
retary, and  a  member  chosen  by  the  municipal  council.  If  there 
is  a  resident  pharmacist,  he  must  be  appointed  an  honorary  mem- 
ber by  the  president,  but  without  a  vote. 

Municipalities  may  be  combined  into  sanitary  divisions  with 
a  president  appointed  by  the  director  of  health,  who  exercises 
general  supervision  over  the  hygienic  and  sanitary  conditions 
of  the  division.  Each  district  shall  have  one  or  more  sanitary 
inspectors  appointed  by  the  provincial  board. 

Each  provincial  board  and  each  municipality  embraced  in  a 
sanitary  division  is  required  to  set  aside  from  five  to  ten  per  cent, 
of  its  general  funds  for  a  "health  fund,"  which  shall  be  de- 
posited with  the  provincial  treasurer  and  used  to  pay  the  sal- 
aries and  expenses  of  officers  and  employees  of  the  sanitary  dis- 
tricts, the  purchase  of  medicines  and  supplies,  and  other  expenses 
incurred  in  carrying  out  the  law. 

The  director  of  health  is  required  to  draft  health  ordinances 
on  subjects  designated  in  the  law,  for  the  city  of  Manila,  which 
the  Municipal  Board  is  required  to  enact  voluntarily  or  when  di- 
rected to  do  so  by  the  governor-general. 

The  organization  is  an  excellent  one,  but  its  effectiveness  will 
depend  upon  the  firmness  of  the  men  by  whom  it  is  administered. 


CHAPTER  X 

The  Philippine  Schools 

American  Educational  Theories — Belief  in  Education  of  Masses — Training  a 
Governing  Class  Only — Spanish  Theories — Filipino  Social  Organization — 
Education  for  the  Select  Few — The  Attempt  to  Establish  Public  Schools — 
Its  Partial  Success — Ecclesiastical  Control — Introduction  of  Popular  Govern- 
ment— Choice  between  Evils — Educational  Work  of  the  Army — The  Com- 
mission Takes  Charge — Department  of  Public  Instruction — The  General  Pol- 
icy— Secularization  of  Schools — Religious  Instruction — Adoption  of  the  Eng- 
lish Language  in  the  Schools — Its  Justification — American  Teachers — Train- 
ing Native  Teachers — Classification  of  Schools — Secondary  Schools  in  Prov- 
inces— Local  Enthusiasm  for  Education — Division  of  School  Funds — New 
Text-Books — Stress  on  Industrial  Training — Difficulties  Encountered — Preju- 
dice Against  Manual  Labor — Results — Teaching  Athletics — The  Pcnsionados 
— Housing  the  Schools — The  Courses  of  Study — Special  Insular  Schools — 
The  University — Bureau  Schools — The  Cost  of  Education — Number  of 
Pupils — Schools  for  the  Wild  Men — Education  of  the  Moros — Demand  for 
Compulsory  Education — Dangers  Ahead — Comparisons. 

There  were  many  scoffers  in  lolcus  when  the  Argo,  with  Jason 
and  his  fifty  heroes,  sailed  for  Colchos  in  search  of  the  Golden 
Fleece;  so  the  cynics  smiled  when  the  United  States  Transport 
Thomas,  with  its  load  of  school-teachers,  passed  through  the 
Golden  Gate  and  sailed  for  Manila.  Soldiers,  sailors,  colonists, 
convicts,  adventurers,  merchandise,  arms,  rum  and  missionaries 
had  often  been  sent  to  colonies;  never  before  a  full  cargo  of 
school-teachers.  But  the  Argonauts  brought  back  the  fleece  in 
spite  of  the  fire-breathing  bulls  and  the  crop  of  armed  men,  and 
the  teachers,  under  conditions  as  difficult  though  less  romantic, 
bid  fair  to  destroy  the  dragons  of  ignorance  and  superstition 
which  for  so  long  have  flourished  in  the  East. 

A  country  reflects  its  national  ideals  in  its  methods  of  col- 
onization. The  American  policy  rests  on  the  principle  that  the 
solution  of  economic  and  political  problems  will  be  found  in  the 
general  education  of  the  mass  of  the  people.     We  have  out- 

219 


220  THE    PHILIPPINES 

lived  the  conviction  that  a  repubhcan  form  of  government  is 
necessarily  the  best  for  all  people  at  all  times,  without  reference 
to  their  experience,  characteristics  and  intelligence.  It  may  be 
something  to  be  labored  for,  an  inspiration,  a  goal.  But  an 
ignorant  people  will  always  be  an  incapable,  inefficient  and 
an  oppressed  people.  The  higher  education  of  the  select  few 
will  never  save  a  democracy.  The  history  of  all  the  republics 
founded  on  the  old  Spanish  colonies  proves  conclusively  that  the 
education  of  the  masses  is  essential  for  a  self-governing  people. 

In  dealing  with  dependent  and  backward  people  the  liberal 
monarchial  states  in  which  representative  government  exists  as- 
sume that  the  primary  object  of  public  education  is  to  train  the 
men  who  are  to  govern  the  masses.  This  idea  has  dominated  the 
educational  work  of  England  in  India,  Egypt,  and  in  the  Crown 
colonies.  Writing  of  education  in  Egypt,  Lord  Milner  said:^ 
"The  Government  is  still  far  from  being  in  a  position  to  offer 
a  decent  education  to  the  majority  of  the  inhabitants.  .  .  . 
Egypt  has  yet  to  create  a  native  professional  class.  She  has  yet 
to  educate  the  men  who  are  destined  to  fill  the  government  service. 
When  these  urgent  needs  have  been  supplied,  if  will  he  time 
enough  to  think  of  general  public  instruction"^  The  stress  is  thus 
placed  on  higher  education  for  the  few  and  primary  education 
for  the  masses  is  either  neglected  or  postponed  until  law,  .order 
and  material  prosperity  have  been  established. 

The  Spanish  ecclesiastical  methods  accentuated  the  worst 
feature  of  an  aristocratic  as  distinguished  from  a  democratic 
system  of  education.  The  friars  regarded  the  education  of  the 
common  people  as  not  only  unnecessary  for  their  salvation,  but 
as  positively  dangerous  to  the  established  order  of  things.     The 


'^England  in  Egypt  (1892),  p.  ZZZ. 

2  The  importance  of  elementary  education  is  beginning  to  be  appreciated. 
In  a  resolution  by  the  governor-general  (Lord  Curzon)  in  council  it  is  said: 
"The  Government  of  India  fully  accepts  the  proposition  that  active  extension 
of  primary  education  is  one  of  the  most  important  duties  of  the  state." 
Indian  Educational  Policy,  p.  15  (Calcutta,  1904).  It  is,  however,  a  question 
of  priority.  The  same  resolution  states  that  "there  are  more  than  18,000,000 
boys  who  ought  now  to  be  in  school,  but  of  these  only  a  little  more  than  one- 
sixth  are  actually  receiving  primary  instruction." 


THE    PHILIPPINE    SCHOOLS  221 

course  of  events  in  the  Philippines  was  such  as  to  render  the 
condition  of  the  lower  orders  almost  hopeless.  The  economic 
improvement  which  followed  the  opening  of  the  country  to  com- 
merce increased  the  wealth  and  the  power  of  the  native  aristoc- 
racy at  the  expense  of  the  common  people.  The  efforts  of  the 
Spanish  Liberal  party  to  introduce  reforms  in  the  Philippines 
encouraged  ideas  which  were  certain  to  result  in  reforms  or 
revolution.  But  the  Spanish  Republic  fell  and  the  efforts  of  the 
friars  and  the  reactionary  party  to  suppress  the  spirit  of  mod- 
ernism, led  to  insurrection,  war  and  the  downfall  of  Spanish 
power. 

There  is  no  doubt  but  that  there  had  grown  up  a  strong  de- 
mand on  the  part  of  certain  native  leaders,  such  as  Rizal,  for  pop- 
ular education;  but  very  few  if  any  of  the  gentes  illustradas  ever 
sympathized  with  it.  The  social  and  economic  system  was 
aristocratic  and  feudal.  In  a  district  with  twenty-five  thousand 
inhabitants  there  were  ordinarily  about  a  dozen  families  of 
wealthy  educated  people  who  spoke  Spanish,  lived  in  beautiful 
houses  and  possessed  the  charm  and  cultivation  of  Spanish 
civilization.  They  sent  their  daughters  to  be  educated  in  con- 
vents and  their  sons  to  the  university  at  Manila,  or  to  Europe. 
There  was  no  middle  class.  The  rest  of  the  people  were  petty 
tradesmen,  servants  or  agricultural  laborers,  taos,  dependent 
upon  their  rather  contemptuous  lords  and  masters,  and  sub- 
missive and  subservient  to  their  commands.  Occasionally,  as 
elsewhere,  an  individual  of  unusual  capacity  and  energy  se- 
cured an  education  and  forced  his  way  into  the  upper  class,  but 
the  great  mass  of  the  people  remained  grossly  ignorant  and  super- 
stitious. 

The  ability  to  read  and  write  a  native  dialect  was  not  unusual ; 
it  was,  in  fact,  very  common ;  but  there  was  little  in  the  dialect 
worth  reading  and  no  particular  object  in  writing  it.  The  Span- 
ish collegiate  institutions  in  the  Philippines  were  designed  to 
educate  the  children  of  Spaniards  and  the  mestizos.  Occa- 
sionally a  few  Indians,  as  they  were  called,  were  received  as 


222  THE    PHILIPPINES 

pupils.'  Such  institutions  as  the  College  of  San  Jose,  the  Afeneo 
de  Manila,  and  the  University  of  Santo  Tomas,  furnished  an 
education  of  a  scholastic  character  to  the  members  of  the  Spanish 
community  and  the  Filipino  aristocracy.  What  passed  for  edu- 
cation in  the  parishes  was  left  to  the  village  friar,  who  taught  the 
children  of  the  poor  the  catechism  and  the  duties  of  humility  and 
obedience  to  superiors. 

In  1863,  by  royal  decree,  a  system  of  public  primary  education 
was  established  in  the  Philippines  under  the  supervision  of  a  Su- 
perior Council  of  Education  composed  of  the  governor-general, 
the  archbishop  and  seven  members  appointed  by  the  governor- 
general.*  This  very  liberal  law  required  the  maintenance  of  a 
primary  school  for  boys  and  one  for  girls  in  every  pueblo,  in 
which  the  instruction  was  to  be  given  in  the  Spanish  language. 
The  regulations  issued  by  the  minister  for  the  colonies  show  the 
character  of  the  instruction  to  be  given  and  the  means  provided 
for  making  the  law  efifective.^ 

The  plan  was  put  into  effect  very  slowly,  but  by  the  end  of 
the  Spanish  regime  practically  every  pueblo  in  the  Philippines 
had  its  two  public  schools  with  Filipino  teachers  who  could  speak 
Spanish  and  teach  elementary  subjects.  In  every  little  plaza  or 
town  square  there  stood,  along  with  the  tribunal,  the  jail  and  the 
more  pretentious  church  and  convent,  a  public  building  of  some 
sort  for  the  use  of  the  school. 


3  There  has  been  much  discussion  of  the  question  whether  the  Spaniards 
made  any  serious  effort  to  educate  the  natives.  In  1634  PhiHp  IV  directed  the 
ecclesiastical  authorities  to  provide  for  the  education  of  the  Indians  in  the 
Spanish  language  and  the  principles  of  reHgion.  In  1686  he  directed  that 
this  decree  must  be  observed.  In  1792  provision  was  made  for  Spanish 
schools  for  FiHpinos.  One  of  the  rules  of  the  College  of  San  Filipe,  founded 
in  1641,  provided :  "The  college  students  shall  be  of  influential  Pampango 
families,  and  they  shall  be  taught  to  read  and  write  in  the  Spanish  language, 
and  shall  be  given  clerkships  if  they  show  aptitude  therefor."  Blair  and  Rob- 
inson, The  Philippines,  XLV,  p.  175.  See  also  Census  of  Phil.  (1905),  III, 
p.  576,  and  Rept.  Commission  of  Education  (U.  S.)  for  1897-98. 

*For  the  decree,  see  Census  of  Phil.  (1905),  III,  p.  578.  For  a  description 
of  the  Spanish  educational  system,  see  the  Report  of  the  Schurman  Commis- 
sion (1900),  II,  Pt.  III. 

5  Printed  in  Census  of  Philippines  (1905),  III,  pp.  583-590,  as  a  part  of 
Judge  Rosario's  article  on  Education  Under  Spanish  Rule.  Although  the 
law  required  instruction  in  Spanish,  it  was  seldom  given  in  the  primary 
schools.  This  was  one  pf  the  serious  grounds  for  complaint  against  the 
friars. 


THE    PHILIPPINE    SCHOOLS  223 

However,  it  is  easy  to  infer  too  much  from  these  facts.  A 
pueblo  was  a  district  sometimes  many  square  miles  in  extent  and 
containing  numerous  villages,  scattered  at  considerable  distance 
from  the  center  of  population.  The  school  buildings  were  small 
and,  as  the  attendance  did  not  average  over  sixty  in  pueblos  of 
from  eight  thousand  to  twenty  thousand  people,  it  is  evident  that 
only  children  of  the  rich  and  the  dwellers  in  the  large  towns  had 
the  opportunity  for  even  elementary  instruction. 

Although  supported  by  the  government,  the  school  system 
was  never  secular.  The  friars  were  always  the  inspectors  of 
schools  and  they  determined  the  subjects  included  in  the  narrow 
and  exclusive  curriculum.  The  pupils,  ordinarily  from  seven 
to  ten  years  of  age,  were  taught  reading,  writing,  sacred  his- 
tory and  the  catechism.  The  girls  studied  needlework  and  em- 
broidery. Occasionally  a  book  on  geography  was  used  as  a 
reader,  and  in  the  typical  provincial  school  a  religious  primer 
was  read  in  the  native  dialect.  The  methods  of  teaching  were 
very  primitive.  The  compensation  of  the  teachers  was  so  small 
that  they  were  without  standing  or  social  importance.*^  The  lan- 
guage of  the  text-books  had  to  be  learned  by  heart  and  the  pupil 
recited  to  the  teacher  while  his  companions  memorized  their  les- 
sons aloud.  The  bright  ones  became  perfect  little  phonographs, 
repeating  exactly  what  had  been  talked  into  them. 

During  the  insurrectionary  period  the  most  of  these  schools 
were  broken  up  and  abandoned.  The  new  government  under 
American  direction  had  thus  a  clean  slate  on  which  to  write  its 
educational  history.  Church  and  State  were  now  separated.  The 
scholasticism  of  the  Middle  Ages  which  had  dominated  the  Span- 


«  "What  contributed  greatly,  also,  to  the  general  backwardness  of  primary 
instruction  was  the  very  small  salary  paid  teachers,  as  it  was  impossible  for 
them  to  live  on  what  was  paid  them.  .  .  .  The  small  salary  paralyzed  any 
good  will  and  ambition  to  work."  Rosario,  Census  of  Phil,  III,  p.  595  (1905). 

Jagor  {Reisen  in  den  Philippinen,  1873),  says:  "The  teacher  receives  a 
salary  from  the  Government  averaging  $2  per  month  without  board.  In  large 
towns  the  salary  is  as  much  as  $2.50  per  month,  but  an  assistant  must  be 
paid.  The  schools  are  under  the  supervision  of  the  parish  priest.  Reading 
and  writing  are  taught  therein,  the  text  being  in  Spanish.  It  is  true  that  the 
teacher  is  required  to  teach  Spanish  to  his  pupils,  but  he  himself  does  not 
understand  it.  .  .  .  Indians  who  have  been  in  the  service  of  Europeans 
are  the  only  ones  who  speak  Spanish."    Quoted  by  Rosario. 


224  THE    PHILIPPINES 

ish  educational  system  had  no  longer  any  defenders.  Obscurant- 
ism was  dead  and  a  new  spirit  was  born  in  the  land  of  Rizal. 
Many,  although  far  from  all,  of  the  Philippine  people  were  in 
sympathy  with  American  educational  theories  and  anxious  for 
instruction. 

Having  decided  to  establish  a  popular  form  of  government  in 
the  Philippines,  with  a  free  and  independent  democratic  state  as 
the  ultimate  goal,  America  was,  by  all  her  political  traditions  and 
theories,  committed  to  the  task  of  educating,  not  a  few  leaders, 
but  the  entire  mass  of  common  people.  Such  a  thing  had  never 
been  attempted  in  the  Orient.  Almost  without  exception  the  men 
of  widest  experience  in  eastern  affairs  predicted  that  education 
would  unfit  the  Filipinos  for  agricultural  and  other  practical  pur- 
suits and  inspire  them  with  the  ambition  to  be  clerks,  officials  and 
professional  men.  There  was  force  in  the  assertion.  It  was, 
in  fact,  a  serious  question  whether,  in  view  of  their  history, 
training  and  racial  qualities,  the  Filipinos  possessed  the  moral 
fiber  necessary  for  the  proper  use  of  the  conventional  education. 
The  experience  of  England  with  the  youth  of  India  and  Egypt 
had  convinced  many  well-disposed  persons  that  western  education 
was  detrimental  to  the  Oriental. 

That  harm  might  result  from  a  little  or  from  too  much  of  that 
sort  of  education  could  not  be  denied.  Either  often  induces  dis- 
content in  the  West  as  well  as  in  the  East.  But  this  possible  evil 
was  insignificant  when  compared  with  the  certain  dangers  result- 
ing from  the  presence  in  the  country  of  a  mass  of  ignorant  people 
of  an  excitable  disposition  and  easily  misled  into  lawless  violence 
by  unscrupulous  leaders.^  On  political  grounds  alone,  without  ref- 
erence to  general  humanitarian  considerations,  the  new  govern- 
ment felt  justified  in  taking  the  chances  involved  in  giving  the 
Filipino  people  a  common-school  education  which  would  render 


■^  "It  is  neither  wise  nor  just  that  the  people  should  be  left  intellectually 
defenseless  in  the  presence  of  the  hare-brained  and  empirical  projects  which 
the  political  charlatan,  himself  but  half  educated,  will  not  fail  to  pour  into 
their  credulous  ears."  Cromer,  Modern  Egypt,  II,  p.  534.  In  1868  Lord 
Lawrence  said  that  "among  all  the  sources  of  difficulty  in  our  administration 
and  of  possible  danger  to  the  stability  of  our  government  there  are  few  so 
serious  as  the  ignorance  of  the  people."    Indian  Educational  Policy,  p.  IS. 


THE    PHILIPPINE    SCHOOLS  225 

them  less  liable  to  be  led  by  political  leaders  into  insurrectionary 
schemes. 

The  work  of  teaching  was  commenced  by  the  military  authori- 
ties, and  schools  were  opened  wherever  possible,  with  officers  and 
soldiers  as  voluntary  teachers.^  When  possible,  the  old  Filipino 
teachers  were  encouraged  to  return  to  their  work,  but  most  of 
the  pueblos  were  too  poor  to  pay  even  their  petty  salaries.  Gen- 
eral Otis  did  everything  within  his  power,  but  necessarily,  under 
the  circumstances,  the  work  was  unsystematic,  and  little  was  ac- 
complished other  than  to  arouse  an  interest  in  the  study  of  the 
English  language  and  convince  some  of  the  Filipinos  of  the  good 
will  of  the  Americans.  It  was  difficult  for  them  to  retain  bitter 
resentful  feelings  against  soldiers  who,  without  pay,  were  teach- 
ing their  little  children.  It  was  an  object  lesson  in  the  policy  of 
attraction. 

Prior  to  September  1,  1900,  when  the  legislative  power  passed 
to  the  Philippine  Commission,  forty-one  thousand  dollars  had 
been  expended  for  American  text-books  translated  into  Spanish, 
and  for  stationery  for  the  schools.  The  commission  immediately 
established  a  Department  of  Public  Instruction  in  charge  of  a  gen- 
eral superintendent,  eighteen  division  superintendents,  a  superior 
advisory  board,  and  local  school  boards  in  the  municipalities.^ 
Doctor  Fred  W.  Atkinson  was  made  general  superintendent, 
and  the  work  of  organization  was  commenced.     The  general 


8  President  McKinley,  in  his  Instructions  to  the  commission,  said :  "It  will 
be  the  duty  of  the  commission  to  promote  and  extend  and,  as  they  find  occa- 
sion, to  improve  the  system  of  education  already  inaugurated  by  the  military 
authorities.  In  doing  this  they  should  regard  as  of  first  importance  the  ex- 
tension of  a  system  of  primary  education  which  shall  be  free  to  all.  and  ^yhich 
shall  tend  to  fit  the  people  for  the  duties  of  citizenship  and  for  the  ordinary 
avocations  of  a  civilized  community."  A  few  schools  were  opened  in  Manila 
immediately  after  the  occupation  of  the  city,  under  the  direction  of  Chaplain 
W.  D.  McKinnon.  June  1,  1899.  Lieutenant  George  P.  Anderson,  a  volunteer 
officer,  became  superintendent  of  Manila  schools,  and  within  a  month  twenty- 
four  English  teachers  were  at  work  with  four  thousand  five  hundred  pupils. 
About  one  thousand  schools  were  opened  by  the  military  government.  On 
March  30,  1900,  Captain  Albert  Todd,  Sixth  U.  S.  Artillery,  was  placed  in 
temporary  charge  of  public  school  instruction.  In  a  report  made  Aug.  17, 
1900,  he  recommended  a  system  of  education  substantially  such  as  was  after- 
ward adopted  by  the  commission.    Census  of  Phil.,  Ill,  p.  690  (1905). 

» Act  No.  74,  Jan.  21,  1901.  This  law  authorized  the  superintendent  to 
secure  one  thousand  teachers  from  the  United  States. 


226  THE    PHILIPPINES 

policy  was  a  very  simple  one.  Common  schools  were  to  be 
established  everywhere  and  every  child  was  to  be  taught  arithme- 
tic and  to  read  and  write  the  English  language.  The  schools  were 
to  be  public  and  secular,  adequate  for  the  population,  and  open  to 
all  on  a  purely  democratic  basis.  Secondary  and  higher  educa- 
tion was  to  follow  in  due  course. 

It  is  remarkable  that  so  little  difficulty  was  experienced  in 
secularizing  the  schools  in  the  Philippines.  The  great  majority 
of  the  people  were  Roman  Catholics  and  the  Church  deemed  the 
control  by  it  of  education,  particularly  when  dealing  with  a  back- 
ward people,  as  of  vital  importance.  That  there  was  general 
acquiescence  in  the  new  order  of  things  is  probably  due  to  the 
fact  that  the  Vatican  put  in  charge  American  trained  bishops 
who  were  familiar  with  the  American  school  system.  The  so- 
called  Faribault  plan  for  the  teaching  of  religion  in  the  schools 
was  adopted.    The  law  provided  that : 

"No  teacher  or  other  person  shall  teach  or  criticise  the  doc- 
trines of  any  church,  religious  sect  or  denomination,  or  shall  at- 
tempt to  influence  the  pupils  for  or  against  any  church  or  re- 
ligious sect  in  any  public  school  established  under  this  act.  If 
any  teacher  shall  intentionally  violate  this  section,  he  or  she  shall, 
after  due  hearing,  be  dismissed  from  public  service." 

No  public-school  teacher  was  permitted  to  conduct  religious 
services  or  teach  religion  in  a  school  building  or  to  require  any 
pupil  to  attend  and  receive  religious  instruction.  But  the  priest 
or  minister  of  any  church  established  in  the  pueblo  might  in  per- 
son or  by  a  representative  teach  religion  in  an  orderly  manner  in 
the  school  building  for  one-half  hour  three  times  a  week  to  those 
pupils  whose  parents  in  writing  requested  it.^**  It  was  found  nec- 
essary to  discipline  a  few  teachers  under  this  act,  but  the  agita- 
tion soon  subsided  and  the  plan  has  been  accepted  as  a  satisfac- 
tory solution  of  what  might  have  been  a  very  serious  difficulty. 

The  proposed  adoption  of  the  English  language  as  a  medium 

■  ^  10  Act  No.  74.  See  Kept.  Phil.  Com.,  1900-3,  p.  258.  Very  few  priests  or 
ministers  ever  availed  themselves  of  this  opportunity. 


THE    PHILIPPINE    SCHOOLS  227 

of  instruction  in  the  public  schools  raised  a  question  worthy  of 
the  most  serious  consideration."  To  most  Americans  it  seemed 
absurd  to  propose  that  any  other  language  than  English  should 
be  used  in  schools  over  which  their  flag  floated.  But  in  the  schools 
of  India  and  other  British  dependencies  and  colonies  and,  gen- 
erally, in  all  colonies,  it  was  and  still  is  customary  to  use  the  ver- 
nacular in  the  elementary  schools,  and  the  immediate  adoption 
of  English  in  the  Philippine  schools  subjected  America  to  the 
charge  of  forcing  the  language  of  the  conquerors  upon  a  defense- 
less people. 

There  would  have  been  some  justification  for  the  charge  had 
the  Filipinos  possessed  a  common  language.  Various  dialects 
were  in  use  in  the  civilized  parts  of  the  Archipelago,  but  there 
was  no  vernacular  tongue  common  to  the  country  or  to  the  whole 
of  any  one  of  the  large  islands.  The  Visayans  of  the  central 
islands,  and  the  Tagalogs  and  Ilocanos  of  central  and  northern 
Luzon  possessed  fairly  well  developed  dialects  in  which  there 
were  a  few  printed  books  and  newspapers  which  circulated  in  re- 
stricted districts.  Manifestly  it  was  impracticable  to  conduct  the 
schools  of  each  district  in  the  dialect  there  prevalent,  and  no 
dialect  was  sufficiently  dominant  over  its  rivals  to  justify  its 
adoption  as  a  national  language.  William  von  Humboldt  wrote 
that  the  Tagalog  dialect  was  the  richest  and  most  perfect  lan- 
guage of  the  Malayo-Polynesean  family,  but  it  was  spoken  by 
only  about  one- fourth  of  the  Christian  inhabitants  of  the  islands 
and  it  had  shown  no  capacity  for  growth.  After  being  used  for 
hundreds  of  years  in  the  same  locality,  it  remained  thin  and  life- 
less. It  had  shown  no  disposition  to  expand  by  absorbing  its 
neighbors  nor  were  the  Tagalogs,  like  the  Visayans  and  Ilo- 
canos, disposed  to  spread  into  the  surrounding  islands.  It  had 
no  vitality  and  little  literature  worthy  of  the  name.  Short-sighted 
Tagalog  writers,  with  Chauvinistic  tendencies  in  their  efforts 

"  In  his  Instructions  to  the  commission  President  McKinley  directed  that 
instruction  should  be  given  in  the  first  instance  "in  the  language  of  the 
people,"  but  that  if  possible  English  be  established  as  "a  common  medium  of 
communication."  That  the  question  is  still  an  open  one,  see  General  Mc- 
Intyre's  Special  Report  of  Dec.  1,  1915,  p.  9. 


228  THE    PHILIPPINES 

to  "purify"  the  language,  had  tried  to  eliminate  from  it  all 
words  of  foreign  origin,  thus  destroying  the  sources  of  growth. 
Some  of  them,  such  as  the  Tagalog  poet,  Baltazar,  resorted  to 
all  manner  of  awkward  forms  to  avoid  using  words  of  other 
than  pure  Tagalog  origin.  Any  attempt  to  impose  the  Tagalog 
dialect  upon  the  other  races  to  the  exclusion  of  their  own  would 
have  met  with  violent  opposition. 

But  a  common  language  was  a  necessity,  not  only  for  social 
and  business  purposes  but  for  the  growth  of  national  feeling  and 
the  creation  of  a  homogeneous  people.  Spanish  had  been  the 
official  language  of  the  government  and  was  used  in  the  colleges 
and  by  the  upper  classes,  but  it  was  unknown  to  the  mass  of  the 
people.  Probably  not  more  than  ten  per  cent,  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  Philippines  were  ever  able  to  speak  and  write  it.  Prior  to 
the  introduction  of  the  public  school  system  in  the  years  follow- 
ing 1863,  no  serious  attempt  had  been  made  to  teach  Spanish  to 
the  common  people.  In  fact,  it  had,  like  Dutch  in  Java,  been  re- 
served as  the  language  of  the  governing  class.  There  certainly 
was  no  reason  why  the  American  government  should  adopt  Span- 
ish as  the  official  language  or  as  the  medium  of  instruction  in 
the  public  schools.  Although  elegant  and  beautiful,  it  was,  in  a 
commercial  sense,  a  decadent  language,  while  English  had  al- 
ready become  the  lingua  franca  of  the  Far  East.  It  was  spoken 
in  every  port  from  Japan  to  Australia  and  was  rapidly  becom- 
ing the  common  language  of  commerce,  science  and  diplomacy. 
The  intelligent  Filipinos  realized  this  and  the  adoption  of  Eng- 
lish as  the  medium  of  instruction  in  the  schools  met  with  general 
approval." 

Of  course,  such  a  system  of  education  as  the  Americans  con- 
templated establishing  could  be  successful  only  under  the  direc- 
tion of  American  teachers,  as  the  Filipino  teachers  who  had 
been  trained  in  Spanish  methods  were  ignorant  of  the  English 
language  and  were  generally  without  the  necessary  knowledge 
of  the  subjects  to  be  taught. 
.    Arrangements  were  promptly  made  for  enlisting  a  small  army 

^2  The  future  of  the  English  language  in  the  Philippines  is  still  uncertain. 


THE    PHILIPPINE    SCHOOLS  229 

of  teachers  in  the  United  States.  At  first  they  came  in  com- 
panies, but  soon  in  battalions.  The  transport  Thomas  was  fitted 
up  for  their  accommodation  and  in  July,  1901,  it  sailed  from 
San  Francisco  with  six  hundred  teachers — a  second  army  of 
occupation — surely  the  most  remarkable  cargo  ever  carried  to  an 
Oriental  colony. 

On  August  twenty-third  the  Thomas  discharged  its  passengers 
at  the  foot  of  the  Anda  monument.  The  hotels  and  boarding- 
houses  of  Manila  were  inadequate  for  their  accommodation,  and 
it  was  found  necessary  to  quarter  them  in  the  public  buildings  on 
the  Exposition  grounds.  Here  they  were  cared  for  until  such 
time  as  it  was  possible  to  send  them  to  their  various  stations 
throughout  the  islands. 

These  American  teachers  were  mostly  young,  vigorous  and  full 
of  enthusiasm  for  the  work.  They  had  been  gathered  hurriedly 
from  all  walks  of  American  life.  A  fair  proportion  were  college 
graduates  and  most  of  them  had  had  some  experience  in  teach- 
ing. Many  were  young  women;  a  few  were  middle-aged  men 
who  had  brought  their  families  with  them.  One  unfortunate  man 
died  soon  after  reaching  Manila,  leaving  a  wife  and  five  small 
children.  There  were  some  among  them  who  had  not  realized 
their  anticipations  of  fame  and  fortune  in  the  home  land  and  who 
were  seeking  a  new  start  in  life.  A  few  were  mere  adventurers 
attracted  by  the  good  pay,  and  the  opportunity  to  see  the  world 
under  novel  conditions.  The  undesirables  were  soon  eliminated. 
There  were  also  many  who  had  neither  the  physical  nor  the 
mental  strength  to  endure  the  climate  and  the  strain  of  the  life, 
and  their  places  were  taken  by  others  selected  with  more  de- 
liberation. 

Great  care  was  exercised  in  assigning  the  new  teachers  to 
their  stations.  Where  husband  and  wife  were  both  teachers, 
they  were  sent  to  the  same  town,  and  friends  and  acquaintances 
were  kept  together  when  practicable,  thus  guarding  as  much  as 
possible  against  the  home-sickness  and  discontent  which  the  fu- 
ture would  inevitably  bring.  The  fortunate  few  who  were  con- 
nected with  the  administrative  work  or  were  stationed  in  the 


230  THE    PHILIPPINES 

large  cities  found  life  pleasant  and  interesting,  but  the  most  of 
the  young  men  and  women  who  were  sent  to  the  provinces  and 
scattered  among  the  villages  had  to  live  practically  alone  with 
the  Filipinos.  Except  in  the  larger  towns  the  conditions  of  life 
were  rarely  suitable  for  single  women.  To  the  larger  places, 
such  as  the  provincial  capitals,  where  several  teachers  were  re- 
quired, both  men  and  women  were  sent,  and  the  presence  of  the 
American  engineer,  a  constabulary  officer  and  an  American  treas- 
urer made  the  life  endurable  and  generally  pleasant  and  inter- 
esting. 

Not  the  least  of  the  troubles  of  the  teachers  was  the  difficulty 
in  getting  proper  food  and  good  water.  The  latter  was  never 
possible  until  artesian  wells  were  dug,  and  reliance  had  to  be 
placed  on  boiled  water  and  bottled  mineral  waters.  As  it  was 
impossible  for  Americans  to  live  on  the  food  procurable  in  the 
ordinary  small  town,  the  government  established  stores  in  Manila 
and  in  the  provinces,  from  which  the  teachers  could  order  their 
supplies. 

In  the  distant  barrios  it  was  not  uncommon  for  an  American 
teacher  to  pass  many  months  without  seeing  a  white  face.  More 
than  any  other  Americans,  they  reached  the  hearts  of  the  humble 
people  and  convinced  them  of  the  disinterestedness  of  the  Ameri- 
can policy.  They  soon  became  the  centers  of  the  community  life, 
respected  by  every  one  and  loved  by  the  children  with  an  abound- 
ing love.  When  the  cholera  was  raging,  they  stood  to  their  posts, 
did  what  they  could  to  help  their  stricken  people,  and  in  many 
instances  died  with  them.  They  were  the  advisers  and  the  friends 
of  the  common  people,  and  during  the  entire  insurrectionary 
period  there  was  not  a  single  instance  of  intentional  injury  to  an 
American  school-teacher.^^ 

It  was  neither  possible  nor  desirable  that  all  the  teachers  should 
be  Americans.  The  task  of  providing  Filipino  instructors  was 
one  of  great  difficulty.     It  was  necessary  to  educate  and  train  a 

13  For  an  interesting  description  of  the  life  of  an  American  teacher,  see 
A 'Woman's  Impressions  of  the  Philippines,  by  Mary  H.  Fee  (1910). 

Freer's  Philippine  Experiences  of  an  American  Teacher  (1906)  gives  a 
very  full  account  of  the  life  of  a  teacher  during  the  early  years. 


THE    PHILIPPINE    SCHOOLS  231 

new  generation  of  teachers  from  the  pupils  of  the  new  schools. 
A  few  of  the  younger  Spanish  trained  teachers  could  be  utilized 
as  soon  as  they  acquired  the  English  language  and  the  elements 
of  the  new  knowledge  which  was  to  be  taught  in  the  primary 
schools."  Immediate  steps  were  taken  to  gather  together  for  in- 
struction those  who  desired  to  become  teachers. 

Early  in  1901  a  normal  school  was  established  in  Manila,  and 
the  announcement  of  a  preliminary  session  was  sent  broadcast 
throughout  the  islands.  The  transportation  companies  gen- 
erously furnished  free  transportation  for  teachers,  and  on  the 
opening  day  four  hundred  and  fifty  Filipino  young  men  and 
women  were  present,  of  whom  about  ten  per  cent,  could  speak 
some  English.  The  attendance  increased  and  five  hundred  and 
seventy  completed  a  short  course  and  received  their  certificates. 

The  first  regular  session  of  the  normal  school  opened  Septem- 
ber 1,  1901,  with  two  hundred  and  fifty  pupils  in  attendance. 
But  the  expense  and  the  difificulties  of  transportation  made  at- 
tendance at  Manila  impossible  for  many  who  aspired  to  become 
teachers,  and  special  normal  sessions  were  arranged  for  in  the 
various  school  divisions.  During  the  long  vacations  many  of 
the  teachers,  American  and  Filipino,  were  brought  together  at 
Manila  for  instruction  and  social  intercourse,  and  finally  these 
meetings  developed  into  the  regular  teachers'  assembly,  which  is 
held  every  year  at  Manila.  Since  1908  an  assembly  for  American 
and  high-class  Filipino  teachers  has  been  held  each  year  at 
Baguio.^^ 

Teachers  were  also  developed  in  the  primary  schools  by  train- 
ing the  brighter  pupils  to  teach  their  less  advanced  companions. 
This  work  was  so  successful  that  in  1910  there  were  seven  thou- 
sand six  hundred  and  ninety-five  Filipino  teachers  on  duty,  the 


i*A  normal  school  for  the  training  of  male  "teachers  for  primary  in- 
struction" had  been  established  in  Manila  in  1863  under  the  charge  of  the 
Jesuits.  From  1865  to  1882  the  number  of  pupils  enrolled  in  the  school  was 
3,102,  of  which  28.5%  completed  the  course.  For  the  Regulations  of  the 
Normal  School,  see  Census  of  Phil.,  Ill  (1905),  p.  605. 

^5  Beautiful  grounds  and  buildings  have  been  provided  for  the  teachers' 
meetings  at  Baguio.  Distinguished  educators  from  the  United  States  give 
courses  of  lectures.    A  daily  paper  is  published. 


232  THE    PHILIPPINES 

most  of  whom  were  giving  general  satisfaction.  Almost  all  the 
primary  and,  to  a  considerable  extent,  the  secondary  instruction, 
was  by  that  time  being  given  by  native  teachers  under  the  gen- 
eral supervision  of  Americans.  At  present  about  two-thirds  of 
the  intermediate  teaching  force  are  Filipinos.  As  Filipino  teach- 
ers were  thus  developed,  the  number  of  American  teachers  was 
gradually  reduced  until  in  1910  there  were  but  six  hundred  and 
fifty  in  the  service,  the  greater  number  of  whom  were  in  the 
higher  schools  or  acting  as  inspectors  or  supervisors.^® 

The  system  as  originally  adopted  contemplated  primary  schools 
supported  by  the  municipalities,  secondary  schools  by  the  pro- 
vincial authority,  and  special  schools  and  a  university  supported 
and  controlled  by  the  insular  government. 


16  "It  has  been  the  policy  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  to  lay  an  increasing 
amount  of  responsibility  upon  the  Filipino  teachei".  As  a  result,  where  seven 
years  ago  there  were  70  Filipino  and  380  American  supervising  teachers, 
there  are  to-day  102  Filipino  and  138  American  supervising  teachers.  .  .  . 
There  are  now  9  Filipino  provincial  industrial  supervisors  and  194  inter- 
mediate schools  with  Filipino  principals.  In  1908-9  there  were  252  Filipino 
and  366  American  teachers  engaged  in  intermediate  instruction.  At  the  pres- 
ent time  there  are  841  Filipinos  and  105  Americans.  Primary  instruction, 
except  in  a  very  few  classes  where  special  work  is  being  carried  on,  is  entirely 
in  the  hands  of  Filipinos." 

Kept.  Dir.  of  Education  (1914),  pp.  23-26.  At  present  about  15%  of  the 
positions  open  for  American  teachers  become  vacant  each  year.  Their  suc- 
cessors are  selected  in  the  United  States  by  a  representative  of  the  Bureau  of 
Education.  After  their  arrival  at  Manila,  they  are  given  a  special  short 
course  of  instruction  before  being  assigned  to  duty. 

It  must  not  be  inferred  that  the  training  of  native  teachers  was  a  simple 
operation.  An  American  teacher  in  Panay  thus  described  what  happened  to 
his  school  during  a  few  days  of  enforced  absence.  "When  I  returned  on 
Wednesday  morning,"  he  wrote,  "only  two  of  my  six  teachers  were  present 
and  my  attendance  had  dropped  from  140,  when  I  left,  to  25  when  I  returned. 
During  my  six  days'  absence  scarcely  any  work  had  been  done.  Thursday 
and  Friday  there  was  a  big  fiesta  here,  and  consequently  it  was  impossible  to 
hold  school.  This  morning  I  attempted  to  collect  the  pupils  and  get  started 
once  more.  I  find  my  teachers  are  fully  as  badly  demoralized  as  I  expected 
they  would  be.  Maria  Garingales  was  the  only  one  that  came  on  time ;  Maria 
Girago  came  half  an  hour  late  and  then  wanted  to  get  excused  for  the  day. 
Francisco  Girado  came  in  an  hour  and  a  half  late,  and  then  only  because  I 
sent  for  him.  Norberto  Girado  was  at  his  home  asleep  and  would  not  come 
at  all,  although  I  sent  for  him  twice.  He  did  not  come  to  the  school,  but 
went  to  the  cock  fight  instead,  and  as  there  is  another  cock  fight  to-morrow 
I  have  no  reason  to  expect  him  at  that  time.  All  of  my  teachers,  with  the 
exception  of  Maria  Garingales,  who  is  always  on  time,  have  of  late  grown 
very  slack  in  regard  to  their  attendance.  Norberto  is  an  old  offender  and 
does  not  seem  to  improve.  I  have  done  everything  in  my  power  to  impress 
upon  him  some  sense  of  his  obligation  as  a  teacher,  but  during  this  month 
it  is  safe  to  say  that  he  has  been  absent  half  the  time."  (Rett.  Phil.  Com., 
1900-3,  p.  404.) 


THE    PHILIPPINE    SCHOOLS  233 

At  first  the  time  and  money  were  devoted  to  creating  an  or- 
ganization, training  teachers  and  estabHshing  primary  schools  in 
which  the  elements  of  an  English  education  could  be  obtained. ^'^ 
But  many  of  the  pupils  made  rapid  progress  and  were  soon  look- 
ing forward  to  a  higher  education.  They  were  learning  English 
but  no  Spanish  in  the  public  schools,  and  instruction  in  the  pri- 
vate colleges  and  universities  was  conducted  entirely  in  the  lat- 
ter language.  Unless  higher  American  schools  were  established 
at  once  these  ambitious  pupils  would  have  to  return  to  the  private 
church  schools  where  only  they  could  prepare  for  college.  It 
was  thus  necessary  to  meet  the  demand  for  schools  to  which  chil- 
dren could  be  advanced  on  the  completion  of  their  primary  edu- 
cation, and  in  the  spring  of  1902  the  organization  of  secondary, 
or  high,  schools  was  authorized.  As  these  provincial  secondary 
schools  were  to  be  the  peoples'  colleges  and  the  final  sources  of 
education  for  all  but  the  favored  few  who  might  be  able  to  go  to 
the  university  at  Manila,  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  make  the 
course  of  study  as  broad  as  possible.  Hence,  in  addition  to  the 
ordinary  academic  and  commercial  high-school  studies,  provision 
was  made  for  teaching  manual  training  and  agriculture  and  for 
a  preliminary  two  years'  course  for  teachers  to  be  completed  in 
the  normal  school  at  Manila.  The  Spanish  language  was  to  be 
taught  simply  as  any  other  subject. 

During  that  year  secondary  schools  were  established  in  twenty- 
three  of  the  provinces.  The  insular  government  was  already 
conducting,  at  its  own  expense,  a  normal  school,  trade  school,  and 
nautical  schooP*  at  Manila,  and  planning  for  an  agricultural 
school  in  Negros. 

Authority  was  given  the  provincial  boards  and  municipal  coun- 
cils to  levy  taxes  for  school  purposes,  but  neither  body  was  able, 
at  the  time,  to  provide  the  necessary  funds,  and  a  large  part  of 

1''^  Night  schools  were  opened  in  Manila  and  elsewhere  that  were  attended 
by  many  people  of  all  classes  and  ages.  So  great  was  the  demand  for  in- 
struction in  English  that  at  one  time  there  were  about  ten  thousand  adults  in 
these  schools. 

^8  A  nautical  school  had  been  established  in  1820.  In  1899  it  was  reorgan- 
ized and  placed  under  an  American  naval  officer.  After  a  short  and  unprofit- 
able career  it  was  closed  until  recently,  when  it  was  reopened. 


234  THE    PHILIPPINES 

their  school  expenses  have  always  been  paid  from  the  general  ap- 
propriation of  the  Bureau  of  Education.  The  provincial  boards 
did  very  well  and  showed  a  good  spirit,  but  so  much  can  not  be 
said  for  the  municipal  authorities.  While  fully  ninety  per  cent, 
of  the  municipalities,  wrote  Secretary  Smith,^^  "take  a  deep  and 
abiding  interest  in  education,  their  lively  sympathy  does  not  al- 
ways go  to  the  extent  of  providing  necessary  means  to  pay  the 
expenses."  The  Filipino  teacher  who  looked  to  the  municipal 
treasury  for  his  small  salary  sometimes  found  it  empty.  "By 
law,"  wrote  Governor  Taft,  "the  council  of  a  municipality  is 
obliged  to  devote  a  certain  part  of  the  income  of  the  town  to 
schools,  but  in  too  many  instances  it  has  developed  that,  in  the 
anxiety  to  secure  his  own  salary,  a  presidente  has  induced  the 
council  and  the  municipal  treasurer  to  appropriate  from  what  are 
properly  school  funds  to  pay  the  salaries  of  municipal  officials."^** 

The  educational  work  would  have  progressed  more  rapidly 
had  the  insular  government  used  more  freely  the  forces  and 
money  at  its  disposal.  But  the  policy  of  throwing  the  burden 
along  with  the  privileges  of  local  government  upon  the  smaller 
units  was  strictly  adhered  to  and,  in  the  end,  may  justify  itself. 

The  success  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  in  dealing  with  indus- 
trial education  is  remarkable  in  view  of  the  conditions  under 
which  the  work  was  commenced.  As  originally  planned,  the 
course  of  study  provided  for  industrial  instruction  in  the  primary 
and  secondary  schools  and  in  the  special  trade  and  agricultural 
schools.  For  several  years  there  was  much  uninformed  and  ill- 
natured  criticism  of  the  authorities  for  their  alleged  failure  to 
develop  vocational  work  in  the  schools,  and  it  is  commonly 
asserted  that  this  resulted  in  a  change  of  policy.  The  fact  is 
that  great  stress  was  placed  on  manual  training  and  industrial 


-^^Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1903,  Pt.  Ill,  p.  677. 

20  "The  truth  is  that  the  municipal  governments  have  not  been  as  satis- 
factory in  their  operations  as  could  be  wished.  By  the  misuse  of  the  school 
fund  already  referred  to,  the  native  school  teachers  have  been  compelled  to 
go  without  their  salaries.  The  municipal  police  have  also  gone  unpaid  and 
'in  many  instances  have  not  been  made  efficient  because  they  were  used  as  the 
personal  servants  of  the  municipal  presidentes."  Report  Civil  Governor, 
Nov.  15,  1903;  (^Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1903,  Pt.  I,  p.  84). 


THE    PHILIPPINE    SCHOOLS  235 

education  from  the  beginning,  and  that  it  was  developed  as  rap- 
idly as  possible  under  the  circumstances.^^  The  original  course 
of  study  in  the  primary  schools  included  manual  training  for 
boys  and  girls.  The  Manila  Trade  School  was  established  in 
1901.  The  commission  in  its  report  for  that  year  commented  on 
the  demand  from  the  provinces  for  teachers  capable  of  giving  in- 
struction in  manual  training  and  the  trades,  and  remarked  that 
trade  schools  "if  established  in  sufficient  numbers  and  properly 
organized  and  conducted,  will  do  more  than  almost  any  other 
agency  to  put  them  in  the  possession  of  those  qualities  or  powers 
which  tend  most  directly  to  modernize  them  and  raising  their 
standard  of  civilization,"  Secretary  Moses,  in  his  first  report, 
discussed  very  fully  the  necessity  for  industrial  education.  In 
1903,  Secretary  Smith  said :  "Next  in  importance  after  the  crea- 
tion of  a  supply  of  native  teachers  comes  instruction  in  useful 
trades  and  the  mechanical  arts  and  sciences  necessary  for  the 
industrial  development  of  the  country.  .  .  .  This  branch  of 
instruction  is,  as  has  been  already  stated,  in  its  infancy,  and  while 
no  great  progress  has  been  made,  it  is  confidently  believed  that 
besides  giving  to  the  islands  a  supply  of  educated  Filipino  artisans 
and  mechanics,  it  will  compel  a  due  regard  and  respect  for  the 
dignity  of  labor."  In  his  report  for  1907,  Secretary  Shuster  said  : 
"During  the  past  year  the  dominant  note  of  the  policy  of  this 
department  has  been  the  expansion  throughout  the  islands  of 
facilities  for  giving  education  along  the  most  practical  lines  of 
industrial,  agricultural,  and  domestic  science  training.  A  large 
proportion  of  the  funds  appropriated  from  the  Insular  treasury 
for  school  construction  has  been  expended  for  schools  of  arts 
and  trades,  and  the  proportion  so  expended  in  future  will  be  even 
greater."^'  This  policy  was  continued  by  the  succeeding  secre- 
taries of  public  instruction. 


21  The  recommendations  submitted  hy  Captain  Todd  in  Aug..  1900,  in- 
cluded industrial  schools  for  manual  training. 

22  "The  spectacle  of  the  pupils  of  a  school  of  arts  and  trades  at  work, 
under  the  direction  of  their  American  teacher,  in  constructing  a  permanent 
and  substantial  industrial  school  of  cement  blocks,  molded  and  laid  by  the 
pupils  themselves,  all  without  cost  to  the  Government  other  than  for  the 
necessary  materials,  is  to  some  extent  a  refutation  of  the  ill-founded  state- 


236  THE    PHILIPPINES 

A  good  many  Americans  in  Manila  were  not  in  favor  of  edu- 
cating the  natives  for  anything  higher  than  servants  and  common 
laborers. ^^  Most  of  the  criticism,  however,  was  due  to  ignorance 
of  what  was  being  done  and  the  failure  to  recognize  difficulties 
inherent  in  the  situation.  At  that  time  industrial  teaching  in  the 
public  schools  of  the  United  States  was  largely  experimental, 
and  even  at  present  competent  critics  are  not  satisfied  with  the 
methods  of  teaching  or  the  results  obtained."*  There  can  be  no 
question  of  the  sincerity  of  the  effort  made  by  the  government 
of  the  Philippines  to  train  the  Filipinos  for  industrial  occupations. 
Mr.  Barrows,  who  was  director  of  the  Bureau  of  Education 
from  1903  to  1910,  was  an  earnest  supporter  of  the  policy,  al- 
though he  was  not  in  favor  of  permitting  manual-training  work 
to  supersede  instruction  in  the  ordinary  branches  of  an  ele- 
mentary English  education. ^^ 


ment  which  has  not  infrequently  been  heard  to  the  effect  that  the  educational 
work  in  these  islands  is  of  an  impractical  and  visionary  character.  The  fre- 
quent suggestions  which  have  appeared  in  the  public  press  to  the  effect  that 
manual  training  should  be  installed  in  the  schools  seems  to  take  no  account 
of  the  fact  that  this  practical  form  of  education  has  been  one  of  the  keynotes 
of  the  Government's  policy  since  the  establishment  of  the  public  school  sys- 
tem."   Kept.  Phil.  Com.,  1907,  Pt.  Ill,  p.  162.    Ibid.,  p.  163. 

23  "It  is  unfortunate  that  the  attitude  of  much  of  the  American  community 
and  of  the  American  press  is  outspokenly  hostile  to  public  instruction.  The 
cry  is  the  common  one,  that  the  public  schools  interfere  with  the  availability 
of  labor,  train  boys  away  from  the  fields,  and  expend  large  sums  of  money 
which  would  better  be  devoted  to  industrial  and  commercial  development. 
The  Manila  Times  in  recent  months  has  engaged  in  a  vigorous  campaign  with 
the  professed  object  of  beating  down  the  insular  appropriations  for  educa- 
tion. It  was  also  represented  that  the  present  educational  policy  neglects  the 
practical  training  for  life  or  industrial  efficiency;  that  the  money  devoted  to 
public  instruction  is  in  large  part  wasted ;  and  that  a  radical  change  in  the 
amount  and  character  of  instruction  should  be  made.  ...  So  far  as 
opposition  to  Philippine  education  is  a  reflection  of  that  ungenerous  and 
illiberal  opposition  to  native  enlightenment  which  too  often  takes  possession 
of  Americans  domiciled  in  these  islands,  I  believe  it  to  be  recreant  to  every 
principle  of  our  national  policy  and  to  a  due  regard  for  justice."  Rept. 
Director  of  Education,  Aug.  1,  1908  {Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1908,  Pt.  II,  p.  805). 

2*  "The  manual  training  high  schools  are  too  elaborate,"  says  Doctor 
Draper  {Our  Children,  Our  Schools,  and  Our  hidustries,  1908,  p.  7),  "too  ex- 
pensive, in  a  way  too  dilettante  to  lead  to  anything  other  than  one  of  the 
industrial  professions ;  often  they  do  not  even  prepare  for  training  in  one  of 
these.  They  are  much  more  like  schools  than  shops,  where  they  should  be 
more  like  shops  than  schools.  .  .  .  They  are  managed  by  men  who  are 
more  teachers  than  workmen,  when  they  should  be  managed  by  men  who  are 
at  least  quite  as  much  workmen  as  teachers." 

25  See  Annals  of  the  American  Academy  of  Political  and  Social  Sciences, 
XXX,  No.  1,  July,  1907. 

In  his  report  for  1908,  Mr.  Barrows  said :    "The  main  purpose  of  the  pri- 


THE    PHILIPPINE    SCHOOLS  237 

Industrial  training,  to  be  of  any  value,  requires  shops,  ma- 
chinery and  suitable  apparatus,  as  well  as  specially  trained  teach- 
ers. It  is  much  more  complicated  and  difficult  than  ordinary 
academic  instruction  which  requires  only  the  teacher,  a  few  text- 
books and  a  blackboard. 

It  must  also  be  remembered  that  the  Filipinos  had  not  been 
taught  to  look  upon  manual  labor  as  dignified  and  honorable. 
In  some  respects  the  society  resembled  that  of  the  South  during 
slavery  days.  There  was  no  place  for  the  theory  of  the  dignity 
of  labor  in  the  political  and  social  system  developed  under  Span- 
ish rule.  No  one  labored  with  his  hands  unless  compelled  thereto 
by  dire  necessity.  Education  was  regarded  as  a  means  for  escap- 
ing from  manual  labor,  of  becoming  a  clerk,  lawyer,  doctor, 
priest  or  government  employee.  The  last  thing  a  Filipino  boy  or 
girl  desired  to  be  taught  was  how  to  perform  manual  labor, 
skilfully  or  in  any  other  way.  Such  work  was  supposed  to  be  for 
the  tao  and  the  miichacho.  This  ancient  prejudice  against  man- 
ual labor  had  to  be  broken  down  before  any  real  progress  could 
be  made  in  industrial  education. 

It  is  remarkable  that  so  many  young  men  and  women  were 
able  to  rise  above  this  popular  feeling  against  manual  labor. 
When  the  Manila  Trade  School  was  opened  in  1901  it  was  very 
difficult  to  find  students.  They  had  to  be  coaxed  to  enter  the 
trade  school  and  after  being  there  were  retained  with  difficulty. 
When  Mehemet  Ali  established  his  European  schools  in  Egypt 
he  sent  press  gangs  out  to  secure  pupils,  as  sailors  were  formerly 


mary  schools  is  to  give  children  a  knowledge  of  letters ;  it  is  to  make  the 
common  people  literate  in  the  English  tongue.  To  those  who  advocate  'prac- 
tical instruction,'  I  reply  that  the  most  practical  thing  obtainable  for  men  is 
a  civilized  community,  and  their  most  desirable  acquisition  is  literacy.  In 
civilized  communities  an  illiterate  class  suffers  a  grievous  handicap  in  the 
social  competition.  Civilized  communities  are  civilized  because  they  are 
literate.  The  achievement  of  letters  marks  the  transition  from  barbarism  to 
civilization.  .  .  .  However  numerous  may  become  the  otlier  duties  placed 
upon  the  schools,  the  duty  of  caring  for  the  physical  development  of  the 
children,  the  duty  of  providing  for  their  moral  training,  the  duty  of  con- 
tributing to  their  industrial  efficiency,  however  much  these  may  come  to  be 
accepted  as  necessary  functions  of  the  school,  the  training  in  letters  must 
always  remain  its  first  and  fundamental  office."  (Rcpt.  Phil.  Com.,  1908, 
Pt.  II,  p.  807).  See  the  interesting  remarks  of  Mr.  Lecky  on  primary  educa- 
tion {Democracy  and  Liberty,  II,  p.  6). 


238  THE    PHILIPPINE^S 

secured  for  His  Majesty's  navy.^"  This  rather  crude  but  effec- 
tive method  of  securing  a  large  enrollment  was  not  available  in 
the  Philippines.  Nevertheless,  in  1904,  instruction  was  being 
given  in  the  trade  school  to  two  hundred  and  seventy  pupils,  and 
there  was  a  large  waiting  list.  The  old  prejudice  against  man- 
ual labor  has  been  weakened,  but  it  is  still  strong  and  is  a  for- 
midable obstacle  in  the  way  of  the  industrial  development  of  the 
country.  Ambitious  Filipino  youth  crowd  into  the  learned  pro- 
fessions just  as  they  do  in  the  United  States. ^'^  The  great  educa- 
tional problem  is  to  induce  all  but  the  select  few  to  believe  that 
business,  industrial  and  especially  agricultural  life  offers  careers 
as  honorable,  as  dignified  and  as  profitable  as  the  learned  pro- 
fessions.^* 

At  present  very  great  stress  is  being  laid  on  the  utilitarian  idea 
in  education.  Industrial  training  is  commenced  in  the  primary 
and  continued  throughout  the  intermediate  grades.  The  high- 
school  course  is  more  conventional  and  is  designed  to  prepare 
students  for  collegiate  work  and  three- fourths  of  the  graduates 
proceed  to  a  college  or  university.  The  course  of  study  now  re- 
quires eleven  years  for  completion,  four  in  the  primary,  three  in 
the  intermediate,  and  four  in  the  high-school  grades.  In  the  in- 
termediate grade  six  courses  are  given :  a  general  course,  a  course 
for  teachers,  a  course  in  farming,  a  trade  course,  a  course  in 
housekeeping  and  household  arts,  and  a  business  course.  All  the 
intermediate  schools  are  not  yet  equipped  to  teach  all  these 
courses.     In  some  only  one,  in  others,  two,  three  or  all  six  are 


26  So  unpopular  was  education  that  mothers  actually  blinded  their  children 
to  keep  them  from  school.  Senior,  Conversations,  etc.,  p.  130.  Small  boys 
were  taken  to  school  in  chains,  others  were  paid  to  go.  Fyfe's  The  New 
Spirit  in  Egypt,  p.  94. 

^'^  Americans  are  not  unfamiliar  with  similar  aspirations.  "No  boy  in  an 
American  school  looks  forward  to  digging  and  delving  for  hire  as  a  means 
of  a  livelihood  nor  does  any  girl  contemplate  domestic  service  as  her  future 
work  in  life."    Mosley,  Educational  Commission  Reports,  p.  102. 

28  Some  industrial  instruction  is  given  in  the  private  schools,  but  they  are 
generally  without  proper  equipment.  There  are  some  exceptions  to  this  state- 
ment. The  Silliman  Institute,  at  Dumaguete,  and  the  Industrial  School  Re- 
public at  Jaro  give  excellent  courses  in  agriculture  and  wood-working,  and 
the  schools  of  the  Belgian  Sisters  in  Manila,  Tagudin,  Bontoc  and  Baguio 
give  excellent  instruction  in  lace-making. 


m 


THE    PHILIPPINE    SCHOOLS  239 

given.  The  high-school  course  is  similar  to  that  of  the  same 
type  of  school  in  the  United  States.'" 

On  entering  a  primary  school  the  pupil  must  take  as  a  part  of 
each  clay's  work  certain  manual-training  exercises  beginning  as 
play  but  leading  to  the  regular  courses  provided  in  the  advanced 
primary  and  intermediate  grades.  In  1912,  216,218  boys  and 
125,203  girls,  representing  ninety-one  per  cent,  of  the  enrollment, 
were  engaged  in  industrial  work  such  as  regular  manual-training 
and  trade  work,  school  gardening  and  farming,  housekeeping,  the 
making  of  hats  and  mats  and  the  study  of  basketry.  Close  touch 
is  kept  on  the  work  by  means  of  provincial  industrial  supervisors 
who  frequently  visit  the  schools  in  their  territory,  and  inspectors 
and  instructors  attached  to  the  general  office  are  constantly  travel- 
ing throughout  the  islands.  The  articles  made  by  the  children 
of  the  public  schools  are  remarkable  both  for  their  quality  and 
diversity.  The  exhibit  made  by  the  Bureau  of  Education  in  con- 
nection with  the  Philippine  Industrial  Exhibition  in  1912  was  a 
very  interesting  one,  and  great  quantities  of  dainty  laces  and  em- 
broideries, beautiful  baskets,  hats,  pottery,  furniture  and  other 
articles  were  sold  to  the  public.  In  1911  the  schoolboys  in  one 
hundred  towns  were  wearing  hats  made  by  themselves.  In  that 
year  the  Philippines  exported  621,475  hats;  in  1912,  1,025,596, 
and  the  increase  was  due  very  largely  to  school  influence.  More 
than  half  of  the  desks  and  tables  in  use  in  the  primary  schools  of 
the  Philippines  were  made  by  the  pupils.  The  primary  schools  of 
Albay  are  able  to  deliver  one  thousand  salable  baskets  on  a 
month's  notice. 

The  Igorot  girls  weave  the  cloth  and  make  the  clothing  which 
they  wear  in  school.  The  industrial  school  at  Capiz  has  developed 
the  slipper-making  industry  in  that  community  so  that  two  thou- 
sand dollars'  worth  of  slippers  were  sold  in  one  year.  Through 
school  influence  1,072  gardens  were  established  during  the  year 
1911  at  the  homes  of  pupils  in  La  Union  Province.  In  the  prov- 
ince of  x\lbay  470  school  and  home  gardens  were  developed  in 

23  For  the  course  of  study,  see  the  Report  Director  of  Education  for 
1914,  pp.  58-64. 


240  THE    PHILIPPINES 

one  year  and  many  vegetables  introduced  which  formerly  were 
unknown  in  the  community.  In  the  non-Christian  province  of 
Bukidnon  each  school  has  ten  acres  of  land  enclosed  and  under 
cultivation.  The  provincial  schools  of  Pampanga  exhibited  at 
the  1912  carnival  six  hundred  samples  of  jellies,  jams  and  pre- 
serves made  from  Philippine  fruits.  Many  other  illustrations 
might  be  given  of  the  results  of  the  extremely  practical  training 
being  given  in  the  public  schools. 

The  remarkable  showing  made  by  the  Philippine  school  sys- 
tem at  the  Panama-Pacific  Exposition  of  1914  is  evidenced  by 
the  four  grand  and  seventy-three  other  prizes  awarded  it. 

The  new  system  of  education  required  text-books  prepared 
specially  for  the  Philippines.  Few  of  those  in  use  in  the  primary 
schools  in  the  United  States  were  suitable.  Nothing  better  illus- 
trates the  isolated  condition  in  which  the  people  of  the  country 
had  lived.  The  primers  and  readers  brought  from  the  United 
States  had  much  to  say  of  the  change  of  seasons  which  were  un- 
known, and  of  fruits  and  flowers  and  birds  which  had  never  been 
seen  or  heard  of  in  the  Philippines;  of  a  home  life  and  social 
customs  which  were  beyond  the  experience  and  comprehension 
of  the  children  of  the  tropics.  The  arithmetic  texts  dealt  with 
weights  and  measures  unknown  in  the  Orient ;  the  problems  were 
based  on  the  buying  and  selling  of  products  of  which  the  Filipino 
children  had  never  heard ;  the  geographies  contained  descriptions 
of  Europe,  North  America  and  the  states  of  the  Union ;  they  ig- 
nored the  home  of  the  Filipinos  and  gave  scant  treatment  to  the 
Orient  in  general.  The  histories  dealt  with  America  and  Europe, 
making  no  mention  of  the  Philippines  and  little  of  China,  Japan 
and  Malaysia.  The  texts  on  nature  study  and  plant  and  animal 
life  told  the  children  of  vegetation  and  fauna  as  strange  to  the 
Filipino  as  is  German  script  to  a  boy  or  girl  in  an  American  pri- 
mary school.^" 

To  meet  the  requirements  new  text-books  were  prepared  from 
local  material  by  teachers  and  others  familiar  with  conditions 


,  ^^  Report  of  the  Director  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  (Rept.  Phil.  Com., 
1910,  p.  173). 


THE    PHILIPPINE    SCHOOLS  241 

and  published  by  the  government  or  by  private  concerns.  The 
books  on  ordinary  topics  such  as  arithmetic  required  but  shght 
changes.  Special  texts  were  prepared,  such  as  a  Short  History  of 
the  Philippines,  the  Civil  Goz'ernment  of  the  Philippines,  Philip- 
pine  Geography,  Philippine  Folk  Lore,  A  Nature  Study  Reader, 
Lessons  on  Familiar  Philippine  Animals,  School  and  Home  Gar- 
dening, Housekeeping,  Economic  Conditions  in  the  Philippines, 
Embroidery  and  Lace  Making,  Materials  for  Commerce  for  the 
Philippines,  Commercial  Geography,  An  Athletic  Handbook,  and 
Introduction  to  the  Study  of  Colonial  History.  Ninety  per  cent, 
of  the  texts  now  in  use  were  prepared  especially  for  the  Philip- 
pines. Many  of  the  bulletins  published  by  the  Bureau  of  Educa- 
tion contain  material  which  is  used  as  the  basis  of  instruction.  A 
monthly  magazine,  called  The  Philippine  Craftsman,  is  devoted 
entirely  to  the  advancement  of  industrial  instruction. 

During  recent  years  athletic  instruction  has  constituted  an  im- 
portant part  of  the  school  work.  In  the  olden  times  the  most  vio- 
lent exercise  ever  taken  by  a  Filipino  boy  or  girl  was  by  partici- 
pation in  a  solemn  processional  march  under  the  chaperonage  of 
a  dignified  teacher.  The  sporting  instinct  found  its  gratification 
at  the  cockpit.  Physical  activity  was  considered  not  only  unpleas- 
ant but  very  undignified.  All  that  has  been  changed.  To-day  the 
boys  are  as  devoted  to  baseball  and  track  as  their  contemporaries 
in  America  and  the  girls  are  skilful  at  tennis  and  basket-ball.  A 
very  large  proportion  of  the  public-school  pupils  participate, 
under  careful  instruction,  in  some  form  of  organized  athletics 
and  the  beneficial  effects,  both  mental  and  physical,  are  already 
very  evident.  It  may  be  that  when  the  final  account  is  made  up 
it  will  be  found  that  baseball  has  had  a  more  beneficial  effect 
upon  the  new  generation  than  even  the  more  orthodox  subjects  of 
the  school  course.^^ 


3^  Governor-General  Forbes  was  greatly  interested  in  athletics  and  did 
more  than  any  other  American  official  to  encourage  the  Filipinos  to  train 
their  bodies  as  well  as  their  minds.  A  regular  interprovincial  athletic-school 
league  is  maintained.  In  connection  with  the  Philippine  Carnival  in  Feb., 
1913,  the  far  eastern  Olympiad  was  held  in  Manila.  Both  China  and  Japan 
sent  a  number  of  young  men,  and  the  athletic  contests  lasted  for  several  days. 
Almost    all    the    contestants    representing    the    Philippines    were    schoolboys. 


242  THE    PHILIPPINES 

Prior  to  1910  the  government  encouraged  young  men  and 
women  to  secure,  whenever  possible,  a  higher  education  in  Amer- 
ican colleges.  Immediately  after  the  American  occupation 
wealthy  Filipinos  commenced  sending  their  sons  to  the  United 
States  to  be  educated,  and  provinces  and  towns  arranged  to  main- 
tain boys  abroad  at  public  expense.  In  1903  the  commission  de- 
cided to  send  to  the  United  States  for  education  one  hundred 
boys  and  girls  of  high-school  age  and  educate  them  to  become 
teachers,  engineers,  doctors  and  lawyers,  on  condition  that  for 
five  years  after  their  return  they  should  be  at  the  call  of  the 
government  for  public  service.  One-third  of  these  pensionados 
were  selected  at  large  by  the  governor-general  and  the  others  by 
the  provincial  authorities.  Between  1903  and  1912,  209  young 
men  and  women  were  educated  in  American  institutions  at  a  total 
expense  of  $479,940.  As  a  whole  it  Is  probable  that  the  money 
was  well  expended,  but  many  people  believe  that  the  effect  of 
sending  Immature  boys  abroad  for  their  education  under  condi- 
tions so  different  from  that  of  their  native  land  is  generally  detri- 
mental to  their  characters.  Most  of  these  pensionados  are  now 
useful  citizens  of  the  Philippines,  and  a  few  are  serving  the  gov- 
ernment as  teachers,  engineers  and  officials.  However,  It  Is 
doubtful  whether  many  of  them  acquired  any  affection  for  Amer- 
ica or  admiration  for  her  Institutions  by  reason  of  the  years  spent 
at  her  colleges  and  universities,  and  It  Is  certain  that  some  of  them 
returned  with  a  feeling  of  restlessness  and  dissatisfaction  which 
threw  them  into  the  ranks  of  the  agitators.  After  the  University 
of  the  Philippines  was  established  there  was  no  necessity  for 
sending  boys  out  of  the  country  for  a  higher  education  and  at 
present  only  a  few  graduates  who  have  shown  unusual  ability 
are  sent  abroad  for  special  work  of  a  scientific  character. 

The  university,  the  normal  school,  and  most  of  the  other 
schools  supported  by  direct  appropriations  are  now  well  housed  in 


Japan  won  the  baseball  championship,  but  in  track,  field  and  general  sports 
the  Filipinos  were  victors. 

The  various  private  schools  are  beginning  to  realize  the  importance  of 
physical  training,  and  even  the  schools  under  the  control  of  the  religious 
orders  maintain  baseball,  football  and  basket-ball  teams.  But  few  of  the  pri- 
vate schools  have  specially  trained  teachers  for  athletics,  or  suitable  grounds. 


THE    PHILIPPINE    SCHOOLS  243 

modern  buildings  and  fairly  well  supplied  with  facilities  for  in- 
struction.^" Many  of  the  elementary  schools  still  occupy  rented 
buildings  or  temporary  bamboo  structures.  Prior  to  1907,  al- 
though by  law  the  burden  of  providing  buildings  for  elementary 
and  secondary  schools  was  imposed  on  the  provinces  and  munici- 
palities, the  commission  had  assisted  them  to  the  extent  of 
$500,000,  of  which  $175,000  came  from  the  congressional  relief 
fund.  In  that  year  the  legislature  appropriated  $500,000,  of 
which  $125,000  was  to  be  available  each  year  for  the  purpose  of 
paying  not  to  exceed  two-thirds  of  the  cost  of  the  construction  of 
school  buildings  in  barrios  where  not  less  than  sixty  pupils  were 
in  daily  attendance.  At  its  expiration  this  law  was  renewed  upon 
the  same  conditions,  and  three  other  appropriations  of  approxi- 
mately one  hundred  thousand  dollars  each  have  been  made  to  aid 
municipalities  to  construct  buildings  on  such  conditions  as  should 
be  prescribed  by  the  secretary  of  public  instruction.  Substantial 
school  buildings  of  reinforced  concrete,  built  according  to  stand- 
ard plans,  are  slowly  replacing  the  old  structures,  and  if  the 
policy  is  adhered  to  it  is  only  a  question  of  time  until  all  the 
schools  will  be  properly  housed. 

The  University  of  the  Philippines,  with  colleges  of  liberal  arts, 
engineering,  medicine  and  surgery,  veterinary  science,  schools  of 
fine  arts,  pharmacy,  dentistry,  education,  agriculture  and  law,  and 
now  organized  like  an  American  state  university,  was  established 
in  1911  with  a  former  American  Episcopalian  minister  as  presi- 
dent and  the  Roman  Catholic  archbishop  a  member  of  the  board 
of  regents.  Certain  of  the  colleges  had  been  in  operation  for 
several  years  as  separate  schools. 

At  the  present  time  more  than  two  thousand  students  are  en- 
rolled in  the  university.  The  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery, 
which  offers  special  facilities  for  the  study  of  tropical  medicine, 
graduated  its  first  class  in  1912.  At  present  the  president  of  the 
university  and  a  large  proportion  of  the  faculty  are  Filipinos,  and 


32  Expensive  buildings  have  been  constructed  in  Manila  for  the  university, 
the  normal  school,  the  girls'  dormitory,  and  the  School  of  Arts  and  Trades. 


244  THE    PHILIPPINES 

their  number  will  undoubtedly  increase  as  the  graduates  who  are 
pursuing  advanced  courses  in  American  and  European  universi- 
ties return  to  the  islands.  There  is  reason  to  believe  that  if  the 
standard  is  maintained  the  University  of  the  Philippines  will  in 
time  draw  many  students  from  China  and  other  parts  of  the  Far 
East.'^ 

In  1914  the  insular  government  was  maintaining  also  a  nor- 
mal school  with  nearly  1,500  students,  a  school  of  arts  and  trades 
with  762  students,  a  school  of  commerce  with  411  students,  a 
school  for  the  deaf  and  blind  with  53  students,  a  school  for  house- 
hold industries  with  179  students,  and  a  nautical  school  with 
30  students.  The  school  of  household  industries  was  established 
in  1912  for  the  purpose  of  teaching  adult  women  to  make  lace, 
embroidery  and  other  household  products.  The  students  of  this 
school  are  brought  to  Manila  from  the  provinces  and  maintained 
at  government  expense  under  an  agreement  to  return  to  their 
homes  and  establish  centers  for  instruction  in  the  various  house- 
hold crafts. 

The  Philippine  Nurses'  Training  School,  which  originated  sev- 
eral years  ago  at  the  normal  school,  is  now  conducted  at  the  Phil- 
ippine General  Hospital  under  the  supervision  of  the  Public 
Health  Service.  The  students,  to  the  maximum  number  of  106, 
are  supported  by  the  government.  The  Filipino  young  women 
seem  to  possess  in  a  high  degree  the  qualities  which  fit  them  for 
professional  nurses  and  they  have  won  the  unqualified  approval 
of  their  instructors  and  the  gratitude  and  appreciation  of  the  pa- 
tients for  whom  they  have  rendered  such  faithful  and  skilful 
service. 

A  number  of  the  government  bureaus  conduct  special  schools 
for  the  training  of  their  employees  and  educational  work  is  car- 
ried on  in  all  the  prisons.  The  Bureau  of  Printing  has  been  par- 
ticularly successful  in  training  printers  and  bookbinders.  The 
convicts  at  Bilidid  prison  conduct  a  school  and  receive  practical 
instruction  in  manual   training.     The  Iwahig  penal   colony  is 


33  It  was  a  mistake  to  place  a  Filipino  at  the  head  of  the  university,  and 
there  is  at  present  a  regrettable  tendency  toward  lowering  the  standard  orig- 
inally established. 


THE    PHILIPPINE    SCHOOLS  245 

simply  a  school  for  the  reformation  of  prisoners  where  they  are 
given  instruction  in  agriculture  and  other  kinds  of  manual  train- 
ing which  will  fit  them  to  become  useful  and  self-supporting 
members  of  society  after  their  discharge.  The  excellent  school 
at  Baguio,  conducted  by  the  constabulary  for  the  training  of  of- 
ficers, has  recently  been  expanded  into  a  sort  of  Filipino  West 
Point. 

The  educational  work  is  gradually  being  extended  among  the 
inhabitants  of  the  non-Christian  provinces  which  until  1916 
were  under  the  exclusive  control  of  the  Philippine  Commission. 
Prior  to  January  1,  1914,  all  the  funds  available  for  educational 
work  in  the  non-Christian  provinces  were  appropriated  by  the 
commission,  but  since  that  date  the  schools  have  been  supported 
from  the  regular  appropriations  for  the  Bureau  of  Education. 
In  1913,  $126,850  was  expended  for  school  work  among  the  wild 
tribes,  exclusive  of  the  amount  expended  for  buildings.  During 
1913-1914,  fifty  schools  were  conducted  for  non-Christians  in 
the  Christian  provinces,  with  an  attendance  of  1,640,  and  eighty- 
nine  in  the  non-Christian  provinces,  with  an  attendance  of  3,506 
students.  The  instruction  is  necessarily  of  a  very  simple  char- 
acter. The  people  are  being  taught  how  to  live  decently  and 
honestly  and  earn  a  living  by  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  and  the 
manufacture  of  simple,  characteristic  articles  for  which  there  is 
a  demand.  Particular  attention  is  given  to  industrial  instruction, 
A  trade  school  has  been  established  at  Baguio  and  the  cabinet 
work  there  done  by  the  Igorot  boys  is  of  a  high  quality.  In  Qui- 
angan  the  schoolboys  erected  a  beautiful  school  building  out  of 
stone  found  in  the  immediate  neighborhood. 

Until  January,  1915,  the  Moro  Province  was  treated  as  a  sep- 
arate unit  for  educational  as  well  as  for  governmental  purposes. 
The  province  received  no  financial  assistance  for  its  schools  from 
the  Philippine  Legislature  or  the  commission  and  yet  under  very 
adverse  conditions  considerable  progress  was  made  in  the  educa- 
tion of  the  natives.  In  addition  to  the  ordinary  elementary  schools 
it  maintained  a  summer  normal  school,  agricultural  and  industrial 
schools  and  a  school  for  Moro  girls  where  they  were  taught  per- 


246  THE    PHILIPPINES 

sonal  cleanliness,  housekeeping,  sewing,  cooking,  embroidery  and 
reading  and  writing  English.  In  1913  there  were  fifteen  Amer- 
ican teachers  on  duty  in  the  province  and  101  native  teachers,  of 
whom  33  were  women — 83  being  Christian  Filipinos,  17  Moros, 
and  one  a  Babogo  girl.  In  that  year  the  province  spent  $52,255 
for  educational  work.  The  total  enrollment  in  the  schools  was 
7,568,  of  which  68  per  cent,  were  boys.  The  average  daily  at- 
tendance was  4,535.  In  parts  of  the  province  private  Moro 
schools  are  conducted  by  Moro  priests  who  teach  the  Koran  and 
writing  the  native  dialects  in  Arabic  characters.  But  the  more 
intelligent  Moros  are  calling  for  American  teachers  and  as  rap- 
idly as  money  will  permit  the  pandita  schools  are  being  super- 
seded by  public  schools.^*  Soon  after  the  Department  of  Min- 
danao and  Sulu  was  created  the  schools  were  placed  under  the 
control  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  of  the  insular  government. 
In  1914  a  total  of  $235,088  was  provided  for  educational  work 
in  that  department. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  with  the  money  available  it  is  still 
impossible  properly  to  house  and  teach  all  of  the  Filipino  children, 
it  has  been  deemed  inadvisable  to  enact  a  compulsory  education 
law.  There  are  in  the  Philippines  approximately  one  million 
two  hundred  thousand  children  of  school  age,  of  which  less  than 
one-half  are  receiving  instruction  at  any  one  time.  The  frequent 
appeals  to  Congress  for  financial  assistance  for  the  educational 
work  have  fallen  upon  deaf  ears  and  the  Filipinos  have  been  left 
to  pay  all  the  bills  for  the  education  of  their  children. ^^    For  that 


34  "The  Moros  or  Pagans  who  have  come  in  close  contact  with  our  civili- 
zation, in  the  pubHc  schools  or  otherwise,  are  frequently  found  to  be  anxious 
to  improve  their  standards  of  living  and,  to  a  certain  extent,  are  inclined  also 
to  adopt  our  manners  and  customs.  .  .  .  On  this  fact  may  justly  be  based 
the  belief  that  through  our  common  schools  an  impetus  may  be  given  which, 
if  followed  up  by  other  civilizing  forces,  may  lead  eventually  to  the  social 
evolution  of  these  wards."  Annual  Rept.  Gov.  of  the  Moro  Province,  1913, 
p.  2,Z.  ^       ^ 

35  A  distinguished  American  educator  began  an  address  at  the  Lake  Mo- 
hawk Conference,  Oct.,  1911,  with  the  statement  that  "Our  Government  in 
Washington  is  caring  for  schools  in  the  Philippines."  In  fact,  the  govern- 
ment at  Washington  has  done  nothing  for  education  in  the  Philippines  other 
than  permit  certain  Americans  to  labor  there  in  the  service  of  the  insular 
government  and  spend  the  money  which  the  Filipinos  and  residents  are  able 
to  furnish. 


THE    PHILIPPINE    SCHOOLS 


247 


purpose  the  government  of  the  PhiHppines  had,  to  July  1,  1913, 
expended  $21,376,000.  The  following  table  shows  the  annual 
expenditures  for  schools,  exclusive  of  buildings  :^^ 


Fiscal  year. 


1899 
1900 
1901 
1902 
1903 
1904 
1905 
1906 
1907 
1908 
1909 
1910 
1911 


Insular. 


Provincial. 


Municipal. 


Total. 


>No  figures  available.  Expenditures  from  military  sources. 


P466,822.00 
2,388,762.00 
2,801,126.00 
2.488,192.00 
2,402,733.46 
2,880,047.68 
3,112,540.24 
3,402,119.59 
3,926,827.92 
4,094,098.61 
3,792,182.15 


Small  sums 
P79,918.40 
225,159.44 
307,779.86 
216,955.80 
228,691.23 
285,159.97 
209,286.64 


No  record. 
No  record. 
P633,840.97. 


Pl,016.303.00 
1,797,547.67 
1,3^.130.40 
1.359,702.05 
1,508,041.80 
1,672,148.50 
2,133,577.91 
2,516,460.12 


P466,822.00 
2,388.762.00 
3,434,966.97 
3,504,495.00 
4,280,199.53 
4,469,337.52 
4,780.022.15 
5.127,117.19 
5,827,667.65 
6,512.836.49 
6,517,928.91 


During  the  year  1912,  529,655  pupils  were  enrolled  in  the 
3,367  primary,  208  intermediate  and  38  secondary  schools.^^  At 
present  as  nearly  as  can  be  learned  there  are  4,400  schools,  10,250 
teachers,  of  whom  500  are  Americans,  and  an  enrollment  of  about 
625,000.^^ 

In  1913  the  enrollment  fell  to  440,050  and  the  number  of  pri- 
mary schools  to  2,595.  It  was  conceded  that  there  had  also  been  a 
falling  off  in  the  efficiency  of  the  schools  and  that  it  was  due  to  the 


2^  It  will  be  remembered  that  a  peso  is  worth  fifty  cents  gold. 

3T  In  his  report  for  1914  the  director  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  said:  "In 
practically  every  line  of  work  substantial  progress  is  to  be  reported.  The 
attendance  during  the  school  year  1913-14  and  during  the  present  school  year 
1914-15  has  reached  the  highest  figure  in  the  history  of  this  bureau.  The 
annual  enrollment  for  1913-14  was  621,030  as  compared  with  440,050  for  the 
previous  school  year.  The  average  monthly  enrollment  for  1913-14  was 
489,070,  as  compared  with  329,756  for  the  previous  school  year.  The  average 
daily  attendance  was  428,552  as  compared  with  287,995  for  1912-13.  The 
percentage  of  attendance  was  88.  The  high  percentage  of  attendance  is  par- 
ticularly significant,  since  regularity  of  attendance  is  one  of  tlie  chief  factors 
of  efficiency  in  instruction.  The  number  of  schools  for  the  school  year 
1913-14  was  4,235,  as  compared  with  2,934  for  1912-13.  The  number  of 
schools  for  the  present  school  year  remains  practically  the  same.  The  num- 
ber of  teachers  for  1913-14  was  9.462,  as  compared  with  7,671  for  1912-13. 

38  November  1,  1916.  The  figures  are  furnished  me  by  Mr.  Crone,  Director 
of  the  Bureau  of  Education. 


248  THE    PHILIPPINES 

attempt  to  accomplish  more  than  was  justified  by  the  amount  of 
money  available.  In  view  of  the  general  decrease  of  the  income 
of  the  government  it  was  certain  that  the  appropriations  for  edu- 
cational work  could  not  be  increased,  and  it  became  necessary 
either  to  abandon  the  building  program,  restrict  industrial  edu- 
cation, reduce  salaries  or  the  number  of  American  teachers,  or 
close  many  of  the  schools.  The  director  of  education  reached  the 
surprising  conclusion  that  it  was  best  to  limit  the  amount  of  pri- 
mary education  by  closing  many  of  the  barrio  schools.^^  This 
was  a  yielding  of  the  sound  principle  upon  which  the  educational 
structure  had  been  erected,  to  the  pressure  of  the  Filipinos  for 
higher  education  for  the  few  at  the  expense  of  a  common-school 
education  for  the  many.  But  Secretary  Gilbert  was  not  willing 
to  abandon  the  theory  that  the  first  duty  of  a  government  is  to 
give  all  children  a  primary  education;  that  while  advanced  edu- 
cation is  desirable  for  some,  it  is  not  essential  for  all.^"  It  is  to 
be  hoped  that  the  educational  authorities  will  not  yield  to  this 
pressure.  The  salvation  of  the  Philippines  is  in  a  system  of  edu- 
cation which  rests  securely  upon  a  broad  foundation  of  common 
schools  for  the  masses. 

While  no  religious  instruction  is  given  in  the  public  schools 
by  the  teachers,  education  has  not  been  divorced  from  religion 
and  morals.    It  has  been  recognized  that  the  mere  possession  of 


39  The  reason  given  was  that  "the  country  needed  a  large  number  of  well- 
trained  young  men  and  women  as  teachers  and  workers  along  similar  lines. 
The  schools  to  date  have  not  been  able  to  produce  a  sufficient  number  of  this 
class.  Moreover,  the  people  who  have  had  a  voice  in  affairs  have  always 
been  much  more  interested  in  intermediate  and  secondary  instruction  than  in 
the  extension  of  primary  schools  to  the  barrios.  The  Director  of  Education 
and  his  official  superiors  are  constantly  in  receipt  of  letters  protesting  against 
the  closing  or  demanding  the  opening  of  intermediate  schools.  During  the 
past  three  years  this  Bureau  has  received  more  than  six  times  as  many  com- 
munications asking  for  extension  of  intermediate  instruction  as  for  an  ex- 
tension of  primary  instruction.  ,  .  .  Their  attention  is  very  rarely,  indeed, 
called  to  the  desirability  of  extending  primary  instruction."  Rept.  Phil.  Com., 
1915. 

I  am  assured  that  this  recommendation  was  designed  merely  to  force  the 
hand  of  the  governor-general  and  compel  him  to  find  the  money  to  continue 
the  primary  work  and  that  it  was  successful.  The  educational  authorities 
always  claimed  that  Governor-General  Forbes  was  securing  funds  for  unnec- 
essary public  work  that  should  have  been  devoted  to  education. 

^oRept.  Phil.  Com.,  1913,  p.  246. 


THE    PHILIPPINE    SCHOOLS  249 

knowledge  without  moral  principles  to  guide  its  use  may  be  worse 
than  ignorance.  The  teachers  by  example  and  precept  have 
sought  to  instil  into  the  minds  of  the  pupils  those  principles  of 
right  conduct  which  make  for  character  building.  The  degree 
of  success  obtained  will  determine  the  value  of  the  education  im- 
parted to  the  Filipinos. 

The  results  of  the  educational  work  are  undoubtedly  to  the 
credit  of  the  government  and  the  people.  Everywhere  in  the 
Far  East,  from  Egypt  and  India  to  the  Philippines,  special  atten- 
tion is  being  given  to  the  education  of  the  native  people.  We 
have  no  monopoly  of  this  altruistic  work  and  our  methods  differ 
from  those  of  England  only  in  the  special  attention  given  to  ele- 
mentary instruction  and  possibly  the  spirit  in  which  the  work  is 
being  done. 

From  India,  particularly,  we  may  learn  what  to  avoid.  As 
Lord  Cromer  has  said  :*^  "The  intellectual  phase  through  which 
India  is  now  passing  stands  before  the  world  as  a  warning  that  it 
is  unwise,  even  if  it  be  not  dangerous,  to  create  too  wide  a  gap  be- 
tween the  state  of  education  in  the  higher  and  the  lower  classes  in 
an  Oriental  country  governed  under  the  inspiration  of  a  western 
democracy."  It  is  conceded  by  most  disinterested  observers  that 
the  comparative  failure  of  the  educational  system  of  India  has 
been  due  to  the  character  of  the  instruction  given  and  the  stress 
laid  on  higher  education,  academic  and  technical.  In  both  India 
and  Egypt  primary  education  is  left  largely  to  the  private  schools 
where  the  instruction  is  in  the  vernacular  and  under  the  control 
of  the  native  religious  teachers.*" 

The  religion  of  Islam  closes  the  door  to  western  education  for 


*^  Modern  Egypt,  II,  p.  534.  "Signs  of  the  Times  in  India,"  Edinburgh 
Reviezv,  Oct.,  1907. 

*-  Many  of  these  private  schools  receive  grants  in  aid  from  the  govern- 
ment. The  policy  of  the  Egyptian  government  has  been  to  develop  higher 
institutions  of  learning  to  the  point  where  they  will  become  self-sustaining 
and  then  devote  the  government  money  to  primarv  education.  Lord  Cromer's 
Report,  Egvpt,  No.  1  (1906),  pp.  82-89;  Sir  El'den  Gorst's  Report,  Egypt, 
No.  1  (1908),  p.  31. 

For  a  review  of  the  educational  work  in  Egypt,  see  Sir  Elden  Gorst's 
Report,  Egypt,  No.  1   (1909),  pp.  38  et  seq. 


250  THE    PHILIPPINES 

children,*^  particularly  girls,  and  the  caste  system  of  India  pre- 
sents almost  insuperable  difficulties  to  the  educator.  There  are 
to-day  in  British  India  alone  more  than  six  million  wives,  many 
of  them  mothers,  who  are  under  sixteen  years  of  age.  The  edu- 
cation of  girls  in  a  country  where  such  customs  exist  seems  al- 
most a  hopeless  task.  However,  the  conditions  differ  so  radi- 
cally that  comparisons  between  the  educational  work  in  the  Phil- 
ippines, India,  Egypt  and  Japan  are  of  very  little  value. 

The  work  of  the  missionaries  of  the  Protestant  churches  is  so 
closely  identified  with  education  that  it  may  well  be  referred  to 
in  this  connection.**  Some  of  them  maintain  secondary  schools 
such  as  the  Silliman  Institute  at  Dumaguete,  for  the  training  of 
young  Filipinos  for  work  among  their  own  people.  The  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church,  under  the  direction  of  the  famous  mis- 
sionary bishop,  Charles  H.  Brent,  has  worked  principally  among 
the  non-Christians— that  is,  the  non-Catholic  element  of  the 
population.  Several  years  ago  Bishop  Brent  established  endowed 
schools  at  Baguio  where  American  boys  and  girls  can  prepare  for 
college.  There  are  also  certain  private  schools  which  receive 
some  government  aid  such  as  Miss  Kelley's  School  at  Baguio, 
where  Igorot  girls  are  taught  household  industries  and  the  rules 
of  civilized  life.  These  various  schools  supplement  the  work  of 
the  public  schools. 

Our  educational  problems  in  the  Philippines  are  comparatively 
simple ;  in  fact,  they  are  mostly  financial.  There  is  still  much  to 
do  and  little  to  do  it  with.  If  the  educational  authorities  are  able 
to  resist  the  pressure  from  a  certain  element  for  higher  educa- 
tion at  the  expense  of  elementary  and  industrial  instruction  the 
Filipinos  will  in  due  time  be  in  possession  of  all  that  education 
can  do  for  any  people. 


*3  See  Hughes'  Dictionary  of  Islam,  p.  106 ;  Roy,  Century  Magazine,  Sept., 
1915. 

■**  For  a  description  of  the  work  of  the  missionaries,  see  particularly,  The 
Progressing  Philippines,  by  Charles  W.  Briggs,  a  missionary  in  Panay  and 
Negros  (1913),  and  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East,  by  Homer  C.  Stuntz 
(1904). 


CHAPTER  XI 
The  Labor  Problem 

Climate  and  Labor — The  Normal  Labor  Conditions — Customs  of  the  Country 
— Problems  Confronting  the  Americans — Exclusion  of  the  Chinese — Elect  to 
Develop  Filipino  Labor — Encouraging  Results — Methods  Used  in  Other  Colo- 
nies— Penalties  for  Breach  of  Labor  Contracts — Advances  Obtained  with 
Fraudulent  Intent — The  Bureau  of  Labor — Increase  in  Wages. 

It  has  been  said  that  an  atom  more  or  less  added  to  or  taken 
from  the  atmosphere  which  envelops  us  might  change  the  course 
of  history.  With  an  excess  of  nitrogen  we  might  become  very 
torpid  and  gravitate  toward  final  extinction.  A  different  pro- 
portion of  oxygen  might  mean  a  continuous  debauch  of  violence. 
After  making  due  allowance  for  ordinary  racial  characteristics, 
it  is  certain  that  the  degree  of  heat  and  humidity  in  which  men 
live  affect  appreciably  their  physical  characteristics,  ambitions, 
desires,  and  their  outlook  on  life.  Things  which  in  temperate 
climes  seem  sufficiently  desirable  to  induce  men  to  strive  mightily 
and  wrestle  with  their  limitations,  have  little  attraction  for  the 
dwellers  in  the  tropics.  Great  physical  exertion  seems  to  them 
too  high  a  price  to  pay  for  any  rewards  it  will  bring.  The  doc- 
trine of  the  strenuous  life  makes  no  appeal.  To  them  the  one 
blighting  curse  M^hich  rests  on  humanity  is  the  apparent  neces- 
sity for  labor;  their  ideal  life  is  one  long  siesta. 

In  what  we  may  call  its  normal  state,  the  tropics  knows  no  real 
labor  question.  It  is  only  when  the  white  man  comes  and  under- 
takes to  "hustle  the  Aryan  brown"  and  make  the  land  produce 
more  than  is  necessary  for  bare  existence  according  to  the  local 
standard,  that  the  indisposition  of  the  native  to  work  seriously 
becomes  a  matter  of  consequence. 

Before  the  American  occupation  of  the  Philippines,  the  native 
employers  of  labor  handled  the  situation  in  their  own  crude 
way,  usually  tying  their  laborers  to  the  soil  under  a  system  of 

251 


252  THE    PHILIPPINES 

peonage.  The  plans  of  the  Americans  for  the  development  of 
the  natural  resources  of  the  country  required  a  different  type  of 
laborer.  We  were  confronted  with  the  usual  problems  which 
have  caused  so  much  trouble  in  other  Oriental  colonies.  The  Eng- 
lish, Dutch,  French  and  Germans  in  their  colonies  deal  with  peo- 
ple who  differ  greatly  from  the  Filipinos,  but  the  difficulties  of 
the  labor  problem  are  to  some  extent  the  same  in  all  tropical 
countries.  The  dominant  factors  are  a  great  body  of  fertile  land, 
capable  of  producing  an  almost  unlimited  supply  of  products,  and 
an  abundance  of  able-bodied  men  with  some  capacity  but  no  in- 
clination to  perform  the  labor  necessary  to  translate  possibilities 
into  realities.  There  is  always  plenty  of  man  power  but  it  is  of 
low  quality.  Those  who  desired  quick  returns  urged  the  Ameri- 
can government  to  adopt  the  methods  for  securing  and  regulating 
a  supply  of  labor  which  prevailed  in  neighboring  tropical  coun- 
tries. 

The  Chinese  exclusion  laws  had  been  extended  to  the  Philip- 
pines, and  the  first  demand  of  the  contractors  and  large  employers 
of  labor  was  that  it  be  so  changed  as  to  allow  them  to  import  at 
least  a  limited  number  of  laborers  from  China.  A  delegation  of 
business  men  visited  Washington  and  urged  the  suspension  of  the 
law,  but  Filipino  sentiment  was  overwhelmingly  opposed  to  such 
a  course  and  the  commission  finally  reached  the  conclusion  that, 
while  it  would  be  temporarily  advantageous,  it  would  in  the  end 
prove  prejudicial  to  all  concerned.  If  the  country  was  to  be  de- 
veloped it  would  have  to  be  by  its  own  people,  under  the  direction 
and  supervision  of  Americans. 

There  were  serious  questions  of  large  public  policy  connected 
with  the  matter.  The  administration  was  urging  Congress  to 
open  the  markets  of  the  United  States  to  the  Philippines  and  if 
the  Chinese  exclusion  laws  were  modified  the  cry  of  competition 
with  cheap  Asiatic  labor  would  be  raised  in  the  United  States  and 
the  political  influence  of  the  labor  organizations  be  added  to  that 
of  the  home  manufacturers.  Experience  had  demonstrated  that 
the  Filipinos  were  not  able  to  compete  successfully  with  the  Chi- 


THE    LABOR    PROBLEM  253 

nese,*  and  it  did  not  seem  to  be  a  proper  occasion  for  the  appli- 
cation of  the  law  of  the  survival  of  the  fittest.^ 

The  early  experiences  of  American  employers  with  Filipino 
workmen  were  rather  discouraging.  Labor  was  difficult  to  secure 
and  when  secured  it  was  expensive  and,  when  measured  by  Amer- 
ican standards,  of  very  poor  quality.  But  as  conditions  became 
more  settled,  the  labor  situation  improved  and  many  employers 
became  convinced  that  with  patience  and  tact  they  could  develop 
Filipinos  into  efficient  laborers.  The  construction  of  extensive 
public  works  and  railways  required  thousands  of  laborers  who 
had  first  to  be  induced  to  work  and  then  taught  how  to  work. 
After  considerable  experience,  the  contractor  engaged  in  building 
the  Manila  port  works,  wrote  thus  to  Governor  Taft  :^ 

"We  believe  that  Filipino  labor  can  successfully  be  used.  We 
are  employing  about  one  thousand  Filipinos,  which  is  a  practical 
demonstration  that  this  statement  is  not  a  theory. 

*'To  successfully  employ  Filipino  labor  is,  to  the  American 
employer  of  labor,  a  new  business,  which  has  to  be  learned.  If 
he  can  not  learn  it  he  can  not  do  business  in  the  Philippine 
Islands. 

"In  general,  the  Filipinos  have  to  be  taught  how  to  work.  This 
requires  a  considerable  proportion  of  intelligent  high-grade 
American  foremen  and  mechanics. 

"The  way  to  keep  the  Filipino  laborer  permanently  in  one's 
employ  is  to  so  arrange  his  surroundings  that  he  is  better  off  and 
more  contented  there  than  anywhere  else.  This  we  have  attained 
by  means  of  providing  homes  for  the  Filipinos  and  their  families; 
also  amusements,  including  Sunday  fiestas,  and  schools  where 
their  children  may  be  educated. 

"We  are  opposed  to  the  introduction  of  the  Chinese.  The  only 
argument  that  we  can  see  in  its  favor  is  that  it  may  somewhat 
expedite  the  development  of  the  resources  of  the  islands.  This 
temporary  advantage  is,  we  believe,  overbalanced  and  over- 
whelmed by  the  ultimate  injury  to  both  the  Americans  and  na- 
tives in  the  islands." 


1  For  the  Chinese  as  laborers  in  the  Philippines,  see  Elliott,  The  Philip- 
pines:   To  the  End  of  the  Military  Regime,  pp.  281-284. 

^Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  Dec.  23,  1900  (.Repts.  Phil.  Com.  1900-1903,  p.  512). 

3  The  Atlantic  Gulf  &  Pacific  Company.  Repts.  Phil.  Com.  1903,  p.  55. 
For  the  early  experiences  of  other  employers,  see  ibid,  Exhibits  N,  O,  and  P. 


254  THE    PHILIPPINES 

With  such  encouraging  reports  of  actual  results  the  govern- 
ment, against  the  protest  of  many  employers,  decided  to  adhere 
to  the  policy  of  developing  the  capacity  of  the  native  workmen.* 

It  was  a  wise  policy.  The  ancient  theory  that  if  you  desire 
any  one  to  become  rich  you  must  decrease  his  wants,  is  no  longer 
accepted;  it  would  destroy  the  civilization  which  rests  upon  the 
assumption  that  men  should  want  many  things.  As  the  Philip- 
pine government  could  not  adopt  the  arbitrary  methods  which  had 
prevailed  in  many  tropical  colonies,  it  determined  to  educate  and 
train  the  Filipino  laborers  and  trust  to  time  for  results.  The 
experience  of  less  than  two  decades  encourages  the  belief  that 
when  the  Filipino  working  man  has  acquired  a  knowledge  of  and 
a  desire  for  the  things  that  make  life  worth  while  to  an  American 
or  European,  he  will  perform  the  labor  necessary  to  enable  him 
to  obtain  them.  With  proper  and  reasonable  regulations,  it  is 
believed  that  an  ample  supply  of  efficient  free  labor  may  be  de- 
veloped. 

But  this  result  will  require  time  and  many  people  in  the  Phil- 
ippines are  not  content  to  wait  for  the  development  of  the  instinct 
and  capacity  for  sustained  labor.  Many  bills  designed  to  compel 
Filipino  laborers  to  work  whether  they  wish  to  or  not  have  been 
introduced  into  the  legislature  at  the  request  of  the  native  plant- 
ers. It  must,  however,  be  conceded  that  the  time  has  passed  when 
a  native  who  has  committed  no  crime  can  be  compelled  by  law  to 
work  for  some  other  man  or  even  for  himself.  That  being  true, 
the  solution  of  the  labor  problems  of  the  Philippines  must  be 
found  in  education  and  training  under  regulations  which  indi- 
rectly put  an  amount  of  pressure  on  the  individual  workman 
sufficient  to  overcome  his  natural  or  acquired  indolence. 


.  ■*  As  a  distinguished  publicist  has  said :  "There  are  two  ways  of  making  a 
man  work, — by  pressure  from  above,  disguised  slavery, — and  by  stimulus 
from  within,  the  higher  wages  of  a  highly  organized,  free,  industrial  system. 
The  last  the  tropics  have  never  yet  had.  .  .  .  Give  the  stimulus  of  a  market 
and  of  higher  wages  and  all  men  will  work.  Deprive  them  of  either  and  con- 
tract labor  laws  are  needed.  The  American  may  yet  solve  the  tropical  indus- 
trial problem  as  he  has  quadrupled  the  cotton  crop  in  the  face  of  all  the  argu- 
ments marshalled  by  Mr.  Ireland,  all  made  thirty-three  years  ago,  not  by  laws 
making  it  harder  for  a  man  to  be  idle,  but  by  an  industrial  system  making  it 
more  profitable  for  a  man  to  labor."  Talcott  Williams,  Annals  Am.  Acad- 
emy of  Pol.  and  Soc.  Sci.  (1899)  Supp.,  p.  68. 


THE    LABOR    PROBLEM  255 

The  problem  is  as  old  as  the  attempts  of  the  active  Occident 
to  develop  the  languid  Orient,  the  land  where  nature  has  been  so 
prolific  of  raw  material,  and  niggardly  of  men  with  the  desire  or 
capacity  to  utilize  her  gifts.  Slavery,  corvee,  indented  labor, 
deportation  of  criminals,  assisted  immigration,  irregular  taxa- 
tion, vagrancy  laws,  imported  contract  labor,  forced  labor,  and 
insidiously-framed  labor  contracts,  have  all  been  tried  by  differ- 
ent countries  with  indifferent  success  or  complete  failure. 

The  indirect  methods  designed  to  make  men  work  who  are 
free  not  to  work  and  desire  not  to  work  have  been  numerous  and 
ingenious.^  Slavery  in  its  crude  forms  is  no  longer  advocated, 
but  numerous  devices  which  in  their  essence  are  little,  if  any, 
short  of  slavery,  have  been  and  still  are  in  force  in  many  coun- 
tries. They  are  very  interesting  and  instructive.  In  Rhodesia 
and  Natal  a  hut  or  poll  tax  is  levied  on  the  natives,  which  must  be 
paid  in  money  or  in  working  for  some  white  employer.  This  so- 
called  tax  of  from  ten  dollars  a  head  upward  is  merely  an  indirect 
way  of  compelling  labor  under  the  guise  of  taxation.  In  South 
Africa  adults  who  are  not  landowners  are  required  to  pay  a  tax 
of  ten  dollars  a  year  unless  they  have  spent  three  months  out- 
side of  their  reservations  engaged  in  regular  service  or  employ- 
ment. This  imposition  continues  until  thirty-six  months'  work 
has  been  performed  when  the  laborer  may  retire  and  be  hence- 
forth exempt.  Another  indirect  way  of  forcing  the  slothful 
to  work  has  been  by  the  application  of  a  misnamed  vagrancy  law. 
After  slavery  was  abolished  in  the  French  colonies,  the  supply 
of  labor  almost  entirely  failed.  The  new  freedmen,  after  their 
years  of  enforced  toil,  wished  apparently  to  get  thoroughly  rested 
before  engaging  in  voluntary  labor.  A  law  was  passed  which  de- 
clared all  persons  vagrants  who  were  not  landowners  or  artisans 
regularly  employed  at  their  trades,  unless  they  could  prove  that 
they  were  engaged  on  a  labor  contract  for  at  least  a  year  or  car- 
ried a  book  showing  a  continuous  labor  engagement. 

The  Germans  introduced  similar  vagrancy  laws  in  some  of 


5  See  generally  Reinsch,  Colonial  Administration,  p.  376,  et  seq.;  Edgerton, 
Origin  and  Growth  of  English  Colonies,  Chap.  VII;  Ireland,  Tropical  Colonic 
zation,  pp.  128-216;  Bruce,  The  Broad  Stone  of  Empire,  I,  Chap.  X. 


256  THE    PHILIPPINES 

their  East  African  colonies.  In  both  instances  the  attempt  was 
unsuccessful.  In  the  French  Antilles  the  people  dodged  the  law 
by  securing  diminutive  tracts  of  land  and  thereafter  raising  only 
what  was  necessary  for  their  modest  livelihood.  In  the  Dutch 
colony  of  Surinam  this  reversion  to  what  Reinsch  calls  "a  banana- 
patch  civilization,"  was  foreseen  and  guarded  against.  Emanci- 
pated slaves  were  forbidden  to  cultivate  banana  trees  and  the  ex- 
isting trees  were  destroyed  in  large  numbers.  In  German  East 
Africa  a  heavy  tax  was  imposed  upon  the  transportation  of  goods 
by  wagon  or  pack  animal.  By  thus  placing  the  carrier  at  a  disad- 
vantage, it  was  hoped  to  force  him  to  seek  employment  in  agri- 
culture. 

The  importation  of  contract  labor  has  been  resorted  to  in  many 
countries.  China  and  India  have  been  the  principal  sources  for 
this  kind  of  labor.  Laborers  have  been  sent  from  India  to  Eng- 
lish and  French  colonies  ever  since  the  abolition  of  slavery.  East 
Indians  have  also  been  sent  into  parts  of  Africa.  The  system 
has  proved  advantageous  to  the  colonies  and  the  contract  em- 
ployees have  carried  back  to  their  native  countries  large  sums 
of  money.  In  the  year  1900  it  is  said  that  laborers  returning 
to  India  from  British  Guiana  carried  with  them  a  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  rupees.  The  recruiting  of  Indian  coolies  is  con- 
ducted under  the  supervision  of  the  government  of  India.  Emi- 
gration is  permitted  from  the  ports  of  Calcutta,  Madras,  Bom- 
bay, and  such  others  as  may  be  specifically  designated,  to  certain 
designated  and  authorized  colonies  which  are  required  to  have 
immigration  agents  to  act  as  protectors  of  the  laborers  and  gen- 
erally look  after  their  interests.  It  is  claimed  that  under  this 
legislation  the  laborers  have  been  well  cared  for,  but  the  system 
is  not  regarded  as  an  unqualified  success. 

The  exportation  of  Chinese  coolies  is  by  treaty  made  subject 
to  the  supervision  of  consular  officials  at  the  various  ports  of 
China  and  the  colonies  are  required  to  provide  a  protective  serv- 
ice for  the  Chinese.  It  has  been  applied  chiefly  in  the  Straits 
Settlements,  in  Sumatra,  British  Guiana  and  South  Africa.  The 
Straits  Settlements  and  the  Federated  Malay  States  have  through 


THE    LABOR    PROBLEM  257 

this  means  been  rapidly  developed.  The  government  there  has 
established  a  very  interesting  method  of  dealing  with  the  im- 
ported laborers,  a  sort  of  protectorate,  the  protector  being  an  in- 
dividual through  whom  the  government  deals  in  all  matters  refer- 
ring to  the  Chinese  laborers.  The  attempt  to  introduce  Chinese 
contract  labor  into  the  Transvaal  States  invoked  great  opposition 
from  a  section  of  the  British  public  and  after  the  system  had  been 
tried  for  a  short  time  it  was  abandoned.  It  can  not  of  course 
be  applied  in  countries  in  which  there  exists  already  a  high  class 
of  intelligent  laborers.  "In  general,"  says  Reinsch,*^  "it  may  be 
said  that  though  the  administrative  control  of  imported  con- 
tract labor  in  the  British  colonies  has  been  very  careful  and  effi- 
cient, the  system  has  a  number  of  very  great  defects.  The  im- 
portation of  coolies  constitutes  a  serious  discouragement  to  the 
immigration  of  free  labor.  It  is  therefore  inadvisable  in  coun- 
tries which  can  be  peopled  by  European  working  men,  as  it  is  im- 
possible for  the  latter  to  compete  with  the  cheap  Oriental  labor 
supply,  and  they  are  consequently  kept  from  the  regions  invaded 
by  it.  The  moral  effects  of  the  system,  too,  are  undesirable. 
.  .  .  The  system  has  therefore  not  always  been  found  eco- 
nomically profitable.  Nevertheless,  its  temporary  use  will  in 
certain  cases  be  advisable  in  colonies  with  very  large  natural  re- 
sources which  the  native  population  can  not  be  induced  to  de- 
velop. It  is,  however,  not  a  system  that  commends  itself  as  a 
normal  and  final  method  of  solving  the  labor  question  in  the 
tropics,  and  it  certainly  calls  for  the  strictest  safeguards  for  the 
protection  both  of  the  contract  laborers  and  the  local  native  popu- 
lation." 

White  labor  will  never  be  used  to  any  great  extent  in  the  Phil- 
ippines, and  conditions  are  such  that  were  the  country  under  the 
control  of  any  of  the  colonizing  powers  other  than  the  United 
States,  the  system  would  undoubtedly  be  as  applicable  there  as 
in  Netherlands  Indies  or  South  Africa.  At  present  the  importa- 
tion of  contract  labor  is  forbidden  by  the  Act  of  Congress,  and 


"  Colonial  Administration,  p.  374. 


258  THE    PHILIPPINES 

even  if  that  law  were  repealed  or  modified  it  is  very  doubtful 
whether  it  would  be  wise  to  introduce  it  even  in  a  modified  form. 

In  fact,  the  very  reverse  of  the  system  is  now  in  operation  in 
the  Philippines  where  laborers  are  being  recruited  under  gov- 
ernment supervision  for  service  under  contracts  in  Hawaii. 
Many  countries,  in  order  to  preserve  their  own  labor  supply, 
have  forbidden  the  exportation  of  laborers  except  under  very 
special  conditions.  In  the  Congo  Free  State  and  the  French 
colonies  of  West  Africa  the  recruiting  of  native  laborers  requires 
a  special  permit  from  the  government  and  if  they  are  to  be  ex- 
ported from  the  colony  the  license  is  temporary  only.  In  the 
Ivory  Coast  colony  a  tax  of  twenty-five  francs  a  head  is  levied 
upon  each  laborer  exported  and  in  the  French  Congo  the  govern- 
ment imposes  a  passport  tax  of  one  hundred  francs  a  head.  In  the 
British  African  colonies  no  native  laborer  can  be  engaged  for 
service  out  of  the  British  Dominions  without  the  express  consent 
of  a  designated  government  official. 

For  a  time  no  restrictions  were  imposed  upon  the  exportation 
of  contract  laborers  from  the  Philippines,  the  government  pro- 
ceeding on  the  theory  that  the  men  were  free  to  go  and  return 
at  their  pleasure.  It  is  claimed  that  a  term  of  voluntary  service 
in  Hawaii,  under  the  strict  supervision  and  discipline  imposed 
by  the  contract  system,  will  train  the  laborers  in  habits  of  work 
and  upon  their  return  to  the  Philippines  at  the  termination  of 
their  period  of  contract  service  the  training  will  be  of  service  in 
the  local  field.  Whether  this  will  be  the  result  is  more  than  doubt- 
ful. There  is  no  reason  to  believe  that  the  privilege  of  enlisting 
laborers  in  the  Philippines  has  been  abused  to  any  considerable 
extent.  After  the  Hawaiian  Sugar  Planters'  Association  had  sent 
more  than  nineteen  thousand  persons  to  the  Hawaiian  Island  the 
legislature  decided  to  discourage  the  system  and  imposed  an  an- 
nual tax  of  three  thousand  dollars  on  every  person  engaged  in 
recruiting  laborers  for  service  abroad  and  in  addition  a  tax  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  on  each  province  in  which  such 
person  operates.'' 


7  Act  No.  2486,  February  5,  1915. 


THE    LABOR    PROBLEM  259 

The  reader  will  understand  that  the  labor  problem  as  under- 
stood in  the  Far  East  relates  primarily  to  the  common  workmen 
— the  taos  and  the  class  known  in  China  as  coolies.  Those  of  a 
little  higher  position  in  life,  house  servants  and  office  employees, 
are  reasonably  efficient  and  require  no  special  consideration.  The 
common  workmen  under  consideration  range  from  those  of  con- 
siderable intelligence  employed  on  plantations,  to  the  ignorant 
mountain  people  who  are  brought  down  to  the  lowlands  for 
temporary  work  during  the  harvest  season;  also,  the  men  em- 
ployed on  public  works,  including  railway  construction,  and  those 
employed  in  various  capacities  by  street  railway  and  other  public 
franchise  concerns. 

The  Filipino  is  not  normally  a  hard-working  person,  and  yet  he 
has  been  much  maligned.  Like  many  persons  of  wider  experience 
and  judgment,  he  will  work  only  when  he  must  or  when  he  can 
see  that  it  is  clearly  to  his  advantage.  He  knows  nothing  of  the 
restlessness  which  keeps  the  American  active  for  the  sake  of  the 
activity.  In  India  the  natives  say  that  "only  the  devils  and  the 
Englishmen  walk  to  and  fro  without  reason,"  and  I  presume  the 
same  thought  has  entered  the  minds  of  some  of  the  natives  of 
the  Philippines. 

Experience  has  already  shown  that  when  properly  handled  and 
fairly  treated  the  Filipino  will  work  very  well.  However,  the 
rough  and  ready  methods  of  the  American  foreman  with  his  gang 
of  European  laborers  will  not  do.  When  illy  treated  or  bullied, 
the  Filipino  quits.  He  knows  that  he  really  does  not  have  to  work 
very  hard.  Nature  has  provided  him  and  his  family  with  the 
real  necessities  of  life  and  he  feels  that  he  works  for  the  lux- 
uries only  and  that  they  are  not  indispensable  to  him.  In  a  land 
where  it  is  always  summer,  where  no  clothing  in  particular  is 
necessary,  where  a  few  banana  and  cocoanut  trees  which  grow  by 
nature  will  support  a  family,  the  native  easily  accepts  the  ortho- 
dox doctrine  that  labor  is  a  curse  imposed  upon  men  for  their 
sins.  Humboldt,  when  traveling  in  South  America,  found  the 
opinion  prevalent  that  the  people  there  would  not  amount  to  any- 
thing until  all  the  banana  trees  were  destroyed.    This  was  merely 


260  THE    PHILIPPINES 

a  graphic  way  of  stating  that  where  the  means  of  subsistence 
is  too  easy,  it  is  almost  useless  to  expect  much  energy  from  the 
people. 

Under  such  conditions,  it  requires  other  arguments  than  that 
of  necessity  to  induce  the  dweller  in  the  tropics  to  engage  in  hard 
and  strenuous  labor.  If  his  scale  of  expenditure  is  established 
at  two  dollars  a  week  and  he  has  employment  at  fifty  cents  a  day 
he  can  see  no  good  reason  why  he  should  not  stop  work  on  Thurs- 
day evening  and  begin  again  Monday  morning. 

The  Filipino  laborer  must  be  treated  gently  and  taught  the  art 
of  working.  Like  most  problems  in  the  Philippines,  this  is  merely 
one  of  education  and  training.  He  must  be  treated  kindly  and 
patiently  and  due  allowance  must  be  made  for  his  physical  weak- 
ness, his  ignorance  and  his  racial  characteristics.  When  properly 
treated,  he  in  time  becomes  a  good  laborer  of  moderate  efficiency, 
earning  fully  the  wages  paid  him.  The  broad  statement  so  fre- 
quently heard  that  the  Filipino  is  lazy  and  will  not  work  is  un- 
just, and  has  already  been  refuted  by  experience.  In  Manila  a 
modem  electric  railway  was  constructed  and  is  being  successfully 
operated  by  Filipino  labor  under  the  direction  of  white  super- 
intendents. Under  the  same  kind  of  direction  Filipino  laborers 
have  built  the  commercial  railways,  harbors,  docks,  lighthouses, 
bridges  and  highways.  Much  has  been  done  within  the  past  few 
years  by  Filipino  labor  and  it  is  confidently  asserted  that  no  busi- 
ness enterprise  need  fail  for  lack  of  labor  if  the  employers  use 
a  little  common  sense  and  patience  in  the  beginning  and  handle 
their  employees  intelligently  and  carefully.  One  of  the  largest 
employers  of  labor  in  the  Philippines  recently  said : 

"We  have  completed  for  the  various  branches  of  the  insular 
government  during  the  period  intervening  between  1901  and  1911 
many  contracts,  varied  in  character,  all  of  which  we  have  accom- 
plished with  Filipino  labor  under  intelligent  American  super- 
vision. Never  at  any  time  since  we  have  been  in  the  Islands  have 
we  had  quite  such  satisfactory  results  from  Filipino  labor  as  at 
the  present  time,  due  unquestionably  to  the  fact  that  the  natives 
who  are  now  serving  us  best,  and  giving  good  account  of  them- 
selves, have  been  going  to  school  with  us  for  the  last  ten  years." 


THE    LABOR    PROBLEM  261 

While  not  yet  the  equal  of  the  Chinese  or  Japanese,  as  he  lacks 
the  strong  physical  and  mental  fiber  of  either,  the  Filipino  is  as 
a  laborer  the  equal  of  the  Javanese  and  the  superior  of  any  other 
of  the  Malay  races. 

The  Moros  and  mountain  people  are  required  to  work  on  the 
roads  and  trails  for  a  fixed  number  of  days  each  year.  No  other 
kind  of  forced  labor  is  required.^  There  is  a  strong  sentiment 
among  both  Filipino  and  American  employers  of  labor  in  favor 
of  legislation  which  will  compel  the  laborers  to  perform  contracts 


^  Some  form  of  forced  labor,  particularly  for  the  public,  has  existed  in  all 
countries.  Solomon  builded  with  the  bond  service  of  his  people.  In  the  sev- 
enteenth century  every  English  parish  w^as  bound  to  repair  the  highways 
which  passed  through  it,  and  the  peasantry  were  forced  to  give  their  gratui- 
tous labor  therefore.  A  Scotch  law  to  a  similar  eflfect  was  passed  in  1719,  and 
corvee  (assistance  compulsorily  rendered)  is  still  used  in  France  for  the 
maintenance  of  rural  roads  and  in  Egypt,  for  the  care  of  the  canals.  It  is  a 
form  of  taxation.  Cromer,  Modern  Egypt  II,  p.  407.  The  best  known  appli- 
cation of  the  claim  that  it  is  proper  to  make  a  man  work  for  his  own  good 
and  that  of  his  employer  and  the  country  generally,  was  by  the  Dutch  in  Java 
during  the  middle  part  of  the  last  century.  The  famous  culture  system  pulled 
the  country  out  of  a  financial  slough,  cleared  up  the  land,  built  highways,  and 
put  much  money  into  the  pockets  of — the  Dutch.  The  Spanish  government 
established  the  system  of  forced  culture  in  the  Philippines  in  1780.  It  was 
at  first  applied  to  tobacco,  indigo,  and  silk,  but  was  finally  restricted  to  to- 
bacco. The  natives  were  forced  under  penalty  of  severe  punishment  to  grow 
tobacco  and  deliver  it  to  the  government  at  an  arbitrary  and  inadequate  price. 
As  in  Java,  it  resulted  in  the  abuse  of  the  natives,  the  discouragement  of  pri- 
vate enterprise,  and  such  a  deterioration  in  the  quality  of  the  product  that 
much  of  it  was  unsalable  at  any  price.  The  people  of  the  rich  Cagayan  valley 
were  reduced  to  misery,  and  in  the  end  the  system  proved  an  economic  as 
well  as  a  social  failure.  It  was  based  on  selfishness  alone.  It  ignored  the 
human  element,  and  sacrificed  ruthlessly  the  permanent  interests  of  the  peo- 
ple and  country  for  present  financial  gain.  Elliott,  The  Philippines:  To  the 
End  of  the  Military  Regime,  pp.  264,  265. 

Nevertheless,  it  may  be  contended  with  reason  that  while  it  may  be  con- 
trary to  the  abstract  theory  of  a  man's  natural  right  to  loaf,  it  is  for  the  good 
of  society  and  the  laborer  that  he  be  forced  to  do  his  share.  Vagabondage  is 
a  disease  in  the  body  politic,  and  drones,  whether  white  or  black,  should  not 
be  tolerated.  Labor  is  the  basis  of  all  advanced  civilization ;  its  absence,  the 
sign  of  backwardness  or  decadence.  Only  by  forcing  in  the  thin  edge  of  the 
wedge  can  the  way  to  a  higher  civilization  be  opened.  The  most  valuable 
service  you  can  render  an  undeveloped  people  is  to  force  them  as  children 
are  forced  and  by  similar  means  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  next  stage  of 
their  growth.  But  this  argument  does  not  appeal  to  the  conscience  of  the 
modern  world.  Those  who  have  no  compunction  about  forcing  up  industry 
at  home  raise  a  great  cry  when  a  hand  is  raised  to  compel  the  languid  natives 
of  some  distant  colony  to  perform  their  fair  share  of  the  world's  work.  The 
reason  is  not  far  to  see.  While  the  theory  is  sound,  it  is  necessarily  applied  in 
the  colonies  under  conditions  which  present  temptations  for  abuse,  which  ex- 
perience shows  that  men  removed  from  the  restraints  which  ordinarily  sur- 
round them,  and  free  from  the  control  of  public  opinion,  are  not  able  to  resist. 


262  THE    PHILIPPINES 

voluntarily  entered  into.  An  act  was  passed  by  the  legislative 
council  of  the  Moro  Province  which  imposed  a  penalty  for  the 
violation  of  a  labor  contract  and  it  was  approved  by  the  commis- 
sion as  an  experimental  project. 

Under  American  law  the  courts  can  not  compel  the  specific 
performance  of  a  labor  contract  or  imprison  one  for  a  breach  of 
such  a  contract.  Nevertheless,  regulations  which  might  not  be 
considered  necessary  or  even  constitutional  in  the  United  States 
may,  with  perfect  propriety  and  fairness,  be  provided  and  en- 
forced where  peculiar  conditions  exist,  without  depriving 
any  one  of  his  constitutional  rights.  The  recognition  of 
the  binding  obligation  of  a  contract  is  not  inconsistent  with 
individual  liberty.  Whenever  the  laborer  is  permitted  freely  to 
choose  his  employer  and  contract  with  reference  to  wages,  time 
of  service  and  kind  of  work  to  be  performed,  the  state  may  prop- 
erly attach  a  reasonable  penalty  of  some  sort  for  a  breach  of  the 
contract.  Nor  need  the  penalty  be  the  same  in  all  countries  or 
applicable  equally  to  all  sorts  of  people.  A  thousand  Igorot 
workmen  brought  down  from  the  mountains  and  employed  in 
the  construction  of  a  railroad  require  different  regulations  and 
rules  than  an  equal  number  of  workmen  of  an  entirely  different 
class. 

In  western  countries  it  has  long  been  settled  that  the  only  pen- 
alty which  can  be  imposed  for  a  breach  of  a  civil  contract  is 
civil  liability  for  damages.  In  nearly  all  cases  this  is  an  inade- 
quate remedy  from  the  standpoint  of  the  employer,  as  the  laborer 
is  unable  to  respond  in  damages.  To  the  laborer  who  is  dis- 
charged in  violation  of  his  contract  of  employment,  his  remedy 
in  damages  is  generally  adequate,  as  a  judgment  against  the  em- 
ployer can  usually  be  collected.  Some  states  of  the  Union  make 
it  a  crime  punishable  by  a  fine  and  imprisonment  for  an  employer 
to  fail,  without  cause,  to  pay  wages  due  laborers ;  and  in  one  state 
it  is  now  a  criminal  offense  for  a  contractor  to  fail  to  pay  for 
material  purchased  and  used  in  a  building.  These  laws  show  the 
tendency  to  break  away  from  the  old  rule  which  limits  the  remedy 
for  breach  of  contract  to  civil  damages. 


THE    LABOR    PROBLEM  263 

In  the  United  States  this  rule  works  fairly  well  because  there 
is  a  developed  moral  sense  in  the  better  class  of  workmen  which 
prevents  them  from  wantonly  breaking  their  contracts.  Eco- 
nomic conditions  also  make  it  inadvisable  for  a  workman  so  to 
conduct  himself  as  to  render  it  difficult  to  obtain  new  employ- 
ment. But  in  the  tropics  the  ordinary  laboring  man  has  not  de- 
veloped that  sense  which  will  make  him  keep  his  contracts  and 
he  does  not  feel  any  compelling  necessity  for  continuous  labor. 
Employment  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  gain  the  minimum  neces- 
sary to  sustain  existence  is  always  at  hand.  Under  such  condi- 
tions the  employer's  remedy  in  damages  for  a  breach  of  the  con- 
tract is  farcical  and  the  employers  have  demanded  protection 
by  some  sort  of  penal  sanction.  In  nearly  all  tropical  colonies 
they  have  obtained  legislation  which  provides  that  if  a  laborer 
fails  to  perform  his  part  of  a  contract  or  performs  it  in  a  care- 
less or  inefficient  manner,  he  may  be  punished  as  for  the  com- 
mission of  a  misdemeanor  or  crime. 

The  pernicious  custom  of  advances  prevails  in  the  Philippines 
as  in  nearly  every  eastern  country.  It  is  as  old  as  the  original 
native  organizations.  The  Dutch  found  it  in  Java  and  still  main- 
tain it  in  a  modified  way.  There,  as  in  almost  all  eastern  colonies 
other  than  the  Philippines,  so  long  as  the  native  laborer  is  in  debt 
to  the  employer,  he  can  not  break  his  contract  and  depart  without 
subjecting  himself  to  liability  for  imprisonment.  When  local 
conditions  are  taken  into  consideration,  the  system  seems  on  the 
surface  to  be  fair  and  reasonable,  but  in  practise  it  has  resulted  in 
a  kind  of  bondage  little  better  than  slavery.  The  workman  is 
never  permitted  to  get  out  of  debt,  the  employer  being  diligent  to 
see  that  as  one  debt  is  paid  another  is  incurred.  However,  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  secure  laborers  on  the  plantations  without 
advancing  a  sum  of  money  at  the  time  of  the  employment. 

The  custom  is  a  bad  one,  but  it  is  so  well  established  that  it  is 
almost  hopeless  to  attempt  to  destroy  it.  It  is  as  prevalent  in  the 
Philippines  as  in  Java.  The  unregulated  workman  who  can 
always  secure  work  from  some  labor-starved  planter,  regards 


264  THE    PHILIPPINES 

these  advances  as  heaven-sent  contributions  to  the  worthy  to  be 
gathered  as  frequently  as  possible.  The  penalty  of  a  judgment  in 
civil  damages  does  not  seem  very  terrifying  to  him,  so  he  makes  a 
contract  to  labor  for  a  definite  period,  receives  his  advance  of 
five  or  ten  pesos,  and  at  the  first  convenient  time  disappears,  to 
repeat  the  safe  and  profitable  transaction  on  a  neighboring  haci- 
enda. The  planters  employ  all  applicants,  regardless  of  their 
shady  contractual  history.  Inevitably  in  a  country  where  such 
customs  prevail  and  the  laborers  are  unorganized  the  conditions 
are  very  unsatisfactory. 

It  is  apparent  that  some  method  ought  to  be  devised  by  which 
either  such  advances  should  be  forbidden  or  persons  receiving 
them  punished  effectually  for  failure  to  perform  the  contract 
or  return  the  money  advanced. 

Where  the  mere  breach  of  the  contract  is  made  a  penal  offense, 
the  question  of  intention  does  not  enter  into  the  matter.  The 
punishment  is  imposed  for  the  breach  of  the  contract,  regardless 
of  the  intention  at  the  time  the  contract  was  made. 

There  is  no  reason  why  a  Filipino  laborer  should  be  exempt 
from  liability  for  his  fraudulent  acts.  Obtaining  money  under 
false  pretenses  is  a  crime  in  all  countries.  The  situation  would 
be  very  much  improved  by  the  enactment  and  enforcement  of  a 
law  making  it  a  crime  to  secure  an  advance  on  a  labor  contract 
with  the  intention  not  to  render  the  service.  The  Supreme  Court 
of  the  United  States  held^  that  a  statute  which  made  the  refusal 
to  perform  a  labor  contract  or  return  the  money  advanced  prima 
facie  evidence  of  intent  to  defraud  was  in  violation  of  the  Thir- 
teenth Amendment  and  the  Acts  of  Congress  authorized  thereby, 
and  therefore  unconstitutional,  because  the  natural  and  inevitable 
effect  of  the  particular  statute  was  to  expose  to  conviction  for 
crime  those  who  simply  fail  or  refuse  to  perform  contracts  for 
personal  service.  It  was  held  that  the  statutory  presumption  es- 
tablished by  the  statute  would  operate  to  subject  the  accused  to 
punishment  for  conduct  which  the  legislature  was  powerless  to 
make  a  crime. 


9  Bailey  vs.  Alabama,  219  U.  S.  219. 


THE    LABOR    PROBLEM  265 

This  decision  does  not  prevent  a  legislature  from  providing 
for  the  punishment  of  a  person  who  obtains  an  advance  of  money 
upon  an  agreement  to  render  services  with  the  intention  then 
entertained  of  not  rendering  the  services,  leaving  the  fact  of 
intent  to  be  established  by  competent  evidence.  The  obtaining 
of  money  in  this  manner  clearly  comes  within  the  definition  of 
the  ordinary  crime  of  obtaining  money  under  false  pretenses. 
The  debt  is  merged  in  the  crime,  and  imprisonment  for  the  crime 
of  obtaining  money  by  inducing  the  employer  to  consent  to  the 
creation  of  the  debt  is  no  more  imprisonment  for  debt  than  where 
one  is  imprisoned  for  obtaining  money  on  a  forged  check.  In 
1911  the  Philippine  Legislature  passed  such  a  statute,  but  it  was 
repealed  after  the  Harrison  administration  came  into  power, 
evidently  because  it  was  not  understood. 

The  Philippine  government  should  provide  for  the  punishment 
criminally  of  any  one  who  with  fraudulent  intent  then  had,  se- 
cures an  advance  of  money  as  wages  on  a  labor  contract,  or  as  a 
gift  by  way  of  inducement  to  enter  into  the  contract,  and  breaks 
such  contract  without  restoring  the  money  thus  received.  The 
intent  to  defraud  would  be  deducible  from  the  circumstances, 
and  the  court  should  take  the  previous  conduct  of  the  offender 
into  consideration  in  reaching  a  conclusion.  It  would  not  be  pos- 
sible under  such  a  law  to  secure  convictions  in  all  cases,  but  it 
would  reach  the  most  flagrant  cases,  and  exercise  a  general  re- 
straining effect. 

There  should  also  be  legislation  regulating  the  manner  of  en- 
tering into  labor  contracts,  and  determining  the  rights  and  duties 
of  parties  thereunder.  The  form  of  the  contract  should  be  pre- 
scribed by  law,  and  it  should  be  executed  before  some  public  offi- 
cial, and  a  copy  recorded  with  the  Bureau  of  Labor.  The  con- 
tract should  be  in  writing,  and  determine  the  number  of  hours' 
work  per  day,  the  wages,  pay  for  overtime  work,  place  where  the 
labor  is  to  be  performed,  and  possibly  other  such  matters.  The 
employer  should  be  required  to  furnish  proper  food,  medicines 
and  medical  attendance  in  case  of  serious  illness  of  laborers.    A 


266 


THE    PHILIPPINES 


register  of  laborers  should  be  kept  by  every  employer  and  changes 
therein  reported  to  the  Bureau  of  Labor." 

The  Bureau  of  Labor,  which  was  established  in  1909,  is  re- 
quired to  see  that  laws  relating  to  labor  are  enforced  and  gen- 
erally look  after  the  interests  of  working  men.  It  is  doing  good 
work  in  collecting  data  relating  to  labor  conditions,  and  par- 
ticularly in  adjusting  controversies  between  employers  and  em- 
ployees and  in  colonizing  laborers  from  congested  districts  in 
other  islands  and  communities  where  they  are  badly  needed. ^^ 
Liberal  appropriations  have  been  made  to  aid  this  work. 

The  attempt  to  unionize  labor  has  not  been  very  successful.  In 
the  beginning  it  was  in  the  hands  of  agitators  who  were  not  la- 
borers, but  they  seem  to  have  been  eliminated  and  certain  trades 
and  employments  are  now  fairly  well  organized. 

Wages  have  greatly  increased  during  recent  years.  The  pre- 
vailing rate  for  comnion  labor  is  from  forty  to  fifty  cents  gold  per 
day  as  against  about  eight  cents  gold  and  a  small  ration  of  rice 
worth  three  or  four  cents  during  Spanish  times.  House  servants 
then  received  from  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents  to  two  dollars  per 
month.  They  now  receive  from  eight  to  fifteen  dollars  per  month. 
Skilled  labor  is  much  better  paid.^^  The  cost  of  living  has  greatly 
increased,  but  the  Filipino  laboring  man  was  never  so  well  off  as 
at  present. ^^ 


^°  It  is  possible  that  some  of  these  matters  are  covered  by  recent  legisla- 
tion. 

11  Adm.  Code  of  1916,  Sees.  1272-1275. 

12  The  wages  paid  by  the  Manila  Electric  Railroad  and  Lighting  Corpora- 
tion, and  by  its  predecessor  prior  to  1901,  appear  by  the  following  table : 


Former 
rate. 


Present 
rate. 


Conductors 

Front  platform  men 

Inspectors 

Cleaners  and  assistant  cleaners. 
Ordinary  laborers 


.  per  month 

do 

do 

do 
. ..  .per  day 


$8.00 
6.60 
9.00 
3.00 
.20 


$25.00 

25.00 

30.60 

13.75 

.50 


Hearing  Senate  Committee,  1915,  p.  600.     Testimony  of  Charles  M.  Swift  xi(^o. 
Other  such  corporations  pay  about  the  same  wages.  'j^iX  ,     - 

13  In  my  report  as  secretary  of  commerce  and  police  for  1911,  it  was  said:  r     ' 
'   "The  information   at  hand,   however,   indicates   that   a   statement  to   the  L^y 
effect  that  wages  paid  to-day   for   the    following  classes   of    labor   average 
throughout  the  islands  100  per  cent,  more  than  those  paid  prior  to  1898  is 


THE    LABOR    PROBLEM  267 

justified:  Masons,  boatmen,  copra  workers,  caulkers,  overseers,  carriers,  car- 
penters, teamsters,  slipper  makers,  cigar  makers,  drivers,  cooks,  seamstresses, 
saltmakers,  blacksmiths,  farm  hands,  gatherers  of  firewood,  master  carpenters, 
seamen,  nipa  workers,  day  laborers,  fishermen,  tailors,  hatmakers,  shoe 
makers. 

"During  the  same  time  there  has  been  a  considerable  rise  in  the  prices 
of  the  necessities  of  life,  but  so  far  as  the  increase  affects  Filipino  laborers 
it  is  not  at  all  proportionate  to  the  increased  wage  paid.  The  Filipino  laborer 
to-daj'^  is  better  treated  by  his  emploj'ers,  receives  more  pay,  lives  better,  and 
is  more  contented  than  he  ever  was  under  Spanish  rule.  It  is  also  true  that 
after  thirteen  years  of  contact  with  Americans  he  works  better  and  is  worthy 
of  the  increased  pay." 


CHAPTER  XII 

The  Policy  of  Material  Development 

A  Land  of  "Projects" — Spanish  Public  Works — Backwardness  of  Industry 
and  Agriculture — Misdirected  Energies — Public  Works  and  Colonial  Policy 
— Material  Development  and  Educational  Work — Governor-General  Wright's 
Announcement — Policy  Inaugurated  by  Governor-General  Smith — Its  Char- 
acteristics— "Hustling  the  East"  with  Its  Own  Consent — Education  of  the 
People — Success  of  the  Policy. 

In  one  of  his  political  novels  Rizal  satirizes  that  combination 
of  personal  ambition,  weakness  of  will  and  general  impractica- 
bility, of  which  there  are  so  many  illustrations  in  Philippine 
history.  The  worthy  Don  Custodio  had  held  many  offices,  and 
the  records  of  the  things  which  he  hoped  would  keep  his  mem- 
ory green  had  been  preserved  with  the  care  characteristic  of 
Spanish  officialdom. 

Taking  from  an  old  desk  a  formidable  bundle  of  note-books,  the 
first  of  which,  fat,  inflated  and  plethoric,  bore  the  title  "Projects 
in  Project,"  he  murmured,  "No,  there  are  excellent  things  there, 
but  it  would  take  a  year  to  read  them  over."  The  second  book, 
also  voluminous,  was  entitled,  "Projects  in  Course  of  Study." 
"Not  that,  either."  Then  came  "Projects  in  Maturity,"  "Proj- 
ects Presented,"  "Projects  Rejected,"  "Projects  Approved"  and 
"Projects  Suspended."  These  contained  very  little,  but  the  last 
book  of  all,  entitled  "Projects  Being  Carried  Out,"  contained  the 
very  least. 

Alas,  there  were  no  records  of  "Projects  Completed." 

Rizal  understood  the  character  of  his  countrymen  and  the 
genius  of  the  government  under  which  they  lived.  While  appre- 
ciating their  virtues  and  potential  powers,  he  had  no  illusions  as 
to  their  weaknesses  and  limitations.  They  were,  by  nature's 
decree,  citizens  of  the  land  of  manana,  and  their  Spanish  rulers 
were,  of  all  Europeans,  the  people  least  qualified  to  cultivate  in 

268 


I 


THE    POLICY    OF    MATERIAL    DEVELOPMENT     269 

them  the  qualities  necessary  for  iitiHzing  the  natural  resources  of 
a  country.  Initiative,  energy,  persistence — all  were  wanting  in 
Spaniards  and  Filipinos.  The  ambition  of  occasional  individuals 
flickered  and  died  amidst  uncongenial  surroundings,  exhausted 
itself  in  the  organization  of  societies  with  high-sounding  names, 
or  in  preparing,  docketing  and  filing  elaborate  "projects." 

The  Spanish  government  constructed  a  few  good  public  works 
in  the  Philippines.  They  built  some  substantial  roads,  and  then 
permitted  them  to  decay.  They  never  grasped  the  fact  that,  in 
the  tropics  particularly,  maintenance  is  more  important,  although 
possibly  less  interesting,  than  construction.  Hence  their  highways 
soon  washed  away  and  their  ornate  bridges  became  picturesque 
ruins.  Some  of  their  lighthouses  were  well  constructed  and 
equipped,  but  they  were  insufficient  in  number  and  the  labyrinth- 
ine coasts  were  never  properly  lighted.  The  west  coast  was  fairly 
well  charted,  and  a  skipper  who  was  aware  of  the  fact  that  the 
entire  group  of  islands  was  some  forty  miles  out  of  reckoning 
could  find  his  way  about  with  reasonable  safety.  Nevertheless, 
in  Spanish  times  every  marine  insurance  policy  contained  a  clause 
suspending  its  operation  while  the  insured  vessel  was  in  Philip- 
pine waters. 

The  means  of  transportation  and  communication  were  pain- 
fully inadequate.  There  were  few  roads  worthy  of  the  name  and 
during  the  rainy  months,  from  June  to  October,  travel  of  any 
kind  was  almost  impossible.  There  were  no  harbors,  merely  open 
roadways  and  short  rivers  guarded  by  shifting  sandbars.  Com- 
munication between  the  islands  was  uncertain,  expensive  and 
often  dangerous.  The  inter-island  transportation  system,  con- 
trolled by  the  exporting  mercantile  houses  of  Manila,  was  inade- 
quate and  also  an  instrument  of  graft  and  extortion.  There  was 
one  railroad  which  extended  from  Manila  to  Dagupan,  over 
which  diminutive  asthmatic  engines  leisurely  and  at  irregular 
intervals  dragged  most  remarkable  trains.  The  postal  and  tele- 
graph systems  also  were  leisurely  affairs. 

Of  manufacturing  there  was  very  little;  of  mining  even  less. 
It  was  an  agricultural  country.     The  chief  products  were  hemp, 


270  THE    PHILIPPINES 

sugar  and  tobacco,  the  production  of  all  of  which  was  capable  of 
almost  indefinite  extension.  Agriculture  was  carried  on  in  a 
primitive  and  wasteful  manner  without  proper  machinery  or 
tools  and  the  output,  when  compared  with  the  possibilities,  was 
insignificant. 

The  people  had  not  been  trained  to  meet  new  conditions. 
When  the  synthetic  indigo  of  Germany  rendered  the  indigo  in- 
dustry of  the  Ilocos  provinces  unprofitable  the  people  were  help- 
less. The  insects  which  destroyed  the  rich  coffee  fields  of  Batan- 
gas  met  with  no  opposition.  It  was  the  will  of  God!  Instead  of 
the  energy,  skill  and  scientific  knowledge  which  were  required  to 
cope  with  such  economic. calamities,  there  were  general  ignorance 
and  shiftlessness. 

The  result  was  that  the  country,  endowed  by  nature  with  great 
natural  wealth  and  possessing  almost  boundless  possibilities  of  de- 
velopment, remained  in  a  primitive  condition.  The  mass  of  the 
people,  when  measured  by  any  modern  standard,  were  miserably 
poor  in  the  midst  of  natural  abundance,  while  the  government 
was  a  financial  burden  on  the  home  country. 

During  the  latter  years  of  the  Spanish  regime  the  energies  of 
the  new  native  leaders  and  most  of  the  intelligent  people  were 
directed  to  political  ends.  Then  came  war  and  the  destruction  of 
much  of  the  wealth  of  the  country.  The  Americans  thus  took 
charge  of  an  unhappy  land  inhabited  by  a  people  who  had  never 
shown  much  initiative  or  any  great  ambition  for  wealth,  and  who 
were  untrained  in  modern  industrial  methods.  Their  minds  were 
seething  with  political  ideas  and  ambitions.  They  had  no  Frank- 
lin to  teach  the  lesson  that  it  is  as  hard  for  an  individual  or  a  na- 
tion with  empty  pockets  to  be  truly  independent  as  for  an  empty 
bag  to  stand  alone. 

It  is  only  within  recent  years  that  the  construction  of  public 
works  has  come  to  be  recognized  as  one  of  the  duties  of  colonial 
administration.  As  late  as  1830  Sir  Charles  Metcalfe,  a  very  en- 
lightened Indian  statesman,  maintained  that  India  needed  no 
roads.  Prior  to  the  time  of  Lord  Dalhousie  the  East  India  Com- 
pany did  not  regard  the  building  of  public  works  as  a  necessary 


4 


THE    POLICY    OF    MATERIAL    DEVELOPMENT     271 

part  of  its  policy.  According  to  Sir  George  Chesney,  "the  con- 
struction of  a  road  or  canal  was  regarded  by  them,  in  their 
earlier  days,  much  in  the  same  light  that  a  war  would  be, — as  an 
unavoidable  evil,  to  be  undertaken  only  when  it  could  not  be 
postponed  any  longer,  and  not,  if  possible,  to  be  repeated." 

But  during  the  last  decade  of  the  East  India  Company's  gov- 
ernment a  policy  of  public  improvements  was  entered  upon.  Lord 
Dalhousie  inaugurated  the  railway  system,  the  great  Ganges 
Canal  was  opened  in  1854,  and  in  certain  provinces  many  metaled 
roads  and  other  public  works  of  a  permanent  character  were 
built.^ 

It  came  to  be  the  accepted  theory  among  colonizing  people  that 
a  colony  should  be  made  materially  prosperous  before  much  atten- 
tion was  given  to  educating  the  people  and  preparing  them  for  a 
part  in  the  government.  But  the  conditions  under  which  America 
entered  the  Philippines  seemed  to  require  that  stress  should  be 
placed  on  education,  and  a  shipload  cf  school-teachers  preceded 
the  railway  material  and  the  new  agricultural  machinery.  Never- 
theless, it  was  always  clearly  understood  by  the  Americans  that 
nothing  very  substantial,  other  than  the  establishment  of  order 
and  justice,  could  be  accomplished,  until  the  country  was  made 
economically  prosperous  and  the  common  people  w^ere  relieved 
from  the  poverty  in  w^hich  they  lived.  Under  such  conditions,  the 
individualistic  theories  which  prevailed  in  the  United  States  were 
inapplicable.  The  country  was  in  the  stage  described  by  John 
Stuart  Mill,  when  there  "is  scarcely  anything  really  important  to 
the  general  interest  which  it  may  not  be  desirable  or  even  nec- 
essary that  the  government  should  take  upon  itself,  not  because 
private  individuals  can  not  effectually  perform  it.  but  because 
they  will  not."^ 


1  Strachey,  India,  Its  Administration  and  Progress,  p.  233. 

2  "At  some  times  and  places  there  will  be  no  roads,  docks,  harbors,  canals, 
works  of  irrigation,  hospitals,  schools,  colleges,  printing  presses,  unless  the 
government  establishes  them ;  the  public  being  either  too  poor  to  command 
the  necessary  resources  or  too  little  advanced  in  intelligence  to  appreciate  the 
need,  or  not  sufficiently  practised  in  conjoint  action  to  be  capable  of  the 
means.  This  is  true,  more  or  less,  of  all  countries  inured  to  despotism,  and 
particularly  of  those  in  which  there  is  a  wide  distance  in  civilization  between 
the  people  and  the  Government,  as  in  those  which  have  been  conquered  and 


272  THE    PHILIPPINES 

During  Mr.  Taft's  administration  the  commission  was  busy 
establishing  order,  organizing  a  government  and  enacting  legis- 
lation rendered  necessary  by  the  change  of  sovereignty.  Im- 
portant public  works  were  projected  and  commenced  during  that 
period,  but  no  definite  plan  for  the  systematic  development  of  the 
natural  resources  of  the  country  was  worked  out  and  adopted. 

Governor-General  Wright,  in  his  inaugural  address  struck  a 
new  note  when  he  announced  that  the  preliminary  work  of  clear- 
ing the  ground  had  been  completed  and  that  henceforth  the  de- 
velopment of  the  natural  resources  of  the  islands  would  be  the 
first  care  of  the  government.  "I  do  not,"  he  said,  "underestimate 
the  value  of  schools  and  other  agencies  of  modern  civilization 
which  lead  the  masses  of  the  people  to  higher  levels  of  thinking; 
but  to  my  mind,  so  far  as  concerns  these  people,  nothing  is  of  so 
much  moment  to  them  as  railroads." 

Unfortunately  during  his  administration  there  was  a  recru- 
descence of  insurrection.  The  institution  of  the  assembly  with 
the  attendant  elections  kept  political  issues  uppermost  in  the 
minds  of  the  people,  and  the  policy  of  internal  improvement  was 
left  to  be  formulated  and  inaugurated  by  Governor-General 
Smith  and  carried  into  effect  with  great  vigor  during  the  first 
years  of  the  administration  of  Governor-General  Forbes. 

This  policy  was  not  designed  to  displace  the  educational  work 
which  had  been  so  much  in  the  foreground.  It  did,  however,  aim 
to  subordinate  it  for  a  time  to  matters  which  were  deemed  of  even 
greater  immediate  importance.^  The  appropriations  for  educa- 
tional work  were  not  to  be  reduced,  but  those  for  public  works 
were  to  be  increased  even  though  it  meant  an  increase  of  taxa- 
tion. 

In  his  inaugural  address  Mr.  Forbes  said :    "The  resources  of 


are  retained  in  subjection  by  a  more  energetic  and  more  cultivated  people." 
Mill,  Principles  of  Political  Economy,  II,  p.  551. 

3  On  June  22,  1906,  Mr.  Taft,  then  secretary  of  war,  wrote  to  Secretary 
of  State  Root :  "Your  familiarity  with  conditions  in  the  Philippines  makes 
you  aware  that  no  real  prosperity  can  come  to  the  islands,  and  no  real  im- 
■  provement  in  the  welfare  and  education  and  uplifting  of  the  people  unless 
the  means  of  intercommunication  between  the  islands  and  between  various 
towns  in  each  island  shall  be  greatly  increased."     MSS.  War  Department. 


THE    POLICY    OF    MATERIAL    DEVELOPMENT     273 

the  islands  have  not  developed  to  a  point  where  I  feel  that  we  are 
justified  in  largely  increasing  the  appropriation  for  education. 
.  .  .  The  amount  of  education  we  shall  be  able  to  accomplish 
in  ten  years  will  be  very  much  greater  if  we  devote  our  first 
money  to  increasing  the  wealth  of  the  people  and  later  use  the 
resulting  increase  of  revenue  for  extending  our  educational  fa- 
cilities." 

It  must  be  conceded  that  there  was  at  that  time  no  general 
native  sentiment  in  favor  of  such  a  policy.  It  required  an  amount 
of  energy  and  sacrifice  of  which  the  Filipinos  were  incapable 
except  under  the  pressure  of  extraneous  forces.  The  manner  in 
which  the  policy  was  launched  and  carried  forward  illustrates 
the  principles  which  controlled  the  McKinley,  Roosevelt  and  Taft 
administrations.  The  intention  was  to  "hustle  the  East"  within 
reasonable  limits,  but  to  do  it  with  the  least  possible  friction  and 
injury  to  native  sensibilities.  Their  wishes  and  desires  were  to 
receive  due  consideration,  but  the  final  determination  of  what 
was  for  their  best  interests  was  to  rest  with  the  American  gov- 
ernment. It  was  the  adoption  in  essence  of  the  well-understood 
British  colonial  policy  expressed  by  Lord  Cromer  in  the  words : 
"We  need  not  always  inquire  too  closely  into  what  these  people, 
who  are  all  nationally  speaking  in  statu  pupillari,  themselves 
think  best  for  their  own  interests,  although  this  is  a  point  which 
deserves  serious  consideration.  It  is  essential  that  each  special 
issue  should  be  decided  mainly  with  reference  to  what  by  the 
light  of  western  knowledge  and  experience,  tempered  by  local 
considerations,  we  conscientiously  think  it  best  for  the  subject 
race."* 

It  was  upon  such  a  theor}^  only  that  the  existence  of  an  Amer- 
ican government  in  the  Philippines  could  be  justified.  If  the 
Filipinos  were  competent  to  determine  such  questions  they  were 
entitled  to  manage  their  own  affairs.  The  Harrison  administra- 
tion by  conceding  such  capacity  destroyed  the  reason  for  its 
own  existence.  One  of  the  new  commissioners  sent  out  by  Presi- 
dent Wilson,  in  a  formal  address  delivered  soon  after  his  arrival, 


*  Cromer's  Political  and  Literary  Essays,  p.  12. 


274  THE    PHILIPPINES 

asked :  "Why  should  we  insist  upon  hustling  the  East  against 
its  will  and  at  its  expense  if  the  East  itself  wishes  to  lie  placid 
murmuring  'manana'?''  He  found  no  reason  satisfactory  to  him 
and  therefore  announced  that :  "In  whatever  part  I  have  to  play 
in  the  administration  of  the  affairs  of  this  people  I  purpose  to 
consult  their  wishes  to  the  utmost  extent  and  to  spend  none  of 
their  money  in  any  way  which  they  are  not  willing  to  vote  that 
it  should  be  spent."^  His  presence  in  the  Orient  seemed  there- 
after superfluous.  The  Taft  government  did  intend  to  "hustle" 
the  Filipinos  to  a  reasonable  extent,  but  it  made  the  task  very 
difficult  by  the  early  grant  of  important  political  powers  to  the 
natives. 

The  people  were  not  being  heavily  taxed  under  the  American 
government  and  it  was  believed  that  a  reasonable  increase  would 
be  borne  cheerfully  if  it  was  known  that  the  money  would  be 
honestly  expended  for  good  roads  and  other  public  works  which 
in  time  would  return  the  money,  increased  many  fold,  into  the 
pockets  of  the  taxpayers. 

It  was  thought  that  increased  production  and  higher  prices 
which  would  result  from  better  harbors,  transportation  facilities 
and  means  of  communication  would  soon  pay  for  the  improve- 
ments. The  proceeds  of  increased  taxation  expended  for  such 
purposes  would  enhance  the  value  of  the  taxable  property,  the  ex- 
ports, the  imports,  and  increase  the  consuming  power  of  the  peo- 
ple. With  peace,  order  and  civil  liberty,  all  this  would  mean  a 
prosperous  and  contented,  instead  of  an  unprosperous  and  dis- 
contented, community. 

It  was  determined,  therefore,  that  every  dollar  that  could  be 
saved,  after  paying  the  current  expenses  of  the  government 
and  making  liberal  appropriations  for  education  and  health, 
should  be  devoted  to  the  construction  of  harbors,  lighthouses, 
roads,  bridges,  markets  and  other  public  works  of  a  remunerative 
character.  Congress  had  authorized  a  limited  issue  of  insular 
and  municipal  bonds,  but  most  of  the  proceeds  of  the  bonds  had 


^  "Democracy's   Mission  in  the  Philippines,"   an  address  by  Winfred  T. 
Denison,  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  El  Ideal,  March  30,  1914. 


THE    POLICY    OF    MATERIAL    DEVELOPMENT     275 

been  expended  for  such  special  projects  as  the  harbor,  water- 
works and  sewer  system  of  Manila.  These  enterprises  were 
purely  American  in  their  origin  and  execution  and,  except  in  the 
most  general  sense,  were  not  a  part  of  a  systematic  plan  such 
as  was  now  contemplated.  But  no  more  insular  bonds  could 
be  issued  and  Congress  continued  unresponsive  to  the  appeals  of 
the  commission  for  authority  for  further  issues.  As  Congress 
refused  to  appropriate  any  money  for  the  support  of  the  Philip- 
pine government,  the  education  of  its  new  wards,  or  the  develop- 
ment of  the  country,  it  was  necessary  to  rely  on  the  income  from 
current  taxation. 

After  the  institution  of  the  assembly  in  1907  appropriations 
for  public  works  in  other  than  the  non-Christian  provinces  re- 
quired the  consent  of  the  Filipino  representatives  and  it  was  to 
be  inferred  that  their  native  constituents  would  be  no  more  enam- 
ored of  increased  taxes  than  the  citizens  of  more  mature  political 
communities.  A  campaign  of  education  was  therefore  inaugu- 
rated and  everywhere  throughout  the  islands  the  governor-gen- 
eral and  commissioners  told  the  people  of  the  prosperity  which 
would  come  to  them  from  good  roads  and  other  such  public  im- 
provements. The  members  of  the  American  business  community 
were  enthusiastically  in  favor  of  a  policy  which  meant  better 
business  and  promised  the  prosperity  which  seemed  to  have  been 
unduly  deferred.  Filipino  political  leaders  accepted  it  with  mis- 
givings because  any  great  material  development  involved  the  in- 
troduction of  foreign  capital,  which  they  were  quick  to  see  would 
prejudice  the  policy  of  early  independence.*^  But  the  gospel  of 
good  roads,  bridges,  markets,  artesian  wells  and  the  like  appealed 
to  the  common  people  and  the  delegates  to  the  assembly  soon  dis- 
covered that  their  popularity  with  their  constituents  was  in  exact 
proportion  to  the  amount  of  public  money  they  could  induce  the 
secretary  of  commerce  and  police  to  allot  for  expenditure  within 
their  respective  districts.     Thereafter  there  was  no  trouble  in 


8  After  the  Harrison  administration  came  into  power  in  1913  all  franchises 
were  granted  on  condition  that  the  grantees  would  not  obstruct  the  "policy 
of  the  government"  and  the  "aspirations  of  the  Filipino  people"  with  refer- 
ence to  independence.    See  Act  No.  2384. 


276  THE    PHILIPPINES 

securing  appropriations;  the  difficulty  was  in  finding  the  money 
to  appropriate. 

Governor-General  Forbes,  who,  as  secretary  of  commerce  and 
police,  had  been  an  earnest  advocate  of  public  works,  had  many  of 
the  characteristics  necessary  for  the  head  of  an  administration 
charged  with  the  execution  of  such  a  policy,  and  the  degree  of 
success  which  attended  it  was  due  very  largely  to  his  initiative 
and  energy.  He  had  some  capacity  for  constructive  work  and 
a  strong  desire  to  build  up  the 'Philippines,  but  many  of  his 
projects  were  as  fanciful  as  those  of  Don  Custodio,  and  in  the 
excess  of  his  zeal  he  led  the  government  into  financial  troubles 
from  which  it  has  been  with  difficulty  extricated. 

There  was  some  justification  for  the  charge  of  extravagance 
in  the  expenditure  of  money  for  public  works.  Some  of  the 
projects  were  unwise  and  there  were  defects  in  the  administrative 
system  which  made  its  operation  unnecessarily  expensive. 

Nevertheless,  the  public  works  constructed  in  the  Philippines 
during  the  latter  years  of  the  Taft  regime  are  a  monument  to  the 
enterprise  and  skill  of  the  American  government  and  the  capacity 
of  the  Filipinos  to  appreciate  new  conditions  and  their  willingness 
to  furnish  the  money  necessary  for  modem  improvements. 

Really  remarkable  results  were  achieved  without  the  impo- 
sition of  any  serious  financial  burdens  upon  the  people.  The  pro- 
ceeds of  the  five-million-dollar  bond  issue  were  practically  all  ex- 
pended prior  to  the  year  1908  on  special  projects,  and  thereafter 
all  public  works  were  paid  for  out  of  the  current  income  of  the 
government  derived  from  customs  duties,  internal  revenue  and 
other  special  taxes.  Approximately  ten  per  cent,  of  the  total 
receipts  was  saved  and  invested  in  public  works  of  a  permanent 
and  often  of  a  highly  productive  nature.  The  following  table 
shows  approximately  the  total  expenditures  of  the  government 
of  the  Philippines  during  the  decade  following  the  year  1905  and 
the  portion  thereof  devoted  to  permanent  public  works. ^ 

''Hearings  Before  Senate  Committee  on  Philippines,  p.  168  (1915). 


THE    POLICY    OF    MATERIAL    DEVELOPMENT     277 


Public  Works 

and 
Improvements. 

For  All  Other 
Purposes. 

Total. 

June  30 — 

1905    

1906    

1907    

1908    

1909    

1910    

1911     

P3,124.298.64 
213,716.42 
272.294.20 
1.059.511.56 
3,998,132.75 
2,811,524.32 
5.799.154.31 
2.687,768.76 
3,296,852..34 
1,222,587.98 

P18,800,670.08 
17,612,986.27 
18,516,539.58 
21,880,059.73 
20,052,979.38 
21.139,642.73 
22,209,042.91 
28.352.049.10 
26.193.549.66 
27.656.842.10 

P21.924.968.72 
17,856.702.69 
18.788.833.78 
22,939,571.29 
24,051.112.13 
23.951.167.05 
28.008.197.22 

1912    

31.039,817.86 

1913    

1914    

29.490,402.00 
28.879,430.08 

Total    

Reduced  to  U.  S.  money.. 

P24,485,841.28 
$12,242,920.64 

P222,444,361.54 
$111,222,180.77 

P246.930,202.82 
$123,465,101.41 

It  should  be  noted  that  this  money  belonged  to  the  Filipinos, 
was  appropriated  by  them  and  was  expended  with  their  consent, 
in  most  instances,  for  things  for  which  Oriental  people  have  been 
supposed  not  greatly  to  care. 

This  policy  of  material  development  included  much  more  than 
the  building  of  public  works.  The  markets  of  the  world  were 
waiting  for  the  timber,  the  sugar,  the  copra  and  particularly  for 
the  kind  of  hemp  that  grows  only  in  the  Philippines.  Of  the 
one  hundred  million  acres  of  arable  land,  less  than  ten  per  cent, 
was  productive.  The  soil  was  to  be  awakened  from  its  sleep  of 
centuries.  The  cultivation  of  more  land,  the  cadastral  survey 
necessary  to  enable  titles  to  be  registered,  the  creation  of  an  agri- 
cultural bank  from  which  the  small  farmers  could  borrow  money 
at  reasonable  rates  with  which  to  purchase  the  work  animals  nec- 
essary for  cultivating  more  land,  the  control  of  waters  and  the 
irrigation  of  waste  land,  the  opening  of  mines,  the  search  for  the 
much-needed  coal,  the  teaching  of  scientific  agriculture  and  the 
use  of  modem  farm  machinery,  the  establishment  of  a  postal 
savings-bank,  the  introduction  of  foreign  capital,  the  organiza- 
tion of  industry  on  modem  lines,  the  construction  of  suitable 
public  buildings,  hospitals  and  markets,  water-works  and  sewers 
necessary  for  the  protection  of  the  public  health  and  comfort,  and 


278  THE    PHILIPPINES 

the  highways  and  other  appliances  for  communication  by  post  and 
wire  and  the  transportation  of  persons  and  products — all  were 
but  the  means  to  an  end,  the  relief  of  the  people  of  the  country 
from  the  bondage  of  poverty  in  order  that  they  might  have  a  fair 
opportunity  to  develop  into  an  independent,  self-respecting  and 
self-supporting  community. 

Sewer  systems,  water-works  and  artesian  wells  are  designed 
primarily  to  preserve  health  and  administer  to  the  comfort  and 
convenience  of  existence.  But  they  are  also  intimately  connected 
with  the  economic  and  commercial  development  of  a  country, 
as  it  is  useless  to  expect  an  anemic  race,  subject  to  constant  at- 
tacks of  cholera,  malaria,  plague  and  other  dire  diseases,  to  per- 
form much  hard  physical  labor.  The  parks,  public  gardens, 
boulevards  and  playgrounds  of  Manila  and  the  new  city  of 
Baguio,  where  the  cool  and  invigorating  mountains  breezes  could 
be  enjoyed,  were  all  agencies  for  preserving  the  general  health 
and  generating  the  physical  strength  which  the  native  people  so 
badly  needed. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

Transportation  and  Communication 
I 

ROADS  AND  BRIDGES 

Primitive  Transportation  Methods — Road-Building  Difficulties — Early  Fail- 
ures— No  Provision  for  Maintenance — Bad  Legislation — Forced  Labor  and 
Toll  Roads — Failure  of  People  to  Adopt  Laws — The  Double  Cedula  Law 
of  1907 — Inducements  to  Adopt  Rules  and  Regulations — Insular  Appro- 
priations— Conditions — The  Road  Committee — Classification  of  Roads — Ap- 
portionment of  Insular  Appropriations  by  Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Po- 
lice— Encouragement  of  Local  Efforts — Construction  of  Permanent  Bridges 
— Maintenance — The  Caminero  System — Pride  in  Good  Roads — Road  Mate- 
rial— Cost — Road  Work  in  the  Non-Christian  Provinces — In  the  Moro  Prov- 
ince— Permanency — The  Benguet  Road — Early  Mistakes — Difficulties  of  Con- 
struction— Policy  of  Government — Purpose  of  the  Road — Its  Cost — Practical 
Abandonment — Its  Justification. 

A  traveler  who  visits  every  part  of  the  Philippine  Archipelago 
will  at  some  stages  of  his  journey  use  about  every  instrumentality 
of  transportation  known  to  primitive  and  civilized  man.  He  will 
find  the  ocean  steamer,  sailboat,  railway  train,  automobile,  car- 
riage, carromata,  carabao  cart,  raft,  pack  animal,  cargador,  'rick- 
shaw, sedan  chair  and  hammock  in  use,  and  will,  if  of  reason- 
able weight,  ride  from  boat  to  dry  land  astride  the  neck  of  a 
sturdy  native.  But  the  primitive  is  rapidly  making  way  for  the 
modern  as  roads  and  railways  replace  the  ancient  paths  and 
trails.^ 

For  transportation  purposes  the  ordinary  highways  and  bridges 
must  always  be  of  primary  importance,  and  the  extent  and  con- 
dition of  the  roads  is  a  fair  index  of  the  intelligence  and  enter- 


^  For  an  interesting  account  of  transportation  methods,  see  an  article  by 
Mr.  O.  G.  Jones  in  Far  Eastern  Review,  April,  1915. 

279 


280  THE    PHILIPPINES 

prise  of  the  people  of  a  community.  However,  as  Americans  in 
their  own  country  are  but  just  beginning  to  reahze  the  money 
value  of  good  roads,  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  Filipinos  were 
found  somewhat  indifferent  to  such  matters.  But  they  were,  in 
this  respect,  not  much  behind  the  average  rural  community  in  the 
United  States  and  they  had  much  more  to  contend  with  in  the 
way  of  climate,  poverty  and  tropical  lethargy. 

The  problem  of  roads  has  always  been  one  of  great  difficulty 
in  all  tropical  colonies.  In  temperate  climates  it  is  possible  to 
traverse  even  a  bad  road  at  all  times  of  the  year.  In  the  tropics 
it  is  an  impossibility,  not  merely  a  difficulty.  During  the  rainy 
season  the  bottom  of  a  road  simply  falls  out. 

The  roads  are  difficult  to  construct  and  more  difficult  to  main- 
tain after  they  are  built.  Torrential  rains  wreck  the  most  scien- 
tifically built  highways  and  scatter  the  bridges  over  the  country. 
Slides  and  washouts  are  of  constant  occurrence.  A  puddle  on 
the  surface  soon  becomes  a  sink  and  in  an  astonishingly  short 
time  the  weak  spots  in  a  road  become  bottomless  pits.  Vegeta- 
tion encroaches  with  marvelous  speed  and  unless  constantly  at- 
tacked soon  smothers  the  road. 

Every  colonial  government  has  struggled  with  the  road  ques- 
tion and  each  colony  can  show  a  few  good  highways.  The  Dutch 
in  Java,  the  French  in  Indo-China  and  elsewhere,  and  the  English 
in  all  their  colonies,  have  built  expensive  highways,  but  they  are 
generally  trunk  lines  without  proper  feeders  penetrating  the  in- 
terior. In  the  Philippines  we  have  worked  out  a  comprehensive 
scheme  of  road  building  in  which  every  mile  of  road  built  forms 
a  part  of  a  system  which  when  completed  will  reach  into  every 
part  of  the  islands. 

The  work  has  been  rendered  more  difficult  than  it  would  other- 
wise have  been  by  the  self-imposed  necessity  of  securing  the  co- 
operation and  consent  of  the  natives  as  a  condition  precedent  to 
doing  anything.  This  fact  must  never  be  lost  sight  of  when  con- 
sidering what  has  been  accomplished.  A  central  government 
such  as  that  of  India  and  Java,  with  unrestricted  control  and 
ample   funds,  can  easily  build  highways,   railways  and   other 


i 


TRANSPORTATION    AND    COMMUNICATION     281 

public  works.  The  necessity  for  securing  the  cooperation  of  an 
uneducated  and  uninstructed  native  population  adds  immeasur- 
ably to  the  difficulties. 

The  construction  work  done  in  the  islands  prior  to  1908  was 
sporadic  and  without  system.  Roads  were  built  here  and  there  as 
required  by  military  considerations  or  the  necessity  for  providing 
work  for  the  inhabitants.  Previous  to  that  year  insular  appro- 
priations were  made  for  specific  projects  in  various  parts  of  the 
islands  and  no  conditions  were  attached  whereby  the  provinces 
were  required  to  raise  funds  on  their  own  account  and  to  main- 
tain the  roads.  About  two  million  dollars  were  spent  in  this 
haphazard  way.^  The  fact  that  nothing  permanent  was  being 
accomplished  was  fully  realized.  In  his  annual  report  for  1907 
Secretary  Forbes  said  that  the  construction  done  by  the  Ameri- 
cans had  been  allowed  to  deteriorate  until,  "with  few  exceptions, 
the  condition  of  the  roads  throughout  the  archipelago  is  lament- 
able and  is  growing  worse  from  day  to  day.  What  were  good 
and  passable  roads  three  years  ago  are  now  quagmires  in  the 
rainy  season,  and  throughout  the  past  year  it  has  become  evident 
that  to  avoid  a  paralysis  of  industry  in  many  districts  a  drastic 
change  of  policy  is  needed  in  regard  to  road  construction  and 
maintenance.  Failure  of  the  road  law  brought  the  commission 
face  to  face  with  this  serious  problem.     .     .     ."' 

The  legislative  part  of  the  road  work  had  been  sadly  muddled. 
The  commission  seems  to  have  left  the  preparation  of  the  neces- 
sary laws  to  Commissioner  Forbes,*  who  as  secretary  of  com- 
merce and  police  was  in  charge  of  public  works,  but  Mr.  Forbes' 
knowledge  and  experience  in  legislative  matters  were  in  inverse 
proportion  to  his  zeal  for  good  roads.  Although  the  importance 
of  maintenance  was  fully  appreciated,  no  provision  for  insuring 
it  was  embodied  in  the  first  laws. 


2  Kept.  Phil.  Com.,  1908.  Pt.  II,  p.  341. 

^  Kept.  Phil.  Com.,  1907,  Pt.  II,  p.  276.  Governor-General  Smith,  in  his 
report  as  acting  secretary  of  commerce  and  police  for  1908  {Rept.  Phil.  Com., 
1908,  Pt.  II,  p.  340)  said :  "The  disastrous  effects  of  this  policy  are  only  too 
evident  in  the  present  condition  of  most  of  these  roads,  many  of  which  have 
become  impassable  for  lack  of  maintenance." 

*  See  an  article  on  Mr.  Forbes'  "Remarkable  Achievements"  in  the  Boston 
Transcript,  June  6,  1912. 


282  THE    PHILIPPINES 

The  proceeds  of  some  special  tax  such  as  the  export  tax  on 
hemp,  might  well  have  been  set  aside  for  road  work.^  It  was 
within  the  power  of  the  commission  to  make  direct  appropria- 
tions for  road  construction  and  maintenance  and  to  place  both 
under  the  control  of  the  insular  engineers.  The  provinces  might 
have  been  required  to  appropriate  a  reasonable  amount  for  the 
maintenance  of  the  roads  constructed  with  the  proceeds  of  gen- 
eral taxation.  Instead  of  adopting  some  such  simple  and  effective 
procedure,  the  commission  resorted  to  the  most  antiquated  and 
objectionable  of  all  devices,  forced  labor  and  toll  roads.^ 

The  original  road  law'^  provided  for  five  days'  labor  of  eight 
hours  each  per  year  or  an  optional  equivalent  cash  payment  for 
such  labor,  computed  at  a  rate  of  from  twelve  and  one-half  cents 
to  one  dollar  per  day.  This  labor  or  money  was  to  be  expended 
under  the  supervision  of  the  municipal  president,  upon  the  public 
highways,  bridges,  wharves  and  trails,  within  the  municipality 
where  it  was  collected.  But  the  act  was  not  to  be  effective  in  any 
province  until  adopted  by  a  convention. of  municipal  presidents  and 
councilmen.  The  law  was  subsequently  amended*  to  allow  it  to  be 
adopted  by  single  municipalities.^    Not  a  single  province  or  mu- 


s  An  export  duty  on  some  special  product  to  raise  a  fund  for  road  build- 
ing has  often  been  used  by  British  colonies.  See  Bruce,  The  Broad  Stone  of 
Empire,  II,  Chap.  XXII. 

The  export  duty  on  hemp  was  repealed  by  Congress  in  1912.  out  of  defer- 
ence to  abstract  theory  and  uninstructed  sentiment,  and  the  Philippine  gov- 
ernment was  deprived  of  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  per  year  without  in- 
creasing the  price  received  by  the  hemp  producers.  The  building  of  a  single 
good  highway  into  a  hemp-producing  district  would  have  meant  more  to  the 
producers  than  did  the  repeal  of  the  law. 

6  The  expectation  that  the  Filipinos  would  voluntarily  adopt  the  system  of 
forced  labor  suggests  an  inadequate  knowledge  of  their  history  and  a  degree 
of  confidence  hardly  justified  by  its  consideration.  Of  course  it  failed.  As 
Governor-General  Smith  said :  "The  deep  distrust  of  the  labor  system  is 
attributable  to  many  causes,  among  others  the  alleged  great  abuses  which 
arose  out  of  the  system  in  the  latter  part  of  the  Spanish  regime."  (Rept. 
Phil.  Com.,  1908,  Pt.  II,  p.  343.) 

Foreman  (The  Philippine  Islands,  p.  218)  says:  "Every  male  adult  in- 
habitant, with  certain  specific  exceptions,  had  to  give  the  State  fifteen  days' 
labor  per  annum  or  redeem  that  labor  by  payment.  Of  course  thousands  of 
the  needy  class  preferred  to  give  their  fifteen  days.  This  labor  and  redemp- 
tion money  was  only  theoretically  employed  in  local  improvements." 
■     7  Act  No.  1511,  July  13.  1906. 

8  Act  No.  1617,  March  20,  1907. 

»  Act  No.  1653,  May  18,  1907. 


TRANSPORTATION    AND    COMMUNICATION     283 

nicipality  adopted  the  law.  The  commission  also  authorized  any 
province  with  the  approval  of  the  governor-general  to  declare  cer- 
tain roads  toll  roads  for  a  period  not  to  exceed  five  years  and  to 
use  the  income  for  the  maintenance  of  the  roads.  Apparently  but 
one  province  availed  itself  of  this  privilege.  Toll  roads  were  no 
more  popular  in  the  Philippines  than  in  the  United  States.^" 

Finally,  in  May,  1907,  the  commission  passed  what  became 
known  as  the  Double  Cedula  Law,^^  on  which  a  successful  road 
policy  was  founded.  The  forced  labor  system  was  abandoned. 
It  was  recognized  that  while  the  people  of  the  provinces  desired 
good  roads,  the  longing  was  not  strong  enough  to  induce  a  volun- 
tary imposition  of  the  necessary  financial  burden.  They  pre- 
ferred to  have  the  insular  government  build  and  pay  for  the  high- 
ways. 

The  general  policy  of  the  government  required  that  the  grant 
of  local  self-government  should  include  the  assumption  of  local 
burdens.  It  was  determined,  therefore,  that  the  provinces  should 
bear  their  fair  share  of  the  cost  of  construction  of  the  roads  and 
bridges,  which  would  be  their  property.  But  the  objectionable 
local  option  provision  was  retained.  The  new  law  authorized  the 
provincial  board  of  an}^  province  in  its  discretion  annually  to 
double  the  cedula  (poll  tax),  and  add  the  extra  sum  thus  raised 
to  its  road  and  bridge  fund.  As  an  inducement  to  the  boards  to 
act  it  was  provided  that  ten  per  cent,  of  the  total  internal  rev- 
enue receipts  should  be  apportioned  according  to  population  and 
added  to  the  road  funds  of  the  provinces  which  doubled  the 
cedida.  They  were  also  given  an  additional  five  per  cent,  for 
their  local  school  fund.^^ 

Appropriations  for  specific  projects  were  thereafter  to  be  con- 
ditioned on  the  adoption  of  the  double  cedula  by  the  province  in 
which  the  money  was  to  be  expended. ^^  In  1908,  in  addition  to 
the  ten  per  cent,  of  the  internal  revenue,  the  legislature  appro- 


10  Report  Director  of  Public  Works.     {Report  Phil.  Com.,  1908,  Pt.  II, 
p.  449.) 

11  Act  No.  1652,  May  18,  1907. 

12  Act  No.  1695,  Aug.  20,  1907. 

13  This  device,  which  was  commonly  called  the  "bale  of  hay"  (suggested 


284  THE    PHILIPPINES 

priated  three  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  for  roads  and 
bridges  to  be  apportioned  among  the  provinces  in  the  discretion 
of  the  secretary  of  commerce  and  police.  The  insular  govern- 
ment thus  appropriated  for  roads  and  bridges  for  that  year  the 
substantial  sum  of  $1,046,605.11. 

In  1909  no  appropriations  for  specific  projects  were  made,  but 
in  addition  to  the  ten  per  cent,  of  the  internal  revenue,  seven  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  dollars  was  appropriated  for  roads  and 
bridges  in  those  provinces  which  should  accept  the  provisions  of 
the  general  law  and  by  resolution  of  the  provincial  board,  guaran- 
tee, by  continuing  annual  appropriations,  the  establishment  on  all 
first-class  roads  thereafter  constructed  of  a  conservation  system 
approved  by  the  director  of  public  works.  This  fund  was  made 
allottable  in  the  discretion  of  the  secretary  of  commerce  and 
police. 

Secretary  Forbes  thereupon  prepared  rules  and  regulations  for 
carrying  the  law  into  effect,  which  provided  :^* 

1.  The  order  of  importance  in  road  work  is  maintenance  of 
existing  roads  and  bridges,  repair  and  reconstruction  of  existing 
structures,  and  the  application  of  the  remaining  funds  to  nevr 
construction. 

2.  The  allotment  of  funds  only  to  provinces  doubling  the 
cedula,  in  proportion  to  the  population. 

3.  The  adoption  by  the  provincial  board,  prior  to  receiving 
the  funds,  of  a  prescribed  resolution  providing  that : 

(1)  The  money  should  be  expended  on  first-class  roads  se- 
lected by  the  provincial  board  with  the  approval  of  the  director 
of  public  works. 

(2)  Such  roads  should  be  maintained  under  a  system  of  con- 
tinuing maintenance  prescribed  by  the  director,  which  should  in- 
clude : 

(a)   The  employment  during  the  wet  season  of  at  least  one 


by  the  old  scheme  of  fastening  a  bunch  of  hay  permanently  a  few  inches  in 
front  of  a  lazy  mule's  nose),  was  the  work  of  Governor-General  Smith. 
Without  it  the  law,  like  its  predecessors,  would  have  been  a  failure. 

1*  See  also  a  "Letter  to  the  Provincial  and  Municipal  Offices,"  dated  June 
16,  1908,  Kept.  Phil,  Com..  1908,  Pt.  II,  pp.  478-484. 


i 


TRANSPORTATION    AND    COMMUNICATION     285 

caminero  for  each  kilometer,  and  during  the  rest  of  the  year  "on 
an  average"  of  one  caminero  for  each  two  kilometers  of  first-class 
road. 

(b)  The  deposit,  in  prescribed  places  along  each  first-class 
road,  of  not  less  than  fifty  cubic  meters  of  broken  stone  for  each 
kilometer  of  stone  road,  and  not  less  than  forty  cubic  meters  for 
each  kilometer  of  gravel  surface  road.  The  receptacles  were  to 
be  kept  constantly  replenished. 

(c)  The  making  of  a  continuing  annual  appropriation  by  the 
province  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  dollars  for  each  kilo- 
meter of  first-class  road. 

It  was  also  required  that  the  province  should  stipulate  that 
when  any  section  of  a  first-class  road  was  allowed  to  deteriorate 
it  might,  after  due  notice,  be  taken  over  by  the  district  engineer 
and  maintained  at  the  expense  of  the  province. 

Soon  after  the  enactment  of  the  double  cedula  law  a  road  com- 
mittee was  appointed  to  plan  a  system  of  roads  for  the  islands.^' 
This  committee  visited  the  provinces  and,  after  consultation  with 
the  provincial  officials  and  others,  recommended  that,  with  ref- 
erence to  their  importance,  the  highways  be  classified  as  insular, 
provincial  and  municipal.  The  insular  roads,  which  were  to  be 
built  by  the  central  government,  included  the  main  highways  nec- 
essary for  interprovincial  communication  to  which  the  provincial 
roads  were  to  be  feeders.  Roads  and  trails  of  mere  local  im- 
portance were  classified  as  municipal.  It  was  estimated  that  the 
system  could  be  completed  within  ten  years. 

Roads  possessing  substantial  foundations  and  drainage,  a  dura- 
ble and  continuous  surfacing,  and  permanent  types  of  bridges  and 
culverts  sufficient  to  accommodate  heavy  traffic  throughout  the 
year  were  to  be  known  as  first  class. 

Those  partially  surfaced  and  surfaced  roads  of  such  width 
and  light  grade  as  would  permit  the  passage  of  light  traffic 
throughout  their  entire  length  were  to  be  known  as  second  class. 

Those  roads  and  trails  over  established  routes  varying  from 

15  Of  course,  for  this  purpose  each  island  had  to  be  treated  as  a  unit. 


286  THE    PHILIPPINES 

narrow  roads  passable  with  difficulty  for  light  traffic  to  trails 
passable  only  for  ponies,  were  called  third  class. 

By  making  the  general  appropriation  for  roads  and  bridges 
allottable  by  the  secretary  of  commerce  and  police,  the  govern- 
ment was  able  to  adopt  and  pursue  a  systematic  course  of  con- 
struction, while  encouraging  and  assisting  the  local  authorities 
to  bear  a  reasonable  part  of  the  financial  burden.  The  system 
also  secured  centralized  control  with  the  power  to  make  it  effect- 
ive. Secretary  Forbes  adopted  the  plan  of  apportioning  one-half 
of  the  total  insular  appropriation  among  the  provinces  accord- 
ing to  population  and  of  allotting  the  balance  to  insular  roads 
and  projects  and  the  purchase  of  road  machinery  and  equipment. 
Some  of  the  money  was  used  very  effectively  for  prizes  to  prov- 
inces for  the  best  road  work,  and  to  individual  camineros  for  the 
best  road  maintenance.  The  expenses  of  administration,  such 
as  the  printing  of  manuals  and  circular  instructions,  the  purchase 
of  books  and  maps,  the  salaries  of  special  engineers  and  drafts- 
men, and  the  expenses  of  the  road  committee,  were  provided  for 
out  of  the  same  fund. 

This  policy  was  adhered  to  during  my  administration  of  the 
department,  and  seems  to  be  still  in  force,  although  the  legisla- 
ture, in  1914,  made  the  allotment  of  the  entire  appropriation  ac- 
cording to  population  compulsory.^''  Under  the  influence  of  the 
aggressive  good  roads  propaganda  all  the  provinces  doubled  the 
cedula  and  were  able  to  secure  the  benefits  of  the  law.^'^ 

The  new  policy  resulted  in  a  tremendous  improvement  in  con- 
ditions. Already,  on  June  20,  1908,  two  hundred  and  sixty  miles 
of  first-class  road  were  under  the  system  of  maintenance  pre- 
scribed by  the  law.  Very  substantial  sums  of  money  were  found 
for  the  work.     During  the  fiscal  year  1912  there  was  expended 


If'  Act  No.  2378.  The  allotment  of  funds  apportioned  for  the  provinces, 
organized  under  the  Special  Government  Act,  was  left  discretionary. 

1'^  In  1910  the  unsatisfactory  provision  v^^hich  required  the  provincial 
boards  to  renew  their  action  each  year  was  removed  by  an  act  which  provided 
that  the  action  of  the  board  should  stand  permanently  unless  repealed  with 
the  approval  of  the  governor-general.  This  public-spirited  "joker"  was  care- 
fully hidden  in  the  law  and  was  adopted  by  the  assembly  without  appreciating 
its  importance. 


TRANSPORTATION    AND    COMMUNICATION     287 

for  the  construction,  maintenance  and  improvement  of  roads 
and  bridges,  $2,193,523.21,  of  which  $1,003,298.56  were  insular 
funds,  $1,142,900.24  provincial  funds,  and  $47,324.42  municipal 
funds.  At  the  close  of  the  fiscal  year  1912  there  were  in  the 
islands,  exclusive  of  those  in  Manila  and  the  Moro  Province, 
1,839.7  kilometers  of  first-class  roads,  2,159.9  of  second-class 
roads,  and  3,216.7  of  third-class  roads. ^*  During  that  and 
the  succeeding  years  there  was  a  shortage  of  money,  and  it  be- 
came necessary  to  stop  work  on  many  public  projects,  but  the 
road  work  was  kept  active  by  loans  from  the  Gold  Standard  Fund 
to  the  provinces  and  municipalities. 

Torrential  rains,  which  are  so  frequent  in  the  country,  make 
the  matter  of  culverts  and  bridges  of  prime  importance.  Early 
in  the  campaign  it  was  determined  that  no  more  money  should  be 
expended  on  cheap  bridge  work.  Until  funds  sufficient  to  build 
permanent  structures  were  available,  the  old  temporary  bamboo 
bridges  and  rafts  must  do.  The  result  of  this  wise  policy  was 
that  many  of  the  creeks  and  rivers  are  now  spanned  by  rein- 
forced concrete  structures  of  an  unsurpassed  type  which  nothing 
short  of  a  flood  or  earthquake  can  destroy. 

The  Philippine  road  policy  has  been  successful.  In  no  part 
of  the  development  work  have  better  results  been  obtained  for  the 
money  expended.  Since  1908  very  little  money  has  been  wasted 
on  roads  or  bridges."  The  people  had  to  be  educated,  coerced 
and  bribed  into  active  cooperation  in  the  work,  but  they  soon 
learned  to  appreciate  the  value  of  good  roads.  The  building  of 
a  first-class  highway  into  a  region  meant  easy  access  to  markets 
which  before  had  been  inaccessible.  Products  which  had  rotted 
in  the  fields  were  transmuted  into  money.  Land  values  often 
doubled.  The  stupidest  countryman  could  appreciate  such  ele- 
mental facts.  The  people  were  very  naturally  eager  for  allot- 
ments of  insular  funds  in  aid  of  local  roads  and  other  projects, 
but  they  soon  learned  that  the  money  could  be  obtained  only 


IS  Report  of  Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Police,  1912,  p.  148. 
^9  The  Benguet  road  may  be  regarded  as  a  possible  exception.  - 


288  THE    PHILIPPINES 

by  those  who  were  wilHng  to  bear  a  share  of  the  burdens  in  pro- 
portion to  their  abihties.  There  was  to  be  no  manna  falling 
from  a  government  heaven  at  Manila.  It  was  a  matter  of  assist- 
ance, not  of  bounty.  The  allotments  rested  with  the  secretary  of 
commerce  and  police,  and  under  the  law  his  judgment  was  final. 

Delegations  were  constantly  calling  on  the  secretary  soliciting 
funds.  If  the  project  was  one  deserving  encouragement  they 
were  informed  that  it  would  be  investigated.  If  the  engineer 
reported  that  it  was  desirable  and  the  cost  reasonable,  the  local 
authorities  were  again  consulted  and  the  limit  of  their  financial 
capacity  ascertained.  Often  they  had  little  cash,  but  were  will- 
ing to  contribute  material  and  labor.  After  stretching  their  re- 
sources in  money,  material  and  labor  to  the  limit,  and  making 
the  regular  provision  for  future  maintenance,  the  balance  of  the 
required  amount  was  allotted  to  the  locality  and  the  road  built. 
When  completed,  it  meant  something  to  the  locality.  It  was  not 
the  result  of  the  charity  of  a  distant  government.  It  represented 
the  sacrifices  and  labors  of  the  citizens  and  they  felt  responsible 
for  its  care  and  preservation.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  nowhere  in 
the  tropics  are  the  highways  so  carefully  guarded  and  main- 
tained. 

When  a  road  was  completed  and  delivered  to  the  province  for 
maintenance  it  was  thereafter  regarded  as  property,  and  the  pro- 
vincial treasurer  was  required  to  account  for  it  as  such,  and  any 
neglect  which  results  in  its  loss  or  depreciation  was  followed  by 
swift  punishment. 

Provinces,  municipalities  and  individual  camineros  were  en- 
couraged to  compete  in  the  race  for  good  roads.  Local  pride  was 
cultivated  and  appealed  to.  Substantial  prizes  were  offered  for  the 
province  doing  the  most  construction  work  and  showing  the 
best  maintenance.  A  prize  of  five  thousand  dollars,  awarded  to 
one  province,  was  immediately  invested  in  a  much-needed  bridge, 
which  was  dedicated  with  a  great  display  of  local  pride.  The 
camineros,  the  common  workmen  in  charge  of  road  mainte- 
nance, competed  for  the  individual  prizes.  Ornamented  with 
suitable  badges  of  authority,  these  lowly  members  of  the  hier- 


TRANSPORTATION    AND    COMMUNICATION     289 

archy  often  developed  a  pride  in  their  work  not  always  shown  by 
their  more  highly  placed  brother  government  officials. 

As  one  passed  through  the  country  he  saw  the  camineros 
everywhere  with  wheelbarrow  and  shovel  replacing  the  scattered 
gravel,  or  with  a  pair  of  shears  clipping  the  grassy  lawns  which 
line  the  road.  As  his  automobile  rushed  along  a  beautiful  high- 
way bordered  with  palms  and  feathery  bamboo,  the  caminero 
would  often  stand  at  attention  and  salute  with  military  pre- 
cision as  he  swelled  with  pride  in  his  kilometer  of  highway.^" 

The  cost  of  road  construction  alone  has  not  been  very  high, 
but  the  permanent  type  of  bridges  are  expensive,  and  when  they 
are  included  the  average  cost  per  mile  of  the  heavily  surfaced 
roads  has  been  about  $8,250.  While  labor  is  much  cheaper  than 
in  the  United  States,  more  of  it  is  required  to  get  the  same  re- 
sults. In  determining  the  type  of  road  to  be  constructed  the 
government  has  not  been  bound  by  any  abstract  or  theoretical 
considerations.  The  finances,  the  climatic  conditions,  and  the 
available  materials  have  been  the  determining  factors.  Concrete, 
because  of  its  cost,  has  been  out  of  the  question.  Good  rock  for 
macadam  roads  is  difficult  to  find  and  to  bring  it  from  distant 
quarries  is  very  expensive.  On  certain  roads  various  kinds  of 
asphalt  and  oil  binders  have  been  used  wath  good  success.  Gravel 
for  surfacing  is  abundant  and  cheap,  and,  where  the  volume  of 
traffic  is  reasonable,  a  heavy  gravel  surface  on  a  permanent 
foundation  makes  a  good  road  which  can  be  maintained  with  a 
reasonable  expenditure.  The  rapid  increase  of  automobile  traffic, 
particularly  in  the  direction  of  auto-truck  lines  serving  as  feeders 
to  the  railways,  will  necessitate  the  resurfacing  of  many  of  the 
roads  with  broken  rock.  The  expense,  however,  will  not  be  great, 
as  the  foundations,  structures,  drainage,  etc.,  are  already  pro- 
vided. 

The  system  of  road  construction  and  maintenance  which  has 
been  described  applied  to  the  territory  within  the  legislative  juris- 
diction of  the  Philippine  Legislature.    It  will  be  remembered  that 


20  When  the  Duke  of  Edinburg  visited  Japan  in  1868,  prayers  were  offered 
for  his  safety  to  the  God  of  Roads.    Lord  Redesdale's  Memories,  II,  p.  497. 


290  THE    PHILIPPINES 

the  country  was,  for  legislative  purposes,  divided  into  two  parts : 
one  under  the  Philippine  Legislature,  the  other  under  the  control 
of  the  Philippine  Commission,  which  included  the  non-Christian 
provinces,  the  Moro  Province,  now  known  as  the  Department 
of  Mindanao  and  Sulu,^^  and  a  third  group,  occupying  an  inter- 
mediate state,  organized  under  the  Special  Provincial  Govern- 
ment Acts.  The  Moro  Province  had  its  independent  legislative 
body,  subordinate,  however,  to  the  Philippine  Commission.  The 
provinces  organized  under  the  Special  Provincial  Acts  were  in 
a  sort  of  intermediate  stage,  control  being  divided  between  the 
legislature  and  the  commission. ^^ 

The  general  road  law,  which  has  been  considered,  did  not 
apply  to  the  non-Christian  provinces  or  the  Moro  Province.  Re- 
cently the  legislature  authorized  the  distribution  of  a  portion  of 
the  general  road  fund  to  the  special  provinces  and  the  non- 
Christian  provinces  which  are  governed  by  special  road  laws. 
The  latter  provinces  are  mostly  mountainous  and  inhabited  by 
the  so-called  wild  people,  and  are  not  yet  sufficiently  advanced 
to  require  first-class  roads.  The  people  are  natural  trail  builders, 
and,  under  the  direction  of  American  officials,  many  hundreds 
of  miles  of  good  trails  have  been  economically  constructed. 
Every  part  of  their  territory  is  now  accessible. 

The  Moro  Province,  with  its  special  form  of  local  government, 
levied  its  own  taxes  and  built  its  roads  without  the  assistance  of 
the  insular  government.  In  1912  its  legislative  council  enacted 
a  law  similar  to  that  in  force  in  the  northern  non-Christian  prov- 
inces, and  it  seems  to  be  working  very  well.  Every  male  non- 
Christian  between  the  ages  of  eighteen  and  sixty  years  is  required 
to  pay  a  cedula  tax  of  three  pesos  annually,  two  for  the  road  and 
bridge  fund  and  one  for  the  general  fund.  Those  who  pay  the 
internal  revenue  cedula  are  required  to  pay  only  the  two  pesos 
annual  road  tax.     Delinquents  must  furnish  fifteen  days'  labor. 

General  J.  J.  Pershing,  the  governor  of  the  province,  in  his 

21  Act  No.  2309,  Dec.  20,  1913. 

22  The  new  Philippine  Legislature  has  jurisdiction  over  the  entire  Archi- 
pelago. 


TRANSPORTATION    AND    COMMUNICATION     291 

report  for  1912  said:  "Moros  and  other  non-Christians  have 
learned  the  benefits  of  good  roads,  as  is  shown  by  the  decreasing 
difficulty  of  obtaining  road  labor.  Hundreds  of  days  of  labor 
have  been  given  to  the  provinces  during  the  year  by  Moros  anx- 
ious to  have  roads  through  their  part  of  the  country." 

Road  building  was  commenced  in  the  Moro  Province  about 
1909  and  by  1912  there  had  been  completed  80  kilometers  of 
first-class  road  at  a  cost  of  $105,686.80,  153.6  kilometers  of  sec- 
ond-class roads  costing  $76,462.82,  106  kilometers  of  third-class 
roads  costing  $4,844.87,  and  453  kilometers  of  trails  built  by  a 
road  tax  or  by  free  labor.  When  it  is  realized  that  the  total  in- 
come of  the  province  for  the  fiscal  year  1913  was  only  $367,- 
654.09,  the  extent  of  the  investment  in  goods  roads  will  be  ap- 
preciated. 

In  addition  to  the  work  thus  done  by  the  local  authorities  with 
money  furnished  by  the  natives,  the  military  authorities  have 
built  a  first-class  road  from  Camp  Overton,  on  Iligan  Bay,  to 
Camp  Keithley  on  Lake  Lanao  in  the  interior,  and  a  good  road 
beyond  there  to  Malabang,  on  the  south  coast. 

Of  the  highways  constructed  by  the  insular  government  with- 
out the  assistance  of  the  provinces,  the  famous  Benguet  road  is 
by  far  the  most  important.  Such  serious  mistakes  were  made  in 
the  designing  and  construction  of  this  road  that  it  became  a  fair 
subject  for  criticism  and  the  opportunity  was  taken  advantage  of 
to  the  limit.  It  was  in  fact  made  a  political  issue  and  the  policy 
of  the  administration  was  so  grossly  misrepresented  that  it  has 
been  difficult  to  secure  consideration  for  the  enterprise  on  its 
merits. ^^ 

The  highway  was  a  by-product  of  the  plan  to  construct  a  rail- 
road into  the  mountains,  to  a  point  where  a  sanitarium  had  been 
located.  The  Spaniards  were  familiar  with  the  advantages  of 
the  region  and  appreciated  its  importance  as  a  resort  for  Euro- 
peans who  were  suffering  from  the  effects  of  the  tropical  climate. 


23  For  the  grounds  of  the  opposition  as  stated  by  Mr.  Quezon,  see  Hear- 
ings Before  House  Com.  on  Insular  Affairs,  on  H.  B.  20049,  Feb.,  1912,  pp.  53 
et  seq. 


292  THE    PHILIPPINES 

In  1892  Spanish  engineers  opened  a  trail  into  the  country  from 
San  Fernando,  on  the  west  coast,  by  way  of  Naguilian,  and  sur- 
veyed other  possible  road  routes.  Secretary  Root  seems  to  have 
directed  the  Taft  Commission  to  open  up  the  Benguet  country 
if  it  was  found  practicable;  and,  early  in  1900,  the  various  routes 
were  investigated  by  members  of  the  commission  and  its  engi- 
neers. 

The  commission  was  then  thinking  of  a  railroad  and  Captain 
C.  W.  Meade  was  directed  to  make  a  survey  in  order  to  ascertain 
the  most  practicable  route  and  the  probable  cost  of  such  a  road. 
He  reported  that  it  was  possible  to  build  a  railroad  up  the  valley 
of  the  Bued  River,  but  recommended  that  the  line  be  first  opened 
as  a  wagon  road.  Captain  Meade  thought  that  the  road  could  be 
constructed  for  the  modest  sum  of  seventy-five  thousand  dollars, 
and  on  December  21,  1900,  the  commission,  apparently  without 
having  his  estimate  checked  and  verified,  appropriated  that 
amount  and  authorized  the  building  of  a  highway  from  Pozo- 
rubio,  in  the  province  of  Pangasinan,  to  Baguio,  "under  the  gen- 
eral supervision  of  the  Military  Governor  and  the  immediate 
direction  of  Captain  Charles  W.  Meade,  36th  Infantry,  U.  S. 
Volunteers,  who  has  been  detailed  by  the  Military  Governor  for 
that  purpose,  along  the  general  line  of  survey  recently  made  by 
Captain  Meade  for  a  railway  between  said  towns." 

The  distance  from  Pozorubio  to  Baguio  is  thirty-eight  kilo- 
meters, the  first  six  of  which  are  across  a  low  level  plain  to  a 
point  where  the  Bued  River  flows  out  of  its  canyon.  From  there 
the  road  was  to  follow  the  river  to  its  source  on  the  mountain 
plateau  near  Baguio.  It  was  soon  discovered  that  Captain  Meade 
had  entirely  underestimated  the  difficulties  and  that  his  survey 
had  been  very  superficial.  It  is  surprising  that  the  commission, 
with  the  knowledge  of  the  conditions  which  it  then  possessed, 
should  have  proceeded  without  further  investigation.^* 

It  was  really  about  as  difficult  a  route  for  a  railway  as  could 


2'*  Mr.  H.  L.  Higgins,  an  experienced  railroad  engineer  who  visited  Baguio 
with  members  of  the  commission,  made  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  find  his 
way  down  the  gorge,  but  expressed  the  opinion  that,  with  proper  equipment, 
a  party  could  get  through. 


TRANSPORTATION    AND    COMMUNICATION     293 

be  imagined.  From  Baguio  to  where  the  river  reached  the  plains, 
a  distance  of  about  twenty  miles,  there  is  a  descent  of  approxi- 
mately five  thousand  feet.  Most  of  the  way  the  river  flows  be- 
tween precipitous  mountain  walls  that  rise  at  some  places  to  a 
height  of  from  three  to  four  thousand  feet,  with  occasional 
peaks  reaching  six  or  seven  thousand  feet.  At  intervals  the  dark 
and  narrow  canyon  expanded  into  basins  reeking  with  rank  vege- 
tation. The  dense  forests  were  festooned  with  vines  and  dank 
mosses.  On  the  upper  waters  of  the  river  there  is  a  fall  of 
almost  a  thousand  feet  in  a  distance  of  about  a  mile  in  a  direct 
line.  Thereafter  the  narrow  stream  rushed  and  boiled  its  way 
around  and  over  huge  boulders,  some  of  which  were  as  large  as 
a  farm-house.  Nevertheless,  there  was  nothing  in  the  general 
outward  appearance  of  the  country  to  discourage  absolutely  an 
enterprising  engineer  familiar  with  mountain  railway  construc- 
tion.   But  the  appearances  were  deceitful. 

No  adequate  preliminary  investigation  was  made  as  to  the 
nature  of  the  rock  and  it  proved  impossible  to  find  any  solid 
foundation  for  the  road.  Cuts  in  the  mountain  sides  resulted  in 
innumerable  landslides.^'     All  sorts  of  difficulties  were  encoun- 


25  Mr.  J.  W.  Beardsley,  in  his  report  in  Dec,  1903,  said :  "The  topograph- 
ical and  geological  features  of  the  Bued  River  Valley  are  remarkable.  The 
elevated  peaks  are  generally  connected  by  ridges  too  narrow  for  a  roadway. 
The  slopes  from  these  ridges  to  the  peaks  and  the  side  slopes  of  both  ridges 
and  peaks  are  too  steep  for  practical  use.  Frequently  the  connecting  ridge  is 
entirely  washed  away,  and  no  feasible  method  of  reaching  the  lower  level 
exists.  The  construction  of  an  intermediate  trail  along  the  mountain  sides  is 
impracticable  on  account  of  the  remarkably  steep  slopes  and  the  frequency  of 
slides,  which  can  not  be  avoided.  These  slides  suggest  that  nature  has  not 
yet  reached  a  state  of  equilibrium.  Normal  slopes  for  loose  earth  and  rock 
vary  from  30  to  35°  ;  slopes  for  similar  material  in  this  valley  are  occasionally 
over  45°,  and  the  material  is  held  in  place  principally  by  its  covering  of  vege- 
tation. These  slopes,  with  their  resulting  slides,  are  due  to  (a)  seismic  dis- 
turbances, (b)  chemical  formation  of  rock,  and  (c)  climatic  conditions. 
.  .  .  Slides  frequently  occur  during  the  rainy  season  on  portions  of  the 
slopes  apparently  well  protected  by  vegetation,  and  during  the  dry  season 
these  slides  are  of  occasional  occurrence  over  portions  not  so  protected.  No 
construction  can  withstand  the  effects  of  these  large  landslides.  The  material 
is  angular  and  disintegrated  broken  rock.  The  rock  outcroppings  show  a 
hard  conglomerate  in  the  lower  portion  of  the  valley,  consisting  of  water- 
worn  pebbles  and  boulders  cemented  together  with  volcanic  rock.  .  .  . 
Where  the  rock  appears  fairly  solid  it  is  not  uncommon  to  have  a  slide  of 
several  hundred  tons  occur  after  a  cut  has  exposed  the  rock  to  weathering 
effects  for  a  few  months."    Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1905,  Pt.  Ill,  pp.  363-367. 


294  THE    PHILIPPINES 

tered.  Labor  was  scarce,  unwilling  and  untrained.  An  amount 
of  money  equal  to  the  entire  first  appropriation  was  expended  in 
making  a  road-bed  along  the  cliff  at  the  entrance  of  the  first 
canyon. 

Progress  was  very  slow.  In  August,  1901,  Captain  Meade 
was  succeeded  as  engineer  by  Mr.  N.  M.  Holmes.  In  October, 
1901,  the  commission  reported  to  Secretary  Root  that  the  con- 
struction had  "been  much  delayed  by  the  difficulty  of  procuring 
the  labor  requisite  for  its  early  completion,  and  several  months 
will  yet  elapse  before  it  is  finished."  It  was  finally  borne  in  upon 
the  commission  that  there  was  a  strong  probability  that  the  en- 
tire project  would  have  to  be  abandoned,  to  the  very  great  dis- 
credit of  the  government.  In  September,  1902,  Mr.  J.  W. 
Beardsley,  the  consulting  engineer  to  the  commission,  was  di- 
rected to  visit  the  scene  and  make  a  thorough  investigation.  In 
December  he  reported  that  it  was  possible  to  build  the  road,  but 
that  it  would  cost  an  additional  one  million  dollars.^*' 

The  commission  was  now  facing  a  serious  situation.  The 
Benguet  road  was  not  an  ordinary  highway  project.  The  de- 
velopment of  Baguio  seemed  to  be  required  by  political  and  social 
as  well  as  economic  considerations.  Governor  Taft  intended  that 
it  should  become  the  future  political  capital  of  the  countr3^  It 
was  deemed  necessary  for  the  health  and  happiness  of  American 
soldiers  and  officials,  and  the  white  men  who  would  in  the  future 
come  to  live  in  the  islands,  and  Baguio  could  not  be  made  avail- 
able unless  the  road  was  completed.  It  was  then  assumed  that 
any  railroad  which  might  be  built  would  have  to  follow  this 
river  road  and  the  failure  of  the  road  meant  that  the  entire 
scheme  of  building  a  capital  city  on  the  healthy  table-land  would 
have  to  be  abandoned. 

After  thorough  investigation  and  careful  consideration  of 
every  feature  of  the  situation,  it  was  determined  to  complete  the 


26Rept.  Secretary  of  Com.  and  Pol.  (Kept.  Phil.  Com.,  1903,  Pt.  Ill, 
p.  18). 

Mr.  Beardsley's  report  had  evidently  not  been  received  when,  on  Nov.  1, 
1902,  Governor  Taft  wrote  in  his  annual  report  that  "it  was  doubtful  whether 
the  total  cost  of  the  road  would  be  less  than  three  hundred  thousand  dollars." 


I 


TRANSPORTATION    AND    COMMUNICATION     295 

road  regardless  of  expense.  Therefore  on  Januar}''  1,  1903,  a 
resolution  was  adopted  which  declared  the  policy  of  the  commis- 
sion to  be  to  make  the  town  of  Baguio  the  summer  capital  of  the 
Archipelago  and  to  provide  suitable  communication  therewith. 
In  his  report  dated  November  15,  1903,  Governor  Taft,  after 
referring  to  the  serious  engineering  mistakes  which  had  been 
made  and  the  unexpected  cost  of  the  work,  said  :^' 

"One  of  the  things  essential  to  progress  in  the  islands  is  the 
coming  of  more  Americans  and  Europeans  who  shall  make  this 
their  business  home.  If  there  can  be  brought  within  twelve 
hours'  travel  of  Manila  a  place  with  a  climate  not  unlike  that  of 
the  Adirondacks,  or  of  Wyoming  in  summer,  it  will  add  greatly 
to  the  possibility  of  living  in  Manila  for  ten  months  of  the  year 
without  risk.  It  will  take  away  the  necessity  for  long  vacations 
spent  in  America;  will  reduce  the  number  who  go  invalided 
home,  and  will  be  a  saving  to  the  Insular  government  of  many 
thousands  of  dollars  a  year.  It  will  lengthen  the  period  during 
which  the  American  soldiers  who  are  stationed  here  may  remain 
without  injury  to  their  health  and  will  thus  reduce  largely  the 
expense  of  transportation  of  troops  between  the  islands  and  the 
United  States.  More  than  this,  Filipinos  of  the  wealthier  class 
frequently  visit  Japan  or  China  for  the  purpose  of  recuperating. 
People  of  this  class  are  much  interested  in  the  establishment  of 
Baguio  as  a  summer  capital,  and  when  the  road  is  completed  a 
town  will  spring  up,  made  up  of  comfortable  residences,  of  a 
fine,  extensive  army  post,  and  sanitariums  for  the  relief  of  per- 
sons suffering  from  diseases  prevalent  in  the  lowlands. 
It  is  the  settled  purpose  of  the  commission  to  see  this  improve- 
ment through,  no  matter  what  the  cost,  because  eventually  the 
expenditure  must  redound  to  the  benefit  of  the  government  and 
people  of  the  islands." 

In  pursuance  of  this  policy,  arrangements  were  made  for  push- 
ing the  work  to  completion,  and  Major  L.  W.  V.  Kennon  was 
placed  in  charge  as  engineer.  The  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
three  employees  with  which  he  commenced  work  were  soon  in- 
creased to  four  thousand.  New  surveys  were  made  in  order  to 
comply  with  the  instructions  of  the  commission  that  the  road 


27  Kept.  Phil.  Com.,  1903,  Pt.  I,  p.  58 ;  Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1900-1903,  p.  516. 


296  THE    PHILIPPINES 

should  be  of  such  a  kind  as  to  be  later  available  for  a  railroad. 
The  surveys,  plans  and  specifications  were  in  part  remade  in  or- 
der to  provide  for  an  electric  railroad  bed  with  a  width  of  four- 
teen feet.^^ 

Notwithstanding  the  natural  obstacles  and  occasional  tropical 
rains  which  did  great  damage,  the  road  was  finally  built  and 
opened  for  traffic  on  March  27,  1905.  On  November  1,  there- 
after, the  total  cost  had  been  $1,966,874.05,'^  but  much  of  the 
work  was  of  a  temporary  nature  which  later  had  to  be  reenforced 
or  replaced.  The  numerous  wooden  and  suspension  bridges 
which  carried  the  road  back  and  forth  across  the  river  had  to  be 
replaced  by  steel  constructions  which  also  in  time  required 
strengthening  in  order  to  carry  the  unexpected  volume  of  heavy 
freight.    In  fact,  the  road  never  was  really  completed. 

The  heartbreaking  feature  of  the  situation  was  that  any  part 
of  the  work,  however  well  done,  was  liable  at  any  time  to  dis- 


ss First  Rept.  of  Major  Kennon,  Sept.  1,  1904  (Kept.  Phil.  Com.,  1904,  Pt. 
Ill,  p.  160). 

29  See  Rept.  Secretary  Com.  and  Police,  Nov.  3,  1905  (Rept.  Phil.  Com., 
1905,  Pt.  Ill,  p.  25).  The  following  table,  prepared  by  the  Bureau  of  Insular 
Affairs,  shows  the  expenditures  and  the  sources  from  which  the  money  came. 
Hearings  House  Committee  on  Insular  Affairs,  on  H.  R.  20049,  Feb.,  1912, 
p.  64: 
Fiscal  year — 

1902.  Construction  from  insular  revenues $142,113.01 

1903.  Construction  from  insular  revenues 152,800.56 

1904.  Construction  from  insular  revenues 459,386.94 

1904.  Construction  from  Congressional  relief  fund 366,260.505 

1905.  Construction  from  insular  revenues 376,367.99 

1905.  Construction  from  Congressional  relief  fund 228,310.73 

1905.  Construction  from  public  works  bonds 204,173.24 

1906.  Maintenance  and  repair  from  insular  revenues 45,025.695 

1906.  Sale  of  equipment  (refund  to  revenues) 53,621.69 

1906.  Construction  from  Congressional  relief  fund 55,246.765 

1907.  Maintenance  and  improvements  from  insular  revenues 9,620.37 

1907.  Improvements  from  Congressional  relief  fund 102.52 

1908.  Maintenance  and  improvements  from  insular  revenues 15,887.095 

1909.  Maintenance  and  improvements  from  insular  revenues 2,894.645 

1910.  Maintenance  and  improvements  from  insular  revenues 47,718.26 

1911.  Maintenance  and  improvements  from  insular  revenues 26,848.46 

Total $2,186,378,475 

Cost  of  Benguet  Road,  1901-1905 .$1,929,412,975 

Improvements  and  repairs  thereto,  1906-1911 149,722.12 


TRANSPORTATION    AND    COMMUNICATION     297 

appear  beneath  a  landslide  or  be  swept  away  by  a  flood.  The 
mountains  seemed  to  be  quivering  masses  of  shale  rock  eager  to 
disintegrate  and  slide  on  the  slightest  provocation.  The  rain- 
fall in  that  region  is  phenomenal.  Storms  sweeping  up  from  the 
China  Sea  break  against  the  mountains  and  are  precipitated  in 
a  concentrated  mass  about  the  head  waters  of  the  Bued  River. 
On  June  30,  1905,  seventeen  inches  of  water  fell  within  twenty- 
four  hours.  On  October  17,  1906,  within  the  same  period  of 
time,  there  was  a  fall  of  twenty-six  inches  and  the  Bued  River 
rose  fifty  feet  in  its  bed  and  carried  away  four  of  the  largest 
bridges.  During  the  twenty- four  hours  following  the  noon  of 
July  14,  1911,  there  was  a  fall  of  4^.pp  inches  of  water  at  Ba- 
guio.^'^  At  one  place  the  side  of  the  mountain  fell  into  the  gorge 
and  covered  the  road  to  a  depth  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
with  boulders,  gravel  and  huge  trees. 

The  engineers  reported  that  it  would  cost  five  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars  to  dig  the  road  out  and  the  money  was  not  available. 
It  seemed  that  the  problem  of  future  maintenance  of  the  Benguet 
road  was  settled  for  all  time.  While  matters  were  at  a  stand- 
still, kind  Providence  brought  another  typhoon  and  the  rushing 
waters  carried  away  much  of  the  debris.  It  was  now  possible 
to  rebuild  the  road,  but  even  if  the  necessary  funds  could  be  ob- 
tained, experience  showed  that  it  would  be  folly  to  continue  the 
unequal  struggle  with  nature.^^  The  government  now  entered  into 
arrangements  with  the  Manila  Railroad  Company  which  it  was 
hoped  would  result  in  the  construction  of  a  railroad  over  an- 
other route  into  Bagnio  within  about  three  years.^"  It  was  then 
determined  that  the  road  should  be  put  into  condition  for  tem- 


'"  The  average  rainfall  in  the  Philippines  is  2A00mm.  The  extremes  are 
Zamboanga  .900wwi,  Baguio  4.500niwj. 

31  On  Feb.  22,  1912,  General  Edwards,  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Insular  Af- 
fairs, told  the  Committee  on  Insular  Affairs  that  "The  Benguet  wagon  road 
has  been  washed  out.  They  find,  after  thirty-six  inches  of  rain  in  one  day 
which  they  got  there,  that  it  is  not  a  practical  road,  and  so  I  don't  think  they 
would  be  wise  in  spending  more  money  on  the  wagon  road.  .  .  ."  Hear- 
ings on  H.  R.  20049,  p.  43. 

32  The  railway  company,  under  its  contract,  was  entitled  to  use  the  Ben- 
guet road  for  its  line,  but  declined  with  thanks. 


298  THE    PHILIPPINES 

porary  use  until  the  railroad  was  completed,  and  this  was  done 
with  an  expenditure  of  fifty  thousand  dollars.  At  the  same  time 
the  Naguilian  trail  from  the  coast  was  improved  to  a  point  where 
in  good  weather  it  could  be  used  by  small  automobiles.  Baguio 
was  thus  saved  from  the  danger  of  isolation,  and  the  question  of 
the  ultimate  disposition  of  the  Benguet  road  was  postponed  for 
future  consideration.  The  attempt  to  build  the  railroad  was  not 
successful  and  the  policy  now  seems  to  be  to  make  the  Naguilian 
road  a  permanent  one.®^ 

By  May  1,  1913,  the  Benguet  road  had  cost,  including  improve- 
ments and  maintenance,  $2,754,281.05,  an  amount  out  of  all  pro- 
portion to  its  value  as  a  highway.^*  Nevertheless,  the  men  re- 
sponsible for  its  construction,  while  regretting  the  early  mistakes, 
have  never  doubted  the  wisdom  of  the  final  policy  that  was  pur- 
sued. If  the  Philippines  remain  an  American  possession,  the 
future  will  show  that  they  were  right ;  otherwise  their  work  will 
be  thrown  away.  The  money  invested  should  be  charged  to  the 
expense  of  building  a  capital  city  and  resort  in  the  health-giving 
atmosphere  of  the  mountains,  where  white  men  can  live  and 
thrive,  free  from  the  debilitating  effects  of  the  heat  of  the  low- 
lands. It  should  become  the  great  health  resort  of  the  Far 
East.  But  the  Filipinos  have  never  liked  Baguio  and  the  political 
element  has  always  bitterly  opposed  its  development.  The  Phil- 
ippine Legislature  could  never  be  induced  to  appropriate  money 
for  the  city,  or  for  the  Benguet  road,  and  funds  for  the  construc- 
tion of  the  road  and  the  government  buildings  at  Baguio,  which 
is  in  a  non-Christian  province,  were  appropriated  by  the  commis- 
sion or  provided  under  a  complicated  system  of  transfers.  From 
1910  until  the  advent  of  the  Harrison  administration,  the  gov- 
ernment moved  over  the  Benguet  road  to  Baguio  for  the  months 
of  March,  April  and  May  of  each  year.  But  the  new  adminis- 
tration consented  to  the  passage  of  a  law  which  forbids  the  an- 


33  Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1914. 

3*  The  average  annual  cost  of  the  road  for  the  five  years  prior  to  1913  was 
about  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  dollars.  (Rept.  Bu.  of  Pub.  Works, 
1912,  p.  154.) 


I 


TRANSPORTATION    AND    COMMUNICATION     299 

nual  exodus  of  the  government,  to  the  great  delight  of  the  FiH- 
pino  clerks,  who  detest  being  separated  from  the  delights  of  life 
in  Manila  and  subjected  to  the  isolation  and  cool  weather  of  the 
mountains.  But  the  governor-general  and  commissioners  soon 
fell  under  the  spell  of  the  place  and,  like  their  predecessors,  found 
their  way  to  the  cool  table-land  in  the  mountains  of  Benguet. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

Transportation  and  Communication 

II 

RAILWAYS AUTOMOBILE   LINES 

The  Railway  Policy — Commission  Governed  by  Conditions,  Not  Theories — 
The  Cooper  Law — Summary  of  Its  Provisions — Manila  Railway  Company, 
Limited,  and  Its  Claims — New  Concession  to  Manila  Railroad  Company — 
Terms  of  Original  Concessionary  Contract — Supplementary  Concession  of 
1909 — Guarantee  of  Interest — Division  into  Northern  and  Southern  Lines — 
Concession  to  Visayan  Syndicate — Progress  of  Constructions — Government 
Loans  to  Manila  Railroad  Company — Purchase  of  the  Manila  Railroad  Com- 
pany— Street  Railways — Automobile  Lines — The  Benguet  Road  Line. 

The  problem  of  railway  construction  occupied  the  attention 
of  the  members  of  the  commission  almost  from  the  day  of  their 
arrival  in  the  islands.  They  found  that  the  Manila  Railway 
Company,  Limited,  an  English  corporation  which  had  received  a 
concession  from  the  Spanish  government  in  1887,  had  been, 
since  1892,  operating  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  of 
"oriental  gauge"  railroad  between  Manila  and  Dagupan  on  Lin- 
gayen  Bay.  The  line  traversed  a  fertile,  low-lying,  densely  pop- 
ulated country,  but  because  of  its  excessive  original  cost  and  the 
expense  of  maintenance,  due  to  the  constantly  recurring  floods, 
its  owners  had  not  found  it  a  profitable  investment.  The  road 
had  been  seriously  damaged  by  the  Filipinos  during  the  insur- 
rection and  one  of  the  most  promising  assets  of  the  company 
was  a  claim  for  a  large  sum  against  the  United  States  based  on 
the  Spanish  government  guaranty  and  the  use  of  the  road  by  the 
military  authorities. 

Acting  under  instructions  from  Secretary  Root,  the  commis- 
sion formulated  a  policy  for  railway  construction.^     It  was  an- 


^Rept.  Phil.  Com..  1901  (Kept.  Phil.  Com.,  1900-1903,  p.  184). 

300 


TRANSPORTATION    AND    COMMUNICATION     301 

ticipated  that  American  public  opinion  would  require  that  the  con- 
struction of  railways  in  the  Philippines  should  be  left  to  private 
persons  or  corporations,  and  that  the  necessary  safeguards 
would  be  provided  to  prevent  them  from  absorbing  the  public 
lands  or  otherwise  gaining  undue  profit  by  the  exploitation  of 
the  country.  The  history  of  railroad  building  in  the  United 
States  had  given  the  policy  of  land  grants,  railroad  aid  bonds  and 
subsidized  projects  generally,  a  bad  name.  The  system  of  gov- 
ernment aid  had  been  discredited  by  the  abuses  which  grew  up 
under  it,  and  the  public  easily  forgot  the  beneficial  part  the  rail- 
roads have  played  in  the  rapid  building  up  of  the  country. 

But  conditions  in  the  Philippines  were  not  such  as  to  induce 
capitalists  to  invest  money  there  without  some  government  en- 
couragement. The  islands  were  remote  and  Americans  were 
not,  like  the  British,  accustomed  to  investments  in  distant  col- 
onies. The  political  future  of  the  country  was  and  would  remain 
uncertain  as  long  as  one  of  the  great  political  parties  continued 
to  advocate  the  early  withdrawal  of  American  control.  Under 
the  circumstances  there  was  only  one  feasible  plan  to  follow, 
and  that  was  to  adopt  the  system  under  which  Spain  had  encour- 
aged railway  construction  in  the  Philippines  and  under  which 
Lord  Dalhousie  had  constructed  the  original  railroad  system 
in  India. ^  The  commission  therefore  recommended  that  it  be 
vested  with  authority  to  designate  the  lines  to  be  constructed  and 
to  enter  into  arrangements  with  private  persons  or  corporations 
for  their  construction,  equipment  and  operation,  and  to  guarantee 
the  payment  of  interest  on  the  investment. 

The  way  was  cleared  for  serious  railway  construction  by  the 


2  The  three  principal  Indian  lines,  the  East  India  Railway,  Great  Eastern 
Peninsula  Railway  and  the  Madras  Railway,  were  originally  constructed  by 
private  concerns  with  a  government  guarantee  of  five  per  cent,  interest  on 
the  capital  expended.  As  railway  prospects  improved  the  rate  of  interest 
guaranteed  for  other  companies  was  reduced  to  four  per  cent.  The  Indian 
government  subsequently  entered  the  railway  field  and  built  additional  lines. 
It  now  owns  three-fourths  of  the  entire  system.  Most  of  the  guaranteed 
lines  were  purchased  by  the  government  and  are  leased  to  operating  com- 
panies under  an  arrangement  by  which  the  government  guarantees  the  inter- 
est on  their  working  capital.  In  1913  India  had  32.398  miles  of  railway,  over 
which  were  carried  three  hundred  and  thirty-eight  million  passengers  and 
eighty  thousand  tons  of  freight.     Freight  is  carried  for  an  average  of  two- 


302  THE    PHILIPPINES 

Cooper  Law  of  February  6,  1905,^  by  which  Congress  approved 
the  general  policy  recommended  by  the  commission.*  Under  this 
law  the  rights  of  the  public  were  guarded  with  extreme  care. 

The  Philippine  government  was  authorized  to  enter  into  con- 
tracts with  American  railroad  corporations  organized  to  con- 
struct and  operate  railroads  in  the  Philippines  and  to  guarantee 
the  interest,  at  not  exceeding  four  per  cent,  per  annum,  upon 
their  first  lien  construction  bonds  secured  by  mortgage  upon  the 
roads  and  other  property  of  the  corporations.  Any  such  con- 
tract of  guaranty  was  required  to  provide  that  the  total  amount 
of  bonds,  the  interest  of  which  was  guaranteed,  should  not  ex- 
ceed the  amount  actually  invested  in  cash  in  the  construction  and 
equipment  of  the  road ;  that  the  bonds  should  be  kept  a  first  lien ; 
and  that  the  road  should  be  constructed  within  the  time  limited. 
After  operation  was  commenced  the  gross  earnings  of  the  rail- 
way should  be  applied  (1)  to  the  necessary  operating  expenses, 
including  the  reasonable  expenses  of  the  corporation;  (2)  to  the 
necessary  and  ordinary  repairs  of  the  road  and  its  equipment; 
(3)  to  such  betterments  and  extraordinary  repairs  as  may  be 
first  in  writing  authorized  by  the  governor-general,  and  (4)  to 
the  payment  of  the  guaranteed  interest  on  the  bonds. 

To  enable  the  company  to  sell  bonds  as  the  work  of  construc- 
tion progressed  the  guarantee  contract  might  be  executed  on  the 
completion  of  the  road  in  sections  of  not  less  than  twenty  contin- 
uous miles  each  and  in  such  proportions,  fixed  from  time  to  time 
by  the  government,  as  the  actual  capital  invested  in  completed 
road  and  equipment  should  bear  to  the  capital  required  for  the 
completion  and  equipment  of  the  entire  road.  The  guarantee  was 
limited  to  thirty  years  and  in  no  event  could  the  total  annual  con- 


fifths  of  a  penny  per  mile,  and  one  penny  carries  a  third-class  passenger  five 
miles.  The  Indian  railways  at  present  are  all  paying  dividends.  Fuller, 
India,  p.  315. 

3  Chap.  453,  33  Stat.  L.  689. 

*  Several  minor  concessions  for  railway  extensions  had  been  made  under 
the  authority  conferred  on  the  commission  by  the  Organic  Law  of  1902  and  the 
Spooner  Law.  Both  these  laws  were  restrictive  and  limited  the  power  to 
grant  franchises  which  the  commission  had  possessed  under  the  authoriza- 
tions contained  in  President  McKinley's  Instructions. 


TRANSPORTATION    AND    COMMUNICATION     303 

tingent  liability  of  the  government  exceed  one  million  two  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars. 

The  sum  paid  as  interest  by  the  government  under  its  guaranty 
was  made  a  lien  on  the  property  of  the  company,  second  only  to 
that  of  the  trust  deed  securing  the  bonds;  and  at  the  termination 
of  the  guaranty  period,  the  total  sum  of  such  interest  advanced 
became  payable  to  the  government  on  demand  and  the  lien  en- 
forceable. The  government  was  required  to  make  rules  for  as- 
certaining the  cash  capital  actually  invested  in  the  railroads  and 
the  net  income  received  on  the  capital  so  invested,  and  to  provide 
for  the  proper  supervision  of  the  conduct  of  the  finances  of  the 
road  and  of  its  location,  construction,  operation  and  mainte- 
nance. Two  members  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  undertak- 
ing company  should  be  appointed  by  the  government.  Out  of 
deference  to  the  lack  of  confidence  felt  by  foreign  investors  in 
the  inferior  judicial  tribunals,  the  law  conferred  upon  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  the  Philippines  original  and  exclusive  jurisdic- 
tion in  all  actions  or  suits  brought  by  the  government  against  any 
person  or  corporation  involving  the  construction  of  this  particular 
statute  or  any  contract  made  in  pursuance  of  it. 

Immediately  after  the  passage  of  this  law  the  secretary  of  war 
attempted  to  interest  American  capital  in  the  question  of  rail- 
way construction  in  the  PhiHppines.  The  island  of  Luzon,  as 
the  most  densely  populated  and  generally  cultivated,  presented  the 
most  attractive  field.  The  Manila  Railway  Company,  Limited, 
was  already  in  possession  of  the  most  highly  developed  section  of 
the  island,  but  the  terms  of  its  Spanish  franchise  were  not  entirely 
clear.  The  validity  of  a  claim  for  $1,515,000  gold  against  the 
United  States  for  the  use  of  the  road  by  the  military  authorities, 
which  the  British  ambassador  had  presented  to  the  state  de- 
partment, was  denied.^    It  was  within  the  power  of  the  govern- 


^  By  the  terms  of  the  concession,  the  Spanish  government  guaranteed  to 
the  English  company  net  earnings  equal  to  eight  per  cent,  of  the  capital, 
which  was  fixed  in  the  concession  at  $4,964,473.65,  but  increased  with  the  con- 
sent of  the  government  to  $5,556,700,  Mexican.  One-half  of  the  gross  earn- 
ings were  to  be  taken  as  net  earnings.  The  amount  due  under  this  guarantee 
was  payable  quarterly  by  the  government,  which  reserved  the  right  to  charge 


304  THE    PHILIPPINES 

ment  practically  to  destroy  the  railway  company's  property  by 
refusing  the  privilege  of  making  further  extensions  and  granting 
a  concession  to  a  new  company  which  would  parallel  the  existing 
line.    The  old  company  was  British  owned  and  managed  and  was 


two-thirds  of  the  amount  to  the  provinces  through  which  the  road  passed. 
When  one-half  of  the  gross  earnings  exceeded  eight  per  cent,  of  the  fixed 
capital,  the  excess  was  to  be  divided  between  the  government  and  the  con- 
cessionaire. Upon  the  expiration  of  ninety-nine  years  from  Jan.  21,  1887,  the 
government  was  to  become  the  owner  of  the  property.  Rates  were  subject  to 
regulation  under  a  general  law  which  was  by  reference  incorporated  into  the 
concession.  The  arrangement  was,  in  legal  effect,  a  partnership  contract  be- 
tween the  government  of  Spain  and  the  concessionaire  by  which,  in  considera- 
tion of  the  guarantee  by  the  government  of  eight  per  cent,  on  the  fixed  capital 
of  $5,553,700,  Mexican,  the  government  was  to  share  equally  in  all  earnings 
over  and  above  the  eight  per  cent,  guaranteed,  and  to  become  the  owner  of 
the  road  at  the  expiration  of  the  life  of  the  franchise. 

The  Spanish  government  made  the  guaranteed  payments  until  the  Amer- 
ican forces  took  possession  of  the  road  in  1898.  An  unsuccessful  attempt  was 
made  to  have  inserted  in  the  Treaty  of  Paris  a  provision  to  the  effect  that  the 
new  government  should  succeed  to  the  rights  and  obligations  of  the  Spanish 
government  under  this  and  certain  other  concessions.  In  July,  1899,  a  claim 
was  presented  to  the  secretary  of  war  for  the  payment  of  the  guaranteed 
interest  to  that  date,  and  was  renewed  from  time  to  time  until  at  the  end  of 
the  year  1900  it  amounted  to  $421,000,  Mexican.  The  law  officer  of  the  Bureau 
of  Insular  Affairs  and  the  attorney-general  of  the  United  States  held  that  the 
contract  of  guarantee  was  a  personal  contract  between  the  government  of 
Spain  and  the  concessionaire,  the  obligations  of  which  did  not  pass  to  the 
new  government  by  the  change  of  sovereignty  and  cession  of  the  territory. 
Opinions  of  Attorney-General,  Vol.  XXIII,  p.  121,  The  attorney-general 
conceded,  however,  that  an  obligation  existed  in  favor  of  the  railway  com- 
pany commensurate  with  the  benefits  received  by  the  islands  from  the  con- 
struction of  the  road,  two-thirds  of  which  was  properly  chargeable  against 
the  provinces.  No  attempt  was  ever  made  to  reduce  this  vague  obligation  to 
figures.  The  railway  company  thereafter  changed  the  nature  of  its  claim  to 
one  for  damages,  and  use  and  occupation  of  the  property  by  the  military  au- 
thorities from  Feb.  10,  1899,  to  April,  20,  1900. 

The  opinion  of  the  attorney-general  eliminated  not  only  the  obligation  to 
pay  the  guaranteed  interest,  but  also  the  consideration  therefor,  the  right  of 
the  government  to  one-half  of  the  profits  over  and  above  eight  per  cent,  and 
to  acquire  ownership  of  the  road  at  the  termination  of  the  concession.  As  a 
result  the  Manila  Railway  Company  found  itself  with  simply  a  franchise  to 
operate  the  road  until  1906,  subject  to  the  regulative  features  of  the  con- 
cession. 

In  order  to  obtain  money  to  rehabilitate  the  property  it  made  a  new  mort- 
gage for  seven  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  which,  with  the  consent 
of  the  bondholders,  was  established  as  a  lien  prior  to  that  of  the  original 
bonds.  With  the  money  thus  obtained  and  the  earnings,  amounting  in  all  to 
about  twelve  million  dollars,  the  road  was  put  in  fairly  good  condition.  With 
the  revival  of  business  the  company,  somewhat  to  the  surprise  of  all,  became 
suddenly  prosperous,  and  had  the  personal  contract  of  the  concession  been 
assumed  by  the  government  of  the  United  States  it  would,  for  the  ten  years 
after  1901,  have  received  an  annual  profit  of  more  than  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars  and  ultimately  become  the  owner  of  the  road.  For  the  circumstances 
under  which  the  road  was  acquired,  see  p.  310  et  seq.,  infra. 


TRANSPORTATION    AND    COMMUNICATION     305 

not  known  to  be  in  entire  sympathy  with  the  methods  of  the  new 
regime.  The  terms  of  the  Spanish  concession  were  not  such  as 
an  American  government  would  grant,  and  it  was  in  every  way 
desirable  that  the  slate  should  be  cleaned  and  a  new  start  made." 
This  the  government  was  able  to  accomplish  on  terms  satisfac- 
tory to  all  parties, 

A  new  corporation  known  as  the  Manila  Railroad  Company 
was  organized  in  the  United  States.  The  proposal  of  Speyer  & 
Company,  of  New  York,  to  construct  the  proposed  lines  in  Lu- 
zon was  accepted  on  condition  that  the  concession  should  at  once 
be  transferred  to  the  new  corporation  which  would  receive  a  per- 
petual franchise  from  the  government  of  the  Philippines  on  the 
terms  and  conditions  prescribed  in  the  grant.  No  land  grant  or 
government  guarantee  of  interest  was  asked  on  these  original 
concessions.  In  consideration  of  the  grant  the  old  corporation 
waived  all  claims  against  the  United  States,  the  government  of 
the  Philippines  and  the  provinces  and  municipalities,  as  well  as 
those  growing  out  of  the  use  of  its  line  by  the  military  authori- 
ties of  the  United  States. 

The  concessionary  contract  between  the  government  of  the 
Philippines  and  the  Manila  Railroad  Company  was  thereupon 
embodied  in  an  Act  of  the  Philippine  Commission^  and  subse- 
quently duly  executed  by  the  parties.  It  was  exceedingly  favora- 
ble to  the  government  and  also  advantageous  to  the  grantee.  All 
pending  controversies  were  settled  and  the  government  secured 
the  construction  of  new  lines  under  proper  supervision  and  con- 
trol without  assuming  any  financial  obligations.  The  concession 
included  the  existing  line  of  the  Manila  Railway  Company,  Lim- 
ited, and  the  construction  of  approximately  four  hundred  and 


6  "The  change  was  really  from  the  Spanish  to  the  American  system,  that 
is,  from  a  business  enterprise  of  the  government  for  profit,  to  a  project,  the 
sole  motive  of  which  is  to  furnish  a  great  civilizing  and  prosperity-giving 
instrumentality  to  the  people  and  to  increase  and  expand  its  benefits  to  the 
public  by  offering  a  reasonable  compensation  to  the  private  capital  employed, 
proportioned  to  the  risk,  and  without  hope  or  expectation  of  substantial  profit 
to  the  treasury."  Secretary  of  War  Taft  to  Secretary  of  State  Root,  June  22, 
1906.     MSS.  letter. 

^  Act  No.  1510,  July  7,  1906. 


306  THE    PHILIPPINES 

twenty-eight  miles  of  new  road,^  of  which  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  were  to  be  ready  for  operation  within  two  years. 
Construction  was  to  proceed  at  the  rate  of  not  less  than 
seventy-five  miles  each  year  thereafter  until  all  were  com- 
pleted. The  gauge  was  to  be  three  feet,  six  inches,  sub- 
ject to  change  with  the  approval  of  the  governor-general.  A 
right  of  way  one  hundred  feet  in  width  was  granted  across  the 
public  domain,  together  with  the  use  of  such  additional  land 
therefrom  for  terminals,  yards,  shops  and  other  necessary  build- 
ings, as  the  governor-general  should  approve.  The  grantee 
might  also,  with  the  written  approval  of  the  governor-general, 
take  from  the  public  lands  gravel,  earth,  stone,  timber  and  other 
materials  for  use  in  the  construction  of  the  railway.®  The  right 
to  cross  and  use  streets  and  public  squares,  and  to  acquire  title 
to  lands  owned  by  provinces  and  municipalities  was  carefully 
guarded  against  abuse.  All  material  required  for  the  construc- 
tion and  equipment  of  the  road  was  to  be  admitted  to  the  islands 
free  of  duty. 

The  detailed  provisions  of  this  and  the  other  railroad  conces- 
sion contracts  are  important  because  they  show  the  policy  of 
the  government  and  the  great  care  taken  to  guard  against  ex- 
ploitation and  the  over-issue  of  construction  bonds.  The  plans, 
surveys  and  specifications  were  required  to  be  submitted  to  and 
approved  by  the  governor-general,  who  was  authorized  there- 
after to  fix  the  exact  routes.  Freight  and  passenger  rates  were 
to  be  subject  to  regulation,^^  and  the  government  was  entitled  to 
certain  preferences  for  military  purposes.  Preference  was  to  be 
given  to  laborers  found  along  the  lines.  The  grantee  was  en- 
titled to  maintain  a  telegraph  and  telephone  system  for  its  own 
use  and  the  use  of  the  public,  subject  to  the  approval  of  the 

^Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1906,  Pt.  II,  p.  206. 

®  This  applied  only  to  the  public  lands  available  for  homestead  settlement 
and  sale  under  the  Public  Lands  Act,  and  timber  lands  of  the  Philippine 
government.  It  did  not  include  the  friar  lands,  which  were  not  part  of  the 
public  lands. 

i^A  Board  of  Railroad  Rate  Regulation  consisting  of  the  governor- 
general,  the  secretary  of  commerce  and  police  and  one  appointed  member 
was  created  by  Act  No.  1779,  Oct.  12,  1907.  In  1913  it  was  succeeded  by  the 
Board  of  Public  Utility  Commissioners. 


TRANSPORTATION    AND    COMMUNICATION     307 

secretary  of  war,  on  condition  that  space  be  reserved  on  the 
poles  for  the  government  to  place  wires  for  its  own  use. 

In  Heu  of  all  other  taxes,  the  grantee  should,  during  the  first 
thirty  years,  pay  into  the  public  treasury  one-half  of  one  per  cent, 
of  its  gross  earnings,  for  the  succeeding  twenty  years  one  and 
one-half  per  cent.,  and  after  eighty  years  from  the  time  of  the 
original  grant,  such  rate  as  the  government  should  determine. 
No  stocks  or  bonds  should  be  issued  except  for  cash  or  property 
at  a  fair  valuation,  and  no  stock  or  bond  dividends  should  be  de- 
clared. All  the  provisions  of  the  Acts  of  Congress  of  July  1, 
1902,  and  of  February  6,  1905,  were,  by  reference,  incorporated 
into  the  contract,  and  the  franchise,  while  perpetual  in  form,  was 
at  all  times  subject  to  amendment,  alteration,  and  repeal,  by  Con- 
gress.^^ 

This  contract  was  executed  on  August  28,  1906,  and  work 
thereunder  was  immediately  commenced.  Three  years  later  the 
Manila  Railroad  Company  was  granted  a  supplementary  conces- 
sionary contract  for  additional  lines  which  were  to  be  constructed 
under  a  government  guarantee  of  interest.^^  The  new  construc- 
tion thus  provided  for  was  designed  to  connect  the  existing  line 
which  ended  north  of  the  Pasig  River  in  Manila  with  the  new 
port  works  south  of  the  river,  secure  connection  with  the  new 
capital  city  of  Baguio  in  the  Benguet  Mountains  to  the  north,  and 
south  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  miles  through  Ambos  Cama- 
rines,  with  the  section  already  provided  for  in  the  province  of 
Albay. 

Most  of  the  provisions  of  the  original  concessionary  contract 
were  made  applicable  to  the  new  grant.  Much  of  the  new  con- 
struction would  be  expensive  and  less  likely  to  prove  immediately 
profitable  than  the  original  lines.  The  road  through  Ambos 
Camarines  would  pass  through  very  rough  country.  The  exten- 
sion to  the  port  of  Manila  would  require  the  construction  of  an 
expensive  bridge  over  the  Pasig  River,  and  the  line  to  Baguio 


^1  In  a  message  of  Jan.  10,  1816,  Governor-General  Harrison  refers  to  tliis 
as  "a  gift  to  a  private  company  of  a  perpetual  franchise." 
12  Act  No.  1905,  May  19,  1909. 


308  THE    PHILIPPINES 

would  have  to  reach  an  elevation  of  about  five  thousand  feet  and 
would  not  be  remunerative  for  some  years.  In  order  to  secure 
these  extensions,  it  was  deemed  good  policy  to  guarantee  the  in- 
terest on  the  construction  bonds  as  authorized  by  the  Cooper 
Law. 

This  supplementary  concessionary  contract  divided  the  Manila 
Railroad  Company's  property  into  two  separate  and  distinct  sys- 
tems, capable  of  separate  maintenance  and  operation,  one  to  be 
known  as  the  Northern  Lines  and  the  other  as  the  Southern  Lines. 
Each  was  to  have  its  separate  and  distinct  books  and  accounts, 
embracing  construction,  maintenance,  operation,  earnings  and  ex- 
penses, so  that  although  owned  by  the  same  company  the  two 
systems  should  be  as  distinct  as  though  owned  and  operated  by 
separate  and  independent  companies. 

The  lines  covered  by  the  original  concession,  with  some  excep- 
tions, were  to  be  known  as  the  Northern  Lines  and  those  of  the 
supplementary  concession  as  the  Southern  Lines.^^  The  main 
terminal  at  Tondo  and  the  shops  at  Caloocan,  near  Manila,  were 
to  be  maintained  and  operated  jointly  by  the  two  systems  and  the 
expenses  distributed  equitably  between  them. 

The  company  was  authorized  to  issue  bonds  for  the  amount  of 
the  actual  cost  of  construction  and  equipment  of  the  railways  of 
the  Southern  Lines  and  also  for  the  amounts  which  had  already 
been  actually  expended  for  the  construction  and  equipment  of 
that  part  of  the  original  lines  which  were  to  be  included  in  the 
Southern  Lines,  excluding  the  contractor's  profits.  These  bonds, 
which  were  authorized  to  be  issued  to  ninety-five  per  cent,  of 
the  total  cost,  constituted  a  first  lien  on  all  the  property  of  the 
Southern  Lines.  They  were  to  mature  in  thirty  years,  and  the 
Philippine  government  guaranteed  the  payment  of  interest 
thereon  at  four  per  cent,  per  annum.  As  the  Act  of  Congress 
limited  the  amount  of  annual  contingent  liability  which  the  gov- 
ernment could  assume  to  one  million  two  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars, and  a  similar  guarantee  of  the  Philippine  Railway  Company 
bonds  had  been  made,  the  contract  with  the  Manila  Railroad 


^3  The  line  to  Baguio,  far  north,  was  thus  in  the  Southern  Lines'  system. 


I 


TRANSPORTATION    AND    COMMUNICATION     309 

Company  provided  that,  unless  this  authority  were  extended,  the 
amount  of  the  annual  contingent  liability  should  at  no  time  ex- 
ceed the  amount  available  under  the  Act  of  Congress.  That  is, 
the  guarantee  was  to  the  amount  of  the  difference  between  one 
million  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  and  the  amount  which  had 
been  guaranteed  to  the  Philippine  Railway  Company.  The  com- 
pany covenanted  to  pay  the  interest  on  the  bonds  to  the  extent 
of  the  earnings  of  the  Southern  Lines  after  paying  operating  ex- 
penses, necessary  repairs,  and  betterments,  approved  by  the  gov- 
ernor-general. The  United  States  government  assumed  no  lia- 
bility and  the  government  of  the  Philippines  guaranteed  only  the 
interest  on  the  bonds. 

The  concession  for  the  lines  in  the  south  central  islands  was 
granted  to  the  White  Syndicate,^*  and  by  it  assigned  to  a  cor- 
poration called  the  Philippine  Railway  Company.  The  contract, 
signed  July  10,  1906,  required  the  construction  of  two  hundred 
and  ninety-five  miles  of  road  on  the  islands  of  Panay,  Cebu  and 
Negros.  The  conditions  were  substantially  the  same  as  those  im- 
posed on  the  Manila  Railroad  Company.^^ 

Construction  work  was  commenced  promptly  by  both  the 
Manila  Railroad  Company  and  the  Philippine  Railway  Company, 
and  proceeded  under  government  supervision  as  rapidly  as  condi- 
tions and  money  justified.^®  The  Manila  Railroad  Company 
pushed  forward  the  lines  provided  for  under  the  first  concession 
and  was  progressing  with  its  guaranteed  lines  as  rapidly  as  re- 


1*  This  syndicate  was  composed  of  William  Salomon  &  Co.,  Cornelius 
Vanderbilt,  J.  G.  White  &  Co.  of  New  York,  and  Charles  M.  Swift  of  De- 
troit, with  whom  were  associated  the  International  Banking  Corporation, 
H.  R.  Wilson  and  Heidelbach  &  Co.  of  New  York.  Mr.  Swift  was  the  mov- 
ing spirit  and  the  president  of  the  Philippine  Railway  Company. 

15  Act  No.  1497.    For  a  summary,  see  Kept.  Phil.  Com.,  1906,  Pt.  II,  p.  198. 

18  Act  No.  1507  provided  for  the  appointment  of  a  supervising  railway 
expert,  and  Mr.  F.  A.  Molitor  was  appointed  to  the  position.  This  officer  was 
attached  to  the  office  of  Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Police,  which  had  gen- 
eral supervision  over  corporations  other  than  those  engaged  in  banking.  He 
was  in  1907  succeeded  by  Mr.  L.  F.  Goodale,  who  was  in  office  during  the 
period  of  active  construction.  However,  the  terms  of  the  concessionary  con- 
tract placed  the  responsibility  for  seeing  that  the  roads  were  properly  and 
economically  constructed  upon  the  governor-general  personally.  In  1914  the 
office  of  Supervising  Railway  Expert  was  abolished  (Act  No.  2320)  and  its 
duties  imposed  upon  the  Public  Utilities  Commissioners. 


310  THE    PHILIPPINES 

quired  by  the  contract.  Naturally  it  exercised  its  privilege  of 
determining  the  order  of  the  extensions,  and  intended  to  leave 
the  line  to  Baguio,  which  was  not  expected  to  be  immediately 
profitable,  for  the  last. 

Circumstances,  economic  and  political,  made  it  seem  desirable, 
from  the  standpoint  of  the  government,  that  railway  communica- 
tion be  opened  to  Baguio,  the  mountain  capital,  at  the  earliest 
possible  date.  With  its  available  capital,  the  railway  company 
was  able  to  work  on  but  one  twenty-mile  section  at  a  time.  In 
December,  1911,  the  legislature  authorized  the  loaning  of  a  cer- 
tain per  cent,  of  the  Gold  Standard  Fund^^  to  provinces  and 
municipalities,  and  specifically  to  the  Manila  Railroad  Company, 
to  aid  in  the  construction  of  certain  of  its  authorized  extensions. 
By  this  means  the  government  expected  to  secure  the  construction 
of  the  line  to  Baguio  by  loaning  the  company  the  money  to  enable 
it  to  push  the  work  on  more  than  one  section  at  the  same  time.^* 

The  hastening  of  construction  by  the  Manila  Railroad  Com- 
pany under  the  government  spur  threatens  to  prove  disastrous  to 
the  government.  The  comparatively  small  loan  from  the  Gold 
Standard  Fund,  made  by  the  Forbes  administration,  was  a  mis- 
take, but  it  was  expected  to  be  temporary.  For  some  unaccount- 
able reason  the  Harrison  administration  increased  the  loan  until 
in  January,  1916,  it  amounted  to  over  three  million  dollars,  for 
which  the  government  had  no  real  security.  By  that  time  the 
Manila  Railroad  Company  seems  to  have  become  practically  in- 


"  Act  No.  2083,  Dec.  21,  1911. 

18  This  ill-advised  and  unfortunate  act  of  the  Philippine  Legislature  au- 
thorized the  loaning  of  a  certain  percentage  of  the  Gold  Standard  Fund  to  the 
Manila  Railroad  Company  to  enable  it  to  continue  the  work  on  certain  desig- 
nated extensions.  The  loan  was  intended  to  be  temporary,  and  to  be  repaid 
from  the  proceeds  of  the  bonds  issued  on  the  particular  twenty-mile  section. 
The  commission,  as  the  exclusive  legislative  body  for  the  non-Christian 
provinces,  re-enacted  that  law  in  substance  as  Act  No.  2088,  but  without  des- 
ignating the  extensions  by  name.  The  legislature  could  not  have  been  in- 
duced to  authorize  a  loan  to  be  used  to  build  a  road  to  Baguio,  as  the  Filipino 
members  of  the  lower  house  were  almost  without  exception  opposed  to  the 
entire  Baguio  proposition.  However,  by  loaning  the  company  money  to  work 
on  the  designated  extensions,  it  was  able  to  use  its  own  funds  to  build  the 
Baguio  line.  The  way  in  which  the  matter  was  handled  illustrates  the 
maneuvering  which  was  rendered  necessary  by  the  Filipino  control  over 
legislation. 


TRANSPORTATION    AND    COMMUNICATION     311 

solvent,  and  Governor-General  Harrison  induced  the  legislature 
to  authorize  the  purchase  by  the  government  of  all  the  stock  of 
the  corporation,  A  measure  more  unjust  to  the  Filipino  people 
and  disastrous  to  the  treasury  could  not  have  been  conceived  by 
their  worst  enemies.  Of  all  the  schemes  and  projects  devised 
for  the  Philippines,  this  proposed  purchase  of  the  Manila  Rail- 
road Company  and  the  assumption  of  ten  million  dollars  of  its 
bonded  indebtedness,  is  probably  the  only  one  which  suggests 
bad  faith  on  the  part  of  the  men  who  urged  it  upon  the  Philip- 
pine Legislature.  And  it  was  done  by  the  administration  which 
was  posing  as  the  special  friend  of  the  Filipinos  while  urging 
upon  Congress  the  passage  of  the  bill  granting  independence  to 
the  islands  within  the  short  period  of  four  years. 

At  that  time  the  total  bonded  debt  of  the  insular  government, 
exclusive  of  the  seven  million  dollars  of  friar-land  bonds,  the 
payment  of  which  is  supposed  to  be  secured  by  a  sinking  fund 
created  by  the  sale  of  the  lands,  amounted  to  but  five  million  dol- 
lars. ^^  Extreme  care  had  been  exercised  by  Congress  to  prevent 
the  loading  of  the  islands  with  a  large  bonded  debt.  The  Philip- 
pine government  had  guaranteed  only  the  interest  on  the  bonds 
issued,  under  its  careful  supervision,  by  the  Manila  Railroad  Com- 
pany. It  had  not  guaranteed  the  principal  of  the  bonds,  and  it 
had  been  called  upon  to  pay  only  $41,450  on  its  interest  guaran- 
tee.^** The  railroad  company  had  outstanding  bonds  amounting 
to  $22,671,000,  consisting  of  $4,330,000  six  per  cent,  gold  mort- 
gage bonds,  and  $7,766,000  seven  per  cent,  second  mortgage  gold 
bonds,  maturing  in  1956,  and  $10,575,000  four  per  cent,  first 
mortgage  gold  bonds  (Southern  Lines),  maturing  in  1939.  The 
government  had  guaranteed  the  interest  on  these  Southern  Lines 
bonds  only.    That  was  the  extent  of  its  obligation. 


19  On  December  31,  1914,  there  was  $1,927,980.50  in  the  sinking  fund  for 
the  payment  of  these  friar  lands  purchase  bonds,  and  $855,832.58  in  the  pubhc 
works  and  improvement  bonds  sinking  fund. 

.  20  In  the  Special  Report  of  General  Mclntyre,  chief  of  the  Bureau  of  In- 
sular Affairs,  of  Dec.  1.  1915,  it  is  stated  that  to  Dec.  31,  1914,  on  its  con- 
tingent liability  for  the  interest  on  railway  bonds,  the  government  had  ad- 
vanced "a  total  of  $1,317,448.50,  practically  all  of  which  was  on  account  of  the 
Philippine  Railway  Company.  The  Manila  Railroad  Company  has  generally 
earned  the  interest  on  its  interest-guaranteed  bonds." 


312.  THE    PHILIPPINES 

The  entire  capital  stock  of  the  Manila  Railroad  Company, 
amounting  to  $5,783,500,  was  owned  by  an  English  corporation 
known  as  the  Manila  Railway  Company,  Limited,  and  had  been 
pledged  with  the  Merchants'  Trust,  Limited,  of  London.  This 
stock,  under  the  conditions  stated  by  Mr.  Harrison,  evidently 
had  no  market  value,  and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  it  was  worthless. 
In  his  message  to  the  legislature,  of  January  10,  1916,  Governor- 
General  Harrison  gave  several  disingenuous  reasons  why  it  was 
in  his  opinion  desirable  for  the  government  to  purchase  this  stock 
and  pay  therefor  the  sum  of  four  million  dollars  gold.  The  only 
one  entitled  to  any  serious  consideration  was  that  the  situation 
required  "the  Philippine  government,  for  the  protection  of  its 
investments  in  the  Manila  Railroad  Company,  to  assume  the 
ownership  of  the  road."  He  therefore  recommended  that  the 
legislature  authorize  the  payment  of  the  sum  of  four  million  dol- 
lars gold  (to  be  taken  from  the  Gold  Standard  and  other  special 
funds)  to  the  English  company  for  the  worthless  stock,  that  the 
payment  of  the  $10,575,000  issue  of  bonds  on  the  Southern 
Lines  be  assumed  by  the  government,  and  that  the  road,  after 
being  thus  acquired,  should  be  operated  by  government  em- 
ployees.^^ 

The  three  million  dollars  owed  by  the  railroad  company  to 
the  government  was  not  even  to  be  deducted  from  the  amount  to 
be  paid  for  the  stock.  On  the  contrary,  the  law  provides  that  the 
"time  for  payment  of  the  loan  made  by  the  government  to  the 
railroad  company  from  the  Gold  Standard  Fund  of  the  Philippine 


21  The  assumption  of  the  bonds  was  concealed  from  the  public  by  provid- 
ing that  the  government-owned  corporation  should  be  continued  and  that  it 
should  establish  a  sinking  fund  "from  funds  available  for  such  purposes,  if 
any,"  with  which  to  retire  the  bonds.  But  included  in  the  law  and  contract 
was  the  provision  that  "the  government  by  a  continuing  annual  appropriation 
or  in  any  other  lawful  manner  as  may  hereafter  be  agreed  upon,  will  loan  to 
the  railroad  company  [i.  e.,  to  itself]  an  amount  sufficient  to  maintain  the 
sinking  fund  at  the  required  figure."  Paragraph  4  of  Act  No.  2574,  passed 
Feb.  4,  1916. 

Immediately  after  the  enactment  of  the  Philippine  Government  Law  of 
Aug.  29,  1916,  the  government  issued  $4,000,000  of  bond  to  secure  money  to 
pay  for  this  railway  stock.  Governor-General  Harrison's  message  and  the 
contract  of  purchase  are  printed  in  the  Report  Phil.  Com.,  1915,  p.  49. 


TRANSPORTATION    AND    COMMUNICATION     313 

Islands  shall  be  extended  for  as  long  a  time  as  the  governor-gen~ 
eral  may  lawfully  extend  the  same." 

The  law  authorizing  the  purchase  of  the  entire  stock  of  the  cor- 
poration was  rushed  through  the  legislature  as  an  administration 
measure  without  consideration  by  any  but  a  few  of  the  leaders.^^ 

Mr.  Horace  L.  Higgins,  an  experienced  engineer  and  railroad 
manager,  financially  backed  by  the  Speyer  banking  house  of  New 
York  and  London,  had  been  unable  to  make  the  Manila  Railroad 
Company  pay  expenses  and  interest,  and  the  Harrison  adminis- 
tration proposed  to  transfer  their  burden  to  the  shoulders  of  the 
Philippine  government  with  the  hope  that  under  the  management 
of  Filipino  politicians  the  property  would  become  profitable.  It 
was  a  pretty  present,  indeed,  to  hand  to  the  Filipinos  along  with 
immediate  independence.     The  execution  of  the  contract  meant 


22  The  proposed  purchase  was  condemned  by  the  American  and  a  portion 
of  the  native  press,  including  La  Democracia.  The  Far  Eastern  Review  for 
Feb.,  1916,  quotes  the  following  from  an  editorial  in  The  Bulletin,  one  of  the 
leading  papers  of  Manila  : 

"Some  day  the  islands  are  going  to  need  all  their  credit  in  order  to  borrow 
money  on  their  bonds  to  acquire  these  things,  only  to  find  that  credit  has 
been  exhausted  to  purchase  a  railroad,  which  the  country  needs  about  as  much 
as  a  cat  needs  two  tails.  The  country  will  have  the  railroad,  but  will  be  un- 
able to  trade  it  for  real  needs.  The  only  advantage  that  will  accrue  to  the 
people  will  be  the  privilege  of  raising  several  additional  millions  of  pesos  in 
taxes  to  pay  the  interest  on  the  indebtedness  incurred  by  the  purchase. 

"The  most  essential  factor  in  the  future  as  well  as  present  prosperity  of 
the  islands  is  the  coming  of  capital  for  the  development  of  its  natural  re- 
sources, industries,  and  public  utilities.  The  largest  investment  of  capital  in 
the  islands  up  to  the  present  is  that  invested  by  the  Manila  railway.  Is  the 
government  to  announce  now  to  the  financial  world  that  the  government  is 
to  be  the  means  of  sending  this  capital  out  of  the  country?  Will  such  action 
encourage  other  capital  to  enter  the  country? 

"We  do  not  know  what  political  benefit  is  to  be  derived  by  the  purchase 
of  this  railroad.  One  thing  is  certain ;  there  will  be  no  economic  benefit  de- 
rived from  it.  The  only  expert  opinion  available  of  the  value  of  the  road  is 
that  of  the  government  itself.  In  a  decision  by  the  public  utilities  board, 
seven  months  ago,  that  body  said :  That  the  company's  income  is  not  suf- 
ficient to  provide  adequately  for  the  protection  of  its  property  devoted  to 
public  use,  to  pay  its  fixed  charges,  and  to  pay  a  reasonable  return  upon  its 
investment,  is  shown  by  the  following  comparative  statement  of  its  income 
account  for  all  lines  for  the  years  1910  to  1914,  inclusive.  Is  the  credit  of  the 
country  to  be  mortgaged  for  generations,  in  order  that  the  government  may 
acquire  a  property  of  this  kind?  Will  government  ownership  and  manage- 
ment get  better  result  than  experienced  and  competent  railroad  officials  have 
accomplished?  If  they  are  then  the  people  should  have  some  knowledge  of 
why  and  how  it  is  to  be  done." 


314  THE    PHILIPPINES 

handing  over  four  million  dollars  gold  to  the  owners  of  the  stock 
and  an  increase  in  the  market  value  of  the  bonds  of  probably  five 
million  dollars — all,  in  effect,  a  present  to  the  London  stock  and 
bond  holders  at  the  expense  of  the  Filipinos. 

It  is  difficult  to  understand  why  the  Manila  Railroad  Company 
has  not,  since  1912,  been  able  to  earn  sufficient  to  pay  its  fixed 
charges.  It  is  located  on  the  cultivated  island  of  Luzon  and 
reaches  the  capital  city  and  chief  port  of  the  country.  It  was  in 
the  hands  of  experienced  railroad  men,  and  prior  to  that  time 
was  operated  successfully  and  economically.  The  extensions 
were  made  into  well-developed  country.  The  alleged  inability  to 
sell  bonds  for  future  construction  does  not  explain  the  failure  of 
the  road  to  continue  earning  money  by  the  operation  of  the  exist- 
ing lines.  The  difficulties  in  which  the  road  became  involved 
were  undoubtedly  due  to  the  unfortunate  attempt  of  the  govern- 
ment to  force  the  hasty  construction  of  disconnected  and  unprofit- 
able extensions. 

It  is  a  lamentable  fact  that  the  Filipinos  have  not  shown  much 
energy  in  availing  themselves  of  the  opportunities  offered  by  the 
construction  of  railways  and  some  other  public  improvements. 
They  delight  to  travel  on  the  trains  and,  contrary  to  the  rule  in 
the  United  States,  more  than  half  of  the  income  of  the  roads 
comes  from  passenger  traffic.  That  fact  alone  discloses  unsatis- 
factory conditions.  The  railroads  will  never  pay  until  the  peo- 
ple have  energy  enough  to  provide  them  with  freight  and  the 
ability  to  do  that  can  only  be  developed  after  the  lapse  of  con- 
siderable time.  The  immediate  benefits  anticipated  by  men  like 
Governor  Taft  and  Governor  Wright  have  not  been  realized. 
Nevertheless,  their  theories  were  sound,  although  more  time  will 
be  required  for  securing  results  than  was  anticipated.  Land 
values  have  materially  increased  and  the  new  country  which  has 
been  opened  up  is  being  slowly  occupied  and  brought  under  cul- 
tivation, but  it  will  take  many  years  to  produce  the  freight  which 
is  essential  for  the  profitable  operation  of  the  railways. 

The  Philippine  Railway  Company  constructed  its  lines  in 
Panay  and  Cebu,  but  the  prospects  for  remunerative  business 


TRANSPORTATION    AND    COMMUNICATION     315 

were  not  such  as  to  justify  it  in  building  on  the  island  of  Negros, 
and  the  government  was  very  willing  to  extend  the  time  for  the 
construction  of  that  line  indefinitely.^^ 

The  Philippine  Railway  Company  is  a  purely  American  con- 
cern, and  its  managers  have  worked  according  to  American 
methods.  Its  lines  cost  much  more  to  construct  than  was  ex- 
pected, and  there  has  been  some  criticism  of  the  government  for 
failure  to  exercise  its  supervisory  powers  with  sufficient  vigor. 
So  far,  the  interest  on  its  construction  bonds  has  been  paid  by 
the  government,  and  the  prospects  for  any  relief  within  the  thirty- 
year  period  are  not  good.  It  is  probable  that  neither  the  Cebu 
nor  the  Panay  lines  can  be  made  to  pay  under  present  conditions. 
The  former  has  not  sufficient  territory  tributary  to  it,  and  prob- 
ably will  never  pay.  The  Panay  line,  extending  from  the  city 
of  Iloilo  to  Capiz,  may  become  profitable  after  the  country  has 
been  developed.  A  system  of  short  highways  extending  at  right 
angles  to  the  railroad  and  into  the  rich  valleys  should  double  the 
marketable  products.  Unless  energetic  measures  are  taken  to 
create  freight  and  traffic,  it  is  very  probable  that  the  bonds  of 
the  company  will  ultimately  have  to  be  protected  by  the  govern- 
ment. 

The  Spanish  government  granted  a  franchise  for  a  tramway 
line  in  the  city  of  Manila  and  a  dilapidated  system  was  in  opera- 
tion at  the  time  of  the  American  occupation.  A  new  franchise, 
which  included  lighting  for  the  city,  was  granted  to  Mr.  Charles 
M.  Swift,  who  organized  the  Manila  Electric  Railroad  and  Light 
Company,  which  purchased  the  property  of  the  old  concern  and 
installed  a  street  railway  system  which  is  modern  in  all  respects.^* 
A  subsidiary  company,  the  Manila  Suburban  Railways  Company, 
which  also  carried  some  freight,  has  extended  the  system  to  Fort 
McKinley  and  Pasig. 

The  construction  of  good  roads  in  various  parts  of  the  islands 
has  made  possible  the  extensive  use  of  automobiles  for  passen- 


23  Resolution  of  March  13,  1912. 

"*  In  1912  this  company  owned  114  cars  and  carried  15,878,821  passengers. 
See  Kept.  Phil.  Com.,  1913. 


316  THE   PHILIPPINES 

ger  and  freight  traffic.  In  certain  provinces  passenger  cars  and 
freight  trucks  make  regular  trips  between  the  towns  and  vil- 
lages and  serve  many  communities  which  have  not  yet  been 
reached  by  the  railways.  The  system  is  susceptible  of  almost  in- 
definite expansion. 

An  automobile  line  from  the  terminus  of  the  Manila  Railroad 
line  at  Camp  One  to  Baguio,  over  the  Benguet  road,  which  has 
been  operated  by  the  government  since  1909,  has  carried  thou- 
sands of  travelers  and  vast  quantities  of  freight  to  and  from  the 
summer  capital.  This  traffic  was  originally  handled  by  mule 
teams  and  ox  carts,  but  these  were  gradually  replaced  by  various 
types  of  automobiles.  The  service  was  improved  from  time  to 
time  until,  in  1912,  by  means  of  specially  constructed  De  Dion 
Bouton  passenger  cars  and  freight  trucks,  the  line,  operated  in 
all  respects  like  a  railroad,  with  a  regular  block  system  of  gates 
and  gate-keepers,  and  a  telephone  line,  carried  over  19,000  pas- 
sengers and  5,161  tons  of  freight  without  accident  or  injury  to 
any  one,  at  an  expense  of  $109,500,  and  with  total  receipts  of 
$110,500.  It  will,  of  course,  be  discontinued  when  the  railway 
reaches  Baguio. 


m 


CHAPTER  XV 
Transportation  and  Communication 

HI 

THE   POSTAL  AND   TELEGRAPH    SERVICE 

Its  Importance — Early  Methods — Gradual  Expansion — An  Independent  Serv- 
ice— The  Metric  System — Money  Orders — The  Parcel-Post — Attempts  to  Im- 
prove the  Foreign  Service — Acquisition  of  Telegraph  Lines  from  Army — 
Training  of  Telegraphers — The  Cables — Wireless  Stations  Acquired — Plan 
for  Joint  Wireless  Service — Franchise  Granted  the  Marconi  Company — Sum- 
mary of  Results — Postal  Savings  Bank. 

When  John  Stanhope  was  Master  of  the  Posts  for  Queen 
Elizabeth,  his  duties  were  confined  to  forwarding  government 
despatches.  His  official  descendant  not  only  forwards  the  cor- 
respondence of  his  government,  but  carries  the  farmers'  eggs  and 
chickens  to  market  and  returns  the  required  groceries  and  dry- 
goods  to  the  farm-house  gate. 

The  social,  as  well  as  commercial,  importance  of  the  modern 
post-office  can  not  well  be  overestimated.  Few,  if  any  govern- 
mental activities  exercise  so  wide  and  penetrating  an  influence 
upon  national  life  and  character.  The  field  of  operation  of  the 
postal  service  has  been  constantly  expanding  until  it  now  carries 
great  quantities  of  goods,  wares  and  merchandise,  in  competition 
with  the  railway  and  express  companies. 

Nevertheless,  the  primary  purpose  of  a  department  of  posts 
is  the  transmission  of  intelligence  in  the  physical  form  of  the 
written  word  or  in  its  sound  equivalents. 

In  a  country  like  the  Philippines,  where  the  people  are  isolated 
on  their  several  islands,  separated  by  narrow  dangerous  seas  or 
inaccessible  mountain  ranges,  an  efficient  postal  service  is  very 
desirable.     It  means  the  breaking  down  of  intangible  as  well  as 

317 


318  THE    PHILIPPINES 

physical  barriers  to  intercourse,  and  a  resultant  birth  of  intel- 
lectual curiosity  and  interest  in  public  affairs.  The  service  which 
the  American  government  has  given  the  Filipinos  has  already 
had  an  appreciable  influence  upon  their  lives  and  characters. 

For  some  time  after  the  occupation  of  Manila  the  handling  of 
the  soldiers'  mail  occupied  most  of  the  time  of  the  clerks  who  had 
been  sent  with  the  troops  by  the  Post-Oflice  Department.  An  en- 
terprising representative  of  the  mail  service  managed  to  enter 
Manila  ahead  of  schedule,  and  when  the  troops  arrived  they 
found  him  in  charge  of  the  old  Spanish  post-office  on  the  Es- 
colta  and  ready  for  business.  Thereafter,  as  rapidly  as  towns 
were  occupied  by  the  army,  post-offices  were  opened.  Soldiers 
were  detailed  for  the  clerical  work,  and  many  of  them  took  their 
discharges  and  entered  the  postal  service  as  civilian  employees. 
The  old  Spanish  regulations,  which  required  all  steamers  author- 
ized to  engage  in  interisland  traffic  to  carry  the  mails  without 
charge,  were  continued  in  force,  and  postal  communication  was 
thus  gradually  resumed,  along  with  the  restoration  of  commerce. 
No  attempt  was  made  to  open  post-offices  in  territory  not  occu- 
pied by  the  American  troops.  The  Municipal  Code  authorized 
newly-organized  municipalities  to  reestablish  the  former  Spanish 
service  and  maintain  postal  communication  with  one  another  until 
such  time  as  the  central  government  should  assume  control.  The 
extension  of  the  service  throughout  the  islands  was  thus  grad- 
ually secured. 

On  May  1,  1900,  the  postal  service  was  turned  over  to  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  Philippines,  which  has  ever  since  received  the 
revenues  and  borne  all  the  expenses  connected  therewith.  As  a 
matter  of  convenience,  however,  the  United  States  postal  laws 
have  been  treated  as  in  force  in  the  islands,  except  when  super- 
seded by  local  legislation.  The  Philippine  government  became  a 
member  of  the  International  Postal  Union,  and  the  Bureau  of 
Posts  is,  in  all  respects,  conducted  as  an  independent  service. 

The  antiquated  system  of  weights  and  measures,  to  which  the 
United  States  government  still  adheres,  made  it  difficult  to  extend 
the  use  of  the  metric  system  to  the  Philippine  postal  service  until 


TRANSPORTATION    AND    COMMUNICATION     319 

long  after  it  was  in  use  in  all  other  bureaus  of  that  govern- 
ment. 

On  July  1,  1901,  the  money-order  service  was  also  made  inde- 
pendent of  the  United  States  government.  The  Spanish  govern- 
ment had  no  such-  service  and  it  was  necessary  to  educate  the 
Filipinos  in  its  use.  They  are  not  yet  absolutely  confident  that 
it  is  safer  to  transmit  money  by  a  post-office  money  order  than  to 
send  the  currency  or  money  by  mail.  In  1903  the  postmaster- 
general  arranged  that  the  parcels-post  conventions  between  the 
United  States  and  other  countries  should  include  the  Philippines, 
but  the  arrangement  was  cumbersome  and  very  little  such  busi- 
ness was  done. 

Upon  assuming  charge  of  the  Department  of  Commerce  and 
Police,  in  February,  1910,  I  found  a  mass  of  correspondence 
with  the  postmaster-general  of  the  United  States  and  with 
the  postal  authorities  of  Japan,  with  reference  to  money-or- 
der and  parcels-post  arrangements  between  the  Philippines  and 
the  Empire  of  Japan.  Although  the  correspondence  had  ex- 
tended over  ten  years,  nothing  of  importance  had  been  accom- 
plished. The  money-order  service  between  the  United  States  and 
the  Philippines  was  satisfactory,  but  there  was  no  direct  service 
to  any  other  country.  The  Manila  merchant  who  desired  to  send 
a  few  dollars  to  Hong  Kong,  Singapore,  Batavia  or  Japan,  had 
to  buy  an  order  on  San  Francisco  and  send  it  there,  where  it 
would  be  reissued  and  a  new  one  mailed  to  the  country  where 
the  remittance  was  to  go.  Soon  after  the  American  occupation 
the  Japanese  postal  department  expressed  a  desire  for  direct 
money-order  communication  with  the  Philippines.  Its  oflfer  was 
at  first  declined  because  of  the  unsettled  condition  of  afifairs.  Sub- 
sequently renewed  on  the  initiative  of  Japan,  it  resulted  in  the 
preparation  of  a  convention  which  was  satisfactory  to  both  gov- 
ernments. Governor-General  Smith  then  became  fearful  that 
he  was  assuming  the  powers  of  a  ruler  of  an  independent  gov- 
ernment and  declined  to  sign,  on  the  ground  that  the  agreement 
was  in  effect  a  treaty  which  the  government  of  the  Philippines 
had  no  power  to  enter  into.     The  War  Department  approved 


320  THE    PHILIPPINES 

his  action  and  the  entire  matter  was  referred  back  to  the  post- 
master-general, who  opened  negotiations  through  the  Japanese 
ambassador  at  Washington.  The  matter  dragged  along  until  Mr. 
Forbes  became  governor-general.  He  was  a  man  who  was  not 
afraid  to  assume  authority  when  the  result  would  be  to  accom- 
plish something  manifestly  desirable  for  the  islands.  It  was  easy 
to  satisfy  him  that  the  Philippine  government  had  authority  to 
enter  into  business  contracts  with  the  postal  authorities  of  other 
countries,  and  a  reconsideration  of  the  matter  was  secured,  with 
the  result  that  Secretary  of  War  Dickinson  reversed  the  former 
rulings  of  the  department  and  authorized  the  Philippine  govern- 
ment to  make  its  own  postal  arrangements.  Negotiations  were 
thereupon  opened  with  Japan,  China,  Hong  Kong,  the  Straits 
Settlements,  Australia,  Netherlands,  India  and  British  India.  A 
convention  was  promptly  signed  with  the  colony  of  Hong  Kong, 
and  matters  were  progressing  as  rapidly  with  the  other  countries 
as  tropical  lethargy  would  permit,  when  in  the  spring  of  1912 
the  department  passed  from  under  my  control.  Thereafter  a 
new  policy  seems  to  have  been  adopted. 

During  1912  a  parcels-post  service  was  inaugurated  within 
the  islands  by  executive  action,  before  it  was  introduced  into  the 
United  States.  For  reasons  of  an  extremely  technical  character, 
the  postmaster-general  of  the  United  States  refused  to  sign  an 
agreement  providing  for  parcels-post  service  between  the  United 
States  and  the  Philippines  after  the  same  had  been  prepared  in 
his  office,  and  it  was  not  established  until  1913,  when  it  was 
specifically  provided  for  by  Congress.^ 

The  Philippine  government  operates  an  interisland  telegraph 
and  cable  system  in  connection  with  the  postal  service.  Orig- 
inally it  controlled  also  the  telephone  lines,  but  these  were  either 
converted  into  telegraph  lines  or  transferred  to  the  various  pro- 
vincial governments.    Prior  to  July,  1900,  the  signal  corps  of  the 


1  On  March  29,  1912,  nearly  two  years  after  the  writer,  under  Secretary 
Dickinson's  ruling,  was  engaged  in  negotiating  money-order  and  parcels-post 
conventions  with  Japan  and  other  countries,  the  attorney-general  of  the 
United  States  rendered  an  opinion  fully  sustaining  the  power  of  the  Philip- 
pine government.    See  Opinions  Attorney-General,  XXIX,  p.  380. 


Hon  J.  M.  Dickinson 


THE    PHILIPPINES 

fus  action  and  the  entire  matter  was  referred  back  to  the  post- 
master-general, who  opened  negotiations  through  the  Japanese 
ambassador  at  Washington.  The  matter  dragged  along  until  Mr. 
Forbes  became  governor-general.  He  was  a  man  who  was  not 
afraid  to  assume  authority  when  the  result  would  be  to  accom- 
plish something  manifestly  desirable  for  the  islands.  It  was  easy 
to  satisfy  him  that  the  Philippine  government  had  authority  to 
enter  into  business  contracts  with  the  postal  authorities  of  other 
countries,  and  a  reconsideration  of  the  matter  was  secured,  with 
the  result  that  Secretary  of  War  Dickinson  reversed  the  former 
rulings  of  the  department  and  authorized  the  Philippine  govern- 
ment to  make  its  own  postal  arrangements.  Negotiations  were 
thereupon  opened  with  Japan,  China,  Hong  '  he  Straits 

Settlements,  Australia,  Netherlands,  India  and  •  India.   A 

convention  was  promptly  signed  with  the  colony  of  Hong  Kong, 
and  matters  were  progressing  as  rapidly  with  the  other  countries 
as  tropical  let"  —  -'^«?a<8(ia?pM'Efti^o^hen  in  the  spring  of  1912 
the  '''»!'?. rfr^t'  *'rom  under  my  control.     Thereafter  a 

>een  adopted. 

s  inaugurated  within 

,,•  ,.  ',,r,^ri  into  the 

haracter, 

o  sign  an 

4i;.  'w  L-ciAccii  the  United 

Su...    ^-.  .  .     ,  ,  ..„..;_  had  been  prepared  in 

his  office,  anc  not  established  until  1913,  when  it  was 

specifically  provided  for  by  Congress.^ 

The  Philippine  operates  an  interisland  telegraph 

and  cable  system  jri  with  the  postal  service.     Orig- 

inally it  controlled  also  the  telephone  lines,  but  these  were  either 
converted  into  telegraph  lines  or  transferred  to  the  various  pro- 
vincial government       '  '■      ■ '    July,  1900,  the  signal  corps  of  the 


1  On  March  29,  19i-,  vr-'ny  ^-^o  years  after  the  writer,  under  Secretary 
Dickinson's  ruiirig,  was  engaRed  in  negotiating  money-order  and  parcels-post 
conventions  with  Japan  ai^d  other  countries,  the  attorney-general  of  the 
United  States  revidered  an  opinion  fully  sustaining  the  power  of  the  Philip- 
pine government.    See  Opinions  Attorney-General,  XXIX,  p.  380. 


TRANSPORTATION    AND    COMMUNICATION     321 

army  had  constructed  and  operated  2,931  miles  of  joint  telegraph 
and  telephone  lines,  and  210  miles  of  cable.  Some  further  ex- 
tensions of  the  telegraph  service  were  made,  but  as  order  was 
restored  in  the  country  the  necessity  for  its  control  by  the  army 
ceased,  and  the  superfluous  lines  were  transferred  to  the  civil 
government  under  an  arrangement  by  which  the  military  authori- 
ties received  free  service  for  official  business.  This  was  con- 
tinued until  the  reorganization  of  the  bureaus  in  1905,  after 
which  full  payment  for  services  rendered  was  made  by  the  army 
as  well  as  the  insular  government  bureaus  and  officials.  Ulti- 
mately all  the  telegraph  lines  were  transferred,  and  since  1909 
the  service  has  been  controlled  and  supported  entirely  by  the 
government  of  the  Philippines.^ 

The  Bureau  of  Posts  probably  contains  a  greater  percentage 
of  Filipino  employees  than  any  other  large  bureau.  Filipinos 
make  good  telegraph  and  postal  employees.  Nearly  all  the  post- 
offices,  which  include  the  telegraph  service,  are  under  the  direct 
control  of  Filipinos  who  have  been  trained  and  prepared  for  the 
work  in  a  school  maintained  and  conducted  by  the  Bureau  of 
Posts  at  Manila.^ 

Most  of  the  military  telegraph  lines  and  cables  had  been 
hastily  constructed  with  such  material  as  was  available.  The 
cables,  particularly,  were  not  always  well  located.  During  the 
years  1910-1911  many  of  them  were  taken  up  and  laid  on  more 
economical  and  commercially  advantageous  routes.  The  currents 
and  the  peculiar  formation  of  the  bottom  of  the  ocean  in  that 
part  of  the  world  make  cable  maintenance  very  expensive.*  The 
lines  were  often  out  of  order  and  an  expensive  cable  ship  had  to 


2  They  were  first  administered  by  the  telegraph  division  of  the  Bureau  of 
Constabulary,  which  was  created  by  Act  No.  461,  Sept.  15,  1902,  for  the  pur- 
pose. 

The  reorganization  law  of  Oct.  26,  1905  (Act  No.  1407),  which  became 
effective  Jan.  1,  1906,  provided  for  the  transfer  of  the  telegraph  business  to 
the  Bureau  of  Posts  of  the  Department  of  Commerce  and  Police.  It  took 
over  2,574  miles  of  land  telegraph  wires,  199  miles  of  cable,  2,160  miles  of 
telegraph  line,  96  telegraph  offices,  4.S0  telephone  stations,  and  307  district 
inspectors. 

3  January  1,  1916,  there  were  103  American  and  2,231  Filipino  employees  in 
the  postal  service. 

*  It  cost,  on  an  average,  one  thousand  dollars  per  mile  to  lay  new  cable. 


322  THE    PHILIPPINES 

be  maintained  for  the  work  of  repair  and  reconstruction.^  The 
government  was  subject  to  constant  criticism  by  the  commercial 
communities^  for  its  failure  to  maintain  the  cable  service  in  good 
condition.  It  seemed  that  a  solution  of  the  vexatious  problem  of 
interisland  telegraph  communication  could  be  found  in  the  in- 
stallation of  wireless  telegraphy,  which  had  then  reached  the  stage 
of  reasonable  efficiency.  It  was  comparatively  cheap  and  was 
capable  of  indefinite  expansion.  It  was  an  opportunity  to  do  for 
the  islands  of  the  Archipelago  what  the  author  of  the  Penny  Post 
hoped  to  do  for  the  British  Empire — "make  intercourse  between 
their  severed  coasts  as  easy  as  speech,  as  free  as  air." 

"You  would  call  a  friend  from  half  across  the  world  ? 

If  you'll  let  us  have  his  name  and  town  and  state, 
You  shall  see  and  hear  your  crackling  questions  hurled 

Across  the  Arch  of  Heaven  while  you  wait." 

A  system  of  wireless  stations  would  provide  not  only  communi- 
cation between  the  islands,  but  also  with  the  cities  of  the  China 
coast  and  Japan. 

The  subject  had  for  several  years  engaged  the  attention  of  the 
civil  and  military  authorities  and  various  sites  had  been  reserved 
for  wireless  stations.  The  army  stations  at  Malabang  and  Zambo- 
anga  in  Mindanao,  and  Jolo  on  the  island  of  Jolo,  had  been  trans- 
ferred to  the  insular  government  along  with  the  telegraph  lines 
and  cables.  In  the  light  of  experience  in  the  United  States  it 
was  believed  to  be  wise  to  reserve  the  entire  wireless  field  for 
the  government,  and  until  the  policy  was  definitely  determined, 
deny  to  private  persons  the  privilege  of  installing  wireless  plants. 

In  the  spring  of  1911  President  Taft,  at  the  request  of  the 
governor-general,  appointed  a  board  to  study  and  make  recom- 
mendations relative  to  the  construction,  operation,  maintenance 


5  The  Spanish  ship  Rita,  which  was  captured  by  the  Yale  near  Habana, 
was  made  into  a  cable  ship,  and,  under  the  name  of  the  Burnside,  laid  the 
cables  in  the  southern  islands.  For  an  interesting  account  of  the  work,  see 
A  Woman's  Journey  Through  the  Philippines,  by  F.  K.  Russell  (1907).  In 
1910  the  Philippine  government  acquired  the  cable  ship  Risal  and  took  over 
the  work. 

•5  See  Cable  News-American,  July  23  and  24,  1910 ;  Manila  Times,  July  20, 
1910. 


TRANSPORTATION    AND    COMMUNICATION     323 

and  management  of  a  system  of  wireless  telegraphy  for  the  joint 
use  of  the  civil  government,  the  army  and  the  navy.  This  board 
consisted  of  Commissioner  Charles  B.  Elliott,  Secretary  of  Com- 
merce and  Police  of  the  Philippine  Islands;  Lieutenant-Colonel 
George  P.  Scriven,  Signal  Corps,  U.  S.  Army,  and  Commander 
Chester  M.  Knepper,  U.  S.  Navy.  The  object  was  to  secure  a 
single  and  economical  system  for  the  three  services  without 
duplication.  An  exhaustive  study  of  the  subject  was  made  and 
in  February,  1912,  the  board  made  a  preliminary  report  to  the 
secretary  of  war''  in  which  it  was  recommended  that  a  system  of 
fourteen  stations  be  established  in  conjunction  with  the  existing 
land  lines  and  cables  for  the  administrative  purposes  of  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  Philippines  and  the  army  and  navy ;  the  transmis- 
sion of  information  as  to  weather  conditions  for  the  benefit  of 
the  government,  the  merchant  marine  and  exposed  communities ; 
the  requirements  of  the  business  interests  in  time  of  peace  and 
the  strategic  and  technical  interests  of  the  army  and  navy  in 
time  of  war.  The  stations  recommended  for  immediate  construc- 
tion were  divided  into  two  groups,  the  first  consisting  of  six 
high  power  stations,  and  the  second  of  eight  stations  of  inter- 
mediate power  capable  of  maintaining  communication  with  the 
nearest  high  power  station.  A  third  group  of  twenty-eight  low 
power  stations  was  recommended  for  construction  in  the  future 
as  money  for  the  purpose  became  available. 

It  was  estimated  that  the  fourteen  stations  could  be  constructed 
for  three  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  it  was  recommended  that 
the  United  States  government,  for  the  use  by  the  army  and 
navy,  should  pay  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  thousand  dollars  and 
the  government  of  the  Philippines  one  hundred  and  thirty-five 
thousand  dollars.^  It  was  provided  that  in  time  of  peace  the 
stations  should  be  operated  by  the  government  of  the  Philippines 
through  the  Bureau  of  Posts,  and  that  all  of  its  departments,  and 
the  army  and  navy,  should  pay  a  reasonable  charge  for  services 
rendered.    In  time  of  war  or  threatened  disturbance  of  the  peace 


"^Preliminary  Report  of  the  Joint  Wireless  Board  (Manila,  1912). 
8  The  Reviewing  Board  at  Washington  recommended  that  the  expense  be 
divided  equally  between  the  two  governments. 


324  THE    PHILIPPINES 

of  the  islands,  the  entire  plant  should  be  turned  over  to  the 
military  authorities.  A  board  appointed  by  President  Taft  to  re- 
view the  report  of  the  joint  board  approved  the  same  with  a  few 
minor  changes  and  recommended  that  Congress  be  asked  to  ap- 
propriate one-half  of  the  amount  necessary  for  construction  and 
that  the  sum,  with  an  equal  amount  to  be  provided  by  the  insular 
government,  "should  be  placed  to  the  credit  of  the  executive  head 
of  a  Board  of  Control  which  shall  be  convened  in  the  Philippines, 
to  consist  of  the  Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Police  of  the  Insular 
government  or  his  representative;  the  admiral  commanding  the 
station  or  his  representative;  and  the  general  commanding  the 
division  or  his  representative ;  and  that  the  executive  head  of  the 
Board  shall  be  the  Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Police  of  the 
Philippine  Islands."  The  money  was  to  be  expended  by  the  ex- 
ecutive head  of  this  board  under  the  direction  of  the  board  and 
with  the  approval  of  the  president  of  the  United  States. 

President  Taft,  on  February  8,  1912,  sent  these  reports  to 
Congress  with  his  approval  and  recommendation  of  the  necessary 
appropriation.  The  government  of  the  Philippines  set  aside  its 
share  of  the  money  but  owing  to  a  change  of  party  control  in  the 
House  of  Representatives,  no  action  was  taken  by  Congress.  The 
committee  on  insular  affairs  refused  to  recommend  an  appropria- 
tion of  money  for  expenditure  in  the  islands  apparently  because 
the  Democratic  party  intended  to  withdraw  the  American  control 
and  grant  independence  to  the  islands.  The  effect  was  to  render 
useless  for  the  time  being  all  the  work  that  had  been  done  on  a 
plan  which  met  with  the  approval  of  all  persons  competent  to 
speak  on  the  subject  and  which  would  have  been  of  the  greatest 
value  to  the  islands  and  the  government  of  the  United  States. 
The  entire  cost  of  construction  of  the  wireless  plants  would  not 
have  equaled  the  cost  of  repairs  and  maintenance  of  the  cables 
during  a  very  few  years;  and  the  service  rendered  would  have 
been  infinitely  superior. 

These  special  efforts  made  to  improve  the  postal  telegraph,  and 
other  facilities  for  communication  between  the  islands  and  with 
foreign  countries  was  a  part  of  the  general  policy  of  material 


TRANSPORTATION    AND    COMMUNICATION     325 

and  commercial  development  of  the  Taft  regime,  and  although 
but  partially  successful,  they  must  be  given  due  weight  in  deter- 
mining the  nature  of  the  work  of  the  American  government. 

The  Harrison  administration  abandoned  the  policy  of  govern- 
ment control  of  wireless  stations  and  granted  a  franchise  to  the 
Marconi  Wireless  Telegraph  Company,  subject  to  the  approval 
of  the  secretary  of  war,  with  the  absurd  condition  that  the  com- 
pany should  admit  in  writing  information  of  a  certain  message 
of  President  Wilson  and  the  "reply  message  of  the  Philippine 
Assembly  of  October  16,  1913,"  and  agree  "not  to  do  anything 
by  means  of  contributions  in  cash  or  otherwise,  against  the  policy 
of  the  government  of  the  United  States  and  the  aspirations  of 
the  Filipino  people  set  forth  in  said  messages  whether  under  the 
pretext  of  vested  interests  or  any  other  pretext."  If  the  company 
avails  itself  of  this  arrangement  it  will,  of  course,  be  necessary 
for  the  army  and  navy  to  construct  and  maintain  independent  sys- 
tems and  the  government  of  the  Philippines  and  the  commercial 
interests  will  be  deprived  of  the  advantages  which  would  accrue 
from  a  single  joint  system.  Even  increased  and  improved  means 
of  communication  were  thus  subordinated  to  the  exigencies  of 
party  policy. 

Statistics  showing  the  number  of  letters  and  packages  handled 
by  a  postal  department  convey  no  clear  idea  of  the  extent  and 
importance  of  the  service.  It  is  sufficient  to  say  that  the  Philip- 
pine service  is  very  efficient,  has  been  economically  administered, 
is  constantly  growing  and  has  been  already  extended  until  it 
reaches  almost  every  barrio  in  the  islands. 

The  Bureau  of  Posts  has  also  handled  the  Postal  Savings- 
Bank,  which  has  proved  of  very  great  value  to  the  Philippine 
people.  On  January  1,  1916,  the  deposits  amounted  to  $1,601,- 
794.66,  and  about  eighty-six  per  cent,  of  the  depositors  were  Fili- 
pinos. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

Transportation  and  Communication 

IV 

WATER  TRANSPORTATION — NAVIGATION 

Importance  of  Water  Transportation — The  Coast  Survey — Lights  and  Light- 
houses— The  Weather  Bureau — The  Absence  of  Harbors — Harbor  Construc- 
tion— Iloilo — Cebu — New  Manila  Harbor — Foreign  Steamship  Service — Effect 
of  War  and  Congressional  Legislation — Interisland  Transportation — Old 
Spanish  Methods — Necessity  for  Government  Ships — The  New  Bureau — The 
Coast  Guard  Steamers — Plan  to  Create  New  Merchant  Marine — The  Con- 
tract System — Subsidies-r-The  Results — The  Bureau  of  Navigation  and  Its 
Troubles — ^Abolished  in  1914 — The  Cable  Ship — River  Improvements. 

For  the  Philippines,  water  transportation  will  always  be  of 
even  greater  importance  than  land  transportation.  The  Archipel- 
ago is  separated  from  the  American  continents  by  the  broad 
Pacific  and  from  the  coasts  of  Asia  by  the  turbulent  waters  of  the 
China  Sea.  It  is  a  maritime  country  in  the  strictest  sense  of  the 
word.  The  straits  and  channels  which  separate  its  islands  and 
the  rivers  which  penetrate  its  lands,  are  the  arteries  and  veins 
through  which  flow  the  lifeblood  of  its  commerce.  Their  ob- 
struction means  commercial  stagnation,  isolation  and  death. 
Under  such  conditions,  the  provisions  for  a  merchant  marine 
and  for  the  safety  of  navigation  are  of  primary  importance. 

An  inspection  of  the  map  suggests  that  the  Philippine  Archi- 
pelago is  situated  at  the  crossing  of  the  natural  ocean  highways 
and  that  Manila  is  one  of  the  most  accessible  of  the  Far  East 
ports.  In  fact,  however,  the  political  and  commercial  development 
of  the  world  was  such  as  to  throw  the  Philippines  far  to  one  side 
of  the  lines  of  trade.  For  many  years  prior  to  the  American  occu- 
pation ordinary  communication  with  the  outside  world  was  by 

326 


TRANSPORTATION    AND    COMMUNICATION     327 

means  of  two  cable  lines  and  a  monthly  steamer  from  Spain  and 
occasional  small  ships  from  Hong  Kong.  The  Spanish  mail  boats 
were  slow,  unsanitary  and  impossible  from  the  standpoint  of 
the  traveler.  Those  which  traversed  the  monsoon-cursed  sea 
between  Hong  Kong  and  Manila  were  generally  of  draft  shallow 
enough  to  allow  them  to  enter  the  Pasig  River.  The  monsoons 
blow  for  six  months  from  the  southwest  and  the  rest  of  the  year 
from  the  northwest.  From  one  direction  or  the  other,  they  are 
always  coming,  and  the  ship's  route  either  way  lies  aslant  the  toss- 
ing seas.  The  narratives  of  travelers  of  that  period  are  filled 
with  accounts  of  doleful  experiences.  One  unhappy  visitor  to 
the  islands  wrote  that  his  ship  developed  such  a  corkscrew  motion 
on  the  way  to  Manila  that  he  feared  it  would  take  a  return  trip 
against  the  other  monsoon,  to  untwist  the  feelings  of  her  passen- 
gers. The  inaccurate  charts  and  insufficient  lights  on  the  coasts 
rendered  navigation  very  unsafe.  The  western  coast  and  chan- 
nels had  been  charted  by  the  Spaniards  and  English,  but,  generally 
speaking,  the  Philippine  waters  were  unsafe  for  shipping. 

Marine  surveys  are  of  general  as  well  as  local  importance,  and 
it  was  only  reasonable  that  the  United  States  government  should 
bear  a  portion  of  the  expense  of  a  complete  coast  and  geodetic 
survey.  An  arrangement  was  therefore  made  under  which  the 
coast  waters  were  to  be  resurveyed  and  recharted.  The  work  was 
placed  under  the  general  control  of  the  superintendent  of  the 
Coast  and  Geodetic  Survey  at  Washington,  who  detailed  an  offi- 
cer to  act  as  director  of  a  bureau  of  the  Philippine  government. 
Under  this  arrangement,  which  has  proved  very  satisfactory,  the 
United  States  government  has  paid  about  fifty-five  per  cent,  and 
the  Philippine  government  forty-five  per  cent,  of  the  cost  of  the 
work.  At  the  present  time  approximately  ninety  per  cent,  of  the 
survey  has  been  completed  and  if  it  proceeds  without  interrup- 
tion the  coast  will  soon  be  completely  resurveyed  and  charted. 
In  addition  to  the  new  charts,  which  have  no  superior,  the  bureau 
has  issued  several  volumes  of  sailing  instructions  which  are  kept 
up-to-date,  and  has  furnished  much  other  information  of  the 
greatest  value  to  the  maritime  world. 


328  THE    PHILIPPINES 

Ships  avoid  an  unlighted  coast  as  men  avoid  a  pestilence. 
When  the  insurrection  broke  out  in  1896  the  Spaniards  had  in 
operation  twenty-eight  lights,  one-half  of  which  were  flashing 
and  the  other  fixed  minor  lights.  The  American  government 
took  over  their  uncompleted  structures  and  carried  the  work  for- 
ward with  so  much  energy  and  skill  that  now  few  coasts  are  bet- 
ter protected  by  lights  than  those  of  the  Philippines. 

In  the  year  1902  there  were  fifty-seven  lighthouses  in  operation 
and  these  had,  by  the  end  of  the  year  1912,  been  increased  to  one 
hundred  and  forty-five.  This,  of  course,  does  not  include  the 
innumerable  small  lights  and  thousands  of  buoys  and  other  de- 
vices for  the  safety  of  navigation. 

For  many  years  the  Jesuit  Fathers  maintained  a  weather  serv- 
ice at  Manila  which  was  noted  for  its  efficiency.  Its  forecasts 
of  weather  conditions  had  been  of  great  value  to  the  shipping  in- 
terests of  the  East.  Special  attention  had  been  given  to  the 
study  of  the  destructive  typhoons  which,  during  certain  seasons 
of  the  year,  frequent  that  part  of  the  world.  Father  Jose  Algue 
had  invented  an  instrument,  a  sort  of  barometer,  which  enables 
navigators  to  receive  warning  of  the  approach  and  general  direc- 
tion of  the  storms.  This  service  was  taken  over  and  Father 
Algue  was  made  director  of  a  government  weather  bureau.  It  is 
safe  to  say  that  many  thousands  of  lives  and  millions  of  dollars' 
worth  of  property  have  been  saved  by  the  timely  warnings  fur- 
nished by  this  bureau.  In  connection  with  the  telegraph  and 
wireless  service,  it  is  now  always  possible  to  give  two  or  three 
days'  notice  of  the  approach  of  a  typhoon,  and  this  is  generally 
sufficient  to  enable  ships  to  be  safely  in  port  or  far  enough  out  at 
sea  to  be  comparatively  safe. 

Attention  has  been  called  to  the  fact  that  the  Filipinos  and 
Spaniards,  in  building  their  cities,  located  them  as  far  as  possible 
from  the  natural  harbors  which  were  available  to  raiding  Moro 
pirates.  Manila  Bay  is  not  a  harbor,  being  twenty-five  miles 
across,  and  the  city  at  the  mouth  of  the  Pasig  River  faces  what  is 
really  the  open  sea.  Zamboanga  also  is  located  on  an  open  road- 
stead, although  there  are  good  natural  harbors  within  a   few 


TRANSPORTATION    AND    COMMUNICATION     32^ 

miles  of  it.  Capiz  is  within  twenty  miles  of  a  splendid  natural 
harbor  at  Batan.  Dagupan,  located  on  a  river  behind  shifting 
sandbars,  is  but  a  few  miles  from  Sual,  where  there  is  a  perfectly 
protected  natural  harbor.  Batangas,  Catbalogan,  Legaspi,  and 
other  towns,  illustrate  the  same  practise. 

The  absence  of  harbors,  and  suitable  docks  and  wharves,  was 
not  only  a  serious  menace  to  the  safety  of  shipping  but  a  positive 
restriction  upon  commercial  development.  Where  there  is  a  well- 
protected  harbor,  as  at  Hong  Kong,  it  is  possible,  under  favorable 
weather  conditions,  to  handle  and  land  passengers  and  freight  by 
means  of  launches,  lighters,  cascos  and  sampans,  and  this  was 
the  universal  custom  in  all  eastern  ports.  In  fact,  Manila  is  the 
only  port,  even  now,  where  ocean  steamers  land  passengers  and 
freight  upon  modern  piers. 

Prior  to  1900  there  was  not  a  single  good  harbor  in  use  in  the 
whole  Philippine  Archipelago.  At  present  the  ports  of  Manila, 
Cebu  and  Iloilo  are  equal,  if  not  superior,  to  any  in  the  Orient, 
and  great  improvement  has  been  made  in  many  of  the  less  im- 
portant ports.  At  the  sugar  shipping  port  of  Bais,  a  stone  cause- 
way a  mile  and  a  half  in  length  has  been  constructed  on  the  end 
of  which  there  is  a  warehouse  for  the  temporary  storage  of  sugar. 
The  port  of  Pandan,  in  Ilocos  Sur,  has  been  materially  improved. 
At  Paracale,  in  the  mining  district  of  Ambos  Camarines,  a  re- 
enforced  concrete  pier  about  five  hundred  feet  in  length  reaches 
fifteen  feet  of  water.  Channels  have  been  blasted  in  the  reefs 
which  surround  certain  of  the  islands  of  the  Batanes  group,  which 
has  rendered  their  approach  reasonably  safe.  An  expensive  self- 
driving  combination  snag  boat,  pile  driver  and  dredge  has  for 
some  time  been  maintained  on  the  Cagayan  River.  Many  surveys 
of  minor  ports  have  been  made  and  work  of  this  character  is  be- 
ing done  as  rapidly  as  money  for  the  purpose  can  be  obtained. 
Considerable  has  been  done  in  the  way  of  river  improvement  for 
the  purpose  of  improving  navigation  and  protecting  the  country 
from  the  effects  of  inundations. 

Cebu,  the  second  city  in  size  in  the  islands,  is  situated  on  an 
open  channel  and  the  port  works  there  consist  of  a  sea  wall  nearly 


330  THE    PHILIPPINES 

three  thousand  feet  long  on  water  dredged  to  depths  averaging 
about  twenty  feet  at  low  water.  A  wharf  eight  hundred  and 
twelve  feet  in  length  is  in  process  of  construction  and,  as  ships 
of  the  largest  size  come  to  Cebu,  it  will  be  necessary  ultimately  to 
dredge  the  harbor  to  a  depth  of  at  least  thirty  feet.  In  construct- 
ing the  sea  wall,  the  material  dredged  from  the  sea  was  used  to 
reclaim  the  adjoining  lowlands,  and  about  ten  acres  of  land  was 
built  up  and  is  now  occupied  by  streets  and  substantial  buildings. 

The  city  of  Iloilo  is  located  at  the  mouth  of  a  river  which  has 
been  used  for  harbor  purposes.  Seven  hundred  and  eighty  feet 
of  river  wall  and  thirteen  hundred  feet  of  reenforced  concrete 
wharf  to  accommodate  vessels  of  eighteen  feet  draft  at  low 
water  have  been  built  along  the  south  bank  of  the  river.  The 
lower  part  of  the  river  has  been  dredged  to  twenty  feet  at  low 
water,  a  middle  space  to  eighteen  feet,  and  the  upper  part  to  fif- 
teen feet. 

Here,  as  at  Cebu,  the  material  taken  from  the  river  was  utilized 
to  reclaim  the  adjacent  lowland. 

The  development  of  the  port  of  Manila  has  been  on  a  scale  of 
great  magnitude.  As  already  stated,  we  found  the  city  located 
on  an  open  roadstead  with  harbor  facilities  only  for  such  small 
steamers  as  were  able  to  go  up  the  Pasig  River.  The  Spaniards 
had  made  elaborate  preliminary  plans  for  the  construction  of  a 
breakwater,  and  the  western  part  of  the  present  breakwater  was 
about  half  completed  but  no  dredging  had  been  done. 

The  Spanish  plans  were  considerably  changed  by  the  American 
engineers.  In  1905  contracts  were  let  for  the  completion  of 
the  breakwater,  the  excavation  of  the  harbor,  and  the  deposit 
of  the  material  taken  therefrom  behind  a  bulkhead  so  as  to  re- 
claim the  land  along  the  water  front.^  The  work,  including  the 
dredging  of  the  Pasig  River,  which  constitutes  a  sort  of  inner 
harbor,  was  substantially  completed  by  1907  at  a  cost  of  approxi- 
mately four  million  five  hundred  thousand  dollars.  The  result 
is  a  deep-water  harbor  enclosed  by  two  breakwaters,  having  a 


^  The  valuable  land  thus  created  is  owned  by  the  insular  government  and 
leased  to  parties  who  will  construct  suitable  buildings  for  warehouses  and 
wholesale  purposes. 


TRANSPORTATION    AND    COMMUNICATION     331 

total  length  of  almost  twelve  thousand  feet,  a  great  part  of  which 
is  dredged  to  a  uniform  depth  of  thirty  feet.  Two  steel  and  con- 
crete piers,  one  six  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long  and  one  hundred 
and  ten  feet  wide,  the  other  six  hundred  feet  long  and  seventy 
feet  wide,  with  a  total  covered  area  of  ninety-two  thousand 
square  feet,  extend  from  the  shore  into  the  harbor.  The  largest 
steamers  in  the  Pacific  unload  their  freight  directly  upon  these 
piers.  Another  pier,  of  similar  character  and  dimensions,  was 
constructed  by  the  military  authorities  for  the  use  of  the  army 
transports  and  other  such  vessels. 

The  business  of  the  port  has  grown  so  rapidly  that  additional 
piers  are  badly  needed  and  within  a  few  years  the  entire  space 
within  the  breakwater  will  have  to  be  dredged  to  accommodate 
large  steamers. 

During  and  for  some  time  after  the  close  of  the  war  com- 
munication with  the  coasts  of  Asia  and  America  was  maintained 
by  vessels  under  the  control  of  the  United  States.  As  soon  as 
possible  after  the  return  of  peace,  the  government  transports 
were  replaced  by  commercial  vessels,  but  the  War  Department 
continued  to  operate  at  least  one  transport  per  month  each  way 
between  San  Francisco  and  Manila.  Through  the  active  efforts 
of  the  Philippine  government  the  service  had  been  so  greatly  im- 
proved that  when  the  European  war  commenced  American,  Ger- 
man, Spanish  and  Japanese  ships  were  making  regular  trips  to 
Manila.  Fine  new  steamers  were  making  regular  bi-weekly  trips 
between  Manila  and  Hong  Kong.  The  Pacific  Mail  Company  had 
for  some  time  been  running  its  great  ships  from  Nagasaki  to  Hong 
Kong  by  way  of  Manila,  thus  giving  direct  communication  from 
San  Francisco  by  way  of  Honolulu  and  Japan  to  the  Philippines 
by  ships  flying  the  American  flag.  Easy  connection  at  Hong  Kong 
was  made  with  the  British  lines  from  Europe  and  Canada  and 
with  the  ships  of  the  Great  Northern  Railway  Company,  sailing 
from  Seattle.  So  important  had  Manila  become  as  a  port  that  it 
was  not  unusual  to  see,  at  one  time,  half  a  hundred  ocean-going 
passenger  and  freight  steamers  in  the  harbor.  The  European  war 
resulted  in  the  elimination  of  the  German  ships  and  the  with- 


332  THE    PHILIPPINES 

drawal  for  government  use  of  many  of  the  British  vessels,  thus 
leaving  the  Philippines  without  adequate  transportation  to 
Europe.  About  the  same  time  Congress  adopted  the  fatuous 
Merchant  Marine  Law  which  forced  all  ships  flying  the  American 
flag  out  of  the  Pacific  trade  and  placed  the  traffic  in  the  hands 
of  the  Japanese. 

The  war  and  insurrection  had  left  the  interisland  transporta- 
tion system  greatly  demoralized.  In  order  to  appreciate  what  was 
finally  accomplished  it  is  necessary  to  bear  in  mind  the  conditions 
prior  to  the  war.  The  natives  carried  on  their  small  interisland 
trade  by  means  of  primitive  sailing  crafts  and  the  Spaniards  sent 
their  crazy  little  steamers  wandering  in  and  out  among  the 
islands,  picking  up  the  products  of  the  country  as  opportunity 
offered  and  carrying  them  to  Manila,  Cebu  and  Iloilo,  where  they 
were  turned  over  to  the  exporting  houses.  Neither  the  ships  nor 
their  methods  of  doing  business  were  subject  to  any  form  of  ef- 
fective government  inspection  or  control.  They  were  tramps,  go- 
ing when  and  where  they  pleased,  buying  hemp,  copra  and  other 
products  at  their  own  prices.  The  abuses  of  the  system  were  not 
an  unconsidered  factor  in  arousing  the  spirit  of  resentment  and 
dissatisfaction  which  led  to  the  insurrection.  During  the  war, 
many  of  these  boats  were  utilized  by  the  government  for  the 
transport  of  troops  and  supplies,  and  the  very  high  rates  paid  for 
their  charter  or  for  carrying  freight  enabled  their  owners  to  gain 
abnormal  profits.  Practically  none  of  these  earnings  were  used 
for  maintenance  and  when  the  brief  period  of  prosperity  ended 
but  few  of  the  ships  were  in  a  seaworthy  condition.  Under  the 
new  government  the  old  business  methods  could  no  longer  be  re- 
sorted to.  New  ships,  new  men  and  new  methods  were  required. 
A  new  merchant  marine  had  to  be  created. 

It  was  necessary  to  keep  in  close  touch  with  all  the  outlying 
districts.  The  new  local  governments  in  the  provinces  and  mu- 
nicipalities required  the  closest  inspection  and  supervision.  The 
protection  of  the  revenue  necessitated  the  careful  guarding  of 
the  coasts  against  smugglers  and  dealers  in  contraband  articles 
such  as  opium  and  arms.    The  public  safety,  as  well  as  the  re- 


TRANSPORTATION    AND    COMMUNICATION     333 

quirements  of  the  postal  and  revenue  service,  and  the  general  ad- 
ministrative work  of  the  insular  government,  required  the  gov- 
ernment to  maintain  its  own  ships. 

A  new  bureau  was  created  and  charged  with  the  duty  of 
guarding  the  coasts,  operating  all  government  ships,  the  construc- 
tion and  maintenance  of  harbors,  lighthouses,  and  the  other  agen- 
cies for  securing  the  safety  of  navigation,  and  assisting  the  other 
bureaus  by  carrying  the  mails,  constabulary  soldiers,  revenue  ojffi- 
cers,  officials  and  government  freight. 

For  administrative  purposes  the  coast  was  divided  into  twenty- 
one  circuits,  each  averaging  about  six  hundred  and  fifty  miles, 
determined  with  reference  to  communication  between  the  provin- 
cial capitals  and  the  coast  towns  of  the  several  provinces ;  and  pro- 
vision was  made  for  the  assigning  of  one  government  vessel  to 
each  of  the  circuits.  As  suitable  boats  could  not  be  purchased, 
contracts  were  entered  into  with  a  shipbuilding  concern  at  Shang- 
hai for  the  construction  of  ten  ocean-going  coast  guard  ves- 
sels, and  these  were  built  in  due  time.  A  contract  with  a  Japa- 
nese company  at  Yokohama  for  the  construction  of  five  boats  of 
substantially  the  same  kind  proved  unfortunate  and  the  govern- 
ment, after  suffering  a  substantial  loss,  relet  the  contract  to  the 
Shanghai  company.  The  fifteen  boats  cost  $1,570,000  and  were 
for  some  time  thereafter  operated  at  an  annual  expense  of  ap- 
proximately half  a  million  dollars.  In  1903  Governor-General 
Wright  was  able  to  report  that  all  these  vessels  had  been  delivered 
and  were  being  operated  along  routes  and  upon  schedules  so  ar- 
ranged as  to  give  regular  service  at  short  intervals,  to  all  parts  of 
the  Archipelago,  and  that  "through  their  instrumentality,  the 
Insular  government  and  the  various  bureaus  thereof  are  able  to 
keep  in  fairly  close  touch  with  all  points  of  the  islands." 

During  the  year  1904  these  coast  guard  boats,  operating  on 
eleven  routes,  traveled  350,000  miles,  visited  over  4,000  ports, 
carried  5,000  passengers,  and  over  5,000  tons  of  freight. 

Very  naturally,  the  commercial  ship  owners  complained  of 
the  loss  of  the  business  which  they  had  abused  and  appealed  to 
the  government  for  assistance.     Although  the  government  had 


334  THE    PHILIPPINES 

been  forced  to  provide  transportation  for  itself  because  of  the  in- 
adequacy of  the  privately  owned  ships  and  the  unscrupulous 
methods  of  their  owners,  it  had  no  desire  to  compete  unneces- 
sarily with  private  enterprise,  if  any  such  thing  could  be  found. 
It  was  more  than  willing  to  give  way  if  any  method  could  be 
devised  by  which  it  and  the  general  public  could  be  assured  of 
regular  and  adequate  service  at  reasonable  and  uniform  rates.  A 
plan  was  finally  worked  out  which  seemed  to  assure  this  and  em- 
bodied in  a  law  which  contemplated  the  withdrawal  of  the  gov- 
ernment ships  from  the  trade  routes  and  the  substitution  of  com- 
mercial vessels  operating  under  contracts  with  the  government 
which  should  fix  the  routes,  the  standard  of  shipping,  the  sche- 
dules of  sailings,  and  the  rates  which  should  be  charged  for  pas- 
sengers and  freight,  which  should  be  the  same  for  the  government 
and  the  general  public.  The  law  also  created  a  superintendent  of 
interisland  transporatation  who  was  charged  with  the  duty  of 
seeing  that  the  shipping  concerns  lived  up  to  their  contracts,  main- 
tained their  vessels  according  to  the  required  specifications,  and 
rendered  good  service  to  the  government  and  the  public.^ 

The  law  contemplated  the  payment  of  small  subsidies  varying 
according  to  the  commercial  importance  of  the  routes,  in  return 
for  which  the  contractees  were  required  to  carry  the  mails  free, 
arrange  their  ships  to  conform  to  designated  plans  and  specifica- 
tions, maintain  them  in  sanitary  condition  and  observe  strictly 
the  established  schedules  of  sailings  to  and  from  the  named  ports. 
They  were  given  a  monopoly  of  all  government  transportation 
business  on  the  routes,  at  reasonable  rates,  to  be  agreed  upon 
subject  to  the  approval  of  a  board  of  rate  regulation.  Effective 
government  control  was  secured  by  a  provision  that  violations  of 
the  contract  should  be  punished  by  a  fine,  to  be  deducted  from 
the  monthly  payments  due  on  the  subsidies. 

The  first  difficulty  was  to  find  parties  who  were  willing  to 
assume  these  obligations  for  a  reasonable  subsidy.  Bids  upon 
twenty-one  designated  routes  were  advertised  for  in  the  United 
States  and  the  Philippines,  and  early  in  1906  five-year  contracts 

2  Act  No.  1310,  March  23,  1905. 


TRANSPORTATION    AND    COMMUNICATION     335 

were  let  on  thirteen  of  the  most  important  routes,  on  terms  which 
required  the  payment  of  subsidies  of  from  five  to  twenty  thou- 
sand dollars  per  year  on  the  different  routes,  making  an  aggregate 
charge  of  $101,678  per  year. 

The  government  then  retired  from  the  transportation  business 
on  the  contracted  routes,  but  continued  to  operate  the  coast  guard 
boats  upon  the  commercially  undesirable  routes,  for  the  purpose 
of  serving  the  isolated  ports  and  developing  the  business  to  a 
point  where  a  commercial  company  could  be  induced  to  take  it 
over. 

The  plan  worked  very  successfully.  A  number  of  new  ships 
were  built  and  the  old  ones  were  greatly  improved  and  main- 
tained in  what,  to  their  owners,  seemed  an  exaggerated  sanitary 
condition.  After  a  few  rather  bitter  experiences,  they  learned 
that  schedules  of  sailings  must  be  adhered  to,^  and  the  interisland 
commerce  was  soon  flowing  peacefully  along  its  natural  channels. 

When  the  contracts  expired,  in  191 1,  there  was  no  money  with 
which  to  renew  them  as  the  legislature  had  failed  to  make  the 
necessary  appropriation.  To  avoid  the  demoralizing  effect  of 
a  return  to  the  old  system,  temporary  contracts  were  made  with 
the  steamship  companies  under  which  the  old  contracts,  without 
the  provision  for  fines,  were  continued  until  such  time  as  an  ap- 
propriation should  be  secured.  The  companies  thus  assumed  the 
risk,  should  no  appropriation  be  made,  of  operating  for  a  time 
without  a  subsidy.  This  temporary  arrangement  continued  until 
the  spring  of  1912  when  an  appropriation  of  one  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars  a  year  for  two  years  was  made.  The  routes  were 
then  rearranged  to  conform  to  existing  conditions  and  contracts 
entered  into  with  five  shipping  companies  for  service  over  nine 
routes,  upon  which  subsidies  aggregating  $61,772  a  year  were 
paid.  By  1914  conditions  had  so  improved  that  it  was  possible 
to  renew  the  contracts  over  a  number  of  routes  without  payment 
of  any  subsidies. 

3  In  one  instance,  a  fine  of  two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  was  imposed 
upon  a  ship  as  penalty  for  not  stopping  at  the  schedule  ports.  Thereafter  it 
never  missed  a  port. 


336  THE    PHILIPPINES 

Under  the  reorganization  act  of  1905  the  Bureau  of  Coast 
Guard  and  Transportation  became  the  Bureau  of  Navigation, 
and  as  such  continued  until  1914,  when  it  was  abolished  and  its 
work  distributed  between  the  Bureaus  of  Public  Works  and  Cus- 
toms. The  work  of  the  Bureau  of  Navigation  had  been  very  far- 
reaching  in  its  effects,  but  its  operation  was  always  rather  un- 
satisfactory. There  was  a  tendency,  at  least  during  the  latter 
years  of  its  life,  to  see  large  and  spend  more  money  than  was  nec- 
essary. The  director  was  seldom  able  to  live  within  the  appro- 
priations and  was  constantly  being  charged  with  extravagance. 
The  purchase  of  the  twenty-seven-hundred-ton  ship  Rij::al  to  serve 
as  a  cable  ship  was  a  serious  mistake  in  judgment  for  which 
Secretary  Forbes  was  probably  more  to  blame  than  the  director 
of  the  bureau.  The  attempt  to  make  a  ship  serve  the  dual  purpose 
of  a  cable  ship  and  an  official  yacht  was  predestined  to  failure. 
The  uses  conflicted.  When  a  cable  broke  the  Risal  was  reason- 
ably certain  to  be  somewhere  at  sea  on  other  duties  and  expensive 
delays  resulted.  The  expense  of  operating  so  large  a  boat  was 
out  of  proportion  to  the  benefits,  and  the  Risal  could  always  be 
relied  upon  by  the  director  as  an  excuse  for  his  deficits.  In  1912 
an  unsuccessful  attempt  was  made  to  sell  the  boat.  The  last  re- 
ports show  her  as  partially  earning  a  living  by  carrying  rice  and 
cement  from  the  China  coast  to  Manila,  and  it  may  be  assumed 
that  when  the  cable  breaks  the  Risal  will  be  on  the  wrong  side  of 
the  China  Sea.  However,  war  freights  may  have  redeemed  her 
reputation. 

The  organization  of  local  unions  am.ong  the  sailors  of  Manila 
and  the  consequent  strikes  caused  uneasiness  among  the  sailors 
on  the  government  boats.  The  coast  guard  boats  each  carried  a 
gatling  gun,  two  one-pound  Hotchkiss  guns  and  a  complement  of 
small  arms,  and  the  fleet  constituted  what  Governor  Taft  called 
a  "civil  navy."  Finally  the  legislature  provided  for  "a  commis- 
sioned and  enlisted  service  within  the  bureau,"  to  be  governed 
under  miltary  law.  The  service  was  thereby  greatly  improved, 
but  it  was  never  possible  to  raise  it  to  the  same  plane  as  the  con- 
stabulary, which  performed  somewhat  similar  services  on  land. 
For  some  reason  the  director,  although  a  former  naval  officer,  was 


TRANSPORTATION    AND    COMMUNICATION     337 

never  able  to  instil  the  proper  spirit  of  discipline  into  his  subordi- 
nates. The  bureau  was  also  unfortunate  in  being  unpopular  with 
the  Filipinos.  The  merchants  regarded  it  as  a  formidable  busi- 
ness competitor  and  the  development  of  a  large  machine-shop  at 
Engineer's  Island  aroused  bitter  antagonism  on  the  part  of  own- 
ers of  private  shipyards.  For  a  while  unpleasant  rumors  of  graft 
were  floating  about  and  at  one  time  the  director  had  to  be  placed 
on  trial  on  charges  preferred  by  one  of  his  assistants.  While 
these  charges  were  not  sustained,  they  were  generally  credited  by 
that  part  of  the  public  which  is  always  anxious  to  believe  ill  of 
public  officials.  The  native  papers  were  constantly  demanding 
that  the  bureau  should  be  abolished  and  this  was  finally  done  soon 
after  the  departure  of  Governor-General  Forbes. 

Nevertheless,  much  of  the  work  of  the  Bureau  of  Navigation 
was  essentially  fine.  The  officers,  with  a  few  exceptions,  were 
efficient  and  devoted  to  the  service.  The  sturdy  coast  guard 
steamers  penetrated  into  all  kinds  of  waters  and  some  of  them 
left  their  bones  to  bleach  on  the  treacherous  reefs  with  which 
the  waters  abound.  Their  short  history  is  illuminated  by  numer- 
ous acts  of  personal  courage,  daring  and  heroism  on  the  part  of 
their  commanders  and  seamen. 

With  the  expenditure  of  a  reasonable  outlay,  hundreds  of  the 
rivers  which  meander  across  the  Philippine  lowlands  can  be  made 
navigable.  The  heavy  rainfall  in  the  mountains  scours  many  of 
these  rivers  to  a  great  depth  but  forms  bars  at  their  mouths  which 
render  access  from  the  ocean  difficult.  In  some  instances,  where 
the  obstruction  is  formed  by  coral  reefs,  they  have  been  removed 
and  the  rivers  made  accessible;  but  the  shifting  sandbars  require 
port  works  which  are  beyond  the  present  financial  ability  of  the 
government.  The  time  may  come  when  the  rivers  of  the  Philip- 
pines will  be  of  greater  commercial  importance  than  even  the 
railways. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

Philippine  Agriculture 

Basis  of  the  Country's  Wealth — Undeveloped  State  of  Agriculture — Inherent 
Difficulties — Early  Work  of  Bureau  of  Agriculture — Attempts  to  Introduce 
New  Plants  and  Vegetables — Improving  the  Domestic  Animals — Horses  and 
Cattle — Farm  Machinery — Animal  Diseases — Rinderpest  and  Surra — Policy  of 
Isolation  Adopted  in  1910 — Its  Results — Corn  Culture — Native  Fruits — Cof- 
fee, Tea  and  Rubber — The  Fiber  Industry — Hemp,  Method  of  Cultivation — 
Exports  of — Government  Grading — The  Tobacco  Industry — Its  Revival — Ex- 
ports— Sugar,  Condition  of  the  Industry — Table  of  Exports — Cocoanuts — 
Development  of  the  Business — Table  of  Exports — Rice — Its  Importance — 
Necessity  for  New  Methods — Irrigation — Comparative  Failure  of  the  Work 
— The  New  Law  of  1912 — Farmers'  Credits — The  Agricultural  Bank — Sum- 
mary of  Results. 

The  Spaniards  and  Filipinos  made  earnest  eiiforts  to  develop 
the  agricultural  resources  of  the  Philippines.  They  organized 
numerous  societies  and  associations  to  advance  the  work  and  es- 
tablished several  experimental  farms.  Some  very  substantial  re- 
sults were  obtained  in  certain  directions  and  whatever  wealth  the 
country  possessed  had  been  produced  by  the  agriculturists.  As  a 
whole,  however,  Philippine  agriculture  was  a  very  primitive  af- 
fair.^ 

In  the  tropics  the  soil,  the  plants,  the  animal  life,  even  the  in- 
habitants, and  the  characteristics  of  each,  are  determined  by 
something  over  which  even  the  energetic  newcomers  from  tem- 
perate climates  have  little  control.  Nearness  to  the  equator  ex- 
plains most  things.  Climate  is  a  fixed  and  determining  factor  in 
the  situation.     The  soil  consists  mainly  of  decomposed  rock  en- 


1  For  the  conditions  of  agriculture  at  various  periods,  see  Agriculture  in 
the  Philippines,  by  Governor  Joseph  Basca  y  Vargas  (1784),  B.  &  R.,  L, 
p.  292.  For  conditions  in  1880,  see  Jagor's  Risen,  p.  300 ;  B.  &  R.,  L,  p. 
302.  For  the  work  of  the  Economic  Society  of  Friends  of  the  Country,  which 
was  founded  in  1781  on  the  advice  of  Governor  Basca  y  Vargas,  and  was 
active  after  1822,  see  B.  &  R.,  L,  pp.  307-322. 

338 


PHILIPPINE    AGRICULTURE  339 

riched  with  decayed  organic  matter,  and  when  sufficiently  watered 
it  is  extremely  fertile.  It  produces  luxuriantly  the  trees,  plants 
and  vegetables  for  which  its  elements  provide  food.  The  great 
heat  and  excessive  moisture  stimulate  rapid  and  abundant  growth 
and  quick  decay.  The  same  conditions  produce  the  characteristic 
animal  life  of  the  tropics — abundant,  diverse,  increasing  in  vari- 
ety and  numbers  as  it  approaches  the  lower  forms.  It  is  parasitic 
and  destructive  to  an  almost  incredible  degree.  But  nature  es- 
tablishes a  sort  of  equilibrium  between  the  constructive  and  de- 
structive forces,  and  both  animal  and  vegetable  life  flourish  in 
abundance.  But  against  an  alien,  whether  man,  animal,  or  plant, 
all  the  destructive  forces  unite  and  only  the  most  scientific  weap- 
ons will  serve  for  defense. 

It  is  difficult  for  a  visitor  from  temperate  climes  to  realize  that 
a  soil  that  produces  so  luxuriantly  the  vegetation  of  the  jungle 
will  not  necessarily  produce  all  the  desirable  plants  of  his  home 
land.^  If  the  camofe  will  grow,  why  not  the  reliable  Irish  potato ; 
if  the  mango,  why  not  the  peach;  if  the  scraggy  pony  can  find 
sustenance  in  native  grasses,  why  not  the  stalwart  American 
mule? 

The  American  government  entered  upon  the  work  of  rehabili- 
tating and  stimulating  agriculture  with  great  enthusiasm  but  the 
results  of  fifteen  years'  labor  have  not  been  very  satisfactory. 
The  comparative  failure  has  been  due  in  part  to  bad  administra- 
tion, but  principally  to  the  inherent  difficulties  of  the  situation. 
In  the  early  days  the  Bureau  of  Agriculture  misjudged  the  prob- 
lem and  by  the  time  it  learned  that  the  natives  must  be  taught  to 
produce  more  of  the  staple  products  of  the  country  by  the  use 
of  modern  machinery  and  better  methods  of  cultivation  and  that 
this  can  be  accomplished  only  by  actual  demonstration  on  the 


2  "Many  exaggerated  statements  have  been  made  about  the  inexhaustible 
fertility  and  wonderful  resources  of  the  soils  of  the  Philippines  by  persons 
doubtless  misled  by  the  luxurious  tropical  vegetation.  While  it  is  true  that 
vast  areas  of  fertile  soils  are  found  that  will  respond  abundantly  to  modern 
cultural  methods,  there  are,  also,  many  localities  where  agricultural  advance- 
ment can  only  be  made  by  considerable  expenditure  of  time  and  money." 
Dorsey,  Soil  Conditions  in  the  Philippines  (1903),  Bu.  of  Agri.,  Bulletin  No.  s. 


340  THE    PHILIPPINES 

ground,  it  was  engaged  in  a  struggle  with  animal  diseases  which 
absorbed  much  of  its  funds  and  energies. 

In  the  autumn  of  1901  Mr.  F.  Lamson-Scribner,  who,  on  the 
recommendation  of  the  secretary  of  agriculture,  had  been  ap- 
pointed chief  of  the  bureau  which  was  to  be  created,  was  in- 
structed "to  secure  agricultural  machinery,  farming  tools,  and 
seeds  of  American  vegetables  and  field  crops,  and  to  visit  places 
in  the  United  States  where  practical  information  likely  to  be  of 
value  to  him  in  his  future  work  could  be  obtained,  before  sailing 
for  the  islands."  Having  thus  qualified  himself  and  been  fur- 
nished by  the  Department  of  Agriculture  "with  a  large  and  valu- 
able consignment  of  seeds  for  experimentation  and  distribution, 
together  with  a  fine  set  of  lantern  slides,  an  extensive  collection  of 
botanical  specimens,  and  many  important  publications,"  the  new 
chief  departed  to  conquer  the  dragons  which,  for  generations,  had 
mutilated  or  destroyed,  tropical  agriculture. 

In  the  spring  of  1902  a  bureau  of  agriculture  was  organized 
with  an  expert  in  animal  industry,  a  botanist  and  assistant  agros- 
tologist,  a  soil  expert,  a  tropical  agriculturist,  an  expert  in  plant 
culture  and  breeding,  and  an  expert  in  farm  machinery  and  farm 
management,  to  which  was  soon  added  an  expert  in  seed  and 
plant  introduction  and  one  on  fiber  investigation.^ 

The  dominant  idea  then  seemed  to  be  that  what  the  Philippines 
really  needed  was  garden  seeds.  Through  the  provincial  gover- 
nors and  presidentes  an  extensive  mailing  list  was  obtained  and 
many  circular  letters  were  sent  to  the  "more  intelligent  and  pro- 
gressive persons  interested  in  agriculture."  Eighteen  thousand 
two  hundred  and  fifty  packages  of  field  and  garden  seeds  (one 
hundred  and  thirty- four  varieties)  were  distributed  to  seven  hun- 
dred and  thirty  persons,  "many  of  whom  have  shown  a  lively 
interest  in  the  result  of  the  experiments  which  they  are  thus 


3  Report  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  Nov.  1,  1902  (Rept.  Phil.  Com., 
1900-1903,  p.  359). 

The  Bureau  of  Agriculture  was  in  the  Department  of  the  Interior  until 
May  12,  1910,  when  it  was  transferred  to  the  Department  of  Public  Instruc- 
tioni 


PHILIPPINE    AGRICULTURE  341 

enabled  to  make."    The  November  1,  1902,  Report  of  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Interior  was  a  sort  of  agricuhural  lyric : 

"There  seems  little  doubt,"  he  wrote,  "that  great  good  can  be 
accomplished  by  this  means  and  that  a  number  of  new  and  valu- 
able plants  can  be  successfully  introduced.  The  better  varieties 
of  tomatoes  grow  well  throughout  the  Islands.  Fairly  good  Irish 
potatoes  and  peas  have  been  grown  in  the  lowlands  near  Manila 
from  American  seed ;  and  very  fine  potatoes,  celery,  and  peas  have 
been  raised  from  American  seed  in  Benguet.  Beets  do  well  in 
the  lowlands,  and  radishes  are  ready  for  the  table  in  from  three 
to  four  weeks  after  planting.  Improved  varieties  of  oranges  and 
lemons  brought  from  California  are  flourishing  both  in  the  low- 
lands and  in  the  mountains  of  Benguet,  while  pear,  peach,  apricot, 
and  plum  trees  have  been  successfully  introduced  in  the  latter 
region." 

A  soil  survey  was  commenced,  designed  particularly  to  ascer- 
tain the  best  localities  for  the  growth  of  abaca.  A  botanist  visited 
the  celebrated  gardens  at  Buitenzorg  for  the  purpose  of  identi- 
fying the  material  he  had  collected  and  studying  rubber,  gutta- 
percha and  other  plants.* 

The  opportunity  for  experimental  work  with  plants  presented 
by  the  climate  and  soil  of  Baguio  in  the  Benguet  Mountains  was 
believed  to  be  unrivaled.  "The  climate,"  wrote  the  secretary  of 
the  interior,  "admits  of  the  growing  of  a  great  variety  of  tropical, 
subtropical  and  temperate  zone  plants.  In  the  garden  of  the 
governor  one  may  see  cofifee  bushes  bearing  heavily,  fine  tea 
plants,  hothouse  gardenias,  caladiums,  dracaenas,  frangipani  and 
mango  trees,  all  characteristic  of  the  tropics ;  alsophila  tree  ferns, 
scarlet  hibiscus,  passion  fruit,  begonias,  hydrangeas,  and  many 
other  plants  of  the  subtropical  regions ;  and  side  by  side  with  these 
potatoes,  tomatoes,  peas,  beans,  celery  and  other  garden  vege- 
tables and  monthly  roses,  all  strictly  temperate-zone  products, 
while  the  neighboring  hillsides  are  covered  with  pine  trees  and 
produce  raspberries  and  huckleberries  in  considerable  abundance. 


*  A  large  botanical  collection  and  a  fine  reference  library  which  the  Span- 
ish had  collected  at  Manila  were  burned  in  1897. 


342  THE    PHILIPPINES 

.  .  .  Cabbage,  tomatoes,  onions,  leeks,  carrots,  turnips,  pars- 
nips, beans,  peas,  cucumbers,  marrow,  squashes,  pumpkins,  sal- 
sify, Irish  potatoes,  white  oats,  wheat,  millet  and  alfalfa  were 
sown.  All  of  them  germinated  quickly,  and  there  was  nothing 
to  show  that  the  soil  was  deficient  in  plant  food."^ 

A  year  later  it  became  evident  that  the  task  of  hustling  tropical 
agriculture  was  not  going  to  be  such  a  simple  matter.  Suspicions 
were  aroused  as  to  whether  the  bulletins  and  even  the  fine  col- 
lection of  lantern  slides  which  the  director  had  brought  out  were 
going  to  do  the  work. 

In  his  annual  report  for  1903,  the  secretary  of  the  interior  an- 
nounced that  the  work  of  the  Bureau  of  Agriculture  during  the 
last  year  had  been  highly  satisfactory  "so  far  as  the  preparation 
and  publication  of  bulletins  embodying  information  likely  to  be 
of  value  to  agriculturists  is  concerned."  But,  "so  far  as  concerns 
the  establishment  and  operation  of  experimental  farms,  the  stock 
farm,  the  school  of  agriculture,  and  the  handling  of  draft  animals 
imported  by  the  Insular  government,  it  has  in  many  respects 
been  highly  unsatisfactory." 

These  scientific  bulletins  were  highly  interesting  and  valuable 
to  the  prospective  foreign  and  American  investors  in  agricultural 
lands  and  to  the  comparatively  small  number  of  Filipinos  who 
could  read  them,  but  they  were  not  of  much  use  to  the  average 
native,  who  could  only  be  reached  by  practical  demonstration  of 
the  advantages  of  improved  methods  and  the  use  of  modem  agri- 
cultural machinery.  The  result  had  not  been  commensurate  with 
the  opportunities  presented  and  the  funds  appropriated.® 

The  outlook  for  growing  temperate  zone  vegetables  and  plants 
at  Baguio  also  began  to  be  a  trifle  cloudy.  It  was  found,  accord- 
ing to  the  secretary,  that  "the  seeds  planted  .  .  .  germinated 
readily  and  grew  well  for  a  time,  but  just  at  the  period  when  they 


s  Report  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  Nov.  1,  1902  (Repf.  Phil.  Com., 
1900-1903,  p.  361). 

^Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1900-1903,  p.  596.  During  the  year  1907  the  Agricul- 
tural Extension  Work  was  started  and  placed  in  charge  of  ex-Governor 
Pablo  Tecson.  (Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1907,  Pt.  II,  p.  47.)  It  has  since  been 
actively  carried  on  with  good  results. 


PHILIPPINE    AGRICULTURE  343 

had  to  depend  on  the  soil  for  nourishment,  the  young  plants 
with  few  exceptions  sickened  and  died,  showing  that  the  soil  had 
some  injurious  element  or  lacked  some  essential  one."^  Some 
encouragement  was  found  in  the  fact  that  "pumpkins,  squashes, 
and  cucumbers  flourished  while  other  vegetables  languished." 
But  the  new  civilization  could  not  be  founded  on  pumpkins, 
squashes  and  cucumbers  alone,  and  the  soil  experts  were  set  to 
work.  It  was  now  learned  that  Baguio  had  always  had  a  bad 
name  among  the  natives  as  an  agricultural  region  and  the  experi- 
mental station  was  transferred  to  the  near-by  Trinidad  Valley. 

In  addition  to  the  scientific  investigation  of  conditions  affecting 
agriculture  and  the  publication  and  dissemination  of  information, 
as  to  the  best  ways  of  increasing  the  production  of  the  staple 
products  such  as  rice,  sugar,  tobacco  and  copra,  the  bureau  di- 
rected its  energies  to  the  improvement  of  the  draft  and  other 
domestic  animals,  and  the  eradication  of  animal  diseases.  Un- 
fortunately, the  fight  to  preserve  the  lives  of  the  animals  soon 
absorbed  the  greater  part  of  the  available  funds  and  time  of  the 
officials. 

It  is  possible  that  an  undue  portion  of  time  and  money  was  de- 
voted to  the  preparation  and  distribution  of  bulletins  although, 
as  to  this,  there  is  ground  for  difference  of  opinion.  Some  of 
these  publications,  particularly  the  Agricultural  Review,  which 
was  established  in  1908,  have  been  very  useful  and  far-reaching  in 
their  influence. 

The  attempt  to  introduce  new  plants  and  vegetables  was  not 
very  successful.  As  a  whole,  possibly  because  too  much  was  ex- 
pected, it  has  been  disappointing.  Nevertheless,  some  valuable 
new  food  plants  and  vegetables  have  been  acclimated  and  are  now 
in  common  use  by  the  people.  The  gardens  maintained  in  connec- 
tion with  the  common  schools  have  been  the  most  efficient  of  all 
the  agencies  for  teaching  the  common  people  how  to  cultivate  and 
use  new  plants  and  vegetables. 


''  Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1900-1903,  p.  600.  Later  experience  showed  that  the 
difficulty  was  due  to  improper  cultivation.  Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1904,  Pt.  II, 
p.  68. 


344  THE    PHILIPPINES 

Very  naturally,  better  results  have  attended  the  efforts  to 
improve  the  native  plants.  Maguey,  a  plant  similar  to  what  is 
known  as  Yucatan  sisal,  grows  wild  in  the  islands.  Its  cultivation 
has  been  encouraged  and  many  thousands  of  the  Hawaiian  sisal 
plant  have  been  distributed  and  planted.  California  oranges  and 
lemons  have  been  grafted  on  the  native  citrus  trees  with  some 
degree  of  success.  The  cultivation  of  the  native  tree-cotton, 
known  locally  as  kopak,  has  been  encouraged.  Attempts  to  intro- 
duce new  varieties  of  sugar  cane  and  rice  have  not  been  success- 
ful. Japanese  rice  proved  a  failure,  as  did  several  new  varieties 
of  sugar  cane.  The  government  rice  farm  established  in  Tarlac 
in  1904  was  finally  abandoned,  having  "served  its  purpose,"  prin- 
cipally in  enabling  the  Filipinos  to  see  rice  threshed  by  machin- 
ery.^ 

In  1911  there  were  756,290  acres  planted  in  corn — an  increase 
of  489,318  acres  since  1902.  Corn  is  now  the  second  grain  crop 
of  the  country.  It  will  grow  in  any  part  of  the  islands  and  its 
general  use  as  food  in  connection  with  the  universal  rice  diet 
would  vastly  improve  the  physique  of  the  Filipinos.^  The  native 
hogs,  also,  which  are  mostly  of  the  razorback  variety,  would,  if 
fed  on  corn,  experience  a  new  birth.  Pineapples  and  guavas  grow 
wild.  The  Philippine  mango  is  the  best  in  the  world.^"  Bananas 
of  a  good  quality  grow  in  almost  every  native's  yard  and  wild  in 
unlimited  quantities.  There  is  no  reasonable  doubt  but  that  in 
time  the  coffee  industry,  once  so  important,  will  be  restored.^^ 
The  tea  plant  grows  well  in  northern  Luzon.     Para  ^nd  other 


8  In  his  report  for  1906  the  secretary  of  the  interior  announced  that  the 
rice  farm  in  Tarlac  "having  served  its  purpose  in  an  experimental  way  and 
not  being  suited  to  the  raising  of  rice  on  a  commercially  profitable  scale  on 
account  of  the  soil  and  the  nature  of  the  land,  had  been  discontinued,  but  not 
before  results  of  great  importance  to  the  rice  growers  between  Manila  and 
Dagupan  were  obtained."  The  wisdom  of  the  Filipinos  in  sowing  rice  first  in 
seed  beds  and  transplanting  it  after  it  has  attained  considerable  size  has  been 
conclusively  demonstrated.    Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1906,  p.  46. 

^  "There  is  a  great  future  for  corn  in  the  islands  and  there  is  no  good 
reason  why  this  cereal  and  its  by-products  should  not  be  exported  in  large 
quantities,  after  supplying  the  home  demand."  Shererd,  Corn  Culture  in  the 
Philippines  (Manila,  1912). 

lOT/^^  Mango,  by  P.  J.  Wester  (Manila,  1911). 

11  For  its  history,  see  Philippine  Census  (1903),  IV,  pp.  76  et  seq. 


« 


PHILIPPINE    AGRICULTURE  345 

rubber  trees  and  plants*  thrive  and  prospects  for  rubber  planta- 
tions are  excellent/^ 

It  is  an  extraordinary  fact  that  very  few  plants  and  grasses 
suitable  for  food  for  horses  and  cattle  grow  in  the  Philippines 
and  it  has  been  necessary  to  import  nearly  all  the  forage  for  the 
use  of  the  government  and  army  from  the  United  States.  At- 
tempts to  construct  "rations"  for  domestic  animals  have  been 
but  partially  successful/^ 

Guinea  grass  is  by  far  the  most  important  plant  which  has 
been  introduced  and  it  furnishes  an  extraordinary  amount  of 
nutritive  food  for  horses,  cattle  and  pigs. 

The  attempt  to  raise  Irish  potatoes  in  the  islands  on  a  large 
scale  has  been  a  failure.  Some  success  was  had  at  the  Trinidad 
experimental  farm.  The  military  authorities,  after  elaborate 
experiments  on  the  highlands  near  Lake  Lafiao  in  Mindanao, 
finally  abandoned  the  attempt.  The  plants  grew  well  and  there 
was  an  abundance  of  potatoes,  but  for  some  unaccountable  reason 
they  never  reached  much  beyond  the  size  of  marbles.^* 

A  most  serious  problem  has  been  the  saving  of  the  lives  of  the 
draft  and  other  domestic  animals  from  death  by  diseases,  and  the 
restocking  of  the  country  with  animals  to  take  the  place  of  the 
hundreds  and  thousands  which  had  been  wiped  out  by  rinderpest 
and  surra. 

There  had  been  a  shortage  of  draft  animals  in  the  Philippines 
for  many  years.  The  native  farmers  were  dependent  almost  en- 
tirely upon  the  carabao.  There  were  no  draft  horses  and  the 
comparatively  few  native  ponies  were  seldom  used  for  anything 
but  riding  and  drawing  carriages  and  other  such  light  vehicles, 
as  said  in  the  Report  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  for  iqoj.^^ 


1-  "Rubber-Producing  Capacity  of  the  Philippine  Islands,"  Sen.  Doc.  336, 
5gth  Cony.,  3iid  Sess. 

13  A  fodder  factory  has  been  established  near  Manila,  but  the  experiments 
carried  on  have  not  been  very  encouraging.  Report  of  Secretary  of  Public 
Instruction,  1910. 

In  1910  Secretary  of  War  Dickinson  appointed  a  board  composed  of  army 
officers  and  civilians  to  investigate  the  forage  question. 

1*  Report  Com.  Gen.  (War  Dept.,  Ann.  Repts.,  1911,  I,  387). 

^^Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1900-1903,  p.  601. 


346  THE    PHILIPPINES 

"No  work  which  legitimately  falls  within  the  scope  of  the  work 
of  the  Bureau  of  Agriculture  is  at  present  more  important  than 
that  of  animal  industry.  With  the  dreadful  loss  of  horned  cattle 
due  to  rinderpest,  the  heavy  call  for  native  horses  in  Manila 
which  has  resulted  in  draining  the  provinces  of  good  animals, 
.  .  .  and  the  ravages  of  surra  and  glanders  among  the  horses 
of  the  archipelago,  it  has  become  increasingly  important  to  re- 
stock the  islands  with  the  draft  animals  with  which  the  Filipinos 
are  accustomed,  as  well  as  to  introduce  new  draft  animals  and  im- 
prove existing  breeds." 

The  government  tried  importing  high-class  horses  and  cattle 
from  the  United  States,  Australia,  Arabia  and  India,  for  breed- 
ing purposes.  Stock  farms  were  established  at  Trinidad  and 
Alabang,  and  stallions,  bulls  and  jacks  were  sold,  loaned  and 
given  to  the  provincial  authorities.  The  result  has  been  a  decided 
improvement  in  the  native  stock.  For  a  time  it  was  believed  that 
American  and  Australian  horses  would  breed  and  thrive  and  that 
the  American  mule  would  become  as  common  as  in  the  southern 
states.  Probably  the  plan  has  not  had  a  fair  trial  because  of  the 
presence  of  the  diseases  which  destroyed  so  many  of  the  imported 
animals.  However,  it  soon  "became  apparent  that  the  raising  of 
American  and  Australian  horses  was  not  going  to  be  an  entire 
success."^®  Nevertheless  it  has  not  been  exactly  a  failure,  as  there 
are  now  many  fine  American  and  Australian  horses  in  the  islands 
and  the  number  seems  to  be  slowly  increasing,  notwithstanding 
the  prevalence  of  the  diseases  to  which  they  are  so  susceptible. 

The  introduction  of  dairy  cattle  has  been  moderately  success- 
ful. High  grade  Jersey  cows  have  done  well  when  they  have  es- 
caped the  diseases,  and  good  milk  in  limited  quantities  is  now  ob- 
tainable at  Manila.  But,  as  with  the  horses,  the  early  promise 
was  not  fulfilled  and  it  became  necessary  to  resort  to  India  for 
the  Nellore  cattle  which  had  been  accustomed  to  a  similar  cli- 
mate.^^    It  may  thus  fairly  be  said  that,  on  the  whole,  the  attempt 


16  Kept.  Phil.  Com.,  1909,  p.  122. 

1'^  "As  efforts  to  introduce  improved  breeds  of  cattle  from  Australia  and 
America  have,  on  the  whole,  proved  very  unsuccessful,  it  was  therefore 
deemed  advisable  to  attempt  to  introduce   from  India  improved  breeds  of 


PHILIPPINE    AGRICULTURE  347 

to  introduce  new  breeds  of  horses  and  cattle  from  the  temperate 
cHmates  has  not  been  a  great  success. 

Some  progress  has  been  made  in  the  introduction  of  modern 
farm  machinery.  On  the  large  haciendas  steam  plows  and  thresh- 
ers are  in  use,  but  the  ordinary  Filipino  farmer  is  still  plowing 
his  small  tract  of  land  with  a  wooden  plow  and  a  carabao  and 
threshing  it  by  hand  and  foot.  The  traction  plows  in  use  are  too 
heavy  and  expensive  and  until  a  smaller  machine,  such  as  the 
light  farm  tractor  now  in  successful  use  in  the  United  States,  is 
introduced,  the  old  methods  will  have  to  be  followed  on  all  but  the 
great  plantations. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  from  the  beginning  of  the  American  occu- 
pation at  least  fifty  per  cent,  of  the  funds  and  energies  of  the 
Bureau  of  Agriculture  have  been  devoted  to  the  work  of  fighting 
pests,  which  range  all  the  way  from  insects  to  rats  and  wild 
hogs,  and  animal  diseases.  Among  the  former,  locusts  hold  a 
bad  preeminence.  They  come  as  did  the  grasshoppers  in  the 
western  states  in  former  years.  Every  known  device  for  their 
destruction  has  been  tried,  but  nothing  other  than  killing  them 
en  masse  has  been  successful.  Such  methods  are  necessarily  only 
partially  effective,  and  until  the  locusts  can  be  exterminated  by 
some  natural  enemy  such  as  the  parasite  that  destroyed  the 
Kansas  grasshoppers,  they  will  continue  to  do  great  damage  to 
the  crops. 

Rinderpest  was  introduced  into  the  Philippines  from  India 
about  1888,  and  has,  ever  since,  been  present.  During  1902-3  it 
is  probable  that  seventy-five  per  cent,  of  the  horned  cattle  died, 
and  it  became  necessary  for  the  government  to  come  to  the  relief 
of  the  people.  Many  thousands  of  these  animals  were  bought 
with  government  money  in  India  and  Indo-China  and  sold  to 
the  farmers  at  cost,  but  such  relief  could  be  temporary  only, 
as  long  as  the  disease  continued  to  rage.  They  died  faster  than 
they  could  be  imported. 


cattle  accustomed  to  a  climate  similar  to  that  of  the  Philippines."    Rept.  Phil. 
Com.,  1909,  p.  123. 

The  Nellore  cattle,  with  humps,  are  beautiful  animals  and  thrive  in  a  hot 
country. 


348  THE    PHILIPPINES 

For  years  it  was  believed  possible  to  render  the  animals  im- 
mune by  the  use  of  serum.  But  it  was  found  that  after  two  or 
three  months  the  disease  returned.  Simultaneous  injections  of 
the  serum  into  one  side,  and  the  blood  of  a  sick  animal  into  the 
other,  was  believed  to  be  permanently  effective.  But  after  sev- 
eral years'  experimentation,  it  became  evident  that  no  real  prog- 
ress was  being  made.  As  fast  as  the  disease  was  exterminated 
in  one  locality  it  appeared  in  another.  In  1910  Doctor  A.  R. 
Ward  was  appointed  chief  veterinary  and  a  systematic  campaign 
against  rinderpest  was  inaugurated  under  his  direction.  In  his 
report  for  1911  Secretary  Gilbert  said:^^ 

"After  exhaustive  investigation  the  conclusion  was  reached 
that  under  the  conditions  existing  in  the  Philippines,  the  use  of 
anti-rinderpest  serum  was  impracticable  and  it  was  discontinued. 
Following  the  discontinuance  of  the  use  of  serum,  the  effort  to 
control  rinderpest  was  centered  upon  the  object  of  keeping  ani- 
mals separated  from  one  another  and  thus  segregating  the  dis- 
eased animals  so  that  they  might  be  placed  under  restraint  in 
corrals." 

The  isolation  of  the  diseased  animals  necessitated  an  elaborate 
and  expensive  system  of  quarantine.  Public  sentiment  among 
the  natives  was  antagonistic,  and  many  of  the  local  officials  were 
not  in  sympathy  with  the  policy.     Lord   Salisbury  once   said 


18  Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1911,  p.  170. 

The  government  seems  now  to  have  abandoned  the  policy  of  isolation  be- 
cause of  its  unpopularity.  In  his  report  dated  July  1,  1916,  Governor-General 
Harrison  says :  "Quarantine  might  solve  the  rinderpest  problem,  but  it  is  dif- 
ficult of  application  in  a  country  without  fences,  where  almost  all  the  families 
keep  one  or  more  carabaos.  Moreover,  the  disease  is  supposed  to  be  trans- 
mitted not  only  from  one  carabao  to  another  but  also  by  deer,  by  dogs  and 
cats,  by  pigs,  and  even  by  the  birds  which  settle  on  the  backs  of  the  carabao 
to  relieve  them  of  their  insects.  Quarantine  can,  and  has  reduced  the  rinder- 
pest, but  it  is  too  much  to  expect  that  it  can  bring  about  the  entire  elimina- 
tion of  the  disease.  Simultaneous  inoculation  has  proved  very  successful  in 
Iloilo  and  in  Pampanga  during  the  past  year,  and  is  being  as  vigorously  pushed 
as  funds  and  personnel  will  permit.  It  may  ultimately  become  necessary  to 
adopt  the  method  of  purchase  and  killing  by  the  government  of  all  animals 
suspected  of  having  the  disease.  This  is  the  means  by  which  rinderpest  was 
ultimately  conquered  in  some  near-by  countries.  The  best  that  can  be  said  in 
the  Philippines  to-day  is  that  the  disease  is  not  so  prevalent,  and  deaths  less 
numerous  than  at  some  periods  in  the  past" 


PHILIPPINE    AGRICULTURE  349 

that,  "It  is  easier  to  combat  with  the  rinderpest  or  with  the 
cholera  than  with  pubHc  sentiment."  Our  government  has  had 
to  deal  with  a  combination  of  the  three.  It  was  necessary  to 
maintain  the  quarantine  very  strictly  in  order  to  accomplish  any- 
thing and  at  one  time  during  1911  a  large  part  of  the  constabu- 
lary, and  more  than  fourteen  hundred  of  the  scouts  loaned  by  the 
military  authorities,  were  used  on  the  work  in  the  provinces  north 
of  Manila.  About  the  same  time  a  strict  quarantine  was  enforced 
against  animals  coming  in  from  foreign  countries.  The  result 
of  this  policy  was  that  at  the  end  of  the  year  1912  the  disease 
had  been  practically  stamped  out,  and  for  once  the  secretary  was 
able  to  report  that  "animal  disease  is  now  a  comparatively  small 
factor  in  the  industrial  economy  of  the  islands,  but  potentially 
it  is  a  very  large  factor."^^ 

But  the  Filipinos  were  irritated  by  the  severity  with  which  the 
quarantine  measures  had  been  enforced,  and  soon  after  Mr.  Har- 
rison became  governor-general  the  legislature  took  the  manage- 
ment of  the  rinderpest  campaign  from  the  Bureau  of  Agriculture 
and  transferred  it  to  the  provincial  governors,^"  with  very  dis- 
astrous results.  Apparently  the  disease  can  be  eradicated  if  the 
people  are  willing,  for  a  time,  to  submit  to  the  necessary  quar- 
antine measures,  both  internal  and  external,  and  in  no  other  way. 

The  only  products  at  present  exported  from  the  Philippines  in 
any  considerable  quantities  are  hemp,  tobacco,  sugar  and  copra. 
Rice  is  imported.  The  fiber  industry  of  the  islands  is  capable  of 
almost  indefinite  expansion.  Hemp,  known  locally  as  abaca  and 
by  botanists  as  niusi  textilis,  is  a  plant  of  which  the  Philippines 
has  a  natural  monopoly.  For  some  reason,  all  attempts  to  grow  it 
elsewhere  have  failed.    In  appearance  abaca  closely  resembles  the 


19  "In  all  provinces  where  local  officials  have  cooperated  earnestly  with  the 
Bureau  of  Agriculture,  the  disease  has  been  either  entirely  eliminated  or  very 
largely  reduced  in  amount ;  and  of  the  many  towns  affected  at  the  close  of  the 
year  a  great  proportion  were  in  one  province  where  cooperation  had  not  been 
had."    Rcpt.  Phil.  Com.,  1913  {War  Dept.,  Ann.  Repts.,  1913,  Vol.  IV,  p.  256). 

20  Act  No.  2303,  Dec.  13,  1913.  This  ill-advised  law  provided  that  the 
director  of  agriculture  should  prescribe  the  measures  but  "that  the  provincial 
governor  of  the  province  concerned  shall  have  the  direction  of  and  be  respon- 
sible for  the  enforcement  of  the  measures  so  prescribed." 


350  THE    PHILIPPINES 

edible  banana  plant  which  grows  in  great  variety  and  profusion 
throughout  the  islands.  Albay,  in  the  southern  part  of  Luzon, 
is  at  present  the  principal  hemp  producing  district,  although  large 
quantities  grow  elsewhere.  Certain  sections  of  Mindanao  seem 
peculiarly  adapted  for  the  growth  of  the  plants. ^^ 

Hemp  land  must  be  of  high  fertility  and  susceptible  of  good 
drainage,  moist,  but  not  wet  and  swampy.  As  the  plants  require 
shade  and  a  humid  atmosphere  they  grow  normally  on  the  moun- 
tain slopes  and  in  the  valleys  where  the  drainage  carries  off  the 
surface  water  and  the  trees  protect  them  from  sun  and  wind. 
They  are  not  liable  to  injury  to  any  serious  extent  by  insects. 
Much  of  the  product  is  now  gathered  from  the  wild  plants  and 
the  industry  may  be  greatly  extended  by  systematic  planting  and 
cultivation. 

The  small  suckers  which  spring  from  the  roots  of  the  parent 
plants  are  set  out  in  rows  from  five  to  eight  feet  apart.  During 
the  two  and  a  half  or  three  years  which  the  plants  require  to 
reach  maturity  they  must  be  kept  shaded  and  cultivated  enough 
to  keep  the  weeds  down.  When  the  plants  are  ready  for  cutting 
the  entire  stalk  is  cut  as  close  to  the  ground  as  possible,  and  new 
suckers  spring  up. 

The  fiber  is  in  the  leaf  sheaths  which  surround  the  central 
flower  stem  or  stalk.  Each  sheath  is  cut  into  strips  two  or  three 
inches  wide  and  their  thick  inner  portions,  which  are  mainly  pulp, 
are  torn  away  to  render  easier  the  extraction  of  the  long  fiber. 
The  strips  thus  prepared  are  drawn  by  hand  between  the  edge  of 
a  knife  blade  and  a  wooden  plane,  and  the  watery  pulp  scraped 
from  the  fiber.  As  each  drawing  makes  the  fiber  cleaner  and 
finer  and  increases  its  value  and  quality,  producing  a  high  grade 
of  hemp  is  largely  a  matter  of  labor.  But,  as  the  quality  increases, 
the  weight  of  the  product  decreases,  and  the  native  worker  finds 
it  hard  to  sacrifice  more  pounds  and  extra  labor  for  high  grades. 


21  In  his  story,  From  the  Spanish,  Mr.  John  Masefield  says  that  "the 
roping  [of  the  galleon,  the  Spanish  Rose]  was  of  that  precious  hemp  which 
grows  only  on  the  Sacred  Hill  (in  Igorroti,  in  Luzon),  so  that  an  ell  of  it  was 
worth  a  Florentine  crown  by  the  time  it  reached  the  Spanish  riggers'  hands." 
It  would  be  interesting  to  know  whether  this  is  all  part  of  the  romance. 


PHILIPPINE    AGRICULTURE 


351 


It  is  estimated  that  about  one- fourth  of  the  merchantable  fiber 
is  wasted  by  this  primitive  method.  After  being  thus  prepared 
the  fiber  is  exposed  in  the  sun  for  a  few  hours  and  then  loosely- 
packed  in  bundles  and  carried  to  the  nearest  market  where  the 
hemp  buyers  have  their  agents. 

It  is  remarkable  that  no  inventor  has  been  able  to  devise  a  ma- 
chine that  will  strip  hemp  economically  without  injury  to  the 
fiber.  As  a  result  the  hemp  industry  is  about  where  the  cotton 
business  was  before  the  invention  of  the  cotton  gin.  As  early  as 
1843  we  find  the  Economic  Society  of  Friends  offering  prizes 
for  the  invention  of  a  machine  for  stripping  abaca.  The  American 
government  also  has  offered  substantial  inducements  to  encourage 
inventors. ^^  Several  machines  are  now  in  use,  but  apparently 
they  do  not  give  entire  satisfaction. 

The  Bureau  of  Agriculture  has  given  much  attention  to  the 
subject  of  commercial  fiber,  but  its  labors  have  not  been  produc- 
tive of  great  results.  For  about  ten  years  the  quantity  of  hemp 
exported  increased  very  slowly,  but  the  low  prices  and  the  com- 
petition with  Yucatan  sisal  depressed  and  almost  discouraged 
the  growers.  Since  1914  the  higher  price  has,  to  some  extent, 
made  up  for  the  small  amount  exported. 

From  1850  to  1899  the  export  of  hemp  increased  from  30,388 
to  59,840  tons.  After  the  insurrection  it  jumped  to  112,215 
tons  in  1901.  The  following  table  shows  the  gradual  increase  in 
quantity  and  value  since  the  year  1899 : 

MANILA  HEMP  EXPORTS 


Twelve 

Totals 

United  States 

months  ending 
December — 

Long  tons 

Dollars 

Dollars 
per  ton 

Long  tons 

Dollars 

Dollars 
per  ton 

1906 

1907 

1908 

1909 

1910 

102,439 
115,395 
129,313 
165,299 
160,595 
146,209 
172,311 
117,928 
114,547 
139,767 

19,612,632 
19,689,493 
16,501,956 
16,896,000 
16,475,311 
14,520,127 
22,075,671 
21,121,084 
19,194,815 
21,339,100 

191 
171 
128 
102 
103 
99 
128 
179 
168 
153 

55,863 
51,628 
60,344 
99,928 
74,335 
62,924 
74,805 
46,400 
49,348 
68,157 

11,155,550 
9,316,539 
7,797,926 

10,434,041 
8,397,310 
6,802,790 

10,779.137 
9,787,216 
9,619,376 

11,351,283 

200 
180 
129 
104 
113 

1911 

1912 

1913 

1914 

1915 

108 
144 
211 
195 
167 

22  Kept.  Bu.  of  Agr.,  April  1,  1905    {Kept.  Phil.  Com.,  1905,  Pt.  II,  pp. 
441-3). 


352  THE    PHILIPPINES 

The  hemp  business  suffers  from  bad  methods  of  CL-iltivation 
and  manufacture.  The  growers  have  complained  of  the  system 
of  grading  adopted  by  the  buyers,  and  the  exporters  of  the  care- 
lessness and  indifference  of  the  producers  as  to  quality.*^  It  has 
been  ve'ry  difficult  to  induce  the  producers  to  take  the  care  which 
is  necessary  to  prepare  the  high  grades  in  demand  for  making 
fine  cloths,  which  have  no  competition  and  always  bring  a  good 
price.  The  natives  have  a  theory  that  the  extra  price  does  not 
compensate  them  for  the  extra  labor  and  reduced  quantity.  The 
quantity  of  hemp  produced  can  not  be  very  materially  increased 
until  a  satisfactory  hemp  stripping  machine  is  found  and  planta- 
tions are  planted  and  cultivated  under  expert  direction  and 
control. 

Until  recently  the  government  has  declined  to  assume  any  re- 
sponsibility for  the  classification  and  grading  of  hemp.^*  As  the 
result,  apparently,  of  a  systematic  study  of  the  subject  commenced 
in  1911,  the  legislature,  in  1914,  provided  for  government  in- 
spection, grading  and  baling  of  hemp,  maguey,  sisal  and  other 
fibers/^  somewhat  as  wheat  and  other  cereals  are  graded  in  the 
western  states  of  the  Union.  The  law  now  imposes  upon  the  di- 
rector of  agriculture  the  duty  "to  establish  and  designate  stand- 
ards for  the  commercial  grading  of  abaca,  maguey,  and  sisal, 
which  shall  become  the  official  standards  of  classification  through- 
out the  Philippine  Islands."  The  actual  grading  is  required  to 
be  done  at  the  ports  of  export  by  persons  holding  grade  permits 
from  the  bureau.  If  properly  administered,  this  law  should  have 
a  very  beneficial  effect  upon  the  fiber  industry  of  the  Philippines. 

Tobacco  was  introduced  from  Mexico  by  the  Spanish  mission- 

23  See  Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1903,  Pt.  11,  p.  650;  Official  Gazette,  I,  pp.  168, 
189;  Report  on  Fiber  Investigations,  Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1903,  Pt.  II,  pp.  712- 
720. 

The  export  duty  on  hemp  imposed  by  section  13  of  the  "Act  to  raise 
revenue  for  the  Philippine  Islands  of  Aug.  5,  1909,"  was  repealed  by  the 
Tariff  Law  of  Oct.  3,  1913.  The  duty  on  the  hemp  imported  into  the  United 
States  had  been  remitted.  The  theory  was  that  the  hemp  producers  would 
receive  the  amount  of  the  duty  in  increased  prices. 

2*  See  the  adverse  report  of  Commissioner  Wright  {Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1903, 
pp.  351-2). 

25  Act  No.  2380,  Feb.  28,  1914. 


PHILIPPINE    AGRICULTURE  353 

aries.  From  1781  until  1882  it  was  maintained  as  a  profitable 
government  monopoly.  The  provinces  of  Cagayan  and  Isabela 
produce  most  of  the  better  qualities  of  tobacco,  although  consider- 
able quantities  are  grown  in  other  parts  of  Luzon.  The  land 
suitable  for  tobacco  growing  is  limited.  There  is  an  enormous 
domestic  consumption  of  cigars  and  cigarettes  and  vast  quantities 
of  both  are  exported  to  Europe  and  the  United  States.  The  qual- 
ity of  the  tobacco  still  suffers  from  careless  and  unscientific  meth- 
ods of  production  which  have  injured  the  product  in  the  markets 
of  the  world. ^^  Considerable  quantities  are  produced  by  small 
growers  and  in  parts  of  Luzon  many  of  the  natives  have  small 
tobacco  patches  in  connection  with  their  gardens.  But  the  busi- 
ness is  principally  in  the  hands  of  a  few  Filipinos  and  the  Com- 
pania  General  de  Tohaco  de  Filipinas,  a  Spanish  company  which 
owns  large  tracts  of  the  best  tobacco  lands.  For  a  few  years  after 
the  American  occupation  the  tobacco  industry  suft'ered  greatly. 
It  had  lost  the  markets  of  England,  India  and  Australia,  and 
not  gained  that  of  the  United  States.  In  1904  the  exports 
amounted  to  705,827  kilograms.  The  previous  year  it  was 
1,23.5,257  kilograms.  For  the  first  half  of  the  year  1905  it 
amounted  to  but  149,828  kilograms.  Senor  Rosales  told  the  con- 
gressional party  which  visited  Manila  in  1905,  that  but  ten  per 
cent,  of  the  number  of  women  and  fifty  per  cent,  of  the  number 
of  men  formerly  employed  were  then  at  work  in  the  cigar  fac- 
tories. 

The  sense  of  justice  latent  in  the  American  public  finally  forced 
Congress  to  disregard  the  selfish  importunities  of  the  home  to- 
bacco interests  and  the  Payne  Tariff  Law  of  1909  opened  the 
markets  of  the  United  States  to  a  fixed  quantity  of  the  Philippine 
products  free  of  duty.  This  restriction  was  removed  by  the 
Underwood  Tariff  Law  of  1913  and  the  trade  is  now  free,  sub- 


26  "Cultivation  of  Tobacco,"  by  C.  W.  Dorsey,  Farmers'  Bulletin,  No.  5 
(1903),  and  the  testimony  of  experts  before  the  congressional  party  which 
accompanied  Secretary  Taft  to  the  Philippines  in  1905,  particularly  that  of 
Mr.  Mauro  Prieto,  pp.  117-136;  Mr.  P.  KrafFt,  pp.  79-89,  and  Seiior  Jose 
Rosales,  pp.  106-117,  of  the  pamphlet  entitled  Public  Hearings  (Manila, 
1905). 


354 


THE    PHILIPPINES 


ject  to  reasonable  treasury  regulations  and  the  payment  of  inter- 
nal revenue  tax. 

The  free  entry  into  the  American  market  of  the  Philippine  to- 
bacco products  failed  to  confirm  either  the  predictions  of  the 
enemies  or  the  anticipations  of  the  friends  of  the  measure.  There 
was  a  decided  revival  of  the  industry  and  in  1910,  61,526,000 
cigars  were  exported  to  the  United  States.  But  the  unfair  trade 
methods  used  against  the  Philippine  cigars  injured  their  reputa- 
tion in  the  American  market,  and  in  1914  the  exports  fell  con- 
siderably. 

The  insular  government  has  given  every  possible  encourage- 
ment to  the  tobacco  industry,  and  by  a  system  of  inspection  and 
certification,  has  neutralized  to  some  extent  the  misrepresenta- 
tions made  by  interested  parties  in  the  United  States,  but  it  seems 
impossible  to  find  good  Philippine  cigars  in  the  United  States 
such  as  are  common  in  Manila.  The  factories  are  subject  to  the 
strictest  supervision  and  nowhere  in  the  world  are  tobacco 
products  manufactured  under  more  favorable  sanitary  condi- 
tions.    The  workmen  are  almost  without  exception  Filipinos. ^'^ 

The  following  tables  show  the  extent  and  growth  of  the  to- 
bacco industry : 

LEAF  TOBACCO  EXPORTS 


Twelve 

Totals 

United  States 

months  ending 
December— 

Pounds 

Dollars 

Cents  per 
pound 

Pounds 

Dollars 

Cents  per 
pound 

1906 

1907 

1908 

1909 

1910 

1911 

1912 

1913 

1914 

1915 

26,685,768 
23,587,247 
24,927,663 
20,909,597 
21,408,412 
26,935,055 
30,837,978 
28,088,987 
28,848,165 
24,136,034 

1,767,365 
1,576,874 
1,708,756 
1,532,086 
1,555,870 
1,810,639 
2,173,998 
1,854,776 
1,757,824 
1,527,106 

6.62 
6.69 
6.85 
7.33 
7.27 
6.72 
7.05 
6.60 
6.09 
6.33 

107,923 

12,172 
7,436 
5,611 

88,636 
9,888 

45,598 

87,384 

6,143 

'  'l',669 

1,507 

744 

12,517 
2,259 
4,612 

10,096 

5.69 

■  'iin 

20.27 
13.26 
14.12 
22.85 
10.11 
11.55 

27  A  recent  Act  (No.  2613)  provides  for  the  inspection,  classification  and 
packing  of  tobacco  for  domestic  sale  or  for  export.  The  law  resembles  Act 
No.  2380,  which  applied  to  the  fiber  industry. 

In  Kipling's  story,  The  Man  from  Manila,  a  traveler,  on  being  informed 
that  the  Spaniards  smoked  only  the  cigars  of  the  country,  remarked :  "Ah, 
that  accounts  for  the  administration  of  the  country  being  what  it  is." 


PHILIPPINE    AGRICULTURE 

CIGAR  EXPORTS 


355 


Twelve 

Totals 

United  States 

months  ending 
December — 

Thousand 

Dollars 

Dollars 
per  M 

Thousand 

Dollars 

Dollars 
per  M 

1906 

1907 

1908 

1909 

1910 

1911 

108,635 
114,665 
115,881 
151,457 
184,407 
134,830 
190,842 
191,762 
154,753 
134,648 

1,004,007 
1,063,382 
1,059,328 
1,754,529 
2,759,661 
1,901,863 
3,092,064 
3,012,234 
2,315,159 
2,057,303 

9.24 
9.27 
9.14 
11.58 
14.97 
14.11 
16.20 
15.71 
14.96 
15.28 

1,690 
1,526 
1,182 
37,076 
61,526 
38,112 
90,000 
71,513 
56,205 
61,170 

29,670 

24,200 

18,376 

737,396 

1,560,799 

902,378 

1,958,321 

1,642,888 

1,200,126 

1,151,222 

17.56 
15.86 
15.55 
19.89 
25.37 
23.68 

1912 

1913 

21.76 
22.97 

1914 

1915 

21.35 
18.82 

It  is  possible  that  sugar  will  play  a  greater  part  in  the  future 
economic  life  of  the  Philippines  than  any  other  of  its  agricultural 
products.  The  cane  seems  to  have  been  introduced  into  the 
islands  from  Formosa  by  the  Chinese.  Until  the  year  1855  it 
was  cultivated  on  a  small  scale,  the  planters  being  inexperienced 
and  without  proper  machinery  or  facilities  for  marketing  the 
product.  The  phenomenal  rise  in  the  price  of  sugar  at  the  time 
of  the  Crimean  war  gave  a  great  impetus  to  the  business.  The 
planters  were  without  adequate  capital  and  in  the  absence  of 
proper  banking  facilities,  certain  commercial  firms  financed  the 
business  and  the  production  of  sugar  increased  from  six  thou- 
sand tons  in  1855  to  thirty  thousand  in  1860,  one  hundred  thou- 
sand in  1870,  one  hundred  eighty  thousand  in  1880,  and  three 
hundred  thousand  in  1893.  Then  came  a  slump  due  to  a  financial 
crisis,  competition  with  beet  sugar  and  the  devastation  of  war 
and  animal  diseases. 

After  the  restoration  of  peace  the  sugar  industry  was  slow  to 
recuperate.  Most  of  the  haciendas  outside  of  Negros  were  in 
ruins.  The  cost  of  production  had  been  doubled  and  what  labor 
was  available  was  badly  demoralized.  The  planters  were  in 
debt.  It  was  impossible  to  borrow  money  upon  agricultural  lands 
at  any  reasonable  rate  of  interest  and  prospects  were  not  then 
such  as  to  justify  the  commercial  houses  or  banks  in  advancing 
money  upon  the  security  of  the  future  crops. 

The  thirty  years  of  prosperity  had  not  taught  the  planters  the 
necessity  for  improving  their  methods  of  cultivation  and  manu- 


356  THE    PHILIPPINES 

facture.  The  land  was  never  properly  plowed  and  cultivated 
and  the  machinery  in  use  suggested  that  it  also  had  come  with 
the  original  sugar  plants  from  Formosa  and  never  been  repaired. 
Irrigation  and  fertilization  were  unknown,  and  the  mills  never 
extracted  more  than  one-half  of  the  sugar  from  the  cane.  The 
other  half  and  the  by-products  were  thrown  away.^^ 

The  American  government  did  not  at  first  seem  inclined  to  en- 
courage the  industry  on  a  large  scale.  Governor  Taft  expressed 
himself  as  opposed  to  it.  The  sugar  business  in  tropical  countries 
had,  in  fact,  an  invidious  reputation.  It  was  associated  in  the 
public  mind  with  slavery  and  the  abuse  of  native  laborers.  The 
word  had  a  political,  as  well  as  saccharine  flavor.  It  had  been 
embarrassing,  if  not  fatal,  to  many  governments.  "It  is  strange 
indeed,"  said  Lord  Beaconsfield  in  his  life  of  Lord  George  Ben- 
tinck,  "that  a  manufacture  which  charms  infancy  and  soothes  old 
age  should  so  frequently  occasion  political  disaster.  .  .  . 
Singular  article  of  produce !  What  is  the  reason  of  this  influ- 
ence? Is  it  that  all  considerations  mingle  in  it;  not  merely 
commercial,  but  imperial,  philanthropic,  religious;  confounding 
and  crossing  each  other,  and  confusing  the  legislature  and  the 
nation,  lost  in  a  maze  of  intersecting  and  contending  emotions." 
In  other  words,  sugar  had  always  been  "in  politics"  and  was 
destined,  for  some  time,  to  continue  "confusing  the  Legislature 
and  the  nation." 

In  addition  to  their  local  troubles,  the  sugar  producers  were 
without  a  market,  and  they  made  a  strong  appeal  to  Congress 


28  In  1905  Mr.  W.  C.  Welborn,  the  chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Agriculture,  said : 
"In  Luzon  there  is  nothing  larger  than  a  three-roller  mill  in  use,  and  I  do 
not  exaggerate  when  I  say  that  at  least  half  of  the  mills  are  driven  by  cara- 
baos.  In  Negros  there  is  one  five-roller  mill  of  a  pattern  of  twenty-five  years 
ago ;  all  the  rest  are  three-roller  mills,  and  perhaps  average  a  loss  in  the  total 
juice  of  the  cane  of  about  40  per  cent.  There  is  not  a  vacuum  pan  in  the 
whole  archipelago,  and  not  one  pound  of  centrifugal  sugar  is  made.  The 
cooking  is  done  in  the  old  Jamaica  train  in  vogue  in  other  sugar  countries 
forty  years  ago.  The  sugar,  molasses  and  all  are  boiled  down  hard  and 
beaten  up  with  spades  and  called  sugar.  It  is  a  brown,  lumpy,  scorched 
sugar,  polarizing  about  84  degrees  and  containing  a  large  amount  of  glucose, 
ash  and  other  impurities  that  prevent  much  of  the  indicated  84  per  cent,  of 
sugar  from  being  recovered  at  the  refinery."  Public  Hearings  in  the  Philip- 
pines (1905),  p.  49. 


PHILIPPINE    AGRICULTURE 


357 


for  the  removal  of  the  duties  on  PhiHppine  sugar.  The  original 
small  reduction  of  duties  proved  of  no  particular  value  to  them 
and  the  business  continued  to  languish  until  1909,  when  the 
Payne  Bill  authorized  the  admission  of  two  hundred  thousand 
tons  of  Philippine  sugar  into  the  United  States  free  of  duty. 
The  following  table  shows  that  Mr.  Welbom  was  correct  when 
he  told  the  visiting  congressmen  that  "statistics  show  that  cane 
producing  countries  move  slowly,  especially  tropical  cane  sugar 
countries,"  and  that  the  prediction  of  the  Louisiana  sugar  grow- 
ers that  the  removal  of  the  duty  "would  suddenly  stimulate  pro- 
duction in  the  Philippines  until  one  million  three  hundred  thou- 
sand tons  of  sugar  would  be  produced  in  three  years"  was, 
unfortunately,  not  fulfilled. 

SUGAR  EXPORTS 


Twelve 

Totals 

United  States 

months  ending 
December — 

Long  tons 

Dollars 

Cents  per 
pound 

Long  tons 

Dollars 

Cents  per 
pound 

1906 

1907 

1908 

1909 

127,408 
125,896 
142,448 
127,284 
119,552 
205,392 
193,962 
154,848 
232,761 
207,679 

4,554,092 

4,195,671 

5,703,641 

5,608,287 

7,224,385 

11,040,673 

9,800,340 

7,032,889 

11,059,593 

11,310,215 

1.60 
1.49 
1.79 
1.97 
2.70 
2.40 
2.26 
2.03 
2.12 
2.43 

11,670 

10,815 

45,969 

52,234 

99,109 

184,345 

171,763 

30,232 

166,851 

81,532 

422,111 
403,851 
1,966,166 
2,649,604 
6,214,226 
10,067,103 
7,005,114 
1,564,036 
8,241,853 
5,141,580 

1.61 
1.67 
1.91 
2.26 

1910 

2.80 

1911 

1912 

2.44 
2.37 

1913 

1914 

1915 

2.31 
2.21 
2.82 

The  Underwood  Bill  of  1913  removed  the  restriction  as  to 
quantity  and  any  quantity  of  Philippine  sugar  may  now  enter  the 
American  market  free  of  duty.  This  result  was  secured  against 
the  bitter  opposition  of  the  cane  and  beet  sugar  interests  of  the 
United  States.^®  Although  the  quantity  of  sugar  exported  in  1915 
was  25,082  tons  less  than  in  1914,  the  prices  were  so  much  higher 
that  the  amount  realized  was  greater.     In  1915,  owing  to  the 


29  The  Cuban,  Hawaiian  and  beet  sugar  interests  appeared  before  the 
committees  at  Washington  and  proved  to  their  own  satisfaction  that  if  Philip- 
pine sugar  was  admitted  it  would  swamp  their  infant  industry.  For  the  Phil- 
ippine side  of  the  controversy,  and  the  general  condition  of  the  sugar  indus- 
try in  1905,  see  Hearings  in  Manila,  Aug.,  1905,  statements  of  Sefior  de  la 
Heras,  pp.  7-11;  Sefior  de  la  Rama,  pp.  22-48,  and  W.  C.  Welbom,  pp.  48-78. 


358  THE   PHILIPPINES 

high  freights,  but  81,532  tons  were  sent  to  the  United  States  as 
against  166,851  for  the  previous  year. 

The  PhiHppine  sugar  business  is  still  badly  handicapped.  The 
raising  and  manufacture  of  sugar  requires  more  capital  than  any 
other  agricultural  industry  and,  in  the  face  of  the  present  world 
competition,  it  can  be  made  profitable  only  when  carried  on  on 
a  large  scale.  A  modem  sugar  mill  such  as  is  used  in  Cuba  and 
Hawaii  costs  about  one  million  dollars,  and  can  be  operated  only 
in  connection  with  a  plantation  large  enough  to  supply  it  with 
cane.  Two  such  mills  have  been  built  in  the  Philippines  with 
American  capital.  But  the  Philippine  laws  do  not  allow  a  corpo- 
ration to  own  more  than  twenty-five  hundred  acres  of  land  and 
this  limitation  has  seriously  embarrassed  the  efforts  to  develop  the 
business.  It  is  claimed  that  at  least  five  thousand  acres  are  neces- 
sary for  a  successful  sugar  hacienda.  A  few  large  tracts  have 
been  acquired  and  afe  being  developed  by  individuals  who  are 
identified  with  the  new  mills. 

The  sale  of  an  isolated  friar  estate  in  Mindora  to  persons  who 
had  been  interested  in  the  sugar  business  in  the  United  States 
was  made  the  occasion  for  a  bitter  political  attack  upon  the 
government  by  persons  who  were  believed  to  be  acting  in  the 
interest  of  the  American  beet-sugar  industry.  But  it  failed,  and 
the  estate,  is  being  put  under  cultivation.^"  A  few  small  modem 
mills  have  been  built  by  Filipino  planters  on  the  large  estates  in 
Negros. 

But  a  large  proportion  of  the  Philippine  sugar  cane  is  raised 
by  small  farmers  who  still  use  the  most  primitive  methods.  It  is, 
of  course,  impossible  for  them  to  construct  modern  mills  and  they 
have  not  shown  much  capacity  for  cooperative  work.  For  sev- 
eral years  the  government  was  urged  to  treat  the  sugar  industry 
as  a  public  business  and  subsidize  it  to  the  extent  of  constructing 
or  aiding  in  the  construction  of  central  mills  to  which  the  cane 
growers  could  bring  their  cane  as  the  American  farmers  used 

^'^  This  estate  on  the  island  of  Mindora  has  suffered  by  reason  of  its  iso- 
lation and  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  securing  labor.  The  large  centrals  in 
Negros  and  on  the  Calamba  Estate  near  Manila  depend  largely  upon  cane 
brought  to  them  by  the  surrounding  planters. 


PHILIPPINE    AGRICULTURE  359 

to  carry  their  wheat  and  corn  to  the  grist  mills.  Recently  the 
government  came  to  the  assistance  of  the  planters  with  loans  of 
money  and  it  is  probable  that  in  the  course  of  time  it  will  con- 
struct or  finance  large  mills. 

During  the  last  fifteen  years  the  cocoanut  trees  have  become 
one  of  the  leading  sources  of  agricultural  wealth.  In  1902,  the 
dried  fruit  of  the  cocoanut,  known  as  copra,  ranked  fourth  in  the 
value  of  export  commodities;  in  1915  it  was  second.  The  chem- 
ists have  discovered  that  the  cocoanut  is  the  source  of  various 
new  food  products,  and  there  is  now  a  constantly  increasing 
demand  for  copra  in  Europe  and  America. 

No  particular  advance  has  been  made  in  the  methods  of  pro- 
duction, which  are  still  crude,  and  the  Philippine  copra,  when 
compared  with  that  produced  in  the  South  Sea  islands  and  else- 
where, is  of  an  inferior  grade.  This  is  due,  not  to  the  quality 
of  the  nuts,  but  to  the  lack  of  care  in  drying  and  handling  the 
meat. 

The  beautiful  cocoanut  palm  trees  grow  luxuriantly  on  nearly 
all  of  the  islands  and  in  some  provinces  they  are  cultivated  with 
reasonable  care.  Unlike  the  hemp  plant,  a  cocoanut  tree  thrives 
best  when  exposed  to  the  strong  winds.  The  trees  grow  from 
the  seed,  bear  in  about  seven  years  from  the  time  of  transplanting, 
and  live  for  about  a  hundred  years.  During  the  first  four  years 
they  must  be  carefully  protected  from  wild  hogs  and  other  ani- 
mals. The  nuts  are  gathered  throughout  the  year  and  each  tree 
produces  from  twenty  to  fifty  nuts  each  year  which  net  the 
owner  from  fifty  cents  to  one  dollar.  Cocoanut  groves  con- 
taining from  ten  thousand  to  fifty  thousand  bearing  trees  are 
not  uncommon.  The  size  and  number  of  the  nuts  may  be  greatly 
increased  by  the  irrigation  and  proper  cultivation  of  the  soil. 
Excessive  dry  weather  sometimes  seriously  reduces  the  crop  and, 
of  course,  the  trees  have  their  insect  enemies.^'^    In  certain  sec- 


si  "With  the  exception  of  Ceylon,  no  country  in  the  world  has  a  greater 
cocoanut  industry  than  the  Philippines.  It  is  therefore  not  very  surprising 
that  almost  every  cocoanut  disease  known  in  the  world  occurs  in  these 
islands.  Of  all  these  diseases  the  most  dreadful,  where  it  is  found,  is  the  bud 
rot.  .  .  .  There  are  many  fungi  which  live  upon  the  cocoanut.  .  .  . 
There  are  a  great  many  insects  which  live  on  the  cocoanut,  but  most  of  them 


360 


THE    PHILIPPINES 


tions  typhoons  occasionally  blow  down  the  nuts,  but  it  is  safe  to 
say  that  no  other  tree  or  plant  is  so  little  liable  to  serious  injury 
as  the  cocoanut  palm.  In  fact,  a  good  cocoanut  plantation  is 
worth  more  than  an  ordinary  gold  mine. 

The  cocoanut  produces  copra,  oil  and  milk.  The  latter  makes 
a  pleasant,  nutritious  drink  but  is  not  an  article  of  commerce. 
The  oil  is  used  in  making  soap,  toilet  articles,  and  certain  butter 
and  lard  substitutes  which  do  not,  like  ordinary  butter,  suffer 
from  heat  and  are  therefore  in  great  demand  in  the  tropics. 
Not  much  of  the  oil  has  heretofore  been  made  in  the  islands, 
but  modern  mills  have  recently  been  erected  at  Manila  and  Cebu 
and  the  business  should  prove  very  profitable. 

From  the  sap  of  the  fruit-bearing  stalk  of  the  tree  the  natives 
make  a  mild  drink  called  tuba.  The  fiber  of  the  nut  husks  is 
utilized  to  some  extent  locally  in  the  manufacture  of  a  cloth 
called  sinimay  and  is  a  constituent  of  other  fabrics. 

A  certain  amount  of  copra  had  been  exported  for  many  years. 
In  1892  it  was  exported  to  the  value  of  $743,700,  which  consti- 
tuted three  and  eight-tenths  per  cent,  of  the  total  value  of  the  ex- 
ports. In  1894  it  constituted  about  seven  per  cent,  of  the  value  of 
exports.  There  was  then  a  falling  off  until  after  the  American 
occupation,  since  which  there  was  a  steady  increase  until  the 
year  of  the  European  war,  as  shown  by  the  following  table : 


COPRA  EXPORTS 


Twelve 

Totals 

United  States 

months  ending 
December — 

Long  tons 

Dollars 

Dollars 
per  ton 

Long  tons 

Dollars 

Dollars 
per  ton 

1906 

1907 

1908 

1909 

1910 

1911 

1912 

1913 

59,628 

57,696 

95,954 

107,310 

118,580 

139,901 

140,536 

80,920 

85,965 

136,895 

4,373,702 

4,784,151 

6,058,886 

7,672,865 

10,639,049 

13,019,562 

14,183,466 

9,545,724 

7,980,270 

11,111,555 

73 
83 
63 
72 
90 
93 
101 
118 
93 
81 

372 

2,076 

3,720 

5,850 

7,025 

14,969 

20,858 

9,879 

17,894 

20,882 

35,100 

197,558 

220,892 

422,178 

638,783 

1,378,345 

2,021,553 

1,199,083 

1,606,133 

1,760,046 

94 

95 
59 
72 
91 
92 
97 
121 

1914 

90 

1915 

84 

do  little  harm.  .  .  .  The  cocoanut  pests  which  do  the  greatest  damage  in 
the  PhiHppines  and  in  other  Eastern  countries  are  the  rhinoceros  or  black 
beetle  and  the  red  beetle  or  palm  weevil."  Civic-Educational  Lectures,  No.  3, 
Sec.  11,  p.  9  (Manila,  1910). 


PHILIPPINE    AGRICULTURE  361 

As  the  demand  for  cocoanut  products  is  constantly  increasing 
it  will  not  be  surprising  if  the  cocoanut  becomes  the  most  valuable 
of  all  Philippine  products. 

There  are  no  statistics  available  to  show  the  exact  amount  of 
rice  now  raised  in  the  Philippines,  but  judged  by  the  imports 
of  rice  from  China  it  is  probable  that  the  quantity  has  not  been 
materially  increased  during  the  period  of  American  occupation. 
During  the  fiscal  year  1911,  when  there  were  approximately 
2,609,380  acres  in  rice,  the  yield  was  882,794.13  metric  tons  of 
rough  rice,  paldy,  valued  at  $30,897,744.50,  as  compared  with 
2,980,313  acres  and  810,940.70  metric  tons  in  1910,  and  2,890,- 
362  acres  and  747,942.69  metric  tons  in  1909.  The  area  culti- 
vated in  rice  in  1911  was  94.5  per  cent,  of  the  total  areas  cul- 
tivated in  hemp,  cocoanuts,  sugar,  corn  and  tobacco.^^ 

It  is  commonly  stated  that  the  original  falling  off  of  the  rice 
crop  was  due  to  the  destruction  of  the  carabao  and  the  general 
disorganization  of  the  insurrectionary  period,  and  that  in  recent 
years  it  has  been  found  more  profitable  to  raise  sugar  and  some 
other  kinds  of  crops.  It  is  certainly  true  that  the  production  of 
rice  is  influenced  by  the  demand  for  labor  in  other  lines  and 
that  rice  is  neglected  when  hemp,  sugar  and  copra  bring  high 
prices.  But  the  failure  to  increase  the  acreage  is  due  primarily 
to  the  primitive  methods  of  planting  and  harvesting  and  the 
slowness  with  which  machinery  has  been  adopted. 

Rice  is  the  staple  food  product  of  the  Philippines.  With  a 
little  fish  and  a  few  vegetables,  it  constitutes  practically  the 
entire  food  of  a  great  majority  of  the  people.  Formerly,  when 
the  rice  crops  failed  the  community  faced  famine;  but  this  has 
been  to  some  extent  remedied  by  the  production  of  other  kinds 
of  crops  and  the  improved  facilities  for  communication  between 
different  localities. 

The  method  of  planting  is  that  which  for  centuries  has  been 


32  Rice  Culture  in  the  Philippines,  by  C.  M.  Connor,  assistant  director  of 
the  Bureau  of  Agriculture,  Manila,  1912;  "Modern  Rice  Culture,"  by  W.  J. 
Boudreau,  Farmers'  Bulletin,  No.  3  (1902). 


362  THE   PHILIPPINES 

in  use  in  China  and  Japan.^^  In  the  lowlands  earthen  walls 
about  three  feet  high  are  built  so  as  to  make  enclosed  plots  of 
ground  of  an  acre  or  more  in  extent  so  that  a  large  rice  field 
resembles  a  checker-board.  After  the  rains  commence  and  the 
ground  within  these  retaining  walls  is  covered  with  water,  it  is 
broken  with  a  primitive  sort  of  plow  with  a  single  iron  point, 
drawn  by  a  carabao,  and  then  puddled  with  a  rake  until  it  is  a 
bed  of  soft  mud.  Into  this  the  small  rice  plants  which  have 
been  sprouted  in  seed  beds  are  stuck  by  hand.  This  is  often  done 
by  organized  bands  working  to  the  rhythm  of  music  supplied 
by  some  expert  on  the  banjo  who  is  perched  on  the  retaining 
wall.  By  the  time  the  rains  have  ceased  the  plants  are  well 
grown  and  able  to  carry  on  the  battle  with  the  weeds.  When 
the  harvest  time  comes  the  heads  are  cut  off  one  at  a  time  with 
knives  or,  if  possible,  with  a  sickle.  The  grain  is  threshed  by 
being  trampled  under  the  feet  of  men,  horses,  or  cattle,  and  the 
unhusked  rice,  called  palay,  is  winnowed  by  a  sort  of  fan,  or  by 
being  tossed  into  the  air  after  being  pounded  in  wooden  mortars. 

Threshing  machines  operated  on  a  toll  basis  are  now  used 
to  some  extent  and  there  are  a  few  rice  mills  with  modem  ma- 
chinery in  the  heavy  rice  producing  districts. 

What  is  called  upland  or  mountain  rice  is  raised  on  the  table- 
lands and  where  the  ground  is  too  rolling  to  be  flooded.  The 
native  methods  of  cultivation  and  harvesting  are  the  same  as  on 
the  level  lands  except  for  the  devices  for  holding  the  water.  The 
ground  might  be  plowed,  planted  and  cultivated  exactly  as  wheat 
is  in  the  United  States. 

The  Igorots  and  other  mountain  tribes  terrace  the  hillsides 
and  raise  their  rice  on  the  irrigated  shelves  thus  artificially  con- 
structed.^* 


S3  See  F.  H.  King's  Farmers  of  Forty  Centuries,  Chap.  XII,  pp.  270  et  seq. 

3*  Of  the  Ifugaos,  Worcester  says  ("Non-Christian  Tribes  of  Northern 
Luzon,"  Phil.  Jour,  of  Science,  Oct.,  1906)  :  "Their  agricuUure  is  little  short 
of  wonderful,  and  no  one  who  has  seen  their  dry  stone  dams,  their  irrigating 
ditches  running  for  miles  along  precipitous  hillsides,  and  their  irrigated  ter- 
races extending  for  thousands  of  feet  up  the  mountain  sides  can  fail  to  be 
impressed.  ...  I  know  of  no  more  impressive  example  of  primitive  en- 
gineering than  the  terraced  mountain  sides  of  Nueva  Vizcaya." 


PHILIPPINE    AGRICULTURE  363 

Ever  since  the  insurrection  the  PhiHppines  have  imported  about 
one-third  of  the  rice  required  for  food  purposes.^^ 

The  experiments  carried  on  by  the  government  on  its  rice 
farm  show  conclusively  that  there  is  no  reason  why  the  islands 
should  not  raise  at  least  all  the  rice  required  for  food.  By  the 
use  of  proper  machinery  and  the  expenditure  of  reasonable  en- 
ergy the  crop  may  be  increased  almost  indefinitely,  and,  with 
irrigation,  one,  two  or  even  three  crops  per  year  are  assured. 

It  would  seem  to  the  uninitiated  that  irrigation  would  be  un- 
necessary in  a  country  with  an  average  rainfall  of  2,400  mm. 
But  it  is  not  properly  distributed  with  reference  to  time  and 
place.  Excessive  rains  are  liable  to  be  followed  by  excessively 
dry  months. 

Rice  is  usually  planted  and  gets  its  early  growth  in  standing 
water,  and  during  the  droughts,  which  are  not  uncommon,  much 
of  it  perishes.  With  irrigation  several  crops  could  be  raised  each 
year,  and  instead  of  importing  rice  from  Saigon,  the  country 
would  soon  be  exporting  it  to  China.  The  sugar  crop  and  many 
other  of  the  agricultural  products  could  also  be  greatly  increased. 

The  irrigation  work  is  designed  exclusively  for  the  improve- 
ment of  agriculture.  So  far  it  has  been  very  disappointing. 
Because  of  the  inexperience  of  the  engineers  and  the  adoption 
of  an  unnecessarily  complicated  system,  nothing  very  substantial 
has  been  accomplished.  In  fact,  the  Igorots  and  their  neigh- 
bors in  the  mountains  appear  to  be  the  only  real  irrigation  ex- 
perts in  the  Philippines,  and  their  terraced  lands  are  among  the 
sights  of  the  East. 

In  many  parts  of  the  lowlands  the  Spaniards  and  Filipinos 
had,  from  time  immemorial,  maintained  primitive  irrigation  sys- 
tems, and  the  friars  had  extensive  irrigation  works  on  some  of 
the  estates  which  were  sold  to  the  government  which  have  been 
repaired  and  maintained. 

The  greater  part  of  the  cultivated  lands  on  the  islands  lies 


35  Upon  the  outbreak  of  the  European  war  in  1914  France  prohibited  the 
exportation  of  rice  from  Saigon.  The  restriction  was  removed  in  favor  of 
the  Philippine  government,  which  imported  large  quantities  and  sold  it  in  the 
islands. 


364  THE    PHILIPPINES 

between  the  coasts  and  the  mountains,  and  during  the  heavy  rains 
the  waters  which  rush  out  of  the  mountain  gorges  and  flood  the 
plains  soon  disappear,  leaving  the  ground  to  bake  during  the  dry 
season. 

Irrigation  in  such  a  country  seems  very  simple  when  compared 
with  that  of  India,  Egypt  and  the  western  part  of  the  United 
States.  Nevertheless,  it  has  its  own  difficulties.  Fifteen  years 
ago  experienced  irrigation  engineers  were  not  common,  even  in 
the  United  States.  Unlike  England,  we  had  nothing  resembling 
the  India  service  to  draw  on,  and  they  had  to  be  developed  as  the 
work  progressed.  Mr.  J.  W.  Beardsley,  the  Director  of  Public 
Works,  was  sent  to  investigate  the  irrigation  systems  of  India, 
Java  and  Egypt,  but  his  elaborate  report,  while  interesting,  was 
of  little  practical  value.^® 

The  first  irrigation  law  enacted  was  unsound  in  principle  and 
proved  unworkable  in  practise.  Its  principal  features  were  the 
reimbursable  fund  and  the  consent  of  the  landowners  to  the  insti- 
tution of  an  irrigation  system.^^  Two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
dollars  was  appropriated  for  work  under  this  law.^*  On  June 
13,  1908,  the  legislature  passed  the  act^^  under  which  the  gov- 
ernment attempted  to  work  until  the  enactment  of  the  elaborate 
Irrigation  Law  of  1912,  which  is  now  in  force.*" 

The  law  of  June  13,  1908,  provided  a  standing  annual  appro- 
priation of  three  hundred  and  seventy-five  thousand  dollars  to 
create  a  "special  permanent  fund"  for  the  promotion,  establish- 
ment and  maintenance  of  irrigation  systems.  The  superin- 
tendent of  irrigation  was  directed  to  report  to  the  secretary  of 
commerce  and  police  "a  plan  adequate  for  the  establishment  of 
an  economical  and  complete  system  of  irrigation  for  all  the  Phil- 
ippine Islands."  If  the  plan  was  approved,  the  secretary  should 
order  "that  the  works  be  begun  at  once." 


28  Preliminary  Report  on  Irrigation  in  Java  ( Manila,  1909) . 

37  Act  No.  1688,  Aug.  11,  1908. 

38  Act  No.  1837,  May  29,  1908. 

39  Act  No.  1854,  June  13,  1908.  For  a  summary  of  this  and  the  preceding 
legislation,  see  Report  Director  Public  Works  (Kept.  Phil.  Com.,  1908,  Ft 
II,  p.  470). 

40  Act  No.  2152,  Feb.  6,  1912. 


PHILIPPINE    AGRICULTURE  365 

The  weakest  point  of  this  very  unsatisfactory  law  was  the  re- 
quirement that  the  initiative  for  systems  effecting  private  property 
should  come  from  the  landowners.  The  money  was  made  allot- 
able  by  the  secretary.  Upon  receipt  of  a  request  from  any  pro- 
vincial board,  barrio,  municipality,  or  any  "group  of  neighbor- 
hoods" interested  in  obtaining  a  portion  of  this  fund,  together 
with  the  promise  to  pay  an  equitable  rate  for  the  use  of  the 
water  in  such  quantity  as  would  reimburse  the  government  for 
the  cost  of  the  irrigation  work  within  a  given  number  of  years, 
not  to  exceed  twenty,  the  secretary,  if  satisfied  with  the  condi- 
tions, was  required  to  direct  the  preparation  of  plans  and  have 
the  probable  costs  determined  and  proceed  with  the  construction 
of  the  system.  When  completed  it  should  be  operated  "for  the 
benefit  of  the  landowners"  under  proper  rules  and  regulations 
which  should  fix  the  price  of  the  water.  Unpaid  dues  were 
made  a  lien  on  the  land  of  the  users,  collectible  in  the  same  man- 
ner as  taxes.  After  the  government  had  been  reimbursed,  the 
charge  for  water  was  required  to  be. reduced  to  an  amount  suf- 
ficient to  pay  operating  expenses  and  maintenance. 

The  details  for  putting  this  law  into  operation  were  worked 
out  by  a  committee  which  was  appointed  by  the  secretary,  and 
on  the  recommendation  of  this  committee  considerable  investiga- 
tion was  done  of  various  projects. 

Lessons  drawn  from  the  irrigation  experiences  of  the  British 
in  India  and  Egypt  are  liable  to  be  misleading  when  applied  to 
the  Philippines.  The  conditions  are  very  dissimilar.  The  Philip- 
pine government  was  without  the  power  to  borrow  money  by  a 
bond  issue  and  had  to  rely  on  what  it  could  scrimp  out  of  its  cur- 
rent income. 

The  plan  adopted  proved  unworkable.  It  probably  would  have 
been  better  to  have  appropriated  the  money  for  the  construc- 
tion of  irrigation  systems  and  gone  ahead  slowly  with  the  funds 
available  without  reference  to  the  consent  of  the  landowners, 
taxing  the  cost  as  a  special  assessment  on  the  lands  benefited 
and  selling  the  water  to  the  landowners  at  a  price  which  would 
pay  operating  expenses  and  maintenance,  and  ultimately  return 


366  THE    PHILIPPINES 

the  capital  invested.  This  would  have  been  practical,  economical 
and  effective  and  by  this  time,  if  our  engineers  had  not  made 
too  many  mistakes,  the  government  would  have  had  something 
to  show  for  the  money  expended.*'^ 

But  it  was  thought  best  not  to  impose  even  so  desirable  a  bur- 
den upon  the  landowners  without  their  consent.  The  reimbursa- 
ble fund  plan,  while  theoretically  perfect,  is  so  complicated  that 
it  is  difficult  to  work  it  out  in  a  country  such  as  the  Philippines. 

The  method  adopted  did  not  meet  with  the  approval  of  the 
natives  and  it  imposed  innumerable  administrative  troubles  upon 
the  ordinary  engineering  difficulties.  As  Sir  Auckland  Colvin 
once  said :  "It  is  easier  to  lay  out  or  correct  a  system  of  canal  ac- 
tion than  to  deal  with  the  spirit  of  fro  ward  men  and  with  intrica- 
cies of  law  and  procedure."  Our  administration  has  had  to  con- 
tend with  the  engineering  difficulties,  an  unsatisfactory  law  and 
the  froward  spirits  of  ignorant  farmers  and  self-serving  local 
politicians,  in  combination. 

Before  any  money  could  be  spent  for  construction  work,  the 
secretary  of  commerce  and  police  was  obliged  to  see  that  pro- 
vision was  made  for  the  reimbursement  of  the  government  and 
this  could  only  be  done  by  securing  contracts  with  the  landowners 
to  use  the  water.  It  was  thought  that  if  contracts  were  secured 
with  the  owners  of  seventy-five  per  cent,  of  the  land  included  in 
the  project,  it  would  be  safe  to  infer  that  the  rest  would  take  the 
water  when  the  opportunity  was  presented. 

Early  in  1909,  acting  under  this  law,  the  government  entered 
into  a  contract  with  the  Compania  General  de  Tabacos  de  Fili- 


*i  The  irrigation  systems  of  Egypt  and  India  were  built  with  borrowed 
money.  "The  main  principle,  that  railways  and  irrigation  works  in  India  may 
wisely  and  without  financial  danger  be  constructed  with  borrowed  money, 
has  been  consistently  carried  out."  See  Strachey's  India,  Its  Administration 
and  Progress,  p.  244.  The  India  irrigation  system  has  cost  over  thirty-five 
million  pounds  and  it  is  estimated  that  each  year  the  value  of  the  crops  raised 
by  canal  irrigation  is  equal  to  four-fifths  of  the  total  capital  expenditure 
which  has  been  incurred  upon  the  canals.  Fuller,  The  Empire  of  India,  p.  314 
(1913).  The  policy  of  borrowing  money  with  which  to  build  irrigation  sys- 
tems has  been  equally  successful  in  Egypt.  Lord  Cromer  (Modern  Egypt, 
Vol.  II,  p.  464)  says :  "I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  the  expenditure  of 
this  one  million  eight  hundred  thousand  pounds  on  irrigation  and  drainage 
has  contributed  probably  more  than  any  one  cause  to  the  comparative  pros- 
perity that  the  country  now  enjoys." 


PHILIPPINE   AGRICULTURE  367 

pinas  to  construct  a  modem  irrigation  system  on  its  rice  lands 
in  the  province  of  Tarlac.  Unfortunately,  within  a  few  days  of 
the  opening  of  this  system,  a  flood  washed  away  the  main  dam 
and  with  it  a  goodly  portion  of  the  reimbursable  fund.  The  engi- 
neers had  acted  hastily  and  constructed  the  dam  without  sufficient 
knowledge  of  conditions  and  the  plans  had  to  be  revised  and  a 
new  start  made  under  another  contract  with  the  company. 

In  the  meantime  considerable  progress  had  been  made  on  a 
large  project  in  the  province  of  Pangasinan.  The  Agno  River 
was  to  be  dammed  at  the  point  where  it  flowed  out  of  the  moun- 
tain gorge  and  the  water  thus  collected  distributed  over  several 
thousand  acres  of  valuable  and  highly  cultivated  land.  Probably 
a  dozen  good-sized  towns  and  several  small  private  irrigation 
systems  were  included  in  this  area.  At  first  the  people  accepted 
the  idea  with  enthusiasm  and  by  the  time  the  surveys,  specifica- 
tions and  estimates  were  completed,  the  owners  of  about  fifty 
per  cent,  of  the  land  had  signed  contracts  to  use  and  pay  for  the 
water.  Then  there  came  a  sudden  loss  of  interest  and  no  further 
signatures  could  be  secured.  The  engineers  were  in  despair.  In- 
vestigation disclosed  that  the  people  had  been  induced,  by  certain 
local  politicians,  to  believe  that  the  project  was  a  deep  laid  scheme 
of  the  Americans  to  deprive  them  of  their  lands. 

We  had  now  to  deal  with  the  froward  spirits  of  men.  The 
people  had  to  be  educated.  As  a  preliminary  move  the  governor 
of  the  province,  the  presidentes  and  counselors  of  the  towns,  and 
many  of  the  leading  citizens  were  induced  to  take  an  excursion 
to  San  Maguil,  Tarlac,  and  see  what  a  modem  irrigation  system 
looked  like.  The  results  were  very  satisfactory.  The  lukewarm 
local  officials,  finding  that  the  government  was  in  earnest,  became 
the  enthusiastic  advocates  of  the  scheme.  Immediately  thereafter 
the  writer,  with  a  party  of  about  a  dozen  officials,  spent  a  week 
in  the  province  addressing  public  meetings  and  explaining  what 
the  government  was  trying  to  do  and  what  the  irrigation  system 
would  mean  for  the  province.  The  people  were  ignorant,  but 
intelligent  enough  and  wide  awake  to  their  own  interests.  They 
wanted  to  know  particularly  what  it  would  cost  and  what  would 


368  THE    PHILIPPINES 

become  of  the  various  privately  owned  little  systems  which  were 
already  in  operation.  One  old  tao  refused  to  sign  a  contract 
to  use  the  water  until  he  learned  whether  his  carabaos  would  be 
allowed  to  swim  in  the  big  ditch.  Others  were  interested  in  the 
fishery  rights  which  they  supposed  would  be  developed.  When 
told  that  with  irrigation  he  could  raise  two  and  even  three  crops 
of  rice  each  year  one  weary  farmer  replied  that  it  was  work 
enough  to  raise  one  crop. 

That  week  spent  in  the  dusty  villages  under  the  palms  on  the 
great  plains  of  Pangasinan,  during  the  hot  and  dry  season,  will 
not  soon  be  forgotten.  But  it  was  worth  the  effort.  The  people 
were  converted,  the  froward  spirits  were  laid,  and  then,  in  the 
moment  of  triumph, — the  San  Maguil  dam  was  washed  away 
and  the  engineers  reported  that  they  were  afraid  to  proceed  with 
the  Agno  dam  without  further  investigation.*^  There,  according 
to  the  last  reports,  the  matter  rests. 

The  defects  of  the  law  were  recognized  even  by  its  authors 
and  a  revised  law  was  passed  by  the  commission  in  the  spring 
of  1910,  but  rejected  by  the  assembly.  Two  years  later  the  en- 
tire subject  of  water  rights  and  irrigation  was  provided  for  by 
the  elaborate  statute  which  is  now  in  force. *^  It  is  a  decided  im- 
provement on  the  prior  law.  The  government  was  thoroughly 
committed  to  the  reimbursable  fund  theory  and  it  had  to  be  em- 
bodied in  this  law.  But  under  tlie  present  law  the  initiative  is 
taken  by  the  government  and  when  the  secretary  of  commerce 
and  police  decides  that  the  construction  of  a  project  is  advisable, 
he  gives  public  notice,  and  unless  the  owners  of  one-half  the 


42  A  certain  well-known  Manila  character  established  a  reputation  by  end- 
ing a  speech  at  a  public  hearing  before  the  commission  with  the  remark  that 

"in  the  East  just  as  you  are  about  to  put  something  over,  some  d thing 

always  happens." 

43  Act  No.  2152,  Feb.  6,  1912._  The  history  of  this  statute  illustrates  meth- 
ods of  legislation  in  the  Philippines.  The  original  draft  of  the  bill  was  pre- 
pared by  the  Irrigation  Committee,  but  it  was  very  considerably  modified 
before  being  passed  by  the  commission  at  the  special  session  in  Baguio  in 
1910.  After  the  legislature  adjourned  I  selected  three  Filipino  deputies,  who 
were  also  lawyers,  and  had  them  working  on  the  bill  for  several  months. 
This  bill,  after  being  carefully  revised  by  Mr.  Forbes  and  myself,  was  intro- 
duced into  the  assembly  by  Mr.  Mercado  and  thereafter  known  as  an  Assem- 
bly Bill  and  a  product  of  native  legislative  capacity.  Its  passage  was  finally 
secured  with  the  greatest  difficulty. 


PHILIPPINE    AGRICULTURE  369 

irrigable  lands  or  three-fourths  of  the  owners  of  such  land  file 
objections  within  ninety  days,  the  work  of  construction  proceeds. 
From  a  practical  standpoint,  this  is  a  decided  advantage  because 
the  lethargy  of  the  people  is  thrown  into  the  scales  on  the  side 
of  progress. 

However,  nothing  seems  as  yet  to  have  been  accomplished 
under  this  law  other  than  the  very  important  work  of  investiga- 
tion of  local  conditions.  Soon  after  its  enactment  the  govern- 
ment found  itself  facing  a  probable  deficit  in  the  treasury  and 
most  of  the  money  which  had  accumulated  in  the  irrigation  fund 
was  reverted  to  the  treasury.** 

The  common  people  of  the  East  have  always  been  the  patient 
victims  of  the  usurer  and  the  Filipinos,  like  the  Ryots  of  India, 
and  the  Fellaheen  of  Egypt,  had  been  accustomed  to  pay  from 
two  per  cent,  to  twenty  per  cent,  per  month  for  small  loans  with 
the  privilege  reserved  to  the  lender  to  purchase  the  crops  at  a 
ridiculously  low  price  fixed  in  advance.*^  During  Spanish  times 
many  unsuccessful  attempts  were  made  to  find  a  way  by  which 
agriculturists  could  secure  loans  at  reasonable  rates  upon  their 
lands  and  crops.  The  Spanish  Code  of  Commerce  contains 
liberal  provisions  for  the  establishment  of  agricultural  banks 
on  the  debenture  plan  and  the  charter  of  the  Spanish  Filipino 
Bank  authorized  it  to  make  real  estate  loans  under  certain  re- 
strictions. The  demand  for  some  kind  of  a  land-mortgage  bank 
was  universal.  The  report  of  the  Schurman  Commission  de- 
clared that  "the  lack  of  proper  capital  and  the  high  prices  asked 
for  loans  constitutes  another  obstacle  which  stupefies  industry, 


*■*  "The  development  of  irrigation  in  the  islands  continues  slowly.  Ex- 
perience has  amply  demonstrated  the  unwisdom  of  sinking  large  sums  of 
money  in  irrigation  systems  in  the  Philippines  before  the  most  exhaustive 
investigations  have  been  made  as  to  rainfall  and  the  geological  structure  of 
the  proposed  location,  and  such  investigation  ought  properly  to  cover  con- 
siderable periods  of  time."  Report  of  Acting  Governor-General  Gilbert  for 
the  fiscal  year  1913. 

■*5  An  attempt  in  1912  to  pass  a  usury  law  was  defeated  in  the  Philippine 
Assembly.  Recently  the  legislature  has  passed  a  usury  law  (Act  No.  2655) 
which  the  commission  calls  unsatisfactory  but  believes  "to  be  a  material  ad- 
vance in  the  solution  of  this  complex  problem."  Report  Phil.  Com.,  1915. 
The  problem  was  rendered  "complex"  by  the  number  of  usurers  or  repre- 
sentatives of  such  who  occupied  seats  in  the  legislature. 


370  THE   PHILIPPINES 

augments  the  cost  of  production,  and  restrains,  in  consequence,  its 
benefits."  In  its  second  annual  report  the  United  States  Commis- 
sion recommended  congressional  action  to  encourage  the  crea- 
tion of  an  agricultural  bank  by  private  enterprise. 

In  1906  Mr.  E.  W.  Kemmerer  was  sent  to  Egypt  to  investigate 
the  workings  of  the  Agricultural  Bank  of  Egypt,  which  had  then 
been  in  operation  for  four  years.  In  his  report  Mr,  Kemmerer 
recommended  the  creation  in  the  Philippines  of  a  mortgage  bank 
with  a  private  capital  of  two  million  dollars,  with  a  government 
guarantee  of  four  per  cent,  dividends  on  the  capital  stock  and 
the  right  to  the  services  of  the  provincial  and  municipal  treas- 
urers as  its  local  representatives.*^ 

Congress,  after  various  hearings  before  its  committees,  con- 
ferred the  necessary  authority  upon  the  commission,*^  but  private 
capital  was  not  forthcoming,  and  finally  the  Agricultural  Bank 
of  the  Philippine  Government  was  established  with  a  capital  of 
five  hundred  thousand  dollars.*^  It  was  purely  a  government 
institution,  to  be  administered  by  a  board  composed  of  the  sec- 
retary of  finance  and  justice,  the  insular  treasurer,  and  three 
citizens  appointed  by  the  governor-general.  It  was  authorized 
to  make  loans  to  persons  or  corporations  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  "for  the  payment  or  satisfaction  of  incumbrances  on 
agricultural  lands,  for  the  construction  of  drainage  and  irrigation 
works,  and  for  the  purchase  of  fertilizers,  agricultural  seeds, 
machinery,  implements  and  animals,  to  be  used  exclusively  by 
the  borrower  for  agricultural  purposes,"  secured  by  mortgage  on 
unincumbered,  improved  urban  or  agricultural  land  and  "on 
crops  already  harvested,  gathered  and  stored,"  and  duly  insured. 
A  subsequent  law  permitted  loans  for  the  repair,  as  well  as  main- 


^6  See  The  Agricultural  Bank  of  Egypt,  by  E.  W.  Kemmerer,  1906,  and  his 
preliminary  report  on  the  Advisability  of  Establishing  an  Agricultural  Bank 
in  the  Philippines,  dated  Feb.  7,  1905.  These  two  reports  and  the  papers 
printed  in  connection  therewith  contain  much  valuable  information  about  the 
Agricultural  Bank  of  Egypt  and  the  various  cooperative  associations  which 
had  proved  so  successful  in  Europe. 

47  Act  of  March  4,  1907. 

,48  Act  No.  1865,  June  18,  1908.  See  the  Report  of  the  Secretary  of  Finance 
and  Justice  of  Oct.  26,  1908. 


PHILIPPINE   AGRICULTURE  371 

tenance,  of  drainage  and  irrigation  works  and  otherwise  extended 
the  scope  of  the  phrase  agricultural  purposes.  The  maximum 
rate  of  interest  was  fixed  at  ten  per  cent,  per  annum. 

The  bank  opened  for  business  October  1,  1908,  and  during 
the  succeeding  nine  months  of  the  fiscal  year  1908  it  loaned 
$27,725  to  twenty-three  applicants.  Out  of  417  applications  196 
were  refused  because  of  defective  titles.  During  the  fiscal  year 
1910  only  eighty-nine  loans,  amounting  $114,500,  were  made, 
and  Secretary  Araneta  said  that,  in  view  of  the  pressure  that 
had  been  exerted  for  the  creation  of  the  bank,  "it  is  somewhat 
discouraging  to  note  the  little  business  done."  During  1911  the 
rate  of  interest  was  reduced  to  eight  per  cent.,  but,  in  the  report 
for  that  year,  it  was  stated  that  the  "transactions  of  the  Agri- 
cultural Bank  show  little,  if  any,  improvement  over  last  year." 
However,  during  the  year  1913  the  business  improved  and  loans 
amounting  to  $514,325  were  made. 

The  capital  of  the  bank  was  then  exhausted,  and  as  the  treas- 
ury was  not  in  a  condition  to  increase  it,  the  bank  was  designated 
as  an  official  depository  for  the  provincial  treasurers,  and  $584,- 
580  was  taken  over,  twenty  per  cent,  of  which  was  made  available 
for  loans.'*^  It  thus  required  five  years  for  the  bank  to  loan  its 
capital  of  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  and  accumulated  sur- 
plus.'*^ 

Notwithstanding  the  popular  demand  for  the  creation  of  such 
an  institution,  the  Filipinos  were  slow  in  taking  advantage  of  the 
opportunities  offered.  The  Agricultural  Bank  of  Egypt,  during 
the  first  four  years  of  its  existence,  loaned  more  than  thirty-five 
million  dollars  in  amounts  averaging  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  each.    But  in  order  to  do  so,  it  was  necessary  for  repre- 


*9  In  order  to  increase  the  banking  facilities  in  the  provinces  the  agencies 
are  authorized  to  receive  deposits  upon  which  interest  of  from  3  per  cent,  to 
3y2  per  cent,  is  paid.  This  money  is  merely  deposited  in  the  large  commercial 
banks,  from  which  the  same  rate  of  interest  is  received. 

50  The  Agricultural  Bank  competes  with  the  Postal  Service  Bank  for  de- 
posits and  loans.  During  the  calendar  year  1914  the  bank  loaned  $697,875; 
during  1915,  $565,789.  On  January  1,  1916,  there  were  outstanding  loans 
amounting  to  $2,541,280.  Interest  amounting  to  $33,562.48  was  in  default. 
Report  Secretary  Commerce  and  Justice.    Rept.  Phil.  Com.,  1915. 


372  THE    PHILIPPINES 

sentatives  of  the  bank  to  take  the  actual  gold  and  go  among  the 
people  soliciting  loans. 

The  slow  growth  of  the  bank  in  the  Philippines  was  due  to  the 
condition  of  land  titles.  Probably  the  majority  of  the  small  land- 
owners are  not  able  to  prove  a  record  title,  but  they  and  their 
ancestors  have  generally  lived  on  the  land  long  enough  to  estab- 
lish a  title  by  prescription.  The  registrations  under  the  Torrens 
Law  have  been  slow,  due  to  the  lack  of  funds  and  the  indisposi- 
tion of  the  small  landowners  to  take  the  trouble  to  have  their 
titles  registered.  It  was  thought  that  a  requirement  that  the 
Agricultural  Bank  should  loan  only  on  registered  titles  would 
protect  the  government  from  loss  and  at  the  same  time  encourage 
registration,  but  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  registration  limited 
the  operations  of  the  bank.  There  have  been  practically  no 
losses.  The  average  size  of  the  loans  is  much  larger  than  is 
customary  in  Egypt.  The  very  small  land  holders  and  the  large 
sugar  growers  have  borrowed  most  of  the  money.  The  Agri- 
cultural Bank  has  now  been  absorbed  by  the  Philippine  National 
Bank,  an  institution  controlled  by  the  government. 

Left  to  his  own  initiative,  the  Filipino  seldom  leaves  the  neigh- 
borhood in  which  he  was  born.  Certain  districts  are  densely 
populated  while  near  by  land  suitable  for  cultivation  remains 
unoccupied.  In  1913  the  government,  for  the  purpose  of  en- 
couraging the  dissemination  of  the  population  and  the  increase 
of  the  rice  crop,  appropriated  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  to 
be  used  in  establishing  agricultural  colonies  on  public  lands.  The 
most  interesting  of  the  experiments  under  this  law  are  the  mixed 
Moro  and  Filipino  colonies  on  the  Cotabato  River  in  Mindanao. 
Approximately  one  thousand  families  nearly  equally  divided  be- 
tween the  Moros  and  Christians  gathered  from  the  congested 
districts  are  attempting  to  answer  the  question  whether  Chris- 
tian and  Mohammedan  Filipinos  can  live  harmoniously  together. 

Another  interesting  experiment  is  being  tried  at  Momungan 
on  the  same  island.  In  1912  all  the  civilian  employees  of  the 
quartermaster's  corps  were  replaced  by  an  enlisted  personnel. 
Many  Americans  were  thus  left  stranded  in  the  islands.     Quite 


PHILIPPINE    AGRICULTURE  373 

a  number  had  married  Filipino  women  and  had  no  desire  to  leave 
the  country.  The  condition  of  these  men  was  pitiable.  There 
is  no  place  in  the  social  and  economic  organization  of  the  country 
for  Americans  of  that  class  and  the  government,  under  the  law 
authorizing  agricultural  colonies,  established  them  on  public  lands 
at  Momungan,  where  they  will  have  an  opportunity  to  work  out 
their  own  salvations  under  the  control  of  the  Bureau  of  Agri- 
culture. 

The  outstanding  fact  of  the  Philippine  economic  situation  is 
the  backwardness  of  agriculture.  The  construction  of  railroads 
and  highways  has  not  been  followed  by  the  expected  rapid  agri- 
cultural development.  The  government  has  done  everything  pos- 
sible.^^  Much  special  legislation  has  been  enacted  for  the  benefit 
of  the  farmers.  The  Agricultural  Bank  enabled  them  to  borrow 
money  on  easy  terms  and  at  reasonable  rates.  Financial  aid  has 
been  given  the  sugar  planters  and  government  endowed  sugar  cen- 
trals are  being  provided  for  the  cane  growers.  Notwithstanding 
the  ravages  of  rinderpest  there  are  a  reasonable  number  of  cara- 
bao  available  for  agricultural  work.  A  better  organized  labor 
system,  increased  ambition  for  personal  well-being,  and  a  great 
deal  more  energy,  and  nothing  else,  will  bring  permanent  pros- 
perity to  the  Filipino  farmers  and  remove  the  blight  of  inadequate 
production  from  the  country. 


21  "A  healthy  sign  of  the  times  is  the  rapid  formation,  under  stimulus 
from  the  Bureau  of  Agriculture,  of  cooperative  agricultural  societies,  of  which 
there  are  now  29  provincial  and  295  municipal  organizations.  Above  all,  the 
meeting  of  the  first  Farmers'  Congress,  from  August  21  to  28,  1915,  in  Manila, 
is  significant  of  great  progress.  At  the  present  time  it  may  perhaps  be 
suggested  that  these  agricultural  meetings  are  apt  to  lean  too  heavily  upon 
the  advantages  of  government  aid  rather  than  self-aid,  but  a  very  positive 
benefit  will  result  from  these  frequent  meetings  and  conferences.  The  gov- 
ernment is  doing  everything  it  legitimately  can,  and  for  which  the  necessary 
funds  can  be  provided,  to  meet  the  requests  and  necessities  of  the  farmers. 
During  the  past  two  years  laws  have  been  passed  for  the  formation  of  rural 
credit  associations,  for  the  founding  of  a  government  bank  with  special 
credit  facilities  for  the  agriculturists,  for  the  hastening  of  the  work  of  the 
cadastral  survey,  for  the  reform  of  the  irrigation  and  water-right  laws,  for 
the  rapid  building  and  extension  of  the  road  system,  for  the  grading  and 
classifying  of  hemp  for  export,  for  the  regulation  and  betterment  of  the  ex- 
port of  cigars  to  the  United  States,  for  improvements  in  the  locust  and 
rinderpest  laws,  and  for  the  organization  and  operation  with  government  aid 
of  sugar  and  copra  centrals.  And  yet  all  of  these  laws  will  be  of  but  little 
effect  unless  the  people  themselves  will  cooperate  and  take  advantage  of 
them."    Report  Governor-General,  July  1,  1916. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 
Policies  and  Personnel 

Attitude  of  the  Public — Visiting  Statesmen — Misinformation — Declared  Re- 
publican Policy — Executive  Statements — Approval  Thereof  by  Congress — 
The  Most  Difficult  of  all  Possible  Policies — Time  Necessary  for  Its  Success 
— Failure  to  Control  Local  Situation — Changing  Officials — The  American 
Employees — Filipinoism  of  the  Service. 

The  government  which  has  been  described  in  the  preceding 
chapters  remained  under  the  control  of  its  creators  for  a  decade 
and  a  half,  and  until  a  change  of  administration  in  the  United 
States  threw  it  into  the  hands  of  the  political  party  which  was 
committed  in  a  general  way  to  the  so-called  anti-imperialist  the- 
ories. During  that  time  it  was  in  the  hands  of  its  friends  and 
while  twelve  years  is  a  very  short  period  in  the  life  of  a  country, 
it  was  long  enough  to  enable  the  policy  to  be  fairly  well  tested. 

Absorbed  in  domestic  affairs,  the  general  public  of  the  United 
States  gave  very  little  serious  consideration  to  the  details  of 
what  was  occurring  in  the  far-away  islands.  The  great  mass 
of  the  people  considered  the  question  as  having  been  settled, 
for  their  generation  at  least.  They  had  approved  the  McKinley 
policy  and  were  willing  that  it  should  be  given  a  fair  trial.  In 
the  meantime,  so  long  as  there  was  no  serious  fighting  with  the 
natives,  they  refused  to  become  excited  over  the  details  of  ad- 
ministration. 

The  attitude  of  the  Democratic  party  continued  to  be  that 
of  opposition  if  not  hostility.^  For  a  time  everything  done  by 
the  Philippine  government  was  viewed  with  extreme  suspicion. 
Gradually,  however,  the  indisputable  facts  of.  order  and  increas- 
ing material  prosperity  forced  the  reluctant  admission  from  all 


^  It  will  be  understood  that  there  were  many  Democrats  and  many  Repub- 
licans who  were  not  in  sympathy  with  the  Philippine  policy  of  their  party. 

374 


POLICIES    AND    PERSONNEL  375 

but  the  extreme  radicals  that  the  altruistic  experiment  had  every 
prospect  of  being  successful. 

It  seemed  difficult  to  get  reliable  information  as  to  the  actual 
situation  in  the  distant  land.  Various  members  of  Congress 
visited  the  islands  at  different  times  during  the  early  years  of 
the  occupation  for  the  purpose  of  "learning  the  truth  on  the 
ground,"  and  most  of  them  claimed  to  have  found  the  evidence 
which  they  deemed  sufficient  to  justify  the  opinions  and  judg- 
ments which  they  had  formed  before  leaving  their  homes.^  With 
equal  opportunities  for  observation,  men  of  equally  honest  minds 
reached  contrary  conclusions.  One  congressman  found  the  Fili- 
pinos "nothing  but  savages  with  a  thin  veneer  of  civilization"; 
another  believed  that  the  country  was  simply  "swarming  with 
latent  George  Washingtons"  awaiting  the  beneficent  rays  of 
democracy  to  burst  into  bloom. 

Some  of  the  distinguished  visitors  who  represented  the  oppo- 
sition delivered  public  addresses  in  Manila  which  were  exceed- 
ingly eulogistic  of  the  Filipinos  and  occasionally  commendatory 
of  the  American  officials  and  their  work.  Without  exceptions, 
however,  they  appear  to  have  returned  to  their  places  in  Con- 
gress, or  on  the  lecture  platform,  confirmed  in  their  original 
views.  Although  such  visits  have  a  certain  value,  it  is  doubtful 
whether  even  those  most  desirous  of  learning  the  truth  acquire 
much  accurate  information  with  reference  to  the  real  conditions 
in  the  islands,  and  the  opinions  and  characteristics  of  any  Fili- 
pinos, other  than  their  hospitable  entertainers.  Of  course,  it  is 
the  "obvious  Orient"  only  that  transient  visitors  see,  and  what 
is  obvious  in  the  East  is  seldom  true.  When  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  of  American  scholars  and  historians,  after  a  visit 
to  Manila,  could  write  in  the  year  1910  that  "the  assembly  is 


2  In  1905  a  large  party  of  members  of  both  houses  of  Congress  under  the 
chaperonage  of  the  secretary  of  war,  visited  the  Philippines  and  conducted 
a  somewhat  elaborate  investigation  into  conditions.  The  public  cessions  were 
devoted  to  the  consideration  of  political,  economic  and  commercial  matters. 
While  the  visitors  acquired  much  information  about  the  country,  it  is  doubt- 
ful whether  the  opinions  of  any  were  changed.  Each  one  saw  what  he  came 
to  see.  See  the  Report  of  Public  Hearings  on  Proposed  Reduction  of  Tariff, 
August,  1905  (Pamphlet,  Manila,  1905). 


27fi  THE   PHILIPPINES 

the  only  legislative  body  in  the  islands,"  and  that  the  commis- 
sion has  never  found  it  necessary  to  veto  any  of  the  laws  passed 
by  the  assembly,  it  is  not  surprising  that  less  qualified  investi- 
gators occasionally  absorbed  questionable  information  as  to  the 
nature  of  the  government.^  Only  the  newcomer  and  the  passing 
traveler  feel  certain  that  they  have  possessed  themselves  of  the 
soul  of  the  East  and  are  willing  to  dogmatize  about  its  people 
and  its  future.  In  fact  there  is  no  better  way  of  cultivating  the 
seeds  of  modesty  than  by  carefully  comparing  the  opinions  and 
judgments  entertained  after  a  few  days  or  months  spent  in  the 
Philippines  with  those  held  after  several  years  of  labor  and  close 
contact  with  the  people.  Verily,  as  Lord  Curzon  has  said,  "The 
East  is  a  university  in  which  the  scholar  never  takes  a  degree." 
Those  most  familiar  with  the  Orient  agree  that  special  corre- 
spondents, visiting  statesmen  and  publicists  from  home  always 
acquire  a  great  amount  of  erroneous  or  half-true  information, 
particularly  with  reference  to  conditions  other  than  physical. 
With  rare  exceptions  the  casual  visitor  has  neither  the  knowl- 
edge of  alien  races  nor  the  breadth  of  view  to  enable  him  to  grasp 
the  significance  of  what  he  sees.  This  is  certainly  true  of  the  aver- 
age American  who  has  spent  his  life  in  an  environment  dominated 
by  ideas  essentially  provincial.  He  is  certain  to  measure  everything 
by  the  home  standards  and  to  reason  from  the  premise  that  all 
human  beings  are  controlled  by  the  same  reasons  and  influenced 
by  the  same  motives.  And  some  of  the  many  writers,  American 
and  English,  who  have  favored  the  public  with  their  views  on  the 
Philippines,  it  must  be  sorrowfully  admitted,  suggest  Kipling's 
famous  "Pagett  M.  P.,"  who, — "a  liar  and  a  fluent  liar  there- 
with,"— ^visited  India  in  winter  and  "spoke  of  the  heat  of  India 
as  the  Asian  solar  myth."  After  being  entertained,  feted  and 
feasted  by  individuals  skilled  in  the  art  of  selection,  they  as- 
sumed to  speak  with  high  authority  on  the  strength  of  having 


3  The  above  comments  do  not  of  course  apply  to  the  secretaries  of  war 
and  chiefs  of  the  Bureau  of  Insular  Affairs  who  have  visited  the  Philippines. 
Secretary  Taft  visited  the  islands  in  1905,  and  again  in  1907.  Secretary 
Dickinson  spent  about  two  months  there  in  1910,  and  his  Special  Report  to 
the  President  on  conditions  at  that  time  is  one  of  the  best  ever  made. 


POLICIES    AND    PERSONNEL  377 

"seen  things  with  their  own  eyes."  After  being  carefully  insu- 
lated, informed  and  coached,  Pagett  M.  P.  returned  to  the  home- 
land and  his  entertainer  wrote, 

"And  I  laughed  as  I  drove  from  the  station,  but  the  mirth  died  out 

on  my  lips 
As  I  thought  of  the  fools  like  Pagett  who  write  of  their  Eastern 

Trips." 

Just  a  suspicion  of  such  things  may  at  times  have  flitted 
through  the  minds  of  certain  Filipinos  as  well  as  American  ad- 
ministrators in  the  Philippines. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  efficiency  of  the  Philippine  govern- 
ment suffered  because  of  the  lack  of  a  definite  policy.  But  there 
never  was  any  excuse  for  misunderstanding  the  policy  of  the 
Taft  regime.  The  trouble  was  that  the  local  community  always 
refused  to  take  seriously  the  statement  that  the  Americans  are 
in  the  islands  primarily  for  the  benefit  of  the  Filipinos  and  for 
the  purpose  of  training  them  to  govern  themselves.  To  the 
American  who  had  gone  into  business  in  Manila  it  seemed  incon- 
ceivable that  the  United  States  "would  ever  be  so  foolish  as  to 
withdraw  from  the  islands."  The  persistent  demand  for  the 
declaration  of  a  definite  policy  meant  that  Congress  should  de- 
clare that  the  United  States  does  not  intend  to  withdraw  from 
the  islands  or  that  independence  is  not  a  question  for  the  con- 
sideration of  the  present  generation, — the  exact  reverse  of  the 
policy  which  in  1916  was  expressed  by  Congress  in  the  preamble 
to  the  Jones  Bill. 

I  have  elsewhere  described  the  situation  and  stated  somewhat 
in  detail  the  reasons  which  induced  President  McKinley  to  de- 
mand the  cession  to  the  United  States  of  the  Philippine  Archi- 
pelago.* At  the  close  of  the  Spanish  War,  Cuba,  Porto  Rico  and 
the  Philippines  were  treated  as  separate  and  distinct  propositions. 
The  statement  made  in  connection  with  the  declaration  of  war 
against  Spain,  that  the  United  States  had  no  desire  to  acquire 

*  Elliott,  The  Philippines:  To  the  End  of  the  Military  Regime,  Chaps. 
XIII,  XIV. 


378  THE    PHILIPPINES 

territory  by  conquest,  was  literally  true,  but  neither  it  nor  the 
joint  resolution  of  Congress  of  April  20,  1898,  demanding  that 
Spain  withdraw  from  the  island,  had  any  relation  to  the  Philip- 
pines. The  situation  which  led  to  the  acquisition  of  the  islands 
grew  logically,  if  unexpectedly,  out  of  the  war.  When  these  dec- 
larations of  policy  were  made  Cuba  only  was  in  the  mind  of  the 
president  and  Congress.  The  United  States  refused  to  accept 
sovereignty  over  Cuba  even  temporarily,  when  it  was  urged  upon 
her  by  Spain  and  permitted  the  Cubans  to  organize  a  republic 
subject  to  the  restrictions  imposed  by  the  Piatt  Amendment  to  the 
Army  Appropriation  Bill  of  March  2,  1901,  which  was  merely  a 
legislative  adoption  of  Secretary  Root's  instructions  to  General 
Leonard  Wood,  the  military  governor,  of  February  9,  1901.^ 
The  Cuban  relation  was  established  with  comparatively  little  dif- 
ficulty although  its  permanency  is  still  a  matter  of  uncertainty. 

Porto  Rico  was  to  remain  permanently  a  possession  of  the 
United  States  and  her  problems  are  being  slowly  worked  out  on 
the  theory  that  she  will  in  time  be  a  regularly  organized  territory 
with  possible  statehood  as  the  ultimate  goal. 

Entirely  different  principles  were  applied  to  the  Philippines. 
By  reason  of  its  location  Cuba  would  have  been  a  valuable  addi- 
tion to  the  United  States.  The  remote  Philippine  Islands,  with 
their  troublesome  natives  and  potentially  entangling  Oriental  re- 
lations, were  of  doubtful  value  and  but  for  the  obligations  which 
resulted  from  the  destruction  of  Spanish  power,  to  the  Filipinos 
themselves  and  to  the  world  at  large,  we  may  assume  that  they 
would  have  been  left  to  their  own  devices.  The  United  States 
put  aside  the  acquisition  which  would  unquestionably  have  been 
advantageous  and  at  the  promptings  of  high  duty  assumed  re- 
sponsibility for  what  was  certain  to  be  a  source  of  infinite  trouble 
and  annoyance. 

When  the  Schurman  Commission  was  appointed,  in  1898,  the 
United  States  had  not  been  committed  to  any  definite  Philippine 
pohcy.     Nothing  had  then  been  settled  other  than  that  Spain 

5  See  Root,  Military  and  Colonial  Policy  of  the  United  States,  pp.  185, 
219-221. 


POLICIES    AND    PERSONNEL  379 

should  cede  the  islands  to  the  United  States,  which  was  free  to 
grant  them  independence,  estabhsh  a  protectorate  over  them,  give 
them  a  colonial  form  of  government,  organize  them  as  a  terri- 
tory, or  even  admit  them  into  the  Union  as  a  state.^  The  ac- 
ceptance by  the  administration  of  the  views  expressed  by  that 
commission  that  the  Filipinos  were  not  prepared  to  govern  them- 
selves, settled  the  question  of  independence  for  the  time  and 
made  it  necessary  to  devise  some  form  of  government  under 
American  control.  During  the  negotiations  which  the  Schurman 
Commission  carried  on  with  the  representatives  of  the  insurgents, 
Secretary  Hay  outlined  a  government  under  which,  pending  the 
action  of  Congress,  the  people  would  have  the  largest  measure  of 
self-government  consistent  with  the  maintenance  of  peace  and 
order.  It  provided  for  a  governor-general  appointed  by  the 
president,  an  independent  judiciary,  a  cabinet  appointed  by  the 
governor-general,  and  a  general  advisory  council  elected  by  the 
people.  But  this  was  not  satisfactory  to  the  Filipinos,  who  had 
established  a  government  at  Malolos,  and  the  war  continued. 

The  idea  of  building  a  government  about  a  commission  was 
worked  out  after  Elihu  Root  became  secretary  of  war,  and  the 
principles  upon  which  it  was  founded  were  set  forth  in  the  in- 
structions to  the  Taft  Commission.  No  careful  student  of  that 
document  can  have  any  misconception  of  the  views  then  enter- 
tained by  the  American  government,  or  as  to  the  principles  upon 
which  it  intended  to  act.  All  subsequent  proclamations  and 
formal  statements  were  merely  amplifications  of  these  instruc- 
tions.'' Reduced  to  the  lowest  terms,  their  import  was  embodied 
in  the  famous  phrase,  the  Philippines  for  the  Filipinos,  under  a 
government  based  on  American  as  distinguished  from  Spanish 
principles. 

The  Taft  Commission  was  charged  with  the  duty  of  organiz- 
ing such  a  government,  and  this  it  did  under  the  direction  of  Sec- 


^  See  Schurman,  Filipino  Affairs,  p.  4;  Elliott,  The  Philippines:  To  the 
End  of  the  Military  Regime,  p.  450. 

^  See  Elliott,  The  Philippines:  To  the  End  of  the  Military  Regime,  Chap. 
XVIII,  pp.  497-503. 


380  THE    PHILIPPINES 

retary  Root  as  the  representative  of  the  president.  The  gradual 
establishment  of  local  governments,  the  vesting  of  legislative 
power  in  the  commission,  the  elimination  of  military  government, 
the  institution  of  a  central  civil  government,  the  large  participa- 
tion of  the  Filipinos  in  the  work  of  the  departments,  and  the 
final  creation  of  the  assembly,  have  already  been  described. 
Every  act  of  the  administration  accentuated  the  idea  that  the 
government  existed  primarily  for  the  benefit  of  the  natives  and 
but  incidentally  for  Americans.  The  United  States  asked  no 
compensation  for  its  services;  it  collected  no  taxes  for  its  own 
benefit. 

The  country  was  made  one  great  school, — a  political  and  in- 
dustrial laboratory, — for  the  education  of  a  backward  and  unde- 
veloped people  who  by  participation  in  the  government  were  to 
be  trained  to  govern  themselves.  Of  course  it  was  expected  that 
the  contemplated  development  of  the  material  resources  of  the 
islands  would  prove  financially  advantageous  to  Americans  as 
well  as  Filipinos,  but  it  was  made  perfectly  clear  from  the  begin- 
ning that  in  commercial  and  industrial  as  well  as  political  matters, 
the  first  consideration  was  the  welfare  of  the  natives.  Extreme 
personal  consideration  was  shown  the  Filipinos  as  individuals  and 
they  were  made  as  conspicuous  as  possible  in  the  local  adminis- 
tration. There  was  no  place  in  the  new  scheme  of  things  for 
either  the  American  exploiter  or  the  advocate  of  immediate  in- 
dependence. Naturally,  therefore,  neither  the  radical  Americans 
nor  Filipinos  were  satisfied  with  the  policy :  the  former,  because 
it  restricted  their  business  operations;  and  the  latter,  because  it 
postponed  indefinitely  the  day  of  their  freedom  from  American 
control,  and  deprived  the  present  generation  of  the  offices,  dig- 
nities and  emoluments  which  would  be  theirs  under  an  independ- 
ent state. 

The  complete  success  of  this  policy  meant  the  final  elimination 
of  America  from  the  situation.  President  McKinley,  Secretary 
Root,  and  Mr.  Taft,  as  civil  governor,  secretary  of  war,  and  presi- 
dent, were  perfectly  frank  in  announcing  a  policy  of  which  this 
seemed  to  be  the  logical  result.     During  the  whole  of  the  Taft 


POLICIES    AND    PERSONNEL  381 

regime,  which  extended  from  the  institution  of  civil  government 
in  1901  to  the  inauguration  of  President  Wilson  in  1913,  it  was 
constantly  being  restated.^  Its  essence  was  the  maintenance  of 
law  and  order,  the  reasonable  conservation  of  the  public  resources, 
the  material  and  economic  development  of  the  country,  the  educa- 
tion of  the  whole  people  and  their  training  for  self-government. 
It  denied  their  present  preparation  for  independence  or  even  for 
complete  internal  self-government,  but  granted  an  ever-increasing 
participation  in  every  part  of  the  work  of  the  government.  It 
implied  complete  self-government  and,  ultimately,  independence 
should  the  people,  when  educated  sufficiently  to  enable  them  to 
form  an  intelligent  opinion,  desire  it.''  In  the  words  of  Mr,  Root, 
its  purpose  was  to  "set  the  people  on  the  path  of  ordered  liberty 
and  competency  for  self-government." 

In  his  Autobiography,  Colonel  Roosevelt,  speaking  of  the 
policy  of  his  administration,  says  :^° 

"As  regards  the  Philippines,  my  belief  was  that  we  should 
train  them  for  self-government  as  rapidly  as  possible,  and  then 
leave  them  free  to  decide  their  own  fate.  I  did  not  believe  in 
setting  the  time  limit  within  which  we  would  give  them  inde- 
pendence, because  I  did  not  believe  it  wise  to  try  to  forecast  how 
soon  they  would  be  fit   for  self-government,  and  once  having 

8  Governor-General  Harrison  in  his  inaugural  address  merely  restated  the 
policy  of  his  predecessors,  and  added  thereto  the  reference  to  early  inde- 
pendence.   That  part  only  of  the  address  was  new. 

9  For  the  difference  between  this  and  the  colonial  policy  of  other  coun- 
tries, see  Elliott,  The  Philippines:  To  the  End  of  the  Military  Regime,  Intro- 
duction. 

The  object  of  France  in  Morocco  as  stated  by  General  Lyautey  is  "To 
bring  to  the  country  the  maximum  of  progress,  of  security,  of  social  and  eco- 
nomic development;  to  make  of  Morocco  in  every  way  a  great  state  with 
modern  equipment,  by  utilizing  the  wonderful  resources  of  her  people,  who 
are  intelligent,  laborious  and  open  to  all  practical  innovations ;  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  to  allow  the  country  to  develop  according  to  its  own  genius,  scru- 
pulously respecting  its  customs,  its  law,  its  traditions,  its  religion,  and  leav- 
ing intact  the  great  ancestral  influences  which  have  spontaneously  come  to  the 
assistance  of  the  French,  maintaining  positions  that  have  been  won  in  the 
social  hierarchy ;  in  a  word,  leaving  men  and  things  in  their  places  and  care- 
fully abstaining  from  dividing  against  itself  the  house  of  Moroccan  society, 
which  has  hitherto  rested  on  firm  foundations."  North  Am.  Rev.,  February, 
1917. 

It  will  be  noted  that  there  is  no  place  in  this  program  for  political  edu- 
cation. 

10  P.  543. 


382  THE    PHILIPPINES 

made  the  promise  I  would  have  felt  that  it  was  imperative  to 
keep  it." 

This  policy,  of  course,  denied  the  right  of  the  small  group  of 
Filipinos  who  had  previously  dominated  and  exploited  the  com- 
mon people,  or  the  young  men  who  had  assumed  control  of  the 
anti- American  movement,  to  speak  for  the  entire  people  on  the 
question  of  independence.  It  meant  the  continuance  of  American 
control  for  an  indefinite  time,  but  with  constantly  increasing  FiH- 
pino  participation  in  the  government. 

"We  accepted  the  Philippines,"  said  President  McKinley, 
"from  high  duty  in  the  interest  of  their  inhabitants  and  for 
humanity  and  civilization.  Our  sacrifices  were  with  this  high 
motive.  We  want  to  improve  the  condition  of  the  inhabitants, 
securing  them  peace,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  their  highest 
good. 

"The  Philippines  are  ours,  not  to  exploit,  but  to  develop,  to 
civilize,  to  educate,  to  train  in  the  science  of  self-government. 
This  is  the  path  of  duty  which  we  must  follow  or  be  recreant  to 
a  mighty  trust  committed  to  us." 

After  this  general  policy  had  been  declared  somewhat  in  detail 
in  the  Instructions  to  the  commission,  the  president  informed  the 
Congress  that,  "We  shall  continue  as  we  have  begun,  to  open  the 
schools  and  the  churches,  to  set  the  courts  in  operation,  to  foster 
trade  and  agriculture,  and  in  every  way  in  our  power  to  make 
these  people  whom  Providence  has  brought  within  our  jurisdic- 
tion feel  that  it  is  their  liberty  and  not  our  power,  their  welfare 
and  not  our  gain,  we  are  seeking  to  enhance." 

An  address  made  by  Governor  Taft  in  Manila  in  December, 
1903,  not  only  emphasized  the  policy  of  the  administration  but 
throws  such  a  flood  of  light  on  the  situation  as  to  justify  ex- 
tensive quotation. 

"From  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the  state  papers  which  were 
circulated  in  these  islands  as  authoritative  expressions  of  the  ex- 
ecutive, the  motto  that  *The  Philippines  are  for  the  Filipinos'  and 
that  the  Government  of  the  United  States  is  here  for  the  purpose 


POLICIES    AND    PERSONNEL  383 

of  preserving  the  'Philippines  for  the  Fihpinos'  for  their  benefit, 
for  their  elevation,  for  their  civilization,  again  and  again  and 
again  appear.    .    .    . 

"Some  of  our  young  lions  of  the  local  press  have  spoken  of  the 
'childish  slogan,'  'The  Philippines  for  the  Filipinos.'  It  is  unnec- 
essary to  comment  on  the  adjective  used,  but  it  is  sufficient  to  say 
that,  whether  childish  or  not,  the  principle  makes  up  the  web  and 
the  woof  of  the  policy  of  the  United  States  with  respect  to  these 
islands  as  it  has  been  authoritatively  declared  by  two  Presidents 
of  the  United  States — for  President  Roosevelt  has  followed  sedu- 
lously the  policy  of  President  McKinley — and  by  the  interpreta- 
tion of  the  supreme  popular  will,  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States. 


"The  doctrine  as  interpreted  in  the  light  of  these  authoritative 
declarations  assumes  that  the  Filipino  people  are  of  future  cor- 
pacity  but  not  of  present  fitness  for  self-government,  and  that 
they  may  be  taught  by  the  gradual  extension  of  self-government 
to  exercise  the  conservative  self-restraints  without  which  popular 
government  is  impossible.     .     .     . 

"The  doctrine  does  not  include,  necessarily,  the  independence 
of  the  Filipino,  nor  any  particular  degree  of  autonomy.  It  is  en- 
tirely consistent  with  the  principle  to  object  to  an  immediate  ex- 
tension of  popular  government  on  the  ground  that  we  are  going 
too  fast  for  the  political  digestion  of  the  people,  and  that  it  is 
not,  therefore,  for  their  good.  Whether  an  autonomy  or  inde- 
pendence or  quasi  independence  shall  ultimately  follow  in  these 
islands  ought  to  depend  solely  on  the  question.  Is  it  best  for  the 
Filipino  people  and  their  welfare f     . 

"I  think  I  have  demonstrated  by  what  I  have  quoted  and  the 
instances  I  have  cited  that  the  doctrine  'The  Philippines  for  the 
Filipinos'  is  one  which  the  honor  of  the  United  States  requires 
it  to  enforce  throughout  these  islands.  Not  only  was  it  promised 
to  the  Filipinos  when  the  Americans  came,  after  they  had  been 
here,  during  the  insurrection,  and  at  its  close,  but  I  do  not  think 
it  too  much  to  say  that  the  reiteration  of  the  promises  as  shown 
in  legislation  carrying  out  these  principles  had  much  to  do  with 
bringing  about  the  present  tranquillity  in  these  islands.  .  .  . 
There  are  many  Americans  in  these  islands,  possibly  a  majority, 
and  this  includes  all  the  American  press,  who  are  strongly  op- 
posed to  the  doctrine  of  'The  Philippines  for  the  Filipinos.'  They 


384  THE    PHILIPPINES 

have  no  patience  with  the  poHcy  of  attraction,  no  patience  with 
attempts  to  conciliate  the  Filipino  people,  no  patience  with  the 
introduction  into  the  government  as  rapidly  as  their  fitness  justi- 
fies of  the  prominent  Filipinos.  They  resent  everything  in  the 
government  that  is  not  American.  They  insist  that  there  is  a 
necessity  for  a  firm  government  here  rather  than  a  popular  one, 
and  that  the  welfare  of  Americans  and  American  trade  should  be 
regarded  as  paramount.  It  is  possible  to  trace  the  history  of  the 
formation  of  these  views.  .  .  .  With  the  lack  of  logic,  so 
characteristic  of  human  nature,  the  merchant  who  finds  hard 
times  coming  on,  the  business  man  whose  profits  are  not  so  great, 
looks  about  for  a  scapegoat  and  an  explanation,  and  he  finds  it  in 
the  wicked  civil  government  which  has  been  encouraging  the 
natives  as  far  as  it  could ;  has  been  taking  the  native  into  the  gov- 
ernment as  far  as  he  seemed  fitted ;  is  doing  what  it  can  to  elevate 
the  Filipino  people  and  provide  for  their  welfare,  and  has  not 
taken  the  American  merchant  under  its  especial  wing." 

In  his  message  of  December  6,  1904,  President  Roosevelt  said : 

"We  are  endeavoring  to  develop  the  natives  themselves  so  that 
they  shall  take  an  ever-increasing  share  in  their  own  government, 
and  as  far  as  is  prudent  we  are  already  admitting  their  represent- 
atives to  a  governmental  equality  with  our  own.  ...  If  they 
show  that  they  are  capable  of  electing  a  legislature  which  in  its 
turn  is  capable  of  taking  a  sane  and  efficient  part  in  the  actual 
work  of  government,  they  can  rest  assured  that  a  full  and  increas- 
ing measure  of  recognition  will  he  given  them." 

Again,  in  1906,  in  contemplation  of  the  institution  of  the  as- 
sembly, the  president  said : 

"We  are  constantly  increasing  the  measure  of  liberty  accorded 
the  islanders,  and  next  spring,  if  conditions  warrant,  we  shall 
take  a  great  stride  forward  in  testing  their  capacity  for  self-gov- 
ernment by  summoning  the  first  Filipino  legislative  assembly; 
and  the  way  in  which  they  stand  this  test  will  largely  determine 
whether  the  self-government  thus  granted  will  be  increased  or 
decreased;  for  if  we  have  erred  at  all  in  the  Philippines  it  has 
been  in  proceeding  too  rapidly  in  the  direction  of  granting  a  large 
measure  of  self-government." 


POLICIES    AND    PERSONNEL  385 

In  1908  President  Roosevelt  said: 

"The  Filipino  people,  through  their  officials,  are  therefore  mak- 
ing real  steps  in  the  direction  of  self-government.  I  hope  and 
believe  that  these  steps  mark  the  beginning  of  a  course  which 
will  continue  till  the  Filipinos  become  fit  to  decide  for  themselves 
whether  they  desire  to  be  an  independent  nation.  ...  I  trust 
that  within  a  generation  the  time  will  arrive  when  the  Filipinos 
can  decide  for  themselves  whether  it  is  well  for  them  to  become 
independent  or  to  continue  imder  the  protection  of  a  strong  and 
disinterested  power  able  to  guarantee  to  the  islands  order  at  home 
and  protection  from  foreign  invasion." 

Mr.  Taft,  while  secretary  of  war,  said : 

"When  they  have  learned  the  principles  of  successful  popular 
self-government  from  a  gradually  enlarged  experience  therein, 
we  can  discuss  the  question  whether  independence  is  what  they 
desire  ...  or  whether  they  prefer  the  retention  of  a  closer 
association  with  the  country  which,  by  its  guidance,  has  unself- 
ishly led  them  on  to  better  conditions." 

In  his  address  at  the  opening  of  the  Philippine  Legislature,  in 
1907,  Secretary  Taft  said : 

"The  avowed  policy  of  the  National  Administration  under 
these  two  presidents  has  been,  and  is,  to  govern  the  islands,  hav- 
ing regard  to  the  interest  and  welfare  of  the  Filipino  people, 
and  by  the  spread  of  primary,  general  and  industrial  education 
and  by  practise  in  partial  political  control  to  fit  the  people  them- 
selves to  maintain  a  stable  and  well-ordered  government  afford- 
ing equality  of  right  and  opportunity  to  all  citizens.  The  policy 
looks  to  the  improvement  of  the  people  both  industrially  and  in 
self-governing  capacity.  As  this  policy  of  extending  control  con- 
tinues, it  must  logically  reduce  and  finally  end  the  sovereignty 
of  the  United  States  in  the  islands,  unless  it  shall  seem  wise  to 
the  American  and  the  Filipino  peoples,  on  account  of  mutually 
beneficial  trade  relations  and  possible  advantages  to  the  islands 
in  their  foreign  relations,  that  the  bond  shall  not  be  completely 
severed." 


386  THE   PHILIPPINES 

And  in  his  special  report  to  President  Roosevelt,  on  his  return 
from  his  last  visit  to  the  islands,  Secretary  Taf t  said : 

"The  conditions  in  the  islands  to-day  vindicate  and  justify 
that  policy.  It  necessarily  involves  in  its  ultimate  conclusion, 
as  the  steps  forward  become  greater  and  greater,  the  ultimate 
independence  of  the  islands :  although,  of  course,  if  both  the 
United  States  and  the  islands  were  to  conclude,  after  complete 
self-government  were  possible,  that  it  would  be  mutually  bene- 
ficial to  continue  a  governmental  relation  between  them  like  that 
between  England  and  Australia,  there  would  be  nothing  incon- 
sistent with  the  present  policy  in  such  a  result.  ...  If  the 
American  Government  can  only  remain  in  the  islands  long  enough 
to  educate  the  entire  people,  to  give  them  a  language  which  en- 
ables them  to  come  in  contact  with  modem  civilization,  and  to 
extend  to  them  from  time  to  time  additional  political  rights,  so 
that  by  the  exercise  of  them  they  shall  learn  the  use  and  respon- 
sibilities necessary  to  their  proper  exercise,  independence  can  be 
granted  with  entire  safety  to  the  people."^^ 

Many  additional  quotations  of  the  same  general  tenor  might 
be  made  from  the  messages,  speeches  and  writings  of  the  men 
who  formulated  and  were  engaged  in  executing  the  Philippine 
policy  of  the  American  govemment.^^  As  Secretary  Garrison 
says,  "Perhaps  it  was  very  unwise  to  have  said  it,"  but  it  was 
said  too  frequently  to  leave  any  doubt  as  to  the  intentions  of  the 
executive  department  of  the  government. 

When  Congress  enacted  the  Civil  Government  Law  of  July  1, 
1902,  it  expressly  approved  the  policy  outlined  in  the  Instructions 
to  the  commission  and  all  that  had  been  done  thereunder. 

President  Wilson  adopted  the  general  policy  of  his  predecessor, 
but  applied  very  different  administrative  methods.    His  adminis- 


11  These  and  many  other  statements  were  collected  by  Secretary  of  War 
Garrison  for  the  purpose  of  proving  that  the  Jones  Bill  was  merely  another 
step  along  the  road  laid  out  by  his  predecessors.  See  Hearings,  Senate  Com- 
mittee, 1915,  p.  633.  See  also  Mr.  Taft's  Statement  and  extracts  from  his 
speeches,  Ibid.,  pp.  363,  420. 

12  For  other  statements  of  the  policy,  see  Root,  Military  and  Colonial 
Policy  of  the  United  States,  pp.  27,  98;  Olcott,  Life  of  William  McKinley, 
II,  pp.  96,  166-172,  193;  Thayer,  Life  of  John  Hay,  II,  pp.  198,  199;  Roose- 
velt, Autobiography,  pp.  543-546;  Elliott,  The  Philippines:  To  the  End  of 
the  Military  Regime,  pp.  53-60,  486-503. 


POLICIES    AND    PERSONNEL  387 

tration  assumed  to  be  even  more  altruistic  than  those  of  his  prede- 
cessors, and  it  certainly  moved  more  rapidly  along  the  particular 
route  surveyed  by  Osmena  and  Quezon.  It  was  down  grade  and 
the  administration  apparently  removed  the  brakes,  stood  to  one 
side,  and  trusted  Providence  and  the  Filipinos  to  prevent  a  crash. 

The  Taft  administration  succeeded  admirably  in  everything 
but  controlling  the  local  political  agitation/^  Why  did  it  lose 
control  of  the  Filipinos?  The  critics  of  the  policy  included  those 
who  favored  immediate  withdrawal  from  the  islands,  those  who 
urged  a  declaration  that  the  occupation  was  permanent,  those 
who  urged  the  immediate  grant  of  greater  and  additional  powers 
to  the  Filipinos,  and  those  who  believed  that  important  powers 
had  been  granted  prematurely  before  the  qualifications  as  well 
as  the  disposition  of  the  people  toward  the  United  States  had 
been  demonstrated.  During  recent  years  the  first  two  groups 
were  negligible,  the  third  in  political  opposition,  and  the  fourth, 
although  in  sympathy  with  the  general  policy,  did  not  approve 
of  the  methods  employed  for  making  it  effective. 

The  great  majority  of  the  Americans  in  the  service  of  the 
Philippine  government  believed  that  the  political  phase  of  the 
situation  was  permitted  to  be  made  too  prominent,  and  that  there 
was  serious  danger  that  it  would  force  the  premature  withdrawal 
of  American  control. 

It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  McKinley  administration 
adopted  the  most  difficult  of  all  possible  courses  then  open  to  it. 
The  grant  of  either  more  or  less  power  to  the  Filipinos  would 
have  made  the  work  of  the  administration  less  difficult.  Abso- 
lute American  control  would  have  been  comparatively  easy.  The 
grant  of  full  political  control  under  American  protection  would 
have  presented  fewer  intricate  problems.  But  neither  course 
would  have  produced  the  results  which  President  McKinley  and 
his  advisers  sought.  The  addition  of  political  training  to  the 
ordinary  colonial  educational  curriculum  added  enormously  to 
the  difficulties  of  administration.  It  was  easy  enough  to  announce 
an  enlightened  and  altruistic  program,  but  it  required  the  highest 


13  Of  course  the  opposition  claimed  that  any  control  was  wrong. 


388  THE    PHILIPPINES 

political  skill  to  control  a  situation  which  must  be  constantly- 
changing  while  held  in  solution  for  a  period  long  enough  to  se- 
cure the  desired  results. 

To  grant  just  so  much  political  power  and  influence  to  an  am- 
bitious and  eager  group  of  people  and  request  them  to  wait  and 
see  whether  its  exercise  agreed  with  them,  resembled  permitting 
a  hungry  boy  to  take  one  bite  of  a  piece  of  gingerbread  and 
telling  him  to  preserve  the  rest  of  it  with  all  its  fragrance  about 
him  until  the  doctor  could  ascertain  whether  his  digestive  ap- 
paratus was  working  properly.  We  would  expect  the  boy  to  be 
restless  during  the  period  of  waiting  and  to  try  and  convince 
the  doctor  of  the  folly  of  delay.  He  would  probably  be  willing 
to  take  the  chances  of  indigestion. 

The  Taft  policy  was  based  on  the  assumption  that  it  would 
require  from  one  to  two  generations  to  prepare  the  Filipinos  to 
operate  successfully  a  popular  government  such  as  had  been  out- 
lined for  them.  Therefore,  as  time  was  an  essential  element  of 
the  problem,  the  administration  could  not  afford  to  have  its  hand 
forced.  If  the  work  was  not  to  be  finished  it  had  better  never 
have  been  begun  on  such  broad  lines.  It  was  absolutely  neces- 
sary, in  addition  to  giving  the  Filipinos  a  good  government,  to 
keep  them  satisfied  ivith  the  conditions  during  the  time  required 
for  their  education  and  training.  That,  apparently,  we  failed 
to  do. 

The  loss  of  control  over  the  political  conduct  of  the  Filipinos 
and  the  consequent  shortening  of  the  period  necessary  for  proper 
preparation  for  self-government  was  due  to  some  extent  to  the 
attitude  of  the  administration  and  the  higher  American  officials 
toward  the  Filipinos  as  individuals  and  to  the  premature  grant 
to  them  of  an  equal  share  in  legislation. 

Assuming  that  several  decades  were  necessary  for  the  policy 
to  ripen  and  produce  the  expected  fruits,  no  one  should  have  been 
left  in  doubt  as  to  who  was  in  control  in  the  meantime.  The 
Filipinos  were  not  Americans;  they  were  not  even  Anglo-Saxons. 
Those  most  familiar  with  the  Malays  say  that,  while  they  are 
extremely  persistent,  they  accept  an  ultimatum  with  perfect  good 


POLICIES    AND    PERSONNEL  389 

humor  from  one  who  has  power  to  enforce  it.  Uncertainty 
they  construe  in  their  own  way.  It  was  this  characteristic  which 
Sir  Frank  Swettenham  had  in  mind  when  he  prophesied  that 
there  would  be  no  trouble  in  the  PhiHppines  "if  the  controlhng 
power  made  it  clear  from  the  start  that  it  meant  to  control,  and 
not  only  to  advise  and  educate."^* 

I  am  afraid  we  proceeded  on  the  assumption  that  in  the  dark 
there  is  no  difference  between  a  Filipino  and  a  Yankee,  and  that 
in  our  desire  to  impress  the  natives  with  our  friendship  and  the 
altruistic  side  of  our  work  we  permitted  them  to  overlook  the 
fact  that  our  functions  were  much  more  than  advisory. 

Undoubtedly  the  attitude  of  the  higher  American  officials  to- 
ward the  Filipinos  was  such  as  to  cultivate  unduly  their  self- 
esteem  and  generate  premature  ambitions.  Exaggerated  defer- 
ence, much  of  it  palpably  insincere,  was  shown  the  Filipino 
leaders.  Every  effort  possible  was  made  to  secure  their  good 
will  and  cooperation,  and  this  of  course  was  good  policy  as  well 
as  the  manifestation  of  proper  feeling.  The  evil  lay  in  the  fact 
that  it  was  so  often  grossly  overdone.  The  Filipinos  were  con- 
stantly flattered  and  jollied  and  there  was  a  trifle  too  much  of 
the  glad  hand.  When  they  did  good  work  they  were  commended 
in  exaggerated  terms;  when  the  work  was  not  good  the  much 
needed  corrective  criticism  was  too  often  omitted.  The  results 
of  Filipino  work  under  American  direction  were  heralded  as 
evidences  of  their  capacity  and  qualifications,  and  due  allowance 
was  seldom  made  for  the  assistance  they  had  received  from 
their  American  mentors. 

The  Filipinos  took  this  sort  of  commendation  very  seriously. 
Teachers  tell  us  that  Filipino  pupils  seem  unable  to  measure 
properly  the  language  of  praise  and  commendation.  When  a 
bright  boy  is  informed  that  his  essay  is  first-class  he  is  liable  to 
assume  that  it  is  the  equal  of  the  work  of  the  great  masters  of 
literature  because  he  knows  that  even  Shakespeare  could  not  pro- 
duce anything  entitled  to  rank  higher  than  first-class.     Words 

1*  Sir  Frank  Swettenham  to  Consul-General  Pratt,  1898,  Sen.  Doc.  62,  55th 
Cong,  3rd  Sess,  Pt.  I,  p.  493. 


390  THE    PHILIPPINES 

of  praise  are  accepted  in  their  literal  sense,  but  criticism  is  often 
resented  or  ignored  as  coming  from  those  unable  to  appreciate 
the  qualities  of  their  race. 

Governor  Taft  announced  that  no  one  could  hold  office  in 
the  Philippines  who  did  not  accept  the  doctrine  of  the  Philip- 
pines for  the  Filipinos,  and  subordinate  officials  and  employees 
soon  learned  that  unless  they  worked  harmoniously  with  the  Fili- 
pinos they  were  liable  to  find  themselves  separated  from  the  serv- 
ice. To  the  natural  desire  to  be  courteous  to  a  courteous  people 
was  thus  added  the  promptings  of  self-interest,  and  probably  no 
people  were  ever  so  "by  flatterers  besieged." 

Occasionally,  however,  the  matter  was  so  overdone  that  it  was 
resented.  Legarda,  who,  as  a  firm  friend  of  the  Americans, 
was  always  treated  with  great  consideration,  while  one  of  the 
resident  commissioners  at  Washington,  wrote  a  confidential  let- 
ter to  a  Filipino  friend  in  Manila  in  which  he  referred  to  enjoy- 
ing "the  obsequious  attentions  of  Mr.  Forbes."^^  The  friendly 
intentions  of  the  governor  had  been  misconstrued.  The  incident 
is  instructive.  It  is  certain  that  there  was  a  good  deal  of  this 
feeling  among  the  more  intelligent  Filipinos  and  that  a  little  more 
firmness  and  straightforwardness  when  dealing  with  individuals 
would  have  increased  the  prestige  and  hence  the  influence  of  the 
American  officials. 

The  phrase,  the  Philippines  for  the  Filipinos,  was  thus  per- 
verted from  its  proper  meaning  and  made  to  imply  the  denial  to 
Americans  of  any  rightful  place  in  the  islands.  This  had  gone  so 
far  that  Governor-General  Wright's  declaration  of  a  policy  of 
equal  rights  and  opportunities  for  both  Filipinos  and  Americans 
created  something  of  a  storm. 

From  the  accession  of  Governor-General  Smith  until  the  close 
of  the  Forbes  administration  the  strength  of  the  Nationalist  party 
grew  steadily,  with  a  corresponding  decrease  in  the  feeling  of 
loyalty  toward  America.^®     The  transfer  of  Wright  to  Japan 


15  Manila  Times,  April  22,  1911. 

16  The  apparent  enthusiasm  for  President  Wilson  and  his  representative 
was  due  entirely  to  belief  in  their  willingness  to  accede  to  all  Filipino  de- 
mands. 


POLICIES    AND    PERSONNEL  391 

was  understood  to  be  a  concession  to  the  demands  of  the  Fili- 
pinos. It  is  possible  that  the  mishandling  of  the  Batangas  sit- 
uation and  particularly  the  ill-advised  arrest  and  unsuccessful 
prosecution  of  a  member  of  a  prominent  mestizo  family  (for 
which  Wright  was  not  personally  responsible)  made  his  Retire- 
ment advisable.  But  if  so  he  should,  if  possible,  have  been  suc- 
ceeded by  a  man  of  similar  caliber.  It  was  a  time  in  the  history 
of  the  American  administration  when  it  was  necessary  to  make 
very  clear  the  intention  either  to  govern  the  country  or  retire 
and  let  the  Filipinos  manage  what  they  assumed  to  be  their  own 
affairs. 

The  situation  required  the  firm  hand  of  a  man  whose  capacity 
and  power,  as  well  as  sense  of  justice,  were  recognized  by  the 
Filipinos.  It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  the  administration 
did  not  see  its  way  clear  to  detail  Leonard  Wood  from  the  army 
and  make  him  governor-general  in  succession  to  Wright.  It 
could  not  have  been  construed  as  a  return  to  military  govern- 
ment. General  Wood  was  a  student  of  colonial  affairs,  familiar 
with  the  theories  and  methods  of  other  colonial  powers,  and  ex- 
perienced in  administrative  work.  He  understood  and  appreci- 
ated the  nature  of  the  work  that  the  American  government  was 
trying  to  do  and  the  place  of  the  experiment  in  the  history  of 
tropical  colonization.  His  career  in  Cuba  had  demonstrated  his 
energy  and  skill  as  an  administrator,  and  the  prestige  of  his 
military  rank  and  reputation  would  have  added  greatly  to  his 
ability  to  accomplish  things  in  the  Philippines. 

But  the  position  of  chief  executive  seems  to  have  been  almost 
forced  upon  the  secretary  of  public  instruction  on  the  theory, 
evidently,  that  he  would  be  able,  by  good  nature  and  compromise, 
to  prevent  the  crew  from  taking  possession  of  the  ship.  It  was 
during  his  administration  that  the  systematic  development  of  the 
natural  resources  of  the  country  was  seriously  commenced,  but 
from  the  day  of  his  inauguration  until  his  departure  Governor- 
General  Smith  seems  to  have  been  concerned  chiefly  with  the 
task  of  getting  his  resignation  accepted  and  retiring  before  some- 
thing happened. 


392  THE    PHILIPPINES 

Smith's  successor  strengthened  the  government  on  one  side, 
but  was  unable  to  check  the  movement  which  was  so  dangerous 
to  the  success  of  the  administration  poHcy.  Forbes  was  well 
qualified  to  manage  and  develop  a  great  estate.  He  had  some 
of  the  qualities  essential  for  a  successful  chief  executive.  He 
understood  modem  business  methods,  but  knew  very  little  about 
governing  a  people.  His  character  was  a  peculiar  combination 
of  strength  and  weakness.  He  was  energetic  and  resourceful 
in  devising  plans  for  the  development  of  the  country.  With 
arbitrary  power,  unlimited  money  and  the  requisite  time  at  com- 
mand, he  would  have  made  a  magnificent  estate  out  of  the  Phil- 
ippines. But  he  did  not  have  the  special  qualifications  required 
for  the  successful  administration  of  the  government  of  the  Phil- 
ippines at  the  time  when  it  was  absolutely  essential  to  gain  the 
good  will  and  support  of  the  native  people.  The  policy  of  ma- 
terial development  which  he  made  so  prominent  was  fairly  well 
supported  by  the  natives,  but  the  approval  of  the  leading  poli- 
ticians was  reluctantly  given.  They,  with  good  cause,  feared 
its  influence  on  the  independence  propaganda  in  which  they  were 
primarily  interested.  Forbes  had  been  widely  advertised  as  a 
man  familiar  with  large  business  enterprises,  and  the  Filipinos 
were  disposed  to  regard  him  as  the  advance  agent  of  the  awful 
American  trusts  which  the  anti-Imperialists  said  were  seeking 
to  devour  them  and  their  heritage.  The  idea  was  carefully  cul- 
tivated that  his  administration  was  extravagant,  that  the  public 
money  was  being  wasted,  and  color  of  truth  was  given  the  charge 
by  the  unfortunate  financial  difiiculties  in  which  the  administra- 
tion became  involved.  As  a  result,  projects  which  required  large 
expenditure  of  money  were  often  looked  on  with  suspicion,  and 
an  infinite  amount  of  explanation  and  persuasion  was  required 
to  secure  the  approval  thereof  by  the  assembly. 

The  Nationalists  now  had  their  campaign  for  independence 
well  under  way  and  opposition  to  whatever  the  governor-general 
desired,  regardless  of  merit,  seemed  to  be  a  part  of  their  party 
policy. 

Thus,  while  the  administration  was  busy  with  projects  which 


< 


POLICIES    AND    PERSONNEL  393 

required  at  least  a  generation  to  produce  tangible  results,  the 
Filipino  politicians  were  undermining  the  whole  American  po- 
sition. They  criticized  and  abused  the  administration,  while  the 
governor-general  cajoled,  flattered  and  dickered  with  the  leaders 
and  strove  to  win  the  approval  of  the  people  by  a  show  of  great 
deference  toward  Osmeiia  and  the  members  of  the  assembly/^ 
It  is  perfectly  certain  that  by  the  end  of  the  year  1912  conditions 
were  such  that  it  would  have  been  necessary  soon  either  to  grant 
further  control  over  the  local  government  to  the  Filipinos  or 
check  them  quite  suddenly.  As  long  as  Taft  was  president  there 
would  have  been  no  radical  changes  in  the  form  of  government. 
What  the  result  of  the  check  would  have  been  need  not  be  con- 
jectured because  the  Wilson  administration  came  in  and  promptly 
put  the  Filipinos  in  full  nominal  control  of  the  government. 

While  the  administration  was  engaged  in  hustling  the  East, 
Congress  furnished  the  East  with  an  agency  through  which  it 
was  enabled  to  hustle  the  United  States  out  of  the  islands. 

There  seem  to  have  been  two  controlling  ideas  in  the  minds 
of  those  who  were  responsible  for  creating  the  assembly.  It 
was  known  that  there  was  much  discontent  in  the  country  and 
that  there  would  certainly  be  much  political  agitation.  There 
was  to  be  free  speech  and  a  free  press  and  it  was  thought  that 
there  should  be  a  vent  for  the  gas,  which,  if  suppressed,  might 
blow  up  the  machine.  Better  have  open  than  secret  discussions 
of  dangerous  topics. 


^''  An  aide  was  said  to  have  been  severely  reprimanded  for  asking  Speaker 
Osmena  to  call  at  the  governor-general's  office  instead  of  informing  him  that 
the  governor-general  would  call  at  the  speaker's  room.  The  situation  at  that 
time  suggests  the  days  of  Sir  Elden  Gorst  in  Egypt.  Fyfe  (The  New  Spirit 
of  Egypt,  p.  184)  quotes  an  Egyptian  as  saying :  "Lord  Cromer  used  to  send 
word,  'I  shall  come  at  a  certain  hour.'  At  that  hour  all  the  [Egyptian]  secre- 
taries and  officials  got  behind  their  desks  and  bent  their  heads  over  their 
work,  appearing  to  be  very  busy.  The  Khedive  would  be  ready  to  the  minute, 
rather  nervous,  hoping  that  all  would  be  well  and  the  visit  soon  over.  Not 
until  it  was  over  did  the  palace  breathe  freely  again.  Now,  what  a  difference ! 
Sir  Elden  Gorst  sends  to  inquire  what  time  the  Khedive  will  be  pleased  to 
receive  him.  He  enters  and  finds  the  officials  lounging  about,  talking  and 
laughing.  He  talks  and  laughs  with  them.  Then  after  being  kept  waiting  a 
while,  he  goes  in  to  the  Khedive,  who  assumes  an  air  of  condescension. 
When  he  leaves  the  palace  rubs  its  hands  and  chuckles,  gleefully,  contrasting 
the  present  with  the  past."  This,  says  Fyfe,  "is  a  humorous,  exaggerated 
way  of  stating  the  case,  but  it  is  based  on  reality." 


394  THE    PHILIPPINES 

The  other  was  that  in  no  other  way  could  the  people  be  so 
rapidly  trained  in  the  art  of  self-government  as  by  active  par- 
ticipation through  their  elective  representatives  in  the  principal 
law-making  body.  This  was  sound  doctrine  if  the  time  had  ar- 
rived for  that  particular  sort  of  training.  In  fact,  however, 
there  was  no  necessity  for  training  a  class  of  men  such  as  those 
who  would  compose  the  membership  of  the  assembly.  It  was  the 
mass  of  the  common  people  who  required  training  and  the  place 
to  train  them  was  in  the  subordinate  governments — the  provinces 
and  municipalities.  The  question  was  whether,  as  conditions  were 
at  that  time,  the  assembly  would  or  would  not  aid  in  the  work 
of  preparing  the  people  for  self-government.  The  Filipinos  al- 
ready had  full  representation  in  the  legislative  body,  the  commis- 
sion, in  the  Supreme  Court  and  in  the  departments  and  bureaus, 
and  it  was  immaterial  for  the  time  being  whether  they  were 
elected  or  appointed.  From  the  point  of  view  of  the  Filipinos 
the  assembly  has  conclusively  demonstrated  the  qualifications  of 
the  people  for  self-government.  Its  work  has  been  extravagantly 
praised  in  order  to  justify  its  existence  and  lay  a  foundation 
for  the  demand  for  an  elective  Senate.  After  giving  the  assem- 
bly credit  for  much  good  work,  it  is  questionable  at  least  whether 
it  would  not  have  been  better  for  the  country  to  have  postponed 
its  creation  for  at  least  another  decade.  There  was  nothing  in 
the  history  of  such  legislative  bodies  to  suggest  that  the  balanced 
situation  thereby  created  could  be  maintained  for  the  necessary 
period.  It  certainly  invited  and  encouraged  the  demand  for  im- 
mediate independence.  And,  as  Sir  George  Cornwall  Lewis 
said: 

"Unless  the  dominant  country  should  be  prepared  to  concede 
virtual  independence,  it  ought  carefully  to  avoid  encouraging  the 
people  of  the  dependency  to  advance  pretentions  which  nothing 
short  of  independence  can  satisfy.  If  a  dominant  country  grants 
to  a  dependency  popular  institutions  and  professes  to  allow  it  to 
exercise  self-government,  without  being  prepared  to  treat  it  as 
virtually  independent,  the  dominant  country  by  such  conduct  only 
mocks  its  dependency  with  the  semblance  of  political  institutions 


i 


POLICIES    AND    PERSONNEL  395 

without  their  reaHty.  It  is  no  genuine  concession  to  grant  to 
a  dependency  the  names  and  forms  and  machinery  of  popular 
institutions  unless  the  dominant  country  will  permit  these  insti- 
tutions to  bear  the  meaning  which  they  possess  in  an  independent 
community ;  nor  do  such  apparent  concessions  produce  any  bene- 
fit to  the  dependency,  but,  on  the  contrary,  they  sow  the  seeds 
of  political  dissensions,  and  perhaps  of  insurrection  and  wars 
which  would  not  otherwise  arise."^^ 

Having  deliberately  created  such  conditions,  it  was  incumbent 
on  the  administration  to  handle  it  with  great  care  and  delicacy. 

Although  the  frequent  changes  in  the  higher  personnel  of  the 
government  introduced  the  personal  equation  into  local  affairs 
to  an  undesirable  extent,  they  had  little  effect  upon  the  general 
policy  of  the  administration/^  Some  of  the  changes  were  detri- 
mental to  the  service  being  brought  about,  it  is  feared,  by  un- 
worthy intrigues  due  to  the  personal  jealousies  and  antagonisms 
which  seem  always  to  develop  under  such  circumstances.  Un- 
fortunately neither  the  governor-general  nor  the  members  of  the 
commission  were  appointed  for  definite  terms  and  all  were  sub- 


^^  The  Government  of  Dependencies,  Lucas'  Ed.,  p.  307. 

19  When  in  1904  Mr.  Taf  t  was  called  to  Washington  to  become  secretary 
of  war  in  the  cabinet  of  President  Roosevelt,  he  was  succeeded  as  civil  gov- 
ernor by  Luke  E.  Wright,  who  had  been  commissioner  and  secretary  of  com- 
merce and  police  since  the  organization  of  that  department.  After  two  years' 
service  as  governor-general  Wright  was  replaced  by  Henry  C.  Ide,  then  com- 
missioner and  secretary  of  finance  and  justice,  who  was  permitted  to  serve 
as  chief  executive  for  about  six  months.  Dean  C.  Worcester,  who  had  been 
a  member  of  the  Schurman  Commission  also,  and  secretary  of  the  interior, 
was  passed  over  and  the  governor-generalship  given  to  James  F.  Smith,  who 
had  been  successively  a  brigadier-general  of  volunteer,  collector  of  customs, 
justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  Philippines,  commissioner,  and  secretary 
of  public  instruction.  Smith  served  as  governor-general  until  October,  1909, 
when  at  his  urgent  request  he  was  permitted  to  resign.  These  men  each 
served  as  chief  executive  on  an  average  of  less  than  two  years.  Smith's  suc- 
cessor, W.  Cameron  Forbes,  had  been  a  member  of  the  commission  and  sec- 
retary of  commerce  and  police.  Forbes  remained  in  office  until  after  the 
inauguration  of  President  Wilson,  when  he  was  replaced  by  Francis  Burton 
Harrison,  of  New  York,  who  is  now  in  office. 

Changes  in  the  membership  of  the  commission  were  also  numerous  dur- 
ing this  period.  When  Wright  became  governor-general  he  was  succeeded 
as  commissioner  and  secretary  by  Forbes.  Ide  was  succeeded  as  commis- 
sioner by  Smith,  who  made  way  for  W.  Morgan  Shuster,  who  had  served  as 
collector  of  customs.  Forbes  was  succeeded  as  commissioner  and  secretary 
of  commerce  and  police  by  Charles  B.  Elliott,  who  was  transferred  from  the 
Supreme  Court,  and  Shuster  by  Newton  W.  Gilbert,  who  was  acting  gov- 
ernor-general for  nearly  a  year  before  Forbes  retired.    See  Appendix  H. 


396  THE    PHILIPPINES 

ject  to  removal  without  notice  or  cause  at  the  will  of  the  presi- 
dent. Such  a  situation  was  a  standing  invitation  to  the  ever 
present  disaffected  element  to  organize  opposition  and  to  carry- 
unfounded  stories  to  Washington.  After  the  departure  of  Taft 
the  Filipinos  proceeded  on  the  theory  that  the  removal  of  a  gov- 
ernor-general could  be  brought  about  by  making  the  president 
believe  that  he  was  no  longer  persona  grata  to  them  and  that 
therefore  his  usefulness  had  been  destroyed.  In  my  judgment 
Wright  was  by  far  the  best  of  Taft's  successors,  but  it  was  com- 
monly understood  that  his  transfer  to  the  embassy  at  Tokio  was 
induced  by  Filipino  opposition.  Governor-General  Ide  was  also 
a  very  efficient  man,  but  for  reasons  which  have  never  been  made 
clear  he  was  required  to  resign  at  the  end  of  six  months,  al- 
though his  services  had  apparently  been  satisfactory  to  all  ele- 
ments of  the  community.  Smith  never  desired  to  be  governor- 
general.  Forbes  had  not  been  in  office  six  months  before  the 
native  papers  were  vilifying  him  and  a  systematic  campaign  had 
been  commenced  by  the  Filipinos  to  have  him  removed  from 
office  which  continued  until  given  its  quietus  by  Secretary  Dick- 
inson during  his  visit  to  the  islands  in  the  summer  of  1910.  All 
this  unnecessary  friction  with  its  resulting  injury  to  the  service 
would  have  been  avoided  had  the  governor-general  and  commis- 
sioners been  given  definite  terms  of  office  such  as  the  British 
government  gives  similar  officials  in  India  and  their  dominions 
and  colonies. 

America  entered  upon  the  work  in  the  Philippines  without  men 
trained  in  colonial  administration.  An  effort  was  made  to  supply 
the  deficiencies  in  the  subordinate  officials  by  establishing  what 
became  a  very  efficient  civil  service.  But  neither  the  governor- 
general  nor  members  of  the  commission  were  affected  by  the 
civil  service  or  subject  to  its  restrictions  or  protection. 

A  sincere  and  successful  effort  was  made  to  prevent  the  Phil- 
ippine service  from  becoming  entangled  in  the  politics  of  the 
home  country.  The  members  of  the  original  commission  were 
selected  by  President  McKinley  without  reference  to  their  politi- 
cal affiliations  and  an  absolutely  non-partisan  policy  was  pursued 


POLICIES    AND    PERSONNEL  397 

by  President  Roosevelt  and  President  Taft.  It  was  the  principle 
which  Cromwell  announced  for  the  government  of  England. 
"The  State  in  choosing  men  to  serve  it  takes  no  notice  of  their 
opinions;  if  they  be  willing  faithfully  to  serve  it  that  satisfies." 
The  abandonment  of  this  policy  by  President  Wilson  is  greatly  to 
be  regretted.  Before  March  4,  1913,  no  person  in  the  Philippine 
government  service  had  been  appointed  or  removed  because  of  his 
party  affiliations  or  party  services.  Governor-General  Wright, 
Governor-General  Smith  and  Commissioner  Branagan  were  Dem- 
ocrats in  good  standing.  Forbes  was  understood  to  be  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  type  who  find  it  very  difficult  to  discover  the  loca- 
tion of  a  polling  place  on  election  day.  Worcester  and  Moses  were 
young  college  professors  without  apparent  political  affiliations. 
Ide  was  a  Vermont  Republican.  The  members  of  the  supreme  and 
inferior  courts  were  selected  and  retained  without  the  slightest 
reference  to  politics.  It  is  understood  that  the  majority  of  them 
were  Democrats.  One  member  of  the  Supreme  Court  promoted 
from  a  lower  court  by  President  Roosevelt  on  the  recommenda- 
tion of  Secretary  Taft  was  an  enthusiastic  follower  of  Bryan. 
There  was  a  tendency  on  the  part  of  certain  party  opponents 
of  the  administration  to  deny  the  genuineness  of  the  democracy 
of  these  men  because  they  accepted  office  in  the  Philippines  from 
a  Republican  administration,  a  theory  of  duty  which  would  make 
partisanship  a  necessary  qualification  for  colonial  service.  The 
preponderance  of  Democrats  in  the  subordinate  offices  was  prob- 
ably due  to  the  fact  that  many  young  officers  of  the  volunteer 
regiments  from  the  southern  states  when  mustered  out  elected 
to  remain  in  the  islands  and  enter  the  service  of  the  Philippine 
government.  They  were  mostly  members  of  the  Democratic 
party,  but  they  regarded  themselves  as  non-partisan  appointees 
and  served  the  government  loyally  without  reference  to  their  pri- 
vate views  or  home  politics. 

The  young  men  and  women  who  were  working  in  the  islands 
came  from  all  walks  in  life  and  from  every  grade  of  American 
society.  The  great  majority  were  young  college  folk  who  were 
desirous  of  seeing  something  of  the  world  while  earning  a  liv- 


398  THE    PHILIPPINEiS 

ing  and  getting  a  start  in  life.  From  the  first  the  service  attracted 
a  number  of  wealthy  young  men,  graduates  of  Yale,  Harvard 
and  similar  institutions,  who  were  ambitious  to  render  service 
to  the  country.  The  teachers  particularly  were  inspired  with  the 
altruistic  spirit  and  eager  to  aid  in  the  educational  and  political 
missionary  work  in  which  the  government  was  engaged. 

Among  so  many  government  employees  there  were,  of  course, 
some  weaklings  who  were  unable  to  sustain  the  strain  imposed 
by  the  abnormal  conditions  and  resist  the  manifold  temptations 
to  which  they  were  subjected.  It  was  indeed  a  severe  test  and  the 
wonder  is  that  so  few,  comparatively,  fell  away  from  the  paths 
of  rectitude  and  honest  living.  For  a  time  it  was  difficult  to 
secure  suitable  persons  to  fill  the  many  positions  and  serious  mis- 
takes were  made  in  many  instances.  The  government  had  to  use 
the  material  which  was  at  hand  and  some  of  it  proved  of  in- 
ferior quality.  The  numerous  defalcations  by  the  early  American 
provincial  and  municipal  treasurers  was  a  sad  object-lesson  for 
the  Filipinos  who  were  being  asked  to  place  themselves  in  tutel- 
age to  a  superior  race.  But  defaulters  were  prosecuted  and  pun- 
ished without  mercy.  So  strict  indeed  was  the  government  in 
this  respect  that  the  idea  soon  prevailed  among  the  Americans 
that  any  malicious  Filipino  could  secure  the  discharge  and  pun- 
ishment of  an  American  by  simply  charging  him  with  misconduct. 
As  the  war-time  confusion  passed  away  and  better  men  were  ob- 
tained through  the  operation  of  the  civil  service  law,  the  de- 
falcations practically  ceased,  and  during  recent  years  the  Amer- 
icans in  the  service  of  the  Philippine  government  have  maintained 
a  standard  of  duty  as  high  as  that  prevailing  in  any  service  in 
the  world. 

While  the  call  of  the  East  is  strong  and  insistent  and  the  life 
and  work  in  the  Philippines  is  interesting,  it  has  its  reverse  side. 
In  fact,  the  lot  of  the  American  men  and  women  who  were  serv- 
ing their  country  on  the  other  side  of  the  world  has  not  always 
been  an  enviable  one.  The  business  men  particularly  found  it 
hard  and  generally  unprofitable.  The  government  did  not  aid 
them  as  the  British,  German,  Dutch  and  French  colonial  govern- 


POLICIES    AND    PERSONNEL  399 

ments  assist  those  engaged  in  business  in  their  colonies.  With 
the  best  of  good  will,  government  assistance  to  American  busi- 
ness was  restricted  by  the  necessity  for  protecting  the  natives 
from  exploitation.  For  that  purpose  the  land,  mining  and  cor- 
poration laws  were  so  framed  as  to  make  the  transaction  of  busi- 
ness by  a  man  accustomed  to  American  methods  difficult  and 
generally  unprofitable.  Not  until  after  Forbes  became  the  chief 
executive  was  it  found  possible  for  the  government  and  the  Amer- 
ican and  European  business  element  to  work  in  entire  harmony. 

In  the  early  days  the  majority  of  business  men  were  out  of 
sympathy  with  the  policy  of  the  government.  As  Taft  has  said, 
"We  had  to  fight  the  military  and  we  had  to  fight  the  business 
men."  But  the  type  of  business  men  improved.  Men  like  Charles 
M.  Swift,  who  built  the  Manila  electric  street  railway  and  the 
Philippine  railway,  and  Major  P.  G.  Eastwick,  who  for  years 
was  the  manager  of  the  International  Banking  Corporation, 
worked  loyally  with  the  administration  and  are  entitled  to  much 
credit  for  their  part  in  building  up  the  country. 

Governors-general  and  commissioners  could  come  and  go,  but 
the  ordinary  civil  servant  soon  found  himself  tied  to  the  coun- 
try by  chains  of  circumstance.  Although  he  knew  that  under 
the  policy  of  the  government  it  was  all  temporary,  he  easily  con- 
vinced himself  that  his  position  at  least  was  permanent;  that 
he  belonged  to  the  generation  which  was  not  to  see  independence. 
So  he  purchased  a  home,  and  awoke  one  day  to  the  chilling  fact 
that  his  Filipino  understudy  was  ready  to  take  over  his  position. 

The  difficulty  was  that  the  service  offered  no  permanent  career 
and  there  was  no  provision  for  the  last  years  of  life.  For  the 
man  who  had  youth,  imagination  and  perspective  the  life  for  a 
few  years  was  fascinating,  and  it  grasped  some  so  firmly  that 
escape  seemed  hopeless.  Many,  after  having  heard  the  mysteri- 
ous call  of  the  East,  were  never  able  to  cast  off  its  spell.  To  all 
there  came  a  time  of  uneasy  questionings : 

"Has  he  learnt  how  thy  honors  are  rated 

Has  he  cast  his  accounts  in  thy  school, 
With  the  sweets  of  authority  sated 

Would  he  give  up  his  throne  to  be  cool?" 


400  THE    PHILIPPINES 

And  then  came  disillusionment : 

"Thou  hast  racked  him  with  duns  and  diseases 

And  he  lies  as  thy  scorching  winds  blow, 
Recollecting  old  England's  sea  breezes, 

On  his  back  in  a  lone  bungalow ; 
As  the  slow  coming  darkness  repining. 

How  he  girds  at  the  sun  till  it  sets, 
As  he  marks  the  long  shadows  declining 

O'er  the  Land  of  Regrets."^" 

Then  he  sent  in  his  resignation  and  returned  to  the  States 
and  soon  thereafter  was  seeking  reinstatement. 

During  the  Taft  regime  there  was  a  steady  but  gradual  sub- 
stitution of  Filipinos  for  Americans,  but  it  extended  upward 
slowly.^^  At  its  close  the  majority  of  the  higher  offices  were 
still  filled  by  Americans,  upon  whom  rested  the  duty  of  super- 
vision and  control.     In  writing  of  the  Philippine  service  I  have 


20  Lyall's  Verses  Written  in  India. 

21  It  was  the  settled  policy  to  proceed  as  rapidly  as  the  good  of  the  service 
would  permit  in  increasing  the  number  of  FiHpino  government  employees.  For 
several  years  it  was  necessary  to  use  Americans  in  many  subordinate  positions, 
but  these  were  gradually  replaced  by  Filipinos.  After  his  1907  visit  to  the 
islands  Secretary  Taft  wrote  that  "in  many  bureaus  the  progress  of  Filipinos 
to  the  most  responsible  places  is  necessarily  slow  and  the  proportion  of  them 
to  be  found  in  positions  of  high  salaries  is  not  as  large  as  it  ought  to  be  in 
the  near  future.  The  winnowing  out  process,  however,  is  steadily  reducing 
the  American  employes  in  the  civil  service." 

At  that  time  there  were  3,902  Filipinos  and  2,616  American  employees. 
Three  years  later  there  were  4,639  Filipinos  and  2,633  Americans.  In  1907, 
the  average  salary  of  Americans  was  $1,504.06;  and  of  Filipinos,  $419.46.  In 
1910  the  average  American  salary  was  $1,665.29;  and  Filipino,  $463.12.  On 
July  1,  1915,  there  were  1,935  Americans  and  7,881  Filipinos  in  the  civil  serv- 
ice. The  average  American  salary  was  then  $1,899.50  and  the  Filipino, 
$499.09.  July  1,  1916,  there  were  1,836  Americans  in  the  classified  service,  of 
whom  555  were  teachers,  213  constabulary  officers,  219  patrolmen,  firemen 
and  prison  guards,  112  civil  engineers,  survej^ors  and  draftsmen,  and  68  scien- 
tific and  medical  men.    Rept.  Phil.  Com.  1915. 

It  was  necessary  to  pay  the  Americans  higher  salaries  than  was  paid  Fili- 
pinos doing  similar  work.  They  were  far  from  home,  it  cost  them  much 
more  to  live,  and  they  were  able  to  do  more  work.  But  the  averages  stated 
ahove  are  liable  to  mislead  because  of  high  salaries  paid  a  few  Americans. 
The  Filipinos  always  protested  against  the  apparent  discrimination.  Amer- 
ican officials  and  employees  have  not  been  overpaid  and  they  have  rendered 
full  value  for  the  money  paid  them  out  of  the  Philippine  treasury.  The 
number  of  Americans  who  for  various  reasons  retired  from  the  service  dur- 
ing the  first  year  of  the  Harrison  administration  was  not  greater  than  during 
some  earlier  years,  but  it  included  an  unusual  number  of  highly  trained  and 
■vyell-paid  men. 


POLICIES    AND    PERSONNEL  401 

used  the  past  tense.  Recent  changes  in  the  laws  and  methods 
of  administration  demonstrate  that  it  will  soon  be  a  thing  of 
the  past.  It  was  the  removal  or  forced  resignation  of  men  high 
in  the  service  by  the  Wilson  administration  that  stirred  the  deep 
waters.  Commissioners,  heads  of  departments,  and  bureau 
chiefs,  the  men  who  for  years  had  been  responsible  for  the  suc- 
cess of  the  government,  were  by  various  methods  forced  out  of 
the  service.  Filipinos  have  been  placed  at  the  head  of  the  uni- 
versity, the  Philippine  General  Hospital,  the  Bureau  of  Lands, 
the  Bureau  of  Agriculture,  and  the  Executive  Bureau.  Some  of 
the  new  men  were  incompetent  and  all  of  them  were  much  less 
efficient  than  their  predecessors. 

The  directing  power  was  thus  transferred  to  the  Filipinos. 
Few  Americans  of  the  higher  class  will  serve  in  subordinate 
offices  under  Filipino  chiefs.  Other  methods  of  forcing  Amer- 
icans out  were  occasionally  employed.  Thus  the  resignation  of 
the  experienced  and  efficient  director  of  the  Bureau  of  Education 
was  secured  by  the  appointment  of  a  Filipino,  personally  ob- 
noxious, as  his  first  assistant.  Much  general  dissatisfaction  re- 
sulted and  the  service  has  lost  its  attraction  for  Americans.  They 
no  longer  have  the  sense  of  being  engaged  in  a  great  and  inspir- 
ing enterprise.  They  feel  that  they  are  simply  holding  temporary 
positions  in  a  foreign  country  while  better  jobs  are  available  at 
home.  Apparently  the  life  and  spirit  have  gone  out  of  the  service. 

The  fact  is  that  the  Filipinos  back  of  the  Harrison  administra- 
tion were  determined  to  eliminate  the  Americans  as  rapidly  as 
possible.  They  were  even  willing  to  pay  liberally  for  voluntary 
resignations  and  devised  an  ingenious  system  of  rewards  for 
those  who  were  willing  to  retire.  So  the  legislature  passed  a  law^^ 
which  authorized  "a  gratuity  by  reason  of  retirements"  to  officers 
and  employees  who  had  rendered  satisfactory  services  during  six 
continuous  years  or  more.  Under  this  law  the  governor-general 
was  authorized  to  approve  the  retirements  of  any  officers  or  em- 
ployees in  the  civil  service  except  those  who  were  detailed  from 
the  army  and  navy  or  civil  service  of  the  United  States  and 


22  Act  No.  2589,  February  4,  1916. 


402  THE    PHILIPPINES 

those  who  were  receiving  a  pension  or  retirement  pay  from  the 
government  of  the  United  States,  who  had  served  six  years  or 
more,  who  made  application  therefor  before  the  first  day  of  July, 
1916.  All  who  had  served  at  least  ten  years  would  receive  three 
annual  equal  payments  of  a  sum  equal  to  thirty-three  and  one- 
third  per  cent,  of  the  salary  last  received,  with  proportionate 
amounts  for  shorter  service. 

Vacancies  resulting  from  such  retirements — except  from  the 
positions  of  a  judge,  a  chief  or  assistant  chief  of  a  bureau,  chief 
clerk  or  chief  of  division — were  not  to  be  filled,  the  positions 
being  considered  as  abolished,  subject  to  the  right  of  the  gov- 
ernor-general under  certain  conditions  to  authorize  at  his  dis- 
cretion, in  lieu  thereof,  the  revival  of  such  positions  as  he  deemed 
necessary;  Vacancies  occasioned  in  the  accepted  offices  other 
than  judicial  might  again  be  filled,  but  at  salaries  equal  to  two- 
thirds  only  of  that  received  by  the  retiring  officer. 

Many  Americans  took  advantage  of  this  opportunity  to  get 
out  of  a  service  which  was  being  made  untenable  for  them.  As 
the  governor-general  was  not  required  to  grant  an  application  for 
retirement  at  any  particular  time,  the  resignations  of  nearly  all 
the  experienced  officials  were  placed  in  his  hands.  Even  the 
justices  of  the  Supreme  Court,  who  were  appointed  by  the  pres- 
ident with  the  approval  of  the  Senate  and  were  independent  of 
the  governor-general,  who  accepted  the  offer  thereafter  held  their 
commissions  subject  to  his  will.  Under  such  conditions  there 
could,  of  course,  be  no  such  thing  as  an  independent  judiciary. 
During  the  time  Forbes  was  governor-general  an  action  was 
brought  against  him  personally  by  certain  Chinese  to  recover 
large  damages  for  what  they  claimed  to  have  been  illegal  de- 
portations, and  he  was  forced  to  come  into  the  court  as  a  litigant 
defendant.  Should  similar  conditions  arise  at  present,  the  gov- 
ernor might  appear  in  court  with  the  resignations  of  the  justices 
in  his  pocket  which  he  might  accept  at  his  discretion.  Such  a 
situation  requires  no  comment. 

Only  those  who  have  worked  with  the  Americans  in  the  service 
of  the  Philippine  government  can  appreciate  the  extent  to  which 


4 


POLICIES    AND    PERSONNEL  403 

they  have  been  inspired  by  unselfish  motives.  They  were  a  picked 
body  of  men  and  women — in  character,  high  ideals  and  efficiency 
far  above  the  personnel  of  any  of  our  state  governments.  After 
making  all  proper  allowances  for  occasional  individual  deficien- 
cies and  weaknesses,  it  remains  literally  true,  as  said  by  Roose- 
velt,'^ that : 

"No  higher  grade  of  public  officials  ever  handled  the  affairs 
of  any  colony  than  the  public  officials  who  in  succession  governed 
the  Philippines,  with  the  possible  exception  of  the  Sudan,  and 
not  even  excepting  Algiers.  I  know  of  no  country  ruled  and 
administered  by  men  of  the  white  race  where  that  rule  and  that 
administration  has  been  exercised  so  emphatically  with  an  eye 
singly  to  the  welfare  of  the  natives  themselves." 

23  Autobiography,  p.  544. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

The  Independence  Movement  and  the 
Reorganized  Government 

Early  Ideas  of  Independence — New  Conceptions — Attitude  of  American  Gov- 
ernment Toward  Independence — First  Filipino  Political  Party — The  Rad- 
icals and  the  New  Men — Revival  of  Sentiment — New  Political  Parties — 
Growth  of  Anti-American  Sentiment — The  Assembly — Leadership  of  Osmena 
and  Quezon — The  Propaganda  in  the  United  States — Mr.  Jones  and  His  Bills 
— The  Wilson  Administration — Governor-General  Harrison  and  His  Policy — 
Defeat  of  Clarke  Amendment — Passage  of  Jones  Bill — Provisions  of  the 
Law — Organizing  the  New  Government — The  Future  of  the  Independence 
Movement, 

It  is  said  that  once  upon  a  time  Thackeray,  meeting  John 
Bright  in  Pall  Mall,  took  off  his  hat  with  an  uncommon  flourish. 
"Well,  what  is  the  matter?"  said  Bright.  "I  always  feel  inclined 
to  take  off  my  hat  to  you  and  Cobden,"  replied  Thackeray.  "You 
know  just  what  you  want  and  ask  for  it.  So  few  of  these  fel- 
lows know  what  they  do  want." 

The  instinct  is  strong  to  repeat  the  flourish  and  take  off  the  hat 
to  Manuel  L.  Quezon  and  Sergio  Osmena:  they  are  men  who 
know  exactly  what  they  want  and  ask  for  it.  They  almost  suc- 
ceeded in  convincing  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  that  there 
is  a  homogeneous  Filipino  people,  competent  to  operate  an  inde- 
pendent state  with  a  popular  form  of  government.  They  did 
secure  legislation  establishing  a  government  which  is  almost  as 
autonomous  as  that  of  Canada.  It  was  under  the  circumstances 
a  rather  remarkable  thing  to  accomplish. 

In  1899  there  were  at  least  seven  million  people  in  the  Philip- 
pines, of  whom  about  eight  hundred  thousand  were  non-Chris- 
tians. If  the  assertions  of  the  present  native  leaders  are  true, 
either  their  predecessors  greatly  underestimated  the  number  of 
educated  men  in  the  islands  at  the  time  of  the  American  occupa- 
tion or  progress  during  the  Taft  regime  was  marvelous  indeed. 

404 


THE    INDEPENDENCE    MOVEMENT  405 

Filipe  Calderon,  the  distinguished  FiHpino  lawyer  and  poHtician, 
who  in  1899  reported  a  constitution  to  the  Malolos  Congress,  gave 
as  one  reason  for  providing  for  a  one-house  legislature  the  fact 
that  there  might  not  be  enough  qualified  men  in  the  islands  for 
a  legislative  body  with  two  chambers/ 

About  five  years  thereafter  a  representative  Filipino  who  ap- 
peared before  the  secretary  of  war  and  his  congressional  party 
expressed  the  opinion  that  the  islands  were  ready  for  independence 
because  there  were  enough  qualified  natives  to  supply  two  com- 
plete sets — relays — of  ofiice  holders,  and  that,  he  believed,  was 
all  any  country  required. 

On  August  28,  1905,  a  committee  composed  of  leading  Fili- 
pinos, some  of  whom  are  still  active  in  Nationalist  politics,  pre- 
sented a  petition  to  the  secretary  of  war  which  demonstrated  that 
educated  Filipinos  who  assumed  to  speak  for  their  countrymen 
had  no  proper  conception  of  the  meaning  of  popular  government. 
This  interesting  document  contained  the  following  :^ 

"In  spite  of  the  unquestionable  political  capacity  of  the  Fili- 
pino people,  the  result  of  their  present  degree  of  culture  and  civil- 
ization, that  they  are  in  a  condition  for  self-government  is  denied 
in  varying  degrees  and  forms,  though  precisely  the  contrary  is 
demonstrated  by  facts,  experiences  and  considerations,  among 
which  the  following  deserve  mention : 

"First.  It  is  an  irrefutable  fact  that  the  Filipino  people  are 
governable;  the  period  of  Spanish  dominion  and  of  the  present 
American  sovereignty  bear  out  this  assertion.  The  political  con- 
dition of  a  country  principally  depends  upon  the  degree  of  gov- 
ernableness  of  its  people;  the  more  governable  the  popular  classes 
are  the  better  the  political  condition  of  the  country. 

"When  a  people  such  as  the  Filipinos  give  signal  evidence  of 
their  capacity  to  obey  during  a  period  of  over  three  hundred 
years,  free  from  disturbance  or  deep  political  commotions,  it  must 
be  granted,  considering  that  all  things  tend  to  progress,  that  they 

1  "Filipe  G.  Calderon  and  the  Malolos  Constitution,"  by  Jorge  Bocobo,  in 
The  Filipino  People  for  Sept.,  1914. 

2  The  petition  was  signed  by  Dr.  Simeon  A.  Villa,  Baldomero  Aguinaldo, 
Dr.  Justo  Lukban,  Dr.  Jose  de  la  Vina,  M.  Cuyugan.  G.  Apacible,  Vicente 
Illustre,  Miguel  Saragosa,  Alberto  Barretto,  Pablo  Ocampo,  Antonio  E.  Esca- 
milla,  Enrique  Mendiola,  Vicente  Lukban,  and  some  twenty-five  others.  See 
Mr.  Taft's  statement  to  the  Senate  Committee.    Hearings,  etc.  (1915),  p.  369. 


406  THE    PHILIPPINES 

possess  the  art  of  government;  all  the  more  so  because,  among 
other  powers,  they  possess  that  of  assimilation  in  a  marked  de- 
gree, an  assimilativeness  which  distinguishes  them  from  other 
people  of  the  Far  East. 

"Second.  If  the  masses  of  the  people  are  governable,  a  part 
must  necessarily  be  denominated  the  directing  class,  for  as  in  the 
march  of  progress,  moral  or  material,  nations  do  not  advance 
at  the  same  rate,  some  going  forward  while  others  fall  behind, 
so  it  is  with  the  inhabitants  of  a  country,  as  observation  will 
prove. 

"Third.  //  the  Philippine  Archipelago  has  a  popular  govern- 
able m^iss  called  upon  to  obey  and  a  directing  class  charged  with 
the  duty  of  governing,  it  is  in  a  condition  to  govern  itself. 

"These  factors,  not  counting  incidental  ones,  are  the  only  two 
by  which  to  determine  the  political  capacity  of  a  country — an 
entity  that  knows  how  to  govern,  the  directing  class,  and  an 
entity  that  knows  how  to  obey,  the  popular  masses." 

Since  that  time  Filipinos  with  more  modem  ideas  of  govern- 
ment have  become  prominent.  Mr.  Manuel  L.  Quezon,  for  in- 
stance, has  spent  nearly  ten  years  in  the  American  Congress  and 
probably  now  has  as  clear  a  conception  of  the  American  system 
of  government  as  the  average  member  of  that  body.  The  local 
leaders  who  have  not  had  his  opportunities  for  observation  are 
without  his  mental  outlook,  but  they  have  developed  greatly  since 
the  time  of  the  presentation  of  the  above  petition.  It  is  fair  to 
say  that  most  of  the  men  who  are  at  present  prominent  in  Fili- 
pino politics  desire  to  establish  a  government  of  a  truly  repre- 
sentative character.  Whether  they  have  the  capacity  to  do  so 
and  the  material  is  at  hand,  that  is,  whether  enough  of  the  people 
are  sufficiently  trained  to  enable  them  intelligently  to  participate 
in  the  work  of  popular  government,  is  another  and  very  serious 
question. 

The  leaders  of  the  insurrection  against  Spain  and  the  United 
States  talked  much  of  independence,  but  only  the  most  impractical 
had  any  serious  expectation  of  realizing  it  at  that  time.  Aguin- 
aldo  and  his  associates  knew  that  if  the  United  States  withdrew 
from  the  islands  at  the  close  of  the  war,  Spain,  free  from  the  bur- 


THE    INDEPENDENCE    MOVEMENT  407 

den  of  Cuba,  would  easily  crush  the  Filipinos.  The  faint  hope  at 
first  entertained  that  the  United  States  would  make  the  abandon- 
ment of  the  Philippines  a  condition  of  peace  soon  faded  away  and 
thereafter  what  Aguinaldo  really  desired  was  what  the  Cubans 
secured — a  qimsi  independent  government  under  American  pro- 
tection. After  the  ratification  of  the  treaty  of  peace,  the  United 
States  never  seriously  thought  of  immediately  setting  up  an  inde- 
pendent Filipino  state.  The  islands  had  been  acquired  by  the 
United  States  by  formal  cession  from  Spain,  and  she  was  dealing 
with  her  own  subjects.  Their  future  status  was,  under  the  terms 
of  the  treaty,  to  be  determined  by  Congress.  For  a  time  at  least 
they  were  to  remain  under  the  American  flag.  But  the  germ  of 
the  independence  idea  was  not  destroyed,  it  was  merely  buried  in 
fruitful  soil,  to  be  nourished  by  a  liberal  policy.  The  attempt  to 
train  the  people  for  self-government  on  the  lines  laid  down  by 
President  McKinley  in  his  Instructions  and  Secretary  Root  in 
his  reports  as  secretary  of  war,  implied  belief  in  their  natural 
capacity  for  development  to  a  point  where  they  could  govern 
themselves.  It  was  assumed  that  their  present  inability  was 
due  not  to  inherent  racial  incapacity  for  popular  government,  but 
to  the  lack  of  education  and  experience.^  The  republic  which  the 
insurgents  attempted  to  establish  under  the  Malolos  constitution 
was  Spanish  and  South  American  in  spirit  and  substance.  Its 
framers  copied  their  constitution  not  from  the  United  States,  but 
from  continental  Europe  or  South  America.  Under  it  the 
"popular  masses"  certainly  would  have  constituted  "an  entity 
that  knows  how  to  obey."  The  government  which  President 
McKinley  and  Secretary  Root  framed  for  them  rested  on  prin- 
ciples of  an  entirely  different  character.  The  Filipinos  had  not 
been  trained  to  run  that  sort  of  government. 

There  were  in  the  islands  a  few  Filipinos,  almost  without  ex- 
ception Spanish  or  Chinese  mestizos,  who  were  reasonably  com- 
petent to  fill  any  office  and  perform  the  duties  thereof  according 


3  See  Reports  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  1899,  p.  24,  1900,  p.  22 ;  Root,  Mili- 
tary and  Colonial  Policy  of  the  United  States,  pp.  161,  239.  Elliott,  The  Phil- 
ippines:  To  the  End  of  the  Military  Regime,  pp.  497-504. 


408  THE    PHILIPPINES 

to  the  conceptioiis  of  government  with  which  they  were  familiar, 
but  when  compared  with  the  total  number  of  inhabitants  they 
were  pitiably  few.  As  we  have  seen,  Sefior  Calderon  feared 
that  there  were  not  enough  of  them  to  furnish  members  for  a 
modem  legislative  body  with  two  houses.  If  we  may  imagine 
for  instance  that  a  hundred  or  so  of  the  best  educated  and  most 
intelligent  men  then  in  the  islands  had  been  deported,  no  one  of 
the  deportees  would  for  a  moment  have  claimed  that  the  remain- 
ing six  or  seven  millions  were  able  to  operate  an  autonomous 
government  such  as  the  McKinley  administration  had  in  mind. 
Of  course  a  country  is  entitled  to  the  services  of  its  most  intelli- 
gent men  and  the  supposition  of  their  elimination  is  merely  made 
for  the  purpose  of  showing  that  any  native  government  then 
possible  would  have  been  an  oligarchy  and  not  a  popular  govern- 
ment. .  . 

It  was  the  recognition  of  this  fact  that  induced  President  Mc- 
Kinley and  his  advisers  to  adopt  a  policy  which  was  designed  to 
educate  and  prepare  the  masses  for  active  participation  in  a  pop- 
ular as  distinguished  from  an  oligarchical  government.  Under 
such  conditions  the  question  of  independence  was  necessarily 
left  in  abeyance  to  be  determined  at  some  time  in  the  future, 
when  not  only  a  remnant  but  a  popular  majority  had  been  by  edu- 
cation and  experience  prepared  for  intelligent  consideration  of 
the  question.  From  the  institution  of  civil  government  until 
the  arrival  of  Governor-General  Harrison  in  September,  1913, 
the  subject  of  independence  was  very  seldom  discussed  by  the 
American  administrators  in  the  Philippines.*  It  was  regarded  as 
not  within  the  sphere  of  their  activities.  The  official  reports  of 
the  commission  and  of  the  governor-general  contain  but  the 
briefest  references  to  the  independence  movement. 

No  one  realized  better  than  President  McKinley  and  Secre- 
tary Root  that  the  difficulty  with  "bringing  up  an  awkward  race 
under  the  control  of  a  superior,"  to  use  Doctor  Eliot's  expressive 
phrase,  is  that  there  is  no  natural  time  limit  to  the  period  of 
tutelage ;  that  they  are  liable  to  remain  mentally  dependent  so  long 

*  See  supra,  p.  382  et  seq. 


THE    INDEPENDENCE    MOVEMENT  409 

as  they  are  subject  to  the  active  control  of  the  superior.  It  is  un- 
doubtedly true  that  liberty  of  action  is  essential  to  the  development 
of  robust  character,  but  regulated  liberty  is  all  that  civilization 
permits  to  any  one  who  enjoys  its  benefits.  A  sort  of  compromise 
policy  was  adopted  in  the  Philippines.  As  unrestricted  freedom 
of  political  action  would  then  have  meant  anarchy,  a  practical 
plan  was  devised  which  involved  the  very  active  and  real  partici- 
pation of  the  Filipinos  in  the  government — a  participation  so  large 
and  so  loosely  controlled  as  to  encourage  initiative,  test  their  pow- 
ers and  develop  their  inherent  capacities.  They  were  to  be  given 
the  opportunity  to  show  what  was  in  them.  The  great  majority 
of  the  leading  Filipinos,  such  as  Arellano,  Legarda,  Areneta, 
Pardo  De  Tavera,  Torres,  Mapa,  and  the  commercial  class  gen- 
erally, including  the  English,  Swiss,  German,  Chinese  and  Span- 
ish business  men,  were  in  sympathy  with  this  policy. 

From  the  organization  of  the  insular  government  the  Filipinos 
were  given  a  substantial  part  of  the  work  to  do,  and  six  years 
after  President  Roosevelt's  proclamation  declaring  that  general 
peace  had  been  established,  four  of  the  nine  members  of  the 
commission,  three  of  the  seven  members  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
one-half  of  the  judges  of  the  courts  of  first  instance,  all  of  the 
justices  of  the  peace,  four  of  the  seven  members  of  the  upper 
house  of  the  legislature,  practically  all  of  the  provincial  and  mu- 
nicipal officials,  and  the  great  majority  of  the  officers,  clerks  and 
employees  of  the  various  bureaus,  were  natives.  The  Americans 
were  planning,  advising  and  supervising. 

The  first  native  political  party  organized  under  American  rule 
was  a  peace  party  which  sought  not  independence  but  ultimate 
admission  as  a  state  of  the  Union,^  and  its  members  joined  with 
the  Americans  in  their  efforts  to  organize  a  government  adapted 
to  existing  conditions  in  which  the  natives  should  have  a  part, 
limited  only  by  their  abilities. 

Present-day  Filipinos  are  disposed  to  minimize  the  importance 
of  the  old  Federal  party  and  to  claim  that  it  was  composed  of 
"office-holders"  only.    But  the  fact  is  that  it  included  in  its  mem- 

5  Elliott,  The  Philippines:    To  the  End  of  the  Military  Regime,  p.  513. 


410  THE    PHILIPPINES 

bership  substantially  all  of  the  men  of  first  importance  in  the 
islands,  and  it  was  finally  submerged  because  the  idea  of  ultimate 
statehood  received  no  encouragement  from  the  insular  govern- 
ment or  from  any  one  in  the  United  States. 

During  these  early  years  a  few  irreconcilables,  such  as  Filipe 
Buencamino,  Isabella  de  Los  Reyes,  Ricarti,  and  other  old  mili- 
tary leaders,  held  aloof  and  continued  to  nurse  the  idea  of  an  in- 
dependent government. 

The  desire  for  independence  was  smoldering  under  the  ashes 
of  the  war.  Before  the  insurrection  in  the  provinces  was  sup- 
pressed, certain  persons,  apparently  friendly  to  the  Americans, 
consulted  Governor  Taft  with  reference  to  organizing  a  political 
party  favorable  to  ultimate  independence  and  were  informed  that 
so  long  as  there  was  fighting  within  a  few  miles  of  Manila,  there 
was  danger  that  their  motive  would  be  questioned. 

The  victories  of  Japan  over  Russia  gave  great  impetus  to  the 
nationalist  feeling  which  was  manifesting  itself  in  all  the  coun- 
tries of  the  Far  East.  India,  Egypt,  and  even  Java,  felt  its  in- 
fluence. It  was  but  natural  that  its  appeal  should  be  strongest 
to  the  new  generation.  In  the  Philippines  a  number  of  patriotic 
and  ambitious  young  men  who  had  taken  but  an  unimportant,  if 
any,  part  in  the  insurrection  and  who  saw  place  and  power  for 
them  in  a  new  republic,  joined  with  the  radicals  and  the  work  of 
educating  the  masses  to  demand  independence  was  commenced 
under  their  directions.  Like  the  same  class  in  India  and  Egypt, 
these  young  men  imbibed  their  ideas  of  political  freedom  from 
the  text-books  placed  in  their  hands  by  their  foreign  rulers.  They 
thought  in  terms  of  abstract  principles  and  took  little  account  of 
the  qualifying  effects  of  time,  place  or  race.  The  pensionados,  the 
young  men  who  were  being  educated  in  the  United  States  at  the  I 
expense  of  the  Philippine  government,  almost  without  exception 
joined  this  party,  which  easily  gained  control  of  the  Spanish  and 
vernacular  press  and  thus  of  the  means  of  molding  public  opinion. 
The  distinguished  Filipinos  who  had  accepted  office  under  the 
American  government  soon  found  themselves  politically  ostra- 


THE    INDEPENDENCE    MOVEMENT  411 

cized  because  of  their  alleged  abandonment  of  the  principles  of 
the  revolution. 

The  provisions  for  the  early  creation  of  the  assembly  were  in- 
serted in  the  Civil  Government  Law  of  1902  by  Americans  as  a 
voluntary  grant  of  political  power  to  the  natives.  The  Filipino 
leaders  were  prompt  to  take  advantage  of  the  remarkable  oppor- 
tunity thus  offered  for  the  cultivation  of  nationalist  sentiment. 
Their  plans  were  carefully  laid  and  thereafter  everything  was 
subordinated  to  the  demand  for  independence.  Every  change  in 
government  personnel,  every  appointment  to  office,  every  law 
enacted,  was  whenever  possible  used  as  a  stepping-stone  toward 
that  goal. 

The  number  of  persons  engaged  in  the  formulation  of  this 
policy  and  its  propaganda  w^as  insignificant  when  compared  with 
the  entire  population.  The  common  people  appreciated  the  peace, 
quiet  and  the  justice  which  had  been  promised  by  the  Americans. 
It  was  necessary  first  to  develop  in  them  a  real  desire  for  inde- 
pendence. They  must  not  be  permitted  to  become  so  well  satis- 
fied with  existing  conditions  that  the  vision  of  a  Filipino  republic 
would  have  no  charms.  This  required  constant  and  systematic 
agitation  and  energetic  criticism  of  the  Americans  and  their  gov- 
ernment. 

A  compaign  on  these  lines  presented  no  very  formidable  diffi- 
culties. The  raw  material  was  at  hand  and  the  conditions  were 
favorable.  A  Filipino,  like  a  Spanish,  constituency  is  susceptible 
to  emotional  and  sentimental  appeals  to  a  degree  unknown  among 
Anglo-Saxons.  They  love  fine  phrases  and  lofty  sentiments.  The 
orator,  like  the  actor  who  strikes  a  heroic  attitude  and  announces 
some  lofty  but  self-evident  sentiment,  such  as,  "Be  good  to 
mother!"  is  certain  of  enthusiastic  applause  from  the  galleries. 
When  told  of  their  present  ability  and  capacity  to  run  a  govern- 
ment, they  readily  accepted  the  views  of  the  orator.  It  was  easy 
to  convince  the  defeated  that  the  victors  were  remaining  in  the 
islands  as  oppressors.  The  policy  which  had  been  announced  of 
the  Philippines  for  the  Filipinos  sounded  well,  but  it  was  so  con- 
trary to  all  their  experience  with  the  Spaniards  that  it  was  hard 


412  THE    PHILIPPINES 

to  believe  in  its  sincerity.  To  the  skeptical  it  seemed  too  good  to 
be  true.  As  certain  American  statesmen  and  publicists  were  as- 
suring them  that  they  were  the  victims  of  oppression  it  was  easy 
to  misrepresent  the  motives  and  misconstrue  the  actions  of  the 
5  government. 

Prior  to  the  general  election  for  delegates  to  the  assembly,  the 
popular  elections  had  related  to  local  issues  only  and  had  been 
confined  to  the  provinces  and  municipalities.  The  delegates  to 
the  new  assembly  were  to  have  a  part  in  making  laws  for  the  en- 
tire Christian  provinces  and  on  the  conspicuous  stage  on  which 
they  were  to  play,  the  question  of  creating  a  new  nation  might 
well  be  discussed  and  determined.  The  political  parties  which 
were  organized  shortly  before  the  first  general  election,  unlike 
the  old  Federal  party,  made  independence  the  principal  plank  in 
their  platforms.  The  Federalists  believed  that  the  best  interests 
of  the  islands  required  that  the  United  States  should  retain  con- 
trol of  the  country  until  th€  people  were  prepared  to  conduct  a 
proper  government,  and  had  been  supporting  the  policy  of  the 
American  administration  in  which  many  of  their  leading  mem- 
bers were  taking  an  active  part.  But  the  majority  of  the  people 
had  by  this  time  been  charmed  by  the  magic  word  independencia 
and  the  bold  and  aggressive  policy  of  the  Nationalist  party  forced 
the  Federalists  to  change  their  name  to  the  Progressive  party  and 
to  modify  their  platform.  The  concessions  thus  made  to  practical 
politics  did  not  save  the  conservatives  from  defeat,  as  they  elected 
but  fifteen  to  the  Nationalists'  sixty-five  members  of  the  assem- 
bly.® The  Progressive  party  has  ever  since  been  in  the  minority 
and  there  is  reason  to  question  the  sincerity  of  some  of  the  dec- 
larations in  favor  of  early  independence,  which  it  has  from  time 
to  time  made.  At  heart  the  most  of  its  members  have  favored 
the  continuance  of  American  control  for  a  reasonable  period  and 
its  exclusion  from  power  has  been  the  very  proper  reward  for  its 
timidity.     But  its  half-hearted  adherence  did  not  attract  those 


^  This  does  not  represent  the  proportion  of  Progresista  to  Nationalista 
voters  as  in  many  districts  where  Nationalist  delegates  were  returned  the 
popular  vote  was  close. 


THE    INDEPENDENCE    MOVEMENT  413 

who  were  really  in  favor  of  immediate  independence,  and  it  left 
those  who  preferred  the  continuance  of  American  control  com- 
pletely adrift. 

The  institution  of  the  assembly  with  a  membership  outside  of 
the  government  circle  gave  a  great  impulse  to  the  agitation  for 
independence.  It  furnished  a  legitimate  field  upon  which  the 
agitators  could  maneuver  and  train  their  legions  for  further  ad- 
vances upon  the  government  stronghold.  Before  it  was  created 
Filipinos  who  were  ambitious  for  a  public  career  found  it  nec- 
essary to  work  with  the  American  government.  Thereafter  they 
sought  election  to  the  assembly,  assumed  that  they  must  neces- 
sarily be  opposed  to  a  government  controlled  by  foreigners  and 
renegade  Filipinos,  and  too  often  angled  for  popularity  with  the 
constituencies  with  unreasonable  criticism  and  gross  misrepre- 
sentation of  the  administration.  The  majority  of  the  delegates  to 
the  assembly  under  the  strict  control  and  discipline  of  a  political 
party  organization  of  which  Mr.  Osmena,  the  speaker,  was  presi- 
dent, thereafter  constituted  an  aggressive  Opposition,  the  chief 
object  of  which  was  to  transfer  the  control  of  the  government 
from  Americans  to  Filipinos.  This  opposition  was  skilfully  or- 
ganized and  was  carried  on  in  a  perfectly  legal  manner,  without 
malice  toward  Americans  as  individuals  or  as  representatives  of 
the  United  States.  From  the  time  when  they  secured  an  open  leg- 
islative forum  from  which  to  speak  to  the  world,  an  equal  share  in 
legislation  and  power  to  obstruct  the  policies  of  the  American 
administrators,  the  Filipino  politicians  systematically,  skilfully 
and  persistently  pushed  their  campaign.  The  pressure  for  office 
and  power  was  constant.  Legislation  was  enacted  of  obstructed 
with  that  object  in  view.  The  appropriations  necessary  for  the 
support  of  the  government  were  refused  without  reason  in  the 
hope  that  the  difficulty  of  the  government  would  influence  senti- 
ment in  the  United  States  and  in  Congress.  Never  for  a  day  did 
the  assembly  fail  to  assert  its  claim  to  be  the  dominant  factor 
in  the  government.  Its  speaker  asserted  and  ultimately  estab- 
lished a  political  position  recognized  officially  by  Mr.  Taft  as 
second  only  to  that  of  the  governor-general.    The  legislature  was 


414  THE    PHILIPPINES 

in  session  but  ninety  days.  The  speaker's  official  work  then 
ceased.  For  his  services  he  was  paid  a  salary  of  nine  thousand 
dollars  per  annum.^  During  the  nine  months  of  each  year  when 
the  legislature  was  not  in  session  he  traveled  about  the  islands 
frequently  at  government  expense,  cementing  his  political  party 
and  cultivating  sentiment  in  favor  of  an  independent  government. 
While  this  work  was  being  systematically  carried  on  in  the  islands 
under  the  direction  of  Speaker  Osmefia  another  phase  of  the 
campaign  had  its  headquarters  at  Washington. 

The  Philippine  question  which  had  been  the  paramount  issue 
in  the  presidential  campaign  of  1900  played  but  a  minor  part  in 
that  of  1904.  The  second  defeat  of  William  Jennings  Bryan 
seemed  to  put  it  permanently  out  of  the  field  as  a  national  issue. 
The  American  people  generally  regarded  the  problem  as  solved 
and  turned  their  attention  to  other  matters.  There  remained  a 
few  of  the  old  anti-imperialists  who,  faithful  to  the  principle  that 
/'nothing  is  settled  until  it  is  settled  my  way,"  continued  a  mild 
academic  fight  on  the  bogy  of  imperialism.  The  return  of  peace, 
the  increasing  material  prosperity,  and  the  evident  contentment  of 
the  mass  of  the  Filipino  people,  were  proving  them  poor  prophets. 
Nothing  but  the  consent  of  the  governed  principle  remained  and 
it  really  seemed  that  the  Filipinos  were  settling  down  to  live  com- 
fortably under  the  American  flag. 

The  first  resident  commissioners  in  the  United  States,  Benito 
Legarda  and  Pablo  Ocampo,  were  elected  before  the  possibilities 
of  the  independence  campaign  were  fully  grasped.  Legarda  was 
a  wealthy  mestizo  and  a  loyal  friend  of  the  Americans,  but  he 
was  without  personal  ambition  and  soon  realized  that  he  was  out 
of  sympathy  with  the  new  generation.  Ocampo  was  one  of  the 
insurgent  leaders  who  had  been  deported  to  Guam,  but  as  a  resi- 
dent commissioner  he  was  a  negligible  factor.  A  working  agree- 
ment was  soon  made  between  two  young  members  of  the  first 
assembly  which  resulted  in  Osmeiia  becoming  speaker  and  presi- 
dent of  the  Nationalist  party  and  Quezon  being  sent  as  one  of  the 
resident  commissioners  to  Washington  in  the  place  of  Ocampo. 


7  This  salary  was  fixed  by  the  assembly,  but  agreed  to  by  the  commission. 


THE    INDEPENDENCE    MOVEMENT  415 

Americans  soon  discovered  that  Quezon  was  far  superior  in  intel- 
ligence, tact  and  ability  to  the  ordinary  bright  Filipino  and  he 
was  soon  the  actual  as  well  as  the  titular  head  of  a  compact  body 
of  able  men  who  were  determined  to  secure  additional  power  for 
the  Filipinos  in  the  insular  government  and  independence  within 
a  very  short  time.  Osmena  and  his  party  were  to  cultivate  and 
consolidate  the  sentiment  in  the  islands  and  incidentally  make 
life  miserable  for  the  American  administration.  Quezon  was  to 
work  with  his  American  supporters  and  cultivate  sentiment  in 
the  United  States.  In  this  work  he  had  the  benefit  of  the  advice 
and  active  assistance  of  such  men  as  Moorfield  Storey,  Erving 
Winslow,  J.  H.  Ralston  and  many  others  who  had  been  promi- 
nent in  the  old  anti-imperialist  movement.  In  fact,  Mr.  Quezon 
seems  to  have  been  syndicated  and  might  well  have  been  desig- 
nated as  Quezon,  Ltd. 

Magazine  and  newspaper  articles  and  the  reports  of  the  offi- 
cials had  convinced  the  American  public  that  the  Philippine  gov- 
ernment was  being  well  administered  and  that  very  important 
work  along  educational  and  industrial  lines  was  being  done  for 
the  Filipinos.  Quezon,  who  assumed  to  represent  "the  Filipino 
people"  instead  of  the  insular  government  by  which  he  had 
been  elected,  undertook  to  convince  Congress  and  the  American 
public  that  the  official  reports  were  unreliable  and  the  magazines 
and  newspapers  subsidized.  His  attitude  and  work  have  been 
well  described  by  his  official  secretary. 

"Every  one  knows  what  the  work  of  the  representative  has 
been.  Instead  of  being  a  peaceful  emissary  of  the  good  will  and 
complacent  gratitude  of  the  Filipino  people  to  America  he  has 
been  the  mouthpiece  of  Filipino  discontent  with  their  present 
relations  with  America.  He  has  told  the  American  people  that 
the  Filipino  people  do  no  want  to  remain  under  American  sov- 
ereignty, that  they  desire  to  establish  a  government  of  their  own 
which  would  be  more  satisfactory  to  them  than  the  American 
government  could  be." 

Mr.  Quezon  was  too  skilful  and  subtle  openly  to  criticize  the 
work  being  done  by  the  United  States  in  the  Philippines.     He 


416  THE    PHILIPPINES 

praised  and  commended  the  Americans  for  what  they  had  accom- 
phshed,  but  his  activities  were  all  directed  to  the  end  of  obstruct- 
ing the  work  of  the  American  administration  and  securing  legis- 
lation which  would  eliminate  American  control.  Year  after  year 
Congress  was  bombarded  with  petitions,  resolutions  and  bills  de- 
signed to  "free"  the  Filipinos  from  the  disgrace  of  living  under 
the  American  flag  and  being  protected  by  the  army  and  navy  of 
the  United  States. 

At  first  the  American  newspapers  were  not  eager  to  publish 
matter  relative  to  Filipino  aspirations  and  it  was  difBcult  to  get 
the  ear  of  the  public.  The  Philippine  government  had  spent  con- 
siderable money  trying  to  arouse  interest  in  the  potential  wealth 
and  commercial  prosperity  of  the  islands.  Mr.  Quezon  and  his 
associates,  being  fully  aware  of  the  effect  that  this  would  have  on 
their  plans  for  complete  native  control  of  the  government,  did 
what  they  could  to  counteract  such  work  and  discourage  Ameri- 
can capital  from  going  to  the  Philippines.  The  propaganda  was 
very  skilfully  conducted.  Quezon  has  an  attractive  personality,  is 
an  eloquent  speaker,  and  a  pleasant  gentleman  and  he  soon  estab- 
lished a  position  of  influence  in  the  House  of  Representatives,  of 
which  he  was  a  courtesy  member. 

As  resident  commissioner  he,  in  his  official  capacity,  published 
a  magazine  in  English  and  Spanish  called  The  Filipino  People, 
which  was  alleged  to  be  "an  official  medium  for  expressing  the 
views  of  the  people  whose  name  it  bears,"  designed  "to  bring 
about  a  better  understanding  in  the  Philippines  and  the  United 
States,  of  the  real  conditions  which  exist  in  both  countries."  The 
tone  of  this  magazine  was  excellent,  and  it  published  many  valu- 
able articles.  The  delegate  from  the  Philippines,  having  his  own 
official  magazine  in  addition  to  the  free  use  of  the  Congressional 
Record,  was  unusually  well  equipped  for  securing  publicity. 

As  long  as  Mr.  Taft  was  president  and  the  Republicans  con- 
trolled Congress  it  was  impossible  to  secure  any  radical  legisla- 
tion for  the  Philippines.  But  the  elections  of  1910  gave  the 
House  of  Representatives  to  the  Democrats  and  Mr.  W.  A. 
Jones,  of  Virginia,  became  the  chairman  of  the  House  Committee 


William  Howard  Taft 


^'r^r    PHILIPPINES 

;  and  comnjciiacd  the  Americans  for  what  they  had  accom- 
w  _<...i,  but  his  activities  were  all  directed  to  the  end  of  obstruct- 
ing the  work  of  the  American  administration  and  securing  legis- 
lation which  would  eliminate  American  control.  Year  after  year 
Congress  was  bombarded  with  petitions,  resolutions  and  bills  de- 
signed to  "free"  the  Filipinos  from  the  disgrace  of  living  under 
the  American  flag  and  being  protected  by  the  army  and  navy  of 
the  United  States. 

At  first  the  American  newspapers  were  not  eager  to  publish 
matter  relative  to  Filipino  aspirations  and  it  was  difficult'  to  get 
the  ear  of  the  public.  The  Philippine  government  had  spent  con- 
siderable money  trying  to  arouse  interest  in  the  potential  wealth 
and  commercial  prosperity  of  the  islands.  Mr.  Quezon  and  his^ 
associates,  being  fully  aware  of  the  effect  that  this  would  have  on 
their  plans  for  complete  native  control  of  the  government,  did 
what  they  could  to  counteract  such  work  and  discourage  Ameri- 
can capital  from  |tnng''f3^Sfi^^inppines.  The  propaganda  was 
very  skilfully  conducted.  Quezon  has  an  attractive  personality,  is 
an  eloquent  speaker,  and  a  pleasant  gentleman  and  he  soon  estab- 
lish '  ■■  '  e  in  the  House  of  Representatives,  of 
wh. .  _    -niter. 

As  resident  com;  published 

a  magazine  in  English  and  Spanish  en  People, 

whicJb  was  alleged  to  be  "an  official  nicuiua  i  i  cxpicssing  the 
views  of  the  neonle  whose  name  it  bears,"  designed  "to  bring 
about  a  bif  rstanding  in  the  Philippines  and  the  United 

States,  of '.  Vich  exist  in  both  countries."  The 

tone  of  ihi^  -.uiv.!.^  .i-  ^  a  ,  v  \.  client,  and  it  published  many  valu- 
able articles.  The  delegate  from  the  Philippines,  having  his  own 
official  magazine  in  addition  to  the  free  use  of  the  Congressional 
Record,  was  unusually  well  equipped  for  securing  publicity. 

As  long  as  Mr.  Taft  was  president  and  the  Republicans  con- 
trolled Congress  it  was  impossible  to  secure  any  radical  legisla- 
tion for  the  Philippines.  But  the  elections  of  1910  gave  the 
House  of  Representatives  to  the  Democrats  and  Mr.  W.  A. 
Jones,  of  Virginia,  became  the  chairman  of  the  House  Commitft**?. 


THE    INDEPENDENCE    MOVEMENT  417 

on  Insular  Affairs.  Mr.  Jones  was  a  radical  opponent  of  the 
policy  which  the  Republicans  had  pursued  in  the  Philippines  and 
an  ardent  believer  in  the  justice  and  propriety  of  immediately 
granting  the  Filipino  demand  for  independence,  or  at  least  a  more 
autonomous  government. 

When  the  Civil  Government  Bill  of  1902  was  before  Congress, 
the  Democrats  offered  a  substitute  bill  which  provided  for  "quali- 
fied independence"  during  eight  years  after  July  4,  1903,  and 
absolute  independence  thereafter.  In  1912  Mr.  Jones  introduced 
the  first  of  the  bills  which  became  known  by  his  name,  in  which  he 
provided  for  independence  in  1921.  But  it  was  well  understood 
that  while  Taft  was  president  no  such  bill  could  become  law, 
even  though  passed  by  Congress.  Mr.  Kalow  in  his  interesting 
book  says  :*  "They  were  then  offered  a  bill  without  fixed  date 
but  with  the  formal  and  authoritative  statement  that  independence 
should  be  granted  when  a  stable  government  could  be  established 
in  the  islands.  They  accepted  this  as  a  first  step  in  the  right 
direction."  We  are  not  informed  who  is  meant  by  "they,"  or 
who  with  authority  made  this  offer. 

The  Democratic  House  of  Representatives  was  in  favor  of 
some  such  legislation,  and  the  Filipino  Nationalists  were  very 
happy  when  in  1912  Mr.  Wilson  was  elected  president  and  the 
Democrats  secured  control  of  both  houses  of  Congress.  Immediate 
independence  seemed  assured.  Enthusiastic  ratification  meetings 
were  held  in  Manila  and  the  cables  were  warm  with  congratu- 
latory messages.  The  Filipinos  by  this  time  had  come  to  regard 
their  old  friend  President  Taft  as  the  immovable  rock  in  the  road 
which  led  to  independence.  Mr.  Wilson  had  not  given  them 
much  encouragement  before  his  election,  but  his  rhetoric  and 
fine  humanitarian  phrases  had  a  certain  savor  of  Latinism  which 
appealed  to  them.  Much  encouragement  was  found  in  the  new 
president's  apology  for  America's  past  territorial  growth  and  in 
his  statement  that  "if  we  have  had  aggressive  purposes  and 
covetous  ambitions,  they  were  the  fruits  of  our  thoughtless 
youth  as  a  nation  and  we  have  put  them  aside.     We  shall, 


*  The  Case  for  the  Filipinos,  p.  238. 


418  , THE    PHILIPPINES 


I  confidently  believe,  never  again  take  another^  foot  of  territory 
by  conquest." 

Unfortunately  the  Wilson  administration  for  some  unaccount- 
able reason  decided  to  abandon  the  non-partisan  policy  which  had 
been  followed  by  McKinley,  Roosevelt  and  Taft  and  to  treat  the 
Philippines  as  a  party  matter.  No  living  American  knew  better 
than  President  Wilson,  the  scholar  and  historian,  the  danger  in- 
volved in  treating  colonial  offices  as  a  part  of  the  spoils  of  party 
politics.  Evidently  the  pressure  from  "deserving  Democrats" 
was  too  strong  to  be  withstood.  The  governor-general,  the  vice- 
governor  and  all  the  members  of  the  commission  who  had  served 
under  the  Republican  administration  were  soon  forced  to  resign 
their  offices.  Governor-General  Forbes  had  returned  to  the  Phil- 
ippines after  the  election  in  the  pleasing  illusion  evidently  that  he 
would  be  retained  in  office.  But  he  made  the  mistake  of  publicly 
denouncing  Mr.  Quezon  as  a  traitor  (that  is,  one  who  had  not  sup- 
ported Mr.  Forbes  in  all  things),  and  to  the  "traitor"  was 
awarded  the  privilege  of  naming  a  new  governor-general.  The 
honor  fell  to  Mr.  Francis  Burton  Harrison,  a  Virginian  by  birth 
and  affiliation,  the  son  of  Jefferson  Davis'  private  secretary,  who 
for  ten  years  had  represented  one  of  the  New  York  City  districts 
in  Congress.  A  Filipino  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  com- 
mission to  fill  a  vacancy  caused  by  the  resignation  of  an  Ameri- 
can, thus  giving  the  Filipinos  a  majority  in  that  body.  The  other 
vacancies  were  filled  by  Democrats  in  good  party  standing  but 
who  were  without  experience  in  Philippine  affairs.  Contrary  to 
custom,  Mr.  Harrison  took  the  oath  of  office  in  Washington  and 
thus  became  governor-general  about  the  time  that  Mr.  Forbes  be- 
came aware  that  his  successor  had  been  appointed.  As  a  final  in- 
dignity the  secretary  of  war  cabled  the  retiring  governor-general 
to  prepare  the  Malacafian  palace  for  the  use  of  his  successor  and 
Mr.  Forbes,  in  disgust,  like  John  Adams  of  old  refusing  to  grace 
the  triumph  of  his  successor,  sailed  away  out  of  Philippine  history 
leaving  the  vice-governor  and  the  government  in  a  condition  of 
suspended  animation.^    It  was  reported  that  while  on  his  way  to 

^  The  formal  telegram  of  commendation  subsequently  sent  Mr.  Forbes  re- 
minds one  of  the  honor  conferred  by  the  Empress  Dowager  on  the  ex-Em- 


THE    INDEPENDENCE    MOVEMENT  419 

Manila  the  new  governor-general  informed  the  newspaper  men 
in  substance  that  he  was  going  out  as  a  Democrat  and  intended 
to  fill  the  offices  with  members  of  his  own  political  party. 

Upon  his  arrival  at  Manila  he  went  directly  to  the  Luneta  and 
made  a  speech  which  was  very  satisfactory  to  the  Filipinos.  Ex- 
cept in  the  reference  to  independence  there  was  not  an  idea  in  the 
speech  which  had  not  been  many  times  expressed  by  his  predeces- 
sors. The  Americans,  however,  were  greatly  disgusted  with  his 
public  avowal  of  the  fact  that  he  owed  his  appointment  to  Mr. 
■Quezon,  whose  popularity  was  then  confined  to  Nationalist  cir- 
cles. In  this  address  which  inaugurated  the  new  administration 
Governor-General  Harrison  said : 

"The  President  of  the  United  States  has  charged  me  to  deliver 
to  you  the  following  message  on  behalf  of  the  government  of  our 
country : 

"  'We  regard  ourselves  as  trustees  acting  not  for  the  advantage 
of  the  United  States  but  for  the  benefit  of  the  people  of  the  Phil- 
ippine Islands. 

"  'Every  step  we  take  will  he  taken  "with  a  view  to  the  ultimate 
independence  of  the  islands  and  as  a  preparation  for  that  inde- 
pendence. And  we  hope  to  move  towards  that  end  as  rapidly  as 
the  safety  and  the  permanent  interests  of  the  islands  will  permit. 
After  each  step  taken  experience  will  guide  us  to  the  next. 

"  'The  administration  will  take  one  step  at  once  and  will  give 
to  the  native  citizens  of  the  islands  a  majority  in  the  appointive 
commission,  and  thus  in  the  upper  as  well  as  in  the  lower  house  of 
the  legislature  a  majority  representation  will  be  secured  to  them. 

"  'We  do  this  in  the  confident  hope  and  expectation  that  imme- 
diate proof  will  be  given,  in  the  action  of  the  commission  under 
the  new  arrangement,  of  the  political  capacity  of  those  native 
citizens  who  have  already  come  forward  to  represent  and  to  lead 
their  people  in  affairs.' 

"This  is  the  message  I  bear  to  you  from  the  President  of  the 
United  States.  With  his  sentiments  and  with  his  policy  I  am  in 
complete  accord.  Within  the  scope  of  my  office  as  governor- 
general  I  shall  do  my  utmost  to  aid  in  the  fulfillment  of  our  prom- 
ises, confident  that  we  shall  thereby  hasten  the  coming  of  the  day 


Deror  Kuang  Hsu,  whom  she  had  deposed.    As  an  evidence  of  her  considera- 
tion and  esteem  she  created  him  "Duke  of  Confused  Virtue." 


420  THE    PHILIPPINES 

of  your  independence.  For  my  own  part  I  should  not  have  ac- 
cepted the  responsibiHty  of  this  great  office  merely  for  the  honor 
and  the  power  which  it  confers.  My  only  motive  in  coming  to 
you  is  to  serve,  as  well  as  in  me  lies,  the  people  of  the  Philippine 
Islands.  It  is  my  greatest  hope  that  I  may  become  an  instrument 
in  the  further  spread  of  democratic  government." 

The  new  governor-general  seems  to  have  assumed  that  every- 
thing connected  with  the  government  was  wrong  and  that  his  first 
duty  was  to  clean  out  the  Augean  stable  by  getting  rid  of  the 
Americans  who  had  served  under  his  predecessor.  He  evidently 
turned  a  deaf  ear  to  his  own  countrymen  who  might  have  given 
disinterested  views  and  sought  information  and  guidance  only 
from  Filipinos  and  a  few  Americans  who  for  political  and  per- 
sonal reasons  had  been  opposed  to  the  persons  and  policies  of  the 
preceding  administration.  Many  Americans  were  hurriedly  re- 
moved from  office  or  requested  to  resign  and  their  positions  given 
to  Filipinos.  It  was  a  very  unfortunate  beginning  for  the  new 
administration  and  for  a  while  the  service  was  badly  demoralized. 
The  Filipinos,  who  felt  that  "the  day"  had  arrived,  were  naturally 
elated  and  inclined  to  be  a  trifle  arrogant.  The  administration 
was  charged  with  removing  trained  and  faithful  American  offi- 
cials to  make  way  for  inefficient  and  even  dishonest  native  poli- 
ticians and  with  wrecking  the  great  constructive  work  of  its 
predecessors.  At  the  present  time  there  is  not  a  single  bureau 
chief  in  office  who  was  serving  when  Mr.  Harrison  became  gov- 
ernor-general, and  recently  the  director  of  the  great  Philippine 
General  Hospital  was  forced  to  resign,  confessedly  because  of 
the  demands  of  the  Filipino  press  and  politicians, ^°  in  order  to 
make  a  place  for  a  much  less  efficient  Filipino  physician. 


10  According  to  Dr.  Musgrave,  Governor-General  Harrison  informed  him 
that  an  investigation  had  completely  exonerated  him  from  charges  of  arbi- 
trary conduct,  but  that  he  must  nevertheless  resign — "//  /  would  resign  he 
would  guarantee  immunity  from  attack  in  the  Philippine  press.  .  .  . 
When  I  refused  to  resign  the  governor-general  told  me  that  unless  I  agreed 
to  do  so,  he  could  not  possibly  control  the  legislature  and  the  native  press." 
Statement  of  Dr.  Musgrave  in  Cable  News-American,  Oct.  29,  1916. 

Dr.  Musgrave  had  been  exonerated  from  a  charge  of  imposing  unduly 
severe  discipline  upon  the  hospital  nurses  and  was  then  informed  that  it  was 
the  psychological  moment  for  him  to  resign.    In  an  editorial  the  Cable  News- 


THE    INDEPENDENCE    MOVEMENT  421 

The  Koran  says  that  "A  ruler  who  appoints  any  man  to  an 
office  when  there  is  in  his  dominions  another  man  better  quahfied 
for  it,  sins  against  God  and  against  the  state." 

As  Mr.  Harrison  was  sent  to  the  PhiHppines  to  carry  out  a 
poHcy  which  had  been  determined  upon  at  Washington  and  which 
involved  further  restrictions  on  American  control  in  the  govern- 
ment and  the  early  elimination  of  American  sovereignty,  it  may 
have  been  inevitable  that  he  should  throw  himself  into  the  hands 
of  those  who  were  distinctly  anti-American  in  feelings  and  ac- 
tions. The  destructive  policy  adopted  was  understandable  only 
on  the  theory  that  at  an  early  date  the  administration  intended 
to  pass  the  Jones  Bill  and  set  up  a  new  Philippine  Republic.  As 
a  preparation  for  an  early  general  moving  day  it  was  well  enough, 
although  it  disclosed  a  serious  lack  of  knowledge  of  the  actual 
conditions  and  utter  disregard  of  the  rights  and  feelings  of  loyal 
Americans,  many  of  whom,  regardless  of  politics,  had  given  the 
best  years  of  their  lives  to  what  they  regarded  as  a  great  altruistic 
service. 

Legislation  for  the  Philippines  was  made  a  part  of  the  Demo* 
cratic  congressional  schedule.  The  modified  Jones  Bill  was  re- 
ported favorably  by  the  house  committee  and  languidly  debated 
during  the  latter  part  of  September,  1914.  The  American  people 
took  little  interest  in  the  matter.  The  attitude  of  the  Republican 
members  of  Congress  was  perfectly  consistent  with  the  policy 
they  had  pursued  during  the  past  decade.  They  were  willing  to 
grant  additional  powers  to  the  Filipinos,  but  were  opposed  to 
granting  independence  at  this  time,  or  making  any  express  prom- 
ises to  be  performed  at  some  future  time  by  their  successors.  The 
Democrats  were  trying  to  make  good  their  party  pledges  while 
denying  the  immediate  independence  which  so  many  of  the  lead- 
ers had  promised  the  Filipinos.  The  majority  of  the  Republicans 
did  not  believe  that  independence  would  be  to  the  interest  of  the 
Filipinos  and  would  not  vote  for  a  bill  which  contained  a  promise, 


American  said  that  his  successor  should  not  "be  sacrificed  as  Musgrave  has 
been  sacrificed  to  a  yellow  press  and  poHtical  jobbery,  but  supported  with 
courage  and  decency." 


422  THE    PHILIPPINES 

the  performance  of  which  would  rest  on  their  successors  in  of- 
fice. It  was  true,  as  Mr.  Taft  told  the  Senate  committee,  that  no 
express  promise  of  independence  at  any  definite  time  had  ever 
been  made  by  any  executive  officer  of  the  United  States  or  the 
Philippine  government.  But  the  policy  which  had  been  declared 
and  followed  during  the  Taft  regime  did  imply  a  promise  of  in- 
dependence when,  in  the  opinion  of  Congress,  the  Filipinos  were 
prepared  for  it,  and  Mr.  Taft  had  frequently  so  stated.  The 
Republicans  were  not  yet  willing  to  transmute  this  implied  into 
an  express  promise. 

Congress  had  never  spoken  on  the  subject  and  the  Filipinos 
were  pressing  for  some  sort  of  an  expression  from  the  only  body 
which  had  the  power  to  make  a  promise  eft'ective.  While  the 
logic  of  the  Taft  policy  was  clear,  they  were  not  willing  to  trust 
to  logic.  They  wanted  a  definite  promise  from  Congress  because, 
as  Mr.  Quezon  told  the  Senate  committee,  "the  logical  result  of 
a  given  policy  does  not  always  follow,  and  efforts  are  now  being 
made  to  prevent  that  logical  result  from  being  attained."^'- 

In  order  to  comply  apparently  with  this  demand  and  yet  dodge 
the  responsibility  involved  in  actually  granting  independence,  the 
majority  affixed  to  the  Jones  Bill  a  preamble  which  assumed  to 
state  the  past,  present  and  future  intentions  of  the  people  of  the 
United  States  with  reference  to  the  Philippines.  The  Republicans 
objected  to  the  preamble  because  it  would  have  no  legal  force  and 
would  increase  instead  of  quiet  the  agitation  for  independence 
which  had  so  injuriously  affected  conditions  in  the  islands.  They 
criticized  certain  features  of  the  proposed  law,  such  as  the  ex- 
tension of  the  franchise,  the  creation  of  an  elective  Senate  and 
the  restrictions  upon  the  appointive  power  of  the  governor-gen- 
eral, but  had  the  preamble  been  stricken  out  there  would  have 
been  no  very  serious  opposition  to  the  enactment  of  the  bill  in  its 
final  form.  With  the  assistance  of  fifteen  Republicans  it  passed 
the  House  on  October  14,  1914,  by  a  vote  of  211  to  59.  The 
Senate  committee  once  again  listened  to  the  experts  and  near 
experts,  saw  the  lantern  slides  and  by  a  majority  approved  the 


^^  Hearings  before  Senate  Committee,  1915,  p.  489. 


THE    INDEPENDENCE    MOVEMENT  423 

proposed  legislation.^^  But  for  the  approaching  decease  of  the 
Congress  the  bill  would  doubtless  have  been  passed.  During 
the  closing  hours  of  the  session  an  attempt  was  made  to  secure 
unanimous  consent  to  pass  the  bill,  but  this  failed  and  the  Jones 
Bill  died  with  the  Congress." 

The  failure  to  reach  the  bill  in  the  Senate  was  a  serious  disap- 
pointment to  its  friends,  and  the  president  and  secretary  of  war 
were  profuse  in  their  expressions  of  regret.  They  were  very  anx- 
ious to  justi  f y  themselves  to  the  Filipinos.  On  the  day  after  the  fail- 
ure to  reach  the  bill  Secretary  of  War  Garrison  cabled  Governor- 
General  Harrison  that  "we  were  unable  to  get  the  Philippine  bill 
taken  from  the  Senate  calendar  and  placed  before  the  Senate  for 
consideration.  .  .  .  The  president  and  I  did  everything  which 
we  consistently  could  do  in  an  endeavor  to  get  the  bill  before  the 
Senate.  ...  I  feel  that  the  attitude  of  the  Filipino  people 
had  much  to  do  with  the  sentiment  in  Congress  in  favor  of  this 
further  step  in  their  behalf,  and  that  if  they  will  continue  pa- 
tiently and  wisely,  the  result  at  the  next  session  of  Congress  will 
be  the  success  of  the  measure."  Two  days  later  President  Wilson 
also  cabled  assuring  the  Filipinos  that  the  Jones  Bill  had  been 
"constantly  pressed  by  the  administration,  loyally  supported  by 
the  full  force  of  the  party,  and  will  be  pressed  to  passage  when 
the  next  Congress  meets  in  December.     It  failed  only  because 


^^  Hearings  before  the  Committee  on  the  Philippines,  United  States  Senate, 
on  H.  R.  18459,  63rd  Cong.  3rd  Sess.  (Dec.  14,  1914,  to  January  11,  1915). 

13  In  asking  for  unanimous  consent,  Senator  Shafroth  said: 

"It  is  very  important.  It  is  a  measure,  Mr.  President,  that  the  Philippine 
people  are  looking  to  Congress  for  with  intense  eagerness.  They  have  been 
assured  from  almost  the  beginning  of  the  occupation  of  the  islands  by  the 
Americans  of  self-government  and  independence.  Now,  since  the  bill  has 
passed  the  House,  inasmuch  as  it  has  been  favorably  reported  by  the  commit- 
tee on  the  Philippines  of  the  Senate,  and  inasmuch  as  it  is  here  upon  the 
calendar,  it  seems  to  me  that  we  ought  to  be  able,  since  the  bill  has  been 
modified  largely  and  does  not  embody  as  strong  provisions  as  I  had  hoped 
it  would,  to  give  it  two  hours'  discussion  after  the  bills  on  the  calendar." 

Senator  Poindexter,  of  Washington,  replied : 

"I  would  want  enough  time  to  undertake  to  defeat  the  bill  as  it  stands 
now.  I  can  not  understand  why  the  senator  from  Colorado  should  regard  it 
as  important  that  this  government  should  declare  now  what  its  attitude  and 
policy  in  regard  to  the  Philippines  is  going  to  be  at  some  distant  time  in  the 
future.  It  will  be  well  enough  for  us  when  we  arrive  at  that  future  time  to 
determine  then  what  our  policy  will  be  in  regard  to  these  islands  upon  which 
we  have  expended  so  much  money  and  so  many  lives." 


424  THE    PHILIPPINES 

blocked  by  the  rules  of  the  Senate  as  employed  by  the  Republican 
leaders  who  were  opposed  to  the  legislation  and  who  would  yield 
only  if  we  withdrew  the  assurance  of  ultimate  independence  con- 
tained in  the  preamble.  That  we  would  not  do.  .  .  .  The 
people  of  the  islands  have  already  proved  their  quality  and  in 
nothing  more  than  in  the  patience  and  self  control  they  have 
manifested  in  waiting  for  the  fulfillment  of  our  promises.  Con- 
tinuance in  that  admirable  course  of  action  will  undoubtedly  as- 
sure the  result  we  all  desire." 

Even  Mr.  Taft,  in  the  early  days  of  his  governorship,  was  not 
more  effusive  in  dealing  with  the  Filipinos  than  was  President 
Wilson  in  his  letter  to  the  departing  Filipino  resident  commis- 
sioner. "May  I  not,"  he  wrote  Mr.  Quezon,^*  "wish  you  a  safe 
and  pleasant  voyage  and  a  happy  return  when  you  resume  your 
duties  here  again?  I  will  be  very  much  obliged  if  you  will  take 
some  occasion  when  you  are  at  home  to  express  the  admiration 
I  have  felt  for  the  self-respecting  behavior  of  the  people  of  the 
Philippines  in  the  midst  of  agitations  which  intimately  affect  their 
whole  political  future.  Nothing  is  needed  to  establish  their  full 
reputation  with  the  people  of  the  United  States  as  a  people  cap- 
able of  self-possession  and  self-government  but  a  continuation  in 
the  moderate  and  constitutional  course  which  they  have  pursued." 
Probably  few  real  congressmen  received  such  personal  considera- 
tion from  the  president.  There  were  valid  reasons  why  this 
young  Filipino  loomed  large  In  the  eyes  of  his  constituents. 

On  the  opening  day  of  the  Sixty-fourth  Congress  Mr.  Jones  re- 
introduced his  bill  in  the  House  and  soon  thereafter  Senator 
Hitchcock  presented  it  in  the  Senate.  The  Senate  committee,  after 
making  a  slight  change  in  the  preamble,  promptly  reported  the  bill 
for  passage.  The  debate  scarcely  touched  the  legislative  features 
of  the  bill.  The  controversy  over  the  preamble  disclosed  its  sham 
character.  There  was  already  a  stable  government  in  the  Phil- 
ippines and  the  question  arose  whether  if  the  preamble  was 
adopted  the  Filipinos  could  not  properly  demand  immediate  inde- 

"  These  cablegrams  and  letters  are  printed  in  the  March,  1915,  issue  of 
The  Filipino  People. 


THE    INDEPENDENCE    MOVEMENT  425 

pendence.  "Suppose,"  asked  Senator  Cummins,  "that  I  believe 
it  would  be  better  for  the  people  of  the  Philippine  Islands  to  re- 
main permanently  attached  to  the  United  States  as  a  state,  with 
all  the  privileges  of  a  state,  or  otherwise,  would  I  not  fulfill  the 
promise  or  assurance  of  the  preamble  in  voting  to  retain  the  Phil- 
ippine Islands  as  a  part  of  the  territory  of  the  United  States?" 
Senator  Hitchcock  replied,  "/  presume  the  senator  would."  As 
Mr.  Kal^jv  says,^^  "Here  w-as  the  confession  of  the  author  of  the 
bill  himself  that  the  preamble  was  not  an  explicit  pledge  that  the 
Philippines  should  he  giz'cn  their  independence." 

Some  of  the  Democrats  seem  to  have  had  an  uneasy  conscious- 
ness that  the  bill  itself  was  a  subterfuge.  "Would  a  measure 
which  merely  made  the  Philippine  government  more  liberal  and 
which  according  to  the  statement  of  the  author  himself,  might  or 
might  not  lead  to  the  granting  of  Philippine  independence,  be 
really  in  accord  with  Democratic  platforms  and  promises?  Was 
it  not  in  effect  a  further  evasion  of  the  question  of  independ- 
ence?"^^ 

There  was  also  prevalent  a  feeling  of  weariness  of  the  sub- 
ject. Many  Republicans  were  tired  of  the  whole  matter  and 
inclined  to  say  that  if  the  Filipinos  were  so  ungrateful  for  all  that 
had  been  done  for  them  and  so  anxious  to  be  free  to  go  to  wreck 
and  ruin  why  not  drop  them  and  get  rid  of  the  burden?  But 
were  the  Filipinos  ungrateful,  and  was  there  any  evidence  other 
than  the  assertions  of  the  politicians,  that  independence  was 
seriously  desired  by  any  but  the  politicians?  Mr.  Quezon  and 
his  associates  spoke  confidently  of  the  "Filipino  nation,"  of  their 
representative  character,  and  of  national  sentiment  and  of  the 
universal  desire  for  independence.  But  those  most  familiar  with 
the  Philippines  had  reason  to  doubt  whether  such  expressions 
were  justified  by  the  facts.  Nevertheless,  many  Republicans  were 
willing  to  take  the  claims  at  their  face  value  and  shift  the  burdens 


^^  The  Case  for  the  Filipinos,  p.  222.  This  weakness  in  the  position  of 
those  who  advocated  the  preamble  was  used  as  an  argument  in  support  of  the 
Clarke  Amendment. 

"  Ibid. 


426  THE    PHILIPPINES 

of  government  to  the  shoulders  of  the  natives.  Senator  Nelson, 
of  Minnesota,  favored  a  definite  statement  that  the  United  States 
never  intended  to  part  with  the  islands.  Other  Republicans  felt 
that  as  the  Democrats  had  created  the  situation  they  should  go  the 
limit  and  make  their  promises  good.    Mr.  Roosevelt  said  : 

"The  present  administration  has  promised  explicitly  to  let  them 
go,  and  by  its  actions  has  rendered  it  difficult  to  hold  them  against 
any  serious  foreign  foe.  These  being  the  circumstances,  the 
islands  should  at  an  early  moment  be  given  their  independence 
without  any  guarantee  whatever  by  us  and  without  our  retaining 
any  foothold  in  them." 

Mr.  Root  had  been  influenced  by  the  manner  in  which  the  Wil- 
son administration  had  thrown  the  Philippine  service  into  party 
politics  and  felt  that  rather  than  make  promises  for  the  future  it 
would  be  better  to  call  an  election  in  the  islands  and  if  the  Fili- 
pinos voted  for  independence,  turn  the  country  over  to  them  as 
we  had  given  Cuba  to  the  Cubans.  The  claim  that  the  islands 
were  a  great  financial  burden  on  the  United  States  and  also  a 
source  of  military  weakness  also  had  its  effect.^'^ 

On  January  12,  1916,  Senator  Clarke,  of  Arkansas,  announced 
that  he  would  offer  an  amendment  granting  independence  in  two 
years  and  instructing  the  president  if  possible  to  negotiate  neu- 
tralization treaties  with  other  powers.  After  the  time  had  been 
extended  to  four  years  this  proposed  amendment  was  approved  by 
President  Wilson. 

After  the  provision  for  neutralization  had  been  stricken  out, 
it  read  as  follows : 

"The  president  is  hereby  authorized  and  directed  to  withdraw 
and  surrender  all  right  of  possession,  supervision,  jurisdiction, 
control,  or  sovereignty  now  existing  and  exercised  by  the  United 
States  in  and  over  the  territory  and  people  of  the  Philippines,  and 
he  shall  on  behalf  of  the  United  States  fully  recognize  the  inde- 
pendence of  the  said  Philippines  as  a  separate  and  self-governing 
nation  and  acknowledge  the  authority  and  control  over  the  same 

1^  As  to  the  annual  cost  of  the  Philippines  to  the  United  States,  see  Ap- 
I>endix  J. 


THE    INDEPENDENCE    MOVEMENT  427 

of  the  government  instituted  by  the  people  thereof,  and  full  power 
to  take  the  several  steps  necessary  to  institute  such  government  is 
hereby  conferred  upon  the  said  Philippines  acting  by  and  through 
governmental  agencies  created  by  this  act.  This  transfer  of  pos- 
session, sovereignty  and  governmental  control  shall  be  completed 
and  become  absolute  not  less  than  two  years  nor  more  than  four 
years  from  the  date  of  the  approval  of  this  act,  under  the  terms 
and  in  the  manner  hereinafter  prescribed :     .     .     ." 

To  this  was  added  a  proviso  empowering  the  president  under 
certain  conditions  to  extend  the  time  beyond  four  years  in  order 
to  give  Congress  an  opportunity  further  to  consider  the  situation. 
The  president  was  also  authorized  to  adjust  all  property  rights 
and  other  relations  between  the  Philippines  and  the  United  States 
and  to  provide  for  the  protection  of  the  personal  and  property 
rights  of  citizens  of  the  United  States  and  foreign  countries,  and 
to  reserve  or  acquire  such  lands  as  in  his  judgment  might  be  re- 
quired by  the  United  States  for  naval  bases  and  coaling  stations. 

The  Filipinos  seem  to  have  been  considerably  surprised  by  this 
sudden  turn  in  affairs.  Here  was  a  tender  of  absolute  inde- 
pendence without  any  string  to  it.  It  looked  like  the  United 
States  might  take  the  Nationalists  literally  and  simply  drop  the 
whole  troublesome  matter.  The  Senate  was  proposing  to  grant 
their  application  for  release,  let  them  establish  their  new  state 
and  permit  it  to  go  its  way  and  sink  or  swim  according  to  the 
capacities  and  abilities  of  the  citizens.  There  was  to  be  no  neutral- 
ization, no  guardianship,  no  further  responsibility.  It  is  said 
that  in  Manila  there  were  quiet  gatherings  to  consider  ways  and 
means  of  averting  the  sudden  blessing  without  loss  of  face.  But 
the  assembly,  which  could  do  nothing  less,  expressed  its  approval 
of  the  bill  as  amended. 

The  vote  in  the  committee  of  the  whole  was  a  tie  and  the 
amendment  was  adopted  by  the  casting  vote  of  Vice-President 
Marshall.  On  February  4,  1916,  the  bill  as  amended  was  passed, 
six  Republicans,  including  Borah,  of  Idaho;  Clapp,  of  Minnesota, 
and  Kenyon,  of  Iowa,  voting  with  the  Democrats. 

The  passage  of  the  bill  by  the  Senate  with  the  Clarke  Amend- 


428  THE    PHILIPPINES 

ment  was  a  surprise  and  something  of  a  shock  to  the  country, 
which  was  not  prepared  for  such  radical  action.  It  is  probable 
that  some  of  the  senators  who  voted  for  it  hoped  and  expected 
that  the  amendment  would  be  stricken  out  by  the  House,  and 
that  was  what  happened  when,  on  the  eighteenth  anniversary  of 
the  battle  of  Manila  Bay,  sixteen  Democrats  joined  with  the  Re- 
publicans and  defeated  the  bill.  It  then  went  to  a  conference, 
where  the  Senate  amendment  was  stricken  out.  As  arranged  by 
the  conference  committee,  the  famous  Jones  Bill  then  passed  both 
houses  and  was  duly  signed  by  President  Wilson  on  August  29, 
1916.  Independence  at  a  definite  date  thus  lost,  defeated  by 
Democratic  votes.  Nevertheless,  the  law  as  enacted  was  a  great 
victory  for  Mr.  Quezon  and  his  friends,  as  they  obtained  much 
greater  power  over  the  insular  government  and  a  sort  of  congres- 
sional promise  of  future  independence.^^ 

The  Philippine  Government  Law  of  1916  describes  itself  as  an 
act  "to  declare  the  purpose  of  the  people  of  the  United  States  as 
to  the  future  political  status  of  the  people  of  the  Philippine 
Islands  and  to  provide  a  more  autonomous  government  for  those 
islands."  The  enacting  clause  is  preceded  by  the  following  pre- 
amble : 

"Whereas  it  was  never  the  intention  of  the  people  of  the 
United  States  in  the  incipiency  of  the  war  with  Spain  to  make  it 
a  war  of  conquest  or  for  territorial  aggrandizement,  and 

"Whereas  it  is,  as  it  has  always  been,  the  purpose  of  the  people 
of  the  United  States  to  withdraw  their  sovereignty  over  the  Phil- 
ippine Islands  and  to  recognize  their  independence  as  soon  as  a 
stable  government  can  be  established  therein,  and 

"Whereas  for  the  speedy  accomplishment  of  such  purpose  it 
is  desirable  to  place  in  the  hands  of  the  people  of  the  Philippines 
as  large  a  control  of  their  domestic  affairs  as  can  be  given  them 
without,  in  the  meantime,  impairing  the  exercise  of  the  rights  of 
sovereignty  by  the  people  of  the  United  States,  in  order  that,  by 
the  use  and  exercise  of  popular  franchise  and  governmental 
powers,  they  may  be  the  better  prepared  to  fully  assume  the  re- 

^s  Thus  ty  Democratic  votes  the  PhiHppines  were  acquired  and  by  Demo- 
cratic votes  early  independence  was  denied. 


i 


THE    INDEPENDENCE    MOVEMENT  429 

sponsibilities  and  enjoy  all  the  privileges  of  complete  independ- 
ence :  Therefore,"  etc. 

This  preamble  was  attached  to  the  statute  for  reasons  purely 
political.  It  has  no  legal  significance;  it  is  not  a  part  of  the  law ; 
and  its  recitals  may  be  entirely  ignored  by  this  or  any  future 
Congress.  The  Republicans  were  opposed  to  it  because  they 
feared  it  would  merely  encourage  further  agitation  of  the  inde- 
pendence idea  to  the  detriment  of  business  in  the  islands.  The 
question  would  have  to  be  settled  by  a  Congress  the  members  of 
which  were  not  yet  elected  and  any  attempt  to  bind  it  would  not 
only  be  nugatory  but  also  impertinent.  Congress  had  no  mandate 
to  declare  the  past,  present  or  future  intentions  of  the  people  of 
the  United  States  with  reference  to  the  ultimate  disposition  of 
the  islands.  Its  function  was  to  legislate,  and  if  it  decided  to 
leave  the  legislation  for  its  successors,  its  opinions  as  to  the  in- 
tentions of  other  people  were  unimportant.  The  intentions  re- 
ferred to  are  said  to  be  those  "of  the  people  of  the  United  States." 
A  change  of  a  dozen  votes  in  Congress,  for  reasons  personal  to 
that  number  of  members,  might  have  changed  the  language 
of  the  preamble  and  hence,  apparently,  the  intentions  of  the  peo- 
ple of  the  United  States.  The  real  objection  was  that  the 
Filipinos  might  take  the  preamble  too  seriously  and  be  encour- 
aged to  make  further  demands  which  could  not  be  granted.  Then 
the  cry  of  bad  faith  would  be  again  raised.  The  Democrats  in- 
sisted on  the  preamble  because  the  Filipinos  demanded  it,  and 
were  agitating  for  it.  They  were  not  willing  to  trust  to  the  logic 
of  past  events  and  desired  to  transmute  the  numerous  statements 
of  executive  officers,  senators,  representatives,  visiting  statesmen 
and  party  platforms  into  a  definite  promise  by  the  only  organ 
of  the  United  States  government  that  had  power  to  take  effective 
action.  They  wanted  "to  have  the  United  States  formally  go  on 
record  for  an  independence  policy.  They  wanted  to  be  in  a  posi- 
tion to  carry  forward  with  greater  vigor  their  independence  prop- 
aganda.""   It  was  for  this  that  they  were  agitating.    According 

^3  Kalow,  The  Case  for  the  Filipinos,  p.  238. 


430  THE    PHILIPPINES 

to  Secretary  Garrison,  "if  we  were  to  determine  our  action  by  the 
degree  of  agitation  in  the  islands  we  are  due  to  do  this  thing, 
because  it  is  the  step  next  along  the  line  taken  by  our  predeces- 
sors." In  his  judgment  the  government  was  already  committed 
to  a  policy  which  meant  ultimate  independence.  The  Filipinos  had 
been  told,  he  thought,  that  they  were  to  have  independence.  "Per- 
haps," said  the  secretary,  "it  was  very  unwise  ever  to  have  said  it, 
but  that  water  has  gone  under  the  bridge."^"  There  was,  he 
thought,  no  longer  a  clean  slate  and  it  would  not  do  for  "the  pres- 
ent administration  particularly"  to  refuse  to  do  explicitly  what 
their  Republican  predecessors  had  done  by  implication. 

This  of  course  ignores  the  very  great  difference  between  state- 
ments of  policy  made  by  executive  officers  who  have  no  authority 
to  bind  the  country,  and  formal  acts  or  even  declarations  by 
Congress. 

However,  the  preamble  in  its  final  form  contains  no  promise 
other  than  what  may  be  implied  from  a  declaration  of  the  inten- 
tions of  the  people  of  the  United  States.  According  to  the  au- 
thor of  the  Senate  bill,  it  is  not  binding  upon  the  conscience  of 
even  the  members  of  the  present  Congress.  The  people  of  the 
United  States,  whose  intentions  have  there  been  officiously  ex- 
pressed for  them,  will,  of  course,  ignore  the  matter  unless  they 
agree  with  it  when  they  are  called  upon  to  act.  But  how  will  the 
Filipinos  construe  it?  Mr.  Quezon,  who  is  always  fair  and  rea- 
sonable, told  the  Senate  committee  ^^  that  they  would  construe  it 
to  mean  "that  it  is  the  purpose  of  the  United  States  to  grant  to 
the  Philippines  their  independence,  not  when  the  Filipinos  be- 
lieve that  they  are  ready  for  independence — because  they  have 
believed  that  all  the  time,  and  they  have  been  saying  it  all  the 
time,  and  if  their  opinion  on  the  subject  were  to  be  the  final  say 
this  would  not  have  been  the  bill  before  the  Congress  at  this  time ; 
it  would  have  been  an  immediate  independence  bill;  but  when  in 
the  opinion  of  the  Congress  we  have  conducted  the  government 
that  you  provide  in  this  bill,  in  a  way  that  will  justify  the  reason- 

■    20  Hearings,  Senate  Committee,  1915,  p.  651. 
21  Hearings,  Senate  Committee,  1915,  p.  485. 


THE    INDEPENDENCE    MOVEMENT  431 

able  presumption  that  we  shall  establish  and  maintain  a  fairly- 
decent  government,  a  government  that  would  keep  order  and 
offer  protection  to  the  rights  of  the  people." 

An  examination  of  the  new  law^^  shows  that  it  is  merely  a 
revision  and  amendment  and,  to  some  extent,  a  reenactment  of 
the  Civil  Government  Law  of  July  1,  1902.  Unfortunately,  Con- 
gress contented  itself  with  piecemeal  legislation  instead  of  taking 
advantage  of  the  occasion  to  formulate  a  constitution  and  sub- 
mit it  to  the  qualified  voters  of  the  Philippines  for  their  adop- 
tion, thus  eliminating  forever  the  idea  of  an  imposed  govern- 
ment. While  it  is  true  that  the  Filipinos,  so  far  as  their 
representatives  were  able  to  speak  for  them,  consented  to  and 
in  fact  solicited  this  particular  legislation,  legally  this  statute  is 
as  much  imposed  legislation  as  was  that  of  1902.^^  The  law 
makes  very  substantial  changes  in  the  form  of  the  Philippine 
government  and  imposes  additional  responsibilities  upon  the  Fili- 
pinos. The  appointive  power  of  the  president  is  somewhat  re- 
stricted, but  that  of  the  governor-general  is  greatly  enlarged, 
although  his  appointments  are  subject  to  confirmance  by  the  Phil- 
ippine Senate.  He  has  ceased  to  be  the  presiding  officer  of  the 
Upper  House  of  the  Legislature. 

But  the  principal  changes  are  in  the  legislative  department. 
The  United  States  Philippine  Commission  and  the  Philippine 
Legislature  as  constituted  under  the  Civil  Government  Law  of 
1902  are  abolished  and  they  are  succeeded  by  a  new  body  known 
as  the  Philippine  Legislature,  composed  of  an  elective  Senate  and 
House  of  Representatives,  with  jurisdiction  over  the  entire  Archi- 
pelago. 

An  elective  Senate  slightly  diluted  by  executive  appointees  to 
represent  the  uncivilized  regions  takes  the  place  of  the  former 
upper  house  of  the  legislature,  which  was  composed  entirely  of 
the  appointed  members  of  the  Philippine  Commission. 

22  Act  of  August  29,  1916,  U.  S.  Comp.  Stats.,  vol.  4,  §  3804(a)  et  seq.  See 
Appendix  I. 

23  The  attitude  of  the  assembly  and  the  several  political  parties  toward  in- 
dependence appears  in  a  document  pubHshed  by  the  assembly  in  1916  entitled 
La  Indcpendencia  como  Aspiracion  Nacional.  See  also  appendices  to  the 
Special  Report  of  Secretary  Dickinson  (1910). 


432  THE    PHILIPPINES 

The  old  division  of  the  islands  into  Christian,  non-Christian 
and  Moro^*  territory  has  disappeared.  The  Archipelago  is  now 
divided  into  twelve  senatorial  and  ninety  representative  districts. 
Each  senatorial  district  is  entitled  to  two  elective  senators  who 
must  be  qualified  electors,  over  thirty  years  of  age,  able  to  read 
and  write  either  Spanish  or  English,  residents  of  the  Philippines 
for  at  least  two  years,  and  of  the  district  for  one  year  immedi- 
ately prior  to  the  election. 

Each  representative  district  is  entitled  to  one  representative, 
who  must  be  a  qualified  elector,  over  twenty-five  years  of  age, 
able  to  read  and  write  Spanish  or  English,  and  have  been  a  resi- 
dent of  the  district  for  at  least  one  year  immediately  prior  to 
the  election. 

Although  the  entire  territory  of  the  islands  is  brought  under 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  new  legislature,  that  part  formerly  un- 
der the  exclusive  control  of  the  commission  is  not  granted  the 
privilege  of  electing  its  representatives. 

As  it  would  have  seemed  a  trifle  too  absurd  to  grant  the  fran- 
chise to  the  Moros  and  wild  men,  Congress  provided  that  the 
governor-general  shall  appoint  without  the  consent  of  the  Senate 
and  without  restriction  as  to  residence  senators  and  representa- 
tives who  will  in  his  opinion  best  represent  the  districts  included 
in  that  territory. 

Congress,  against  the  advice  of  General  Mclntyre  and  most 
other  well-informed  Americans,  greatly  extended  the  franchise 
to  the  Filipinos.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  the  political  party 
which  at  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  made  the  mistake  of  giving 
the  ballot  to  the  negroes  of  the  South,  now  opposed  its  further 
extension  in  the  Philippines,  while  the  Democrats  of  the  South 
insisted  upon  forcing  it  upon  nearly  half  a  million  equally  igno- 
rant Oriental  people. 

The  members  of  the  first  new  Philippine  Legislature  were  re- 
quired to  be  elected  by  the  electors  having  the  qualifications  of 
voters  under  the  existing  Philippine  law.     But  thereafter  and 


24  See  Elliott,  The  Philippines:    To  the  End  of  the  Military  Regime,  p.  86. 


THE    INDEPENDENCE    MOVEMENT  433 

until  otherwise  provided  by  the  Philippine  Legislature  the  right 
to  vote  is  extended  to 

"Every  male  person  who  is  not  a  citizen  or  subject  of  a  for- 
eign power,  twenty-one  years  of  age  or  over  (except  insane  and 
feeble-minded  persons  and  those  convicted  in  a  court  of  compe- 
tent jurisdiction  of  an  infamous  offense  since  August  13,  1898), 
who  shall  have  been  a  resident  of  the  Philippines  for  one  year 
and  of  the  municipality  in  which  he  shall  offer  to  vote  for  six 
months  next  preceding  the  day  of  voting,  and  who  is  comprised 
within  one  of  the  following  classes. 

"(a)  Those  who  under  existing  law  are  legal  voters  and  have 
exercised  the  right  of  suffrage. 

"(b)  Those  who  own  real  property  to  the  value  of  500  pesos, 
or  who  annually  pay  30  pesos  or  more  of  the  established  taxes. 

"(c)  Those  who  are  able  to  read  and  write  either  Spanish, 
English,  or  a  native  language. 

"The  legal  voters  referred  to  in  (a)  include: 

"(1)  Those  who,  prior  to  the  thirteenth  of  August,  eighteen 
hundred  and  ninety-eight,  held  the  office  of  municipal  captain, 
gobernadorcillo,  alcalde,  lieutenant,  cabeza  de  barangay,  or  mem- 
ber of  any  ayuntamiento ; 

"(2)  Those  who  own  real  property  to  the  value  of  five  hun- 
dred pesos,  or  who  annually  pay  thirty  pesos  or  more  of  the 
established  taxes ; 

"(3)  Those  who  speak,  read,  and  write  English  or  Spanish — 
shall  be  entitled  to  vote  at  all  elections :  Provided,  That  officers, 
soldiers,  sailors,  or  marines  of  the  army  or  navy  of  the  United 
States  shall  not  be  considered  as  having  acquired  legal  residence 
within  the  meaning  of  this  section  by  reason  of  their  having  l3een 
stationed  in  the  municipalities  for  the  required  six  months. "^^ 

25  This  law  (Act  No.  1582)  disqualified  the  following  persons :_ 

"(a)  Any  person  who  is  delinquent  in  the  payment  of  public  taxes  as- 
sessed since  August  thirteenth,  eighteen  hundred  and  ninety-eight ; 

"(b)  Any  person  who  has  been  deprived  of  the  right  to  vote  by  the  sen- 
tence of  a  court  of  competent  jurisdiction  since  August  thirteenth,  eighteen 
hundred  and  ninety-eight ; 

"(c)  Any  person  who  has  taken  and  violated  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the 
United  States. 

"(d)  Any  person,  who,  on  the  first  day  of  May,  nineteen  hundred  and  one, 
or  thereafter,  was  in  arms  in  the  Philippine  Islands  against  the  authority  or 
sovereignty  of  the  United  States,  whether  such  person  be  an  officer,  soldier,  or 
civilian  ; 

"(e)  Any  person  who,  since  the  last  day  of  March,  nineteen  hundred  and 


434  THE    PHILIPPINES 

The  ability  to  read  and  write  a  dialect  alone  implies  such  lim- 
ited educational  qualifications  as  to  have  no  particular  value.  The 
extension  of  the  franchise  by  the  new  law  increases  the  number 
of  voters  from  about  two  hundred  fifty  thousand  to  approxi- 
mately six  hundred  thousand  and  the  additions  are  from  those 
who  are  too  ignorant  to  qualify  under  the  former  law.  How- 
ever, the  provision  extending  the  suffrage  is  not  of  much  impor- 
tance, as  the  Act  of  Congress  made  it  inapplicable  to  the  election 
of  members  of  the  first  legislature  and  authorized  that  body  when 
organized  to  determine  the  qualifications  of  voters.  The  Phil- 
ippine Legislature  now  has  full  control  over  the  question  of  suf- 
frage.^® 

The  powers  of  the  governor-general  are  now  clearly  defined.^^ 
He  is  to  be  appointed  by  the  president  of  the  United  States  with 
the  advice  and  consent  of  the  United  States  Senate,  holds  office 
at  the  pleasure  of  the  president  and  is  vested  with  the  supreme 
executive  power  and  made  responsible  for  the  faithful  execution 
of  the  laws.    He  is  charged  with  the  duty  of  supervising  and  con- 


one,  has  made  or  hereafter  shall  make  contribution  of  money  or  other  valu- 
able thing  in  aid  of  any  person  or  organization  against  the  authority  or  sov- 
ereignty of  the  United  States,  or  who  shall  demand  or  receive  such  contribu- 
tion from  others,  or  w^ho  shall  make  any  contribution  to  any  person  or  organ- 
ization hostile  to  or  in  arms  against  the  authority  or  sovereignty  of  the  United 
States,  for  the  purpose  of  securing  any  protection,  immunity,  or  benefit; 

"(f)  Any  person  who,  since  the  last  day  of  March,  nineteen  hundred  and 
one,  has  or  hereafter  shall  in  any  manner  whatsoever  give  aid  and  comfort  to 
any  person  or  organization  in  said  islands  in  opposition  to  or  in  arms  against 
the  authority  or  sovereignty  of  the  United  States ; 
"(g)   Insane  or  feeble-minded  persons: 

"Provided,  That  the  provisions  of  the  subsection  (d)  shall  not  apply  to 
those  persons  who  surrendered  in  Cebu  to  Brigadier-General  Hughes  or  to 
those  who  were  on  October  thirty-first,  nineteen  hundred  and  one,  inhabitants 
of  the  town  of  Pilar  in  the  Province  of  Sorsogon :  And  provided  further. 
That  the  provisions  of  subsections  (d),  (e),  and  (f),  shall  not  apply  to  acts 
done  prior  to  the  surrender  by  persons  who  surrendered  to  Brigadier-General 
Samuel  Summer  in  the  Province  of  La  Laguna  in  the  month  of  June,  nineteen 
hundred  and  one :  And  provided  further,  That  the  disqualifications  pre- 
scribed in  the  foregoing  subsections  (d),  (e),  and  (f)  shall  not  apply  to  per- 
sons who  have  received  the  benefits  of  an  amnesty  and  have  not  since  com- 
mitted any  of  the  acts  set  forth  in  said  subsections."  Compilation,  Acts  and 
Military  Orders  in  Force  October  15,  1907.    Sec.  16. 

It  is  not  clear  whether  Congress  by  the  statement  of  disqualifications, 
which  includes  a  part  only  of  the  foregoing  list,  intended  to  annul  the  others. 

26  A  bill  to  grant  the  suffrage  to  women  is  now  pending  in  the  legislature. 
'    27  See  supra,  p.  111. 


THE    INDEPENDENCE    MOVEMENT  435 

trolling  all  the  departments  and  bureaus  of  the  government  and 
is  commander-in-chief  of  any  locally  created  armed  forces  and 
militia.  He  appoints,  subject  to  confirmation  by  the  Philippine 
Senate,  all  ofificers  whose  appointment  is  not  otherwise  provided 
for.  He  must  within  ten  days  after  the  convening  of  each  regu- 
lar session  of  the  legislature  submit  a  budget  of  receipts  and  ex- 
penditures of  the  government  as  the  basis  for  the  annual  appro- 
priation bill.  When  necessary  to  prevent  or  suppress  lawless 
violence  or  insurrection,  or  repel  invasion,  he  may  summon  the 
posse  comitatus,  call  out  the  militia,  or  call  upon  the  military  and 
naval  forces  of  the  United  States.  When  the  public  safety  re- 
quires it  he  may  suspend  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  or  place  the 
islands  or  any  part  thereof  under  martial  law.  When  this  power 
is  exercised  he  must  at  once  inform  the  president  of  the  United 
States  of  the  facts  and  circumstances  and  the  latter  may  modify 
or  vacate  his  orders. 

It  is  provided  that  the  governor-general  shall  make  an  annual 
report  of  the  transactions  of  the  government  through  "an  execu- 
tive department  of  the  United  States  to  be  designated  by  the 
President. "^^  For  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  American 
administration  the  governor-general  is  given  the  power  to  veto 
an  act  of  the  legislature  or  any  item  thereof.^^  Should  both 
houses  of  the  legislature  by  a  two-thirds  majority  of  the  mem- 
bers pass  a  bill  over  the  veto  it  then  goes  to  the  president,  whose 
approval  or  veto  is  final. 

28  Heretofore  the  governor-general  and  the  heads  of  departments  (the 
secretaries)  made  their  annual  reports  to  the  commission. 

29  Under  the  commission  government  as  adopted  by  the  Organic  Law  of 
1902  Congress  reserved  the  power  to  annul  any  act  of  the  Philippine  Legisla- 
ture or  the  commission,  but  neither  the  governor-general,  the  secretary  of 
war,  nor  the  president,  had  the  veto  power.  It  has  been  claimed  that  the 
president  and  secretary  of  war  could  veto  a  Philippine  law,  but  no  attempt 
was  ever  made  to  exercise  such  power.  It  is  very  clear  that  it  did  not  exist 
after  1902  when  all  the  legislative  power  granted  was  vested  in  certain  bodies. 
An  executive  who  vetoes  a  bill  exercises  a  part  of  the  legislative^  power  and 
his  authority  must  originate  in  some  organic  law.  During  the  period  of  mili- 
tary government  the  president  controlled  the  government,  but  after  Congress 
took  control  the  authority  of  the  legislature  was  derived  from  the  Act  of 
Congress  which  did  not  provide  for  a  veto.  Under  the  Organic  Law  a  statute 
became  effective  when  passed  by  the  proper  legislative  body  and  Congress 
only  could  render  it  ineffective  by  virtue  of  its  power  to  annul. 


436  THE    PHILIPPINES 

The  Philippine  Legislature,  like  its  predecessors,  is  required  to 
report  all  laws  enacted  by  it  to  Congress,  which  reserves  the 
power  to  annul  them. 

The  president  must  also  appoint  a  vice-governor,  an  auditor 
and  a  deputy  auditor.  The  vice-governor,  who  must  be  secre- 
tary of  public  instruction  and  have  control  over  education  and 
health,  is  authorized  to  exercise  all  the  powers  of  the  chief  execu- 
tive in  the  event  of  a  vacancy,  or  the  disability  or  temporary  ab- 
sence of  the  governor-general.^° 

The  appointment  of  the  auditor  was  very  properly  reserved  to 
the  president,  as  this  important  officer  has  heavy  responsibilities 
in  connection  with  the  finances  of  the  government.  His  admin- 
istrative jurisdiction  over  accounts  and  vouchers  and  records  per- 
taining thereto  is  exclusive  and  his  decisions  are  final  and  con- 
clusive upon  the  executive  branches  of  the  government,  subject 
to  an  appeal  to  the. governor-general,  and,  should  he  fail  to  sus- 
tain the  action  of  the  auditor,  to  the  secretary  of  war.  The  au- 
ditor has  the  general  powers,  except  as  specifically  restricted,  of 
auditors  of  the  United  States  and  the  comptroller  of  the  United 
States  Treasury.  He  must  report  annually  to  the  governor- 
general  and  the  secretary  of  war.  The  office  of  the  auditor  re- 
mains under  the  general  supervision  of  the  governor-general. 

During  the  commission  regime  there  were  four  executive  de- 
partments, the  heads  of  w^hich  were  appointed  by  the  president 
by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate.  Under  the 
new  law  the  Department  of  Public  Instruction  only  is  required  to 
be  retained  and  it  must  contain  the  Bureaus  of  Education  and 
Health  and  such  others  as  may  be  assigned  to  it.  All  the  other 
executive  departments  are  placed  under  the  control  of  the  Philip- 
pine Legislature,  which  may  increase  the  number  or  abolish  any 
or  all  of  them,  or  make  such  changes  in  the  names  and  duties 
thereof  as  it  sees  fit.  All  executive  functions  must  be  directly 
under  the  governor-general  or  within  one  of  the  departments 


30  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  absurd  title  of  vice-governor  was  retained. 
There  are  at  least  a  hundred  governors  of  various  degrees  in  the  islands.  In 
order  to  conform  to  the  facts  this  official  should  have  been  given  the  title  of 
vice-governor-general. 


THE    INDEPENDENCE    MOVEMENT  437 

under  his  supervision.  The  Act  of  Congress  creates  one  new  bu- 
reau to  be  known  as  the  Bureau  of  non-Christian  Tribes,  which 
shall  have  general  supervision  over  the  public  affairs  of  the  in- 
habitants of  the  territory  represented  in  the  legislature  by  ap- 
pointive senators  and  representatives. 

The  heads  of  the  departments  other  than  that  of  public  instruc- 
tion are  to  be  appointed  by  the  governor-general  instead  of  the 
president,  as  heretofore,  and  confirmed  by  the  Philippine  Senate 
instead  of  the  United  States  Senate.  The  name  Philippine  Con- 
gress and  the  provision  that  the  heads  of  departments  should  con- 
stitute a  cabinet  for  the  governor-general,  which  were  in  the 
Jones  Bill  at  one  stage,  were  omitted  from  the  law,  as  too  sug- 
gestive, evidently,  of  an  independent  government. 

The  new  legislature  is  directed  to  elect  two  resident  commis- 
sioners to  the  United  States  "who  shall  be  entitled  to  an  official 
recognition  as  such  by  all  departments."  This  provision  is  sub- 
stantially the  same  as  in  the  former  law  and  leaves  them  depend- 
ent upon  the  courtesy  of  the  House  of  Representatives  for  the 
privilege  of  a  seat  and  the  right  to  speak  in  the  house.^^ 

The  present  laws  are  continued  in  force  until  changed  by  Con- 
gress or  the  Philippine  Legislature.  Future  Acts  of  Congress 
shall  not  apply  to  the  Philippines  unless  the  contrary  is  specifically 
provided.  General  legislative  power,  except  as  specifically  lim- 
ited, is  granted  to  the  new  legislature.  The  limitations,  however, 
are  important.  The  Bill  of  Rights,  which  is  copied  into  the  law 
from  the  former  statute, ^^  contains  the  usual  prohibitions  upon 
legislation.  A  new  paragraph  provides  that  "No  religous  test 
shall  be  required  for  the  exercise  of  civil  or  political  rights.  No 
public  money  or  property  shall  ever  be  appropriated,  applied, 
donated  or  used,  directly  or  indirectly,  for  the  use,  benefit  or  sup- 
port of  any  sect,  church,  denomination,  sectarian  institution,  or 
system  of  religion,  or  for  the  use,  benefit  or  support  of  any  priest, 
preacher,  minister  or  other  religious  teacher  or  dignitary  as  such. 
Contracting  of  polygamous  or  plural  marriages  hereafter  is  pro- 


31  See  supra,  pp.  66,  112,  414-416. 

32  See  supra,  pp.  66-68. 


438  THE    PHILIPPINES 

hibited.  That  no  law  shall  be  construed  to  permit  polygamous  or 
plural  marriages." 

The  legislature  is  specifically  authorized  to  modify  or  repeal 
all  laws  relating  to  revenue  or  taxation  in  effect  in  the  islands, 
with  the  following  limitations  as  to  the  tariff.  It  will  be  remem- 
bered that  there  are  two  tariff  laws,  one  an  Act  of  Congress  regu- 
lating trade  between  the  United  States  and  the  Philippines,  the 
other  a  Philippine  tariff  law  regulating  trade  between  the  islands 
and  other  countries.  The  law  we  have  been  considering  contains 
the  following  provision :  "While  this  act  provides  that  the  Phil- 
ippine government  shall  have  authority  to  enact  a  tariff  law,  the 
trade  relations  between  the  islands  and  the  United  States  shall 
continue  to  be  governed  exclusively  by  laws  of  the  Congress  of 
the  United  States :  Provided,  that  tariff  acts  or  acts  amendatory 
to  the  tariff  of  the  Philippine  Islands  shall  not  become  law  until 
they  shall  receive  the  approval  of  the  President  of  the  United 
States." 

So  acts  affecting  immigration,  the  currency  or  coinage,  lands 
of  the  public  domain  and  timber  and  mining  do  not  become  ef- 
fective until  approved  by  the  president.  The  imposition  of  ex- 
port duties  is  forbidden.  Taxes  and  assessments  on  property 
and  license  fees  for  franchises  and  privileges  and  internal  taxes, 
direct  or  indirect,  may  be  imposed  by  the  Philippine  Legislature 
for  the  purposes  of  the  insular  and  local  governments. 

Express  authority  is  given  the  legislature  to  increase  the 
bonded  debt  of  the  insular  government  to  fifteen  million  dol- 
lars, and  that  of  any  province  or  municipality  to  seven  per  cent, 
of  the  aggregate  tax  valuation  of  its  property.  The  troublesome 
question  of  citizenship  is  put  in  the  way  of  settlement,  as  the 
legislature  is  authorized  to  provide  by  law  for  the  acquisition 
of  Philippine  citizenship  by  those  natives  of  the  islands  who  do 
not  come  within  the  provisions  of  the  Treaty  of  Paris,  the  natives 
of  the  insular  possessions  of  the  United  States,  and  "such  other 
persons  residing  in  the  Philippine  Islands  who  are  citizens  of  the 
United  States,  or  who  could  become  citizens  of  the  United  States 
under  the  laws  of  the  United  States  if  residing  therein."    The 


THE    INDEPENDENCE    MOVEMENT  439 

provisions  of  the  new  law  with  reference  to  the  granting  of 
franchises  are  the  same  as  in  the  former  statute. 

The  judicial  system  also  is  unchanged.  But  the  salary  of  the 
chief  justice  is  reduced  to  eight  thousand  dollars  and  that  of  an 
associate  justice  to  seven  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  per 
annum.  The  salary  of  the  governor-general  is  fixed  at  eighteen 
thousand  dollars,  with  the  right  to  the  use  of  the  official  resi- 
dences. The  vice-governor  is  to  receive  ten  thousand  dollars,  the 
auditor  six  thousand  dollars  and  the  deputy  auditor  three  thou- 
sand dollars  per  annum.  All  expenses  incurred  on  account  of 
the  government  of  the  Philippines  for  salaries  of  the  officials  and 
the  conduct  of  their  offices  and  departments,  and  all  expenses  and 
obligations  contracted  for  the  internal  improvement  and  develop- 
ment of  the  islands  other  than  works  undertaken  by  the  United 
States  shall,  as  in  the  past,  be  paid  by  the  government  of  the 
Philippines. 

An  ambiguity  thought  to  exist  in  the  former  statute^^  is  cleared 
up  by  the  following  provision  of  the  new  law : 

"If  at  the  termination  of  any  fiscal  year  the  appropriations 
necessary  for  the  support  of  government  for  the  ensuing  fiscal 
year  shall  not  have  been  made,  the  several  sums  appropriated  in 
the  last  appropriation  bills  for  the  objects  and  purposes  therein 
specified,  so  far  as  the  same  may  be  done  shall  be  deemed  to  be 
reappropriated  for  the  several  objects  and  purposes  specified  in 
said  last  appropriation  bill ;  and  until  the  legislature  shall  act  in 
such  behalf  the  treasurer  shall  when  so  directed  by  the  governor- 
general  make  the  payments  necessary  for  the  purposes  aforesaid." 

There  is  a  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  wisdom  of  some  of 
the  provisions  of  this  law.  It  seems  to  me  that  it  was  unwise  to 
extend  the  suffrage,  and  it  would  have  been  safer  to  vest  the  apn 
pointive  power  in  the  governor-general  absolutely.  Any  one 
familiar  with  the  history  of  the  assembly  will  expect  the  Senate 
under  the  guise  of  confirmation  to  control  appointments.  Other 
features  of  the  bill  are  subject  to  criticism,  but  nevertheless  when 
all  the  conditions  are  taken  into  consideration,  I  think  Congress 
did  the  proper  thing  in  passing  the  law  even  with  the  doubtful 

sTscc  p.  117. 


440  THE    PHILIPPINES 

preamble.  Had  the  Philippine  Commission  not  been  emasculated 
the  country  would  have  advanced  more  rapidly  under  its  control 
than  it  will  under  the  present  government.  But  the  power  and 
prestige  of  the  commission  had  been  so  weakened  that  some 
radical  changes  in  the  system  were  necessary.  The  new  legisla- 
ture, with  its  elective  Senate,  is  an  improvement  on  the  old  com- 
plicated legislative  arrangement  which  by  its  very  nature  could 
be  temporary  only.  It  is  far  better,  also,  that  the  governor- 
general  as  the  representative  of  American  sovereignty  should 
not  be  a  member  of  the  legislature.  His  power  over  legislation 
is  much  greater  than  when  he  was  the  presiding  officer  of  the 
upper  house  and  engaged  in  trading  with  the  skilful  politicians 
of  the  assembly. 

But  his  position  will  not  be  an  easy  one.  A  weak  and  com- 
plaisant chief  executive  will  be  inclined  to  win  cheap  popularity 
by  signing  all  bills  which  are  presented  to  him.  A  strong  gov- 
ernor-general who  uses  his  veto  power  fearlessly  and  conscien- 
tiously will  save  the  country  from  the  consequences  of  many  mis- 
takes, but  he  will  be  anathema  to  the  people  he  serves.  It  is  to 
be  regretted  that  Congress  did  not  follow  the  custom  of  the  other 
powers  and  fix  a  definite  term  of  office  for  the  governor-general 
and  vice-governor.  Had  they  been  given  four-year  terms  expir- 
ing in  the  middle  of  the  presidential  term  the  government  would 
have  been  more  stable  and  there  would  have  been  less  temptation 
for  the  president  to  treat  the  positions  as  rewards  for  political 

•  04. 

services. 

The  new  law  has  not  changed  the  nature  of  the  government 
or  the  legal  relation  between  it  and  the  United  States.  The 
Philippines  are  a  possession  and,  in  an  international  sense,  a  part 
of  the  United  States.  The  government  is  neither  sovereign  nor 
quasi  sovereign;  it  is  an  agency  of  Congress  and  subject  to  its 


"4  There  is  an  ambiguous  provision  in  the  law  to  the  effect  that  the  gov- 
ernor-general shall  make  his  reports  "to  an  executive  department  of  the 
United  States  to  be  designated  by  the  President."  The  inference  is  that  Con- 
gress contemplates  the  possible  transfer  of  the  administration  of  the  Philip- 
pine government  from  the  War  to  the  State  or  some  other  department.  The 
control  of  the  secretary  of  war  through  the  Bureau  of  Insular  Affairs  is 
provided  for  by  an  unrepealed  statute. 


THE    INDEPENDENCE    MOVEMENT  441 

control.  Its  authority  is  derived  from  the  orders  of  the  president 
before  Congress  acted  and  the  subsequent  Acts  of  Congress. 
Within  the  limits  of  its  authority  it  is  a  complete  governmental 
organism  with  executive,  legislative  and  judicial  departments  ex- 
ercising the  functions  commonly  assigned  to  such  departments 
in  a  constitutional  republic.^^ 

The  passage  of  the  Jones  Bill  was  the  occasion  of  great  rejoic- 
ing in  Manila.  It  was  accepted  as  a  formal  promise  of  ultimate 
independence  and  as  conclusive  evidence  of  America's  good  faith, 
which  in  the  past  had  often  been  doubted.  The  native  papers  were 
profuse  in  expressions  of  gratitude  for  a  government  in  which 
the  Filipinos  were  to  have  so  important  a  part.  El  Ideal,  the 
organ  of  the  Nationalist  party,  said: 

"With  the  final  passage  of  the  Jones  Bill,  which  is  the  law  that 
organizes  and  regulates  our  political  life  and  our  relations  with 
the  United  States,  a  new  pact  of  friendship,  which  is  more  con- 
sistent, more  elevated,  more  equitable  and  therefore  more  perma- 
nent and  most  binding  between  the  American  people  and  the 
Filipino  people,  has  been  executed. 

"Henceforth,  there  will  no  longer  be  any  reason  to  doubt  the 
noble  intentions  of  the  American  nation;  henceforth,  no  Amer- 


35  U.  S.  V.  Bull,  15  Phil.  Repts.  7  (1910)  ;  Severino  v.  Governor-General, 
16  Phil.  Repts.  366;  Forbes  v.  Chuco  Tiaco,  16  Phil.  Repts.  534  (1910)  ;  see 
an  article  by  George  A.  Malcolm,  on  "The  Status  of  the  Philippines,"  Michi- 
gan Law  Review,  May,  1916. 

Dean  Malcolm  says  (p.  542)  :  "In  the  case  of  the  United  States  v.  Bull  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  Philippine  Islands,  considering  'the  importance  of  the 
question'  presented  'after  much  discussion  and  considerable  diversity  of  opin- 
ion' established  'certain  applicable  constitutional  doctrines.'  In  reality  the 
opinion  by  Mr.  Justice  Elliott  constitutes  a  veritable  text-book  in  the  most 
approved  style  on  certain  subjects  of  Philippine  government.  *  *  *  While 
the  opinion  went  to  the  extreme  in  a  judicial  endeavor  to  sanction  legislative 
authority  and  to  set  up  a  quasi-sovereign  government,  it  was  not  appealed  to 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  and  is  controlling.  The  same  result 
was  attained  in  two  later  decisions  affecting  the  executive  power." 

United  States  v.  Bull  merely  established  the  principle  that  the  orders  of  the 
president  and  the  Acts  of  Congress  granted  general  legislative  power  to  the 
Philippine  government,  subject  to  express  and  implied  restrictions.  In  other 
words,  it  was  held  that  in  determining  the  constitutionality  of  a  statute  the 
court  would  look  for  limitations  instead  of  specific  grants  of  power.  The 
principle  established  by  that  case  is  embodied  in  section  12  of  the  Act  of 
August  29,  1916,  which  provides  that  "general  legislative  power,  except  as 
otherwise  herein  provided,  is  hereby  granted  to  the  Philippine  Legislature, 
authorized  by  the  act." 


442  THE    PHILIPPINES 

ican,  however  hostile  and  opposed  he  may  be  to  the  ideals  of  the 
Filipino  people,  can  charge  us  with  being  ungrateful  when  we  act 
in  accordance  with  the  confidence  in  our  capacity  to  maintain  a 
stable  government,  with  a  view  to  obtaining  the  final  recognition 
of  our  full  right  to  govern  ourselves  without  outside  help. 

"The  Jones  Act  is  really  a  measure  which  unites  Americans 
and  Filipinos  in  a  concerted  effort  for  the  betterment  of  the  coun- 
try. The  former  are  obliged  to  finish,  nobly  and  disinterestedly, 
the  glorious  work  which  they  began  here  eighteen  years  ago,  and 
they  are  therefore  bound  to  assist  us  considerably,  and  the  latter 
are  obliged  to  accept,  and  they  do  accept,  the  valuable  aid  of  the 
Americans  in  the  great  work  of  laying  the  foundations  of  their 
future  nation,  which  shall  be  free  and  independent.  The  work  is 
indeed  of  such  magnitude  that  we  expect  not  only  the  assistance 
of  the  Apiericans,  but  also  of  the  foreigners  who  live  in  our 
country  and  who,  generally,  have  acted  in  a  noble  way." 

According  to  the  editor,  the  date  of  the  signing  of  the  Jones 
Bill  ushered  in  "a  new  period  of  mighty  effort  and  growing  re- 
sponsibilities." A  new  era  had  opened.  It  was  a  time  for  grati- 
tude, "gratitude  to  ourselves  because  we  have  conducted  our- 
selves in  such  a  way  as  to  deserve  a  substantial  part  of  what  we 
all  long  for,  gratitude  and  blessing  to  the  noble  American  people 
and  their  representatives,  gratitude  and  blessing  to  the  loyal  lead- 
ers of  our  cause  who  did  not  vacillate  in  spite  of  all  obstacles, 
neither  did  they  shirk  any  responsibility,  however  great,  and  car- 
ried onward  the  flag  of  our  faith  in  the  new  position  of  honor  we 
now  occupy. 

"And  now  that  intense  emotion  calls  for  words  which  would 
convey,  in  the  briefest  and  most  expressive  manner,  our  gratitude 
to  the  American  people,  we  can  find  none  which  would  sum  up 
so  persuasively,  so  feelingly  and  so  justly  our  tribute  to  the  lofty 
spirit  which  inspired  the  work  of  the  American  people  in  these 
islands  during  their  eighteen  years  of  sovereignty,  as  the  follow- 
ing which  come  from  the  heart  of  the  highest  and  most  genuine 
representative  of  the  Filipino  people.  Speaker  Osmena :  'The 
American  people  could  have  treated  us  otherwise  after  we  were 
vanquished.  And  because  they  did  not  do  so,  they  are  deserving 
of  the  appreciation  and  the  sincere  esteem  of  the  Filipinos.'  " 

The  elections  for  members  of  the  new  legislature,  which  was 
to  meet  on  October  sixteenth,  were  strongly  contested,  but  the 
Nationalists  were  generally  successful.     They  elected  twenty  of 


THE    INDEPENDENCE    MOVEMENT  443 

the  twenty-two  members  of  the  Senate.  Mr.  Quezon,  who  had 
resigned  his  office  of  resident  commissioner  at  Washington,  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Senate  by  a  practically  unanimous  vote. 
There  has  always  been  much  fraudulent  voting  at  Philippine 
elections  and  this  one  was  no  exception.  But  the  way  in  which 
the  matter  was  treated  shows  that  the  leaders  appreciate  the  fact 
that  the  country  is  on  its  good  behavior.^*^ 

Governor-General  Harrison  appointed  Hadji  Butu  of  Jolo,  one 
of  the  advisers  of  the  Sultan  of  Sulu,  a  member  of  the  Senate, 
and  Datu  Piang,  a  Moro  from  Cotabato,  and  a  prominent  Igo- 
rot  from  the  Mountain  Province,  members  of  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives, to  represent  the  districts  included  in  what  was  for- 
merly called  the  non-Christian  territory.  Such  appointments 
seem  very  absurd,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  these  men 
are  in  fact  recognized  leaders  of  their  people.  The  last  time  I 
saw  Datu  Piang  he  stood  digging  up  the  sand  with  his  toes  while 
soliciting  government  aid  to  retrieve  one  of  his  wives  who  had 
run  away  from  the  over-populated  home.  Nevertheless,  he  will 
represent  his  people  in  a  much  more  real  sense  than  will  many 
of  the  elected  legislators.  What  Datu  Piang  wills  is,  and  for 
years  has  been,  the  law  for  many  Moros  who  inhabit  the  Cota- 
bato Valley. 

The  legislature  was  duly  organized  on  October  sixteenth.  Que- 
zon became  president  of  the  Senate,  and  Osmena  speaker  of  the 
House  of  Representatives.  As  the  reorganization  of  the  depart- 
ments required  time,  the  life  of  the  commission  was  extended 
to  January  1,  1917. 


36  The  Cable  News-American  of  Nov.  5,  1916,  reports  Senator  Quezon  as 
saying:  "The  sixth  senatorial  district  shall  not  be  represented  in  the  Senate 
until  a  new  election,  devoid  of  the  incredible  irregularities  recently  perpe- 
trated in  the  last  elections,  shall  have  been  held.  Not  even  if  the  men  coming 
out  victorious  as  a  result  of  the  last  electoral  battle  were  to  come  to  the 
Senate  chamber,  with  certificates  in  their  hands,  of  having  been  elected,  will 
they  be  allowed  to  occupy  seats  in  the  upper  house  of  the  Philippine  Legis- 
lature. The  frauds  that  have  been  committed  in  that  district  v.'ere  so  stu- 
pendous and  phenomenal  as  to  destroy  all  confidence  in  the  honesty  of  th"e 
voters  within  its  jurisdiction.  Therefore,  it  is  not  proper  for  the  Senate  to 
permit  any  candidate  triumphant  in  the  last  senatorial  ^elections  to  have  any 
place  in  it,  because  then,  it  would  be  an  act  of  injustice,  founded  on  the  igno- 
ble machinations  of  an  irresponsible  body  of  criminal  voters." 


444  THE    PHILIPPINES 

Innumerable  projects  for  the  good  of  the  country  were  em- 
bodied in  bills  and  promptly  introduced.  Every  legislative  body 
has  its  crank  bills.  The  extremists  and  the  hitherto  suppressed 
seditiously  inclined  patriots  were  much  in  evidence.  One  of  the 
first  bills  introduced  was  intended  to  repeal  the  law  which  made 
it  a  crime  to  exhibit  the  old  insurgent  flag  or  the  emblems  of  the 
Katapunan.^^ 

The  Filipinos  have  a  chronic  habit  of  assuming  a  trifle  more 
than  the  facts  justify.  Given  an  inch  they  will  claim  an  ell.  The 
Jones  Bill  in  one  of  the  forms  through  which  it  passed  provided 
for  a  Filipino  Congress,  but  the  law  as  enacted  created  the  Phil- 
ippine Legislature.  Nevertheless,  this  body  provided  that  the 
enacting  clause  to  its  laws  should  read  "the  Philippine  Senate 
and  the  House  of  Representatives  in  Congress  assembled  en- 
acts .  .  ."  In  popular  language  the  legislature  is  already 
called  the  Congress,  and  even  the  American  newspapers  in  Ma- 
nila so  designate  it.  Of  course,  it  is  no  more  a  Congress  than 
is  the  legislature  of  North  Dakota.^^ 

The  Act  of  Congress  provided  that  the  existing  executive  de- 
partments should  continue  until  changed  by  the  new  legislature. 
The  change  was  promptly  effected.  The  old  departments,  with 
the  exception  of  that  of  public  instruction,  which  Congress  re- 
quired to  be  retained,  were  abolished,  and  new  and  additional 
ones  created,  under  the  names  of  the  Departments  of  the  Interior, 
Commerce,  Agriculture,  Treasury,  Transportation  and  Communi- 
cations, and  Public  Resources.  The  new  oflice  of  assistant  sec- 
retary for  each  department  was  created  and  Filipinos  were  ap- 
pointed secretaries  and  assistant  secretaries,  the  aggregate  salaries 
being  about  what  had  been  paid  formerly.  The  governor-general, 
the  vice-governor,  the  auditor  and  certain  members  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  are  the  only  Americans  who  hold  high  oflice  in  the 


2^  It  was  erroneously  announced  in  the  American  papers  that  this  bill 
became  a  law  and  the  impression  created  was  bad. 

3s  Before  the  Organic  Law  of  July  1,  1902,  the  enacting  clause  read :  "By 
authority  of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  be  it  enacted  by  the  Philippine 
Commission."  After  'the  passage  of  that  law  the  enacting  clause  read,  "By 
the  authority  of  the  United  States  be  it  enacted  by  the  Philippine  Commis- 
sion."   After  1907  the  same  form  was  used  by  the  legislature. 


THE    INDEPENDENCE    MOVEMENT  445 

Philippine  government.  The  issue  for  good  or  evil  is  now  with 
the  Filipinos. 

It  is  not  easy  to  determine  the  real  strength  of  the  present 
sentiment  in  favor  of  independence.  The  great  majority  of  the 
Americans  who  have  served  in  the  Philippines  assert  very  posi- 
tively that  even  now  the  desire  exists  only  among  interested  pol- 
iticians, that  the  well-to-do  classes  are  at  heart  opposed  to  it, 
and  that  the  common  people  are  so  ignorant  that  they  have  no 
conception  of  what  independence  means.  This  may  have  been  a 
correct  description  of  the  situation  as  it  existed  a  few  years  ago, 
but  it  is  not  true  now  because  it  ignores  the  growing  middle 
class  in  which  the  sentiment  is  strongest. 

Our  government  deliberately  and  intentionally  created  the  con- 
ditions which  made  inevitable  the  rapid  development  of  a  na- 
tional spirit,  and  it  is  folly  to  close  our  eyes  to  facts  and  continue 
to  assert  that  the  agitation  about  independence  is  merely  as  the 
froth  on  the  surface  of  the  political  pool.  Nevertheless  it  is  a 
fact  that  American  Philippine  officials  and  civil  service  employees 
generally,  who  have  no  reason  to  misrepresent  conditions,  have 
but  slight  faith  in  the  depth  and  sincerity  of  the  sentiment. 
Teachers  and  constabulary  officers  in  particular,  who  have  lived 
close  to  the  common  people,  almost  without  exception  assert  that 
all  but  the  politicians  and  newspaper  men  are  satisfied  with  con- 
ditions as  they  were  before  the  Jones  Bill  became  a  law.  When 
speaking  in  confidence  the  people  with  whom  they  are  in  contact 
assure  them  that  they  do  not  desire  independence,  although  they 
would  like  to  try  some  form  of  government  under  which  the 
United  States  would  leave  them  free  to  go  their  own  way  while 
protecting  them  from  the  consequences  of  their  mistakes.  It 
seems  that  at  present  the  mass  of  the  people,  in  a  vague,  indefi- 
nite and  uninformed  manner,  desire  to  run  their  own  country 
in  their  own  way,  even  though  it  means  a  less  efficient  govern- 
ment. Yet  even  this  is  not  generally  conceded  by  Americans, 
although  it  can  not  be  denied  that  the  political  party  which  has 
taken  a  radical  position  on  the  question  is  successful  at  the  elec- 
tions, while  their  opponents,  who  advocate  delay,  are  defeated. 


446  THE    PHILIPPINES 

I  have  little  doubt  that  the  great  majority  of  the  voters  would, 
if  given  the  opportunity,  make  the  mistake  of  casting  their  ballots 
for  immediate  independence. 

There  are  many  who  would  prefer  to  live  under  a  free  popular 
government  operated  by  their  own  people  under  American  su-  ,, 
pervision  and  protection  such  as  they  have  been  enjoying.  Un-  |l 
doubtedly  this  is  the  feeling  of  the  leading  business  and  profes- 
sional men  who  are  not  in  politics.  The  attitude  of  this  class 
and  the  Spanish  and  Chinese  mestizos  who  control  most  of  the 
business  which  is  not  in  the  hands  of  the  Europeans  and  Amer- 
icans has  been  rather  shifty  but  it  is  understandable.  Many  of 
them  have  expressed  themselves  publicly  as  in  sympathy  with 
the  Nationalist  movement,  but  it  is  certain  that  at  heart  they  are 
not  in  favor  of  independence  if  it  is  to  mean  an  oligarchical 
republic  under  the  control  of  the  men  who  have  established  them- 
selves as  leaders  during  the  last  few  years.  They  distrust  many 
of  these  men  and  fear  that  their  influence  over  the  ignorant  peo- 
ple will  be  used  for  personal  ends  and  to  the  prejudice  of  the 
propertied  class.^^  They  also  fear  that  inefficient  leadership  and 
personal  rivalries  will  result  in  disorder  and  possibly  in  revolu- 
tionary disturbances.  They  know  that  their  material  interests 
would  be  seriously  prejudiced  by  the  withdrawal  of  the  American 
government.  The  day  the  American  flag  ceases  to  float  over 
Fort  Santiago  rents  in  Manila  will  fall  fifty  per  cent,  for  the 
simple  reason  that  there  will  be  no  tenants  for  the  many  modern 


39  The  attitude  of  this  class  was  shown  by  a  letter  written  by  Mr.  Legarda, 
then  Quezon's  colleague  as  resident  commissioner  at  Washington,  on  April 
28,  1911,  in  which  he  said : 

"As  to  what  you  say  about  Quezon,  I  knew  very  well  what  this  type  is  ; 
this  gives  an  idea  of  what  our  people  are  as  yet,  in  so  far  as  their  capacity  for 
self-government  is  concerned;  they  allow  themselves  to  be  carried  away  by 
those  three  or  four  mountebank  legislators  and  overlook  their  histories  and 
moral  characters.  Who  is  Quezon?  Who  is  Osmeha?  And  Dominador 
Gomez,  Poblete  and  Isabelo  de  los  Reyes?  What  have  they  been?  The 
Americans  are  those  who  with  all  this  are  reaping  their  harvest,  as  they  say, 
rightly,  that  so  long  as  our  people  continue  to  be  at  the  mercy  of  the  rascals, 
and  the  reputable  and  wealthy  classes  remain  aloof  from  them,  it  is  impossible 
to  grant  anything.    And  this  is  what  will  happen." 

The  letter  was  used  as  evidence  in  a  suit  between  two  Filipinos  and  was 
printed  in  the  Manila  Times,  April  22,  1912. 


THE    INDEPENDENCE    MOVEMENT  447 

houses  which  are  now  occupied  by  Americans  connected  with  the 
civil  government,  the  army  and  the  navy. 

Few  members  of  the  upper  classes  who  do  not  hold  or  aspire 
to  office  seriously  claim  that  the  people  are  ready  to  govern  them- 
selves. But  they  express  their  views  in  a  decided  undertone. 
They  are  very  uncertain  as  to  what  the  future  will  bring  forth, 
and  they  are  not  seeking  to  qualify  as  patriots  or  martyrs.  They 
have  a  vivid  recollection  of  the  confiscations  and  compulsory 
contributions  which  were  levied  upon  them  during  the  brief  pe- 
riod of  Aguinaldo's  ascendency.  Nor  have  they  been  able  to 
measure  the  forces  which  in  the  United  States  are  seeking  to 
cast  the  Philippines  adrift.  The  democratic  leaders  and  news- 
papers have  been  threatening  the  permanency  of  the  American 
control  and  the  local  politicians  have  assured  them  that  the  day 
is  near — that  the  good  ship  Independence  is  visible  in  the  offing. 
They  know  enough  of  the  history  of  revolutions  to  understand 
that  if  an  independent  Filipino  state  is  established  the  fate  of 
those  who  were  lukewarm  toward  the  cause  will  not  be  enviable. 
Not  a  few  have  for  such  reasons  rendered  lip  service  to  the  in- 
dependence cause  while  trusting  to  their  American  friends  to  see 
that  the  day  of  its  success  is  postponed  as  long  as  possible. 

There  is  also  reason  to  believe  that  some  at  least  of  those  who 
have  been  most  active  in  the  independence  propaganda  do  not 
desire  that  it  be  too  promptly  successful.  These  men  found  it 
a  popular  party  shibboleth  and  encouraged  it  until  in  some  lo- 
calities it  got  beyond  their  control.  One  of  the  most  prominent 
of  the  Nationalist  leaders  once  informed  me  that  his  constituents 
were  able  to  grasp  the  simple  idea  of  absolute  independence,  but 
that  they  could  not  comprehend  the  complicated  arrangements 
involved  in  an  autonomous  government  under  American  super- 
vision, and  that  he  was  advocating  independence  in  the  hope  of 
obtaining  a  government  similar  to  that  of  Canada.  They  were 
aiming  at  the  stars  in  the  hope  of  reaching  the  high  hills.  It 
is  said  also  on  good  authority  that  the  quiet  work  of  the  Fili- 
pino leaders  and  their  American  advisers  aided  in  defeating  the 


448  THE    PHILIPPINES 

Clarke  Amendment  to  the  Jones  Bill.  It  was  an  evil  time  for  an 
infant  nation  to  be  bom  into  the  world  and.  left  to  shift  for  itself 
without  a  protector. 

We  have  then  in  the  Philippines  a  prevailing  sentiment  in 
favor  of  immediate  independence,  but  it  is  not  universal  and 
it  varies  greatly  in  intensity  and  seriousness.  The  older  and 
more  experienced  men  of  the  upper  class — the  elder  statesmen 
— while  mildly  favoring  it,  at  heart  are  in  favor  of  the  contin- 
uance of  present  conditions.  The  common  people,  which  term 
includes  the  small  business  men  and  farmers,  the  one  carabao 
men,  and  the  millions  of  laboring  men  and  taos,  who  live  in  the 
provinces,  understand  but  little  and  care  less  about  the  question. 
They  have  been  told  by  the  politicians  and  orators  that  inde- 
pendencia  is  something  to  be  desired  and  they  are  willing  enough 
to  follow  their  natural  leaders.  The  small  middle  class,  includ- 
ing the  young  men  who  have  been  educated  in  the  American 
controlled  schools,  the  lawyers,  doctors  and  newspaper  men,  are 
strongly  in  favor  of  independence  and  willing  and  anxious  to 
assume  the  burdens  of  government.  It  is  from  this  class  that 
the  real  leaders  of  the  Nationalist  movement  have  come.  Many 
of  them  are  able,  competent  and  patriotic,  and  a  few  are  suffi- 
ciently well  informed  to  appreciate  their  relation  to  the  rest  of 
the  universe.  They  have  now  been  given  substantially  all  they 
asked  for  short  of  independence,  and  I  believe  that  the  best  of 
them  will  be  satisfied  with  the  government  as  organized  under 
the  law  of  1916.  But  the  agitation  will  not  immediately  subside. 
The  impetus  of  the  movement  and  the  desire  for  consistency 
will  seem  to  require  the  continuance  for  a  time  of  the  agitation 
for  independence. *°    It  will  be  held  before  the  people  as  an  ulti- 

■^o  With  reference  to  the  Jones  Bill,  The  Filipino  People  said : 
"We  do  not  of  course  regard  this  bill  as  a  finality.  Were  it  so,  we  should 
never  consent  to  its  consideration  or  enactment.  Did  it  debar  us  from  con- 
tinued agitation  and  effort  to  secure  enactment  of  final  independence  legisla- 
tion, we  should  oppose  it  to  the  uttermost.  But  such  is  not  the  case.  .  .  . 
We  therefore  favor  the  passage  of  the  new  Jones  bill,  advise  its  acceptance 
by  the  people  of  the  Philippines,  and  pledge  ourselves  to  its  support."  Quoted 
in  Kalow's  The  Case  for  the  Filipinos,  p.  207. 

The  arrogant  tone  of   the   foregoing  is   characteristic   of   certain   of   the 
native  pohticians.    They  have  been  commended  and  flattered  until  they  believe 


THE    INDEPENDENCE    MOVEMENT  449 

mate  prize  to  be  won  as  the  result  of  good  conduct  and  efficient 
government.  If  the  Filipinos  are  left  to  work  out  their  own 
salvation  under  the  new  law  without  officious  advice  and  inter- 
ference on  the  part  of  their  American  mentors  we  shall  hear  com- 
paratively little  of  independence  during  the  next  few  years.  A 
few  interested  agitators  may  continue  to  talk,  but  with  the  gov- 
ernment almost  entirely  in  Filipino  hands,  and  working  success- 
fully, it  will  be  difficult  to  excite  the  public  about  the  abstract 
principles  involved  in  sovereignty.  If  the  government  is  not  rea- 
sonably well  administered  the  demand  for  independence  will  re- 
solve itself  into  an  absurdity. 

The  Filipinos  must  realize  when  they  pass  out  of  the  emo- 
tional stage  that  independence  would  mean  a  larger  establish- 
ment, more  office  holders  and  increased  taxation.  Although  they 
have  not  been  heavily  taxed,  they  are  bitterly  complaining  of 
the  new  taxes  which  have  been  imposed  during  the  last  three 
years."     When  they  are  asked  to  vote  yet  additional  taxes  in 

evidently  that  they  are  in  a  position  to  dictate  terms  to  Congress.  "We  would 
reject  any  concessions."  "We  should  never  consent  to  its  consideration  or 
enactment."  It  would  be  well  if  these  gentlemen  were  required  to  learn  that 
legislation  for  the  Philippines  is  a  matter  of  national  importance  and  that  it 
is  for  the  people  of  the  United  States  as  represented  in  Congress,  to  say  what 
is  for  the  interest  of  the  nation  as  well  as  the  Filipinos.  In  determining  its 
action  the  wishes  of  the  natives  as  a  whole  so  far  as  ascertainable  should  be 
given  proper  consideration.  But  it  should  not  be  forgotten  that  the  Philip- 
pines are  the  property  of  the  United  States  and  that  the  Filipinos  are  Ameri- 
can nationals  who  owe  allegiance  to  the  United  States,  under  whose  protec- 
tion many  of  them  were  born  and  all  live.  The  question  of  independence  as 
well  as  the  extent  of  self-government  which  shall  be  granted  to  them  is  a 
matter  of  American  policy  to  be  determined  by  the  nation  in  the  light  of  its 
own  interests,  as  well  as  those  of  the  Filipinos. 

*i  "During  the  debate  over  the  bill  which  authorizes  the  municipal  councils 
to  increase  the  land  tax  for  school  purposes,  and  when  Delegate  Fonscier, 
alleging  the  great  burden  of  taxation  which  already  weights  on  the  people, 
proposed  that  the  law  be  postponed  till  2915,  Delegate  Soto  said : 

"  'Does  the  gentleman  think  that  in  view  of  the  irksome  burdens  now 
placed  on  the  country,  there  will  be  any  real  estate  left  in  the  Philippines  by 
2915?' 

"Sotto,  with  that  subtle  irony  of  Voltaire,  announced  in  words  teeming 
with  rich  humor,  terrible  presage.  The  country  is  already  exhausted  by  the 
weight,  of  so  many  direct  and  indirect  taxes,  and  if  it  does  not  protest  and 
with  a  spirit  of  resignation  welcomes  all  such  taxes,  it  is  because  it  is  nour- 
ished by  the  hope  that  it  may  find  compensation  in  national  liberty,  for  which 
the  people  are  willing  to  accept  the  most  painful  sacrifices,  as  shown  in  the 
past,  and  are  now  ready  to  accept  them  so  far  as  it  may  be  possible  for  human 
nature  to  do  so.  This  must  be  unknown  to  the  representatives  of  business 
who,  through  Mr.  Pitt,  ask  for  the  increase  of  the  cedula  tax  to  three  pesos. 


450  THE    PHILIPPINES 

order  to  raise  the  money  to  pay  for  the  army  and  navy  about 
which  the  poHticians  are  now  talking  so  ghbly/^  they  will,  if 
competent  to  govern  themselves,  consider  very  seriously  whether 
it  is  not  the  part  of  wisdom  to  permit  the  United  States  to  con- 
tinue bearing  that  part  of  their  burdens. 

Successful  government,  particularly  in  the  tropics,  is  largely 
a  matter  of  finance  and  low  taxes.  It  will  be  impossible  to 
increase  the  income  of  the  Philippine  government  to  any  great 
extent  without  imposing  additional  direct  taxes.  If  the  islands 
become  independent  the  American  markets  will  of  course  be 
closed  to  them,  and  their  sugar,  hemp  and  cocoanut  products 
will  have  to  pay  the  regular  duties  imposed  on  similar  articles 
coming  from  other  foreign  countries.  The  Philippine  tariff  will 
be  imposed  on  articles  coming  in  from  the  United  States  as  well 
as  Europe  and  Asia,  and  the  imports  now  increasing  rapidly 
under  free  trade  will  decrease.  The  annual  income  of  the  Phil- 
ippine government  is  approximately  thirteen  million  dollars.  The 
fixed  charges  necessary  to  pay  the  interest  on  the  bonded  indebt- 
edness, maintain  the  necessary  sinking  funds  and  pay  the  operat- 
ing expenses  of  the  government  requires  approximately  eleven 
million  dollars.  The  modest  balance  has  during  recent  years  been 
used  for  the  construction  of  highways  and  other  necessary  public 
improvements.  The  margin  of  difference  between  income  and  ex- 
penditure is  so  small  that  the  increased  expenses  of  an  independ- 
ent government  would  render  impossible  the  construction  of 
additional  public  works  and  also  necessitate  the  reduction  of 
the  appropriations  for  health  and  education.  It  is  possible  to 
increase  the  income  of  the  government  by  developing  the  nat- 
ural resources  of  the  country,  but  that  requires  capital  in  large 
amounts,  which  can  only  be  secured  from  abroad.    But  the  Fili- 


The  approval  of  such  proposition  would  be  a  cruel  sarcasm  and  we  sincerely 
believe  that  the  legislature  will  do  its  very  best  to  avoid  the  carrying  out  of 
such  preposterous  idea  of  the  great  commercial  interests."    El  Ideal. 

*2  The  new  legislature  is  much  interested  in  a  military  and  naval  school 
and  the  organization  of  an  army.  The  Moro  senator,  Hadji  Butu,  "in  whose 
veins  tingles  the  traditions  of  his  warlike  race,"  called  the  attention  of  his 
Christian  brethren  to  the  great  advantage  of  having  a  good  army  and  navy. 
"And  he  is  right,"  says  El  Ideal. 


THE    INDEPENDENCE    MOVEMENT  451 

pinos  refuse  those  concessions  and  privileges  which  are  necessary 
to  induce  capital  to  enter  such  a  country.  It  has  been  impossible 
in  the  past  to  obtain  it  in  substantial  amounts  and  on  such  con- 
ditions as  are  now  imposed  it  will  not  come  at  all  after  American 
control  has  been  withdrawn. 

Another  matter  must  be  taken  into  consideration.  The  gov- 
ernment which  has  been  organized  in  the  Philippines  is  too  elab- 
orate for  the  Filipinos  to  operate  successfully.  The  work  under- 
taken during  the  Taft  regime  was  on  a  scale  which  required 
considerable  time  for  its  completion.  It  was  contemplated  that 
American  control  and  supervision  would  not  be  withdrawn  until 
the  somewhat  elaborate  plans  were  worked  out,  and  results  ob- 
tained. The  work  was  to  be  completed  by  Americans  before 
the  question  of  independence  was  seriously  considered.  The 
way  in  which  the  friar  lands  were  handled  is  a  good  illustra- 
tion. The  Congress  organized  by  Aguinaldo  disposed  of  the 
matter  in  a  very  summary  way.  It  simply  confiscated  the  prop- 
erty. The  Americans  worked  out  a  plan  which  was  entirely 
just  to  all  parties.  But  it  involved  years  of  expert  work  and 
careful  handling  of  the  property  to  produce  the  contemplated 
results.  It  never  would  have  been  undertaken  by  Filipinos  and  it 
can  not  be  successfully  carried  out  under  their  management. 

The  change  of  administration  came  and  the  move  for  inde- 
pendence reached  its  height  while  the  American  projects  were 
not  more  than  half  completed.  It  would  be  impossible  for  the 
Filipinos  to  take  over  the  government  at  the  present  time,  par- 
ticularly in  view  of  the  condition  of  the  finances,  and  operate 
it  successfully.  They  must  inevitably  wreck  the  ship  on  the  finan- 
cial rocks.  The  country  is  too  small  and  too  poor  to  support 
an  independent  government.  That  proportion  of  the  income 
which  during  the  past  few  years  has  been  devoted  to  public  im- 
provements designed  to  increase  the  production  power  of  the 
country  would  be  frittered  away  on  a  diplomatic  service,  a  petty 
army  and  a  tin  navy,  which  would  be  useless  for  any  serious 
purpose.  There  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  the  unsold  friar 
lands  would  be  mismanaged,   the  sinking   funds  diverted,   the 


452  THE    PHILIPPINES 

money  due  on  contracts  and  leases  remain  unpaid,  and  the  out- 
standing seven  million  dollars  of  bonds  thus  become  a  general 
charge  on  the  treasury.  The  interest  on  the  bonded  indebtedness 
of  sixteen  million  dollars,  in  addition  to  the  friar  land  bonds, 
would  have  to  be  promptly  met  and  the  sinking  funds  maintained. 
The  Manila  Railroad  Company,  which  was  recently  purchased  by 
the  government,  will  be  a  perpetual  financial  burden,  and  its 
bonded  debt  of  ten  million  dollars,  which  has  been  assumed  by  the 
government,  must  be  taken  care  of.*^  The  Philippine  Railway 
Company  also  will  undoubtedly  have  to  be  taken  over  by  the  gov- 
ernment in  order  to  protect  its  investment  under  its  guarantee  of 
the  interest  on  the  construction  bonds.  When  that  is  done  the 
twenty  million  dollars  of  bonds  will  also  become  a  charge  on  the 
treasury  unless  the  mortgage  on  the  road  is  allowed  to  be  fore- 
closed, and  the  property  sold.  In  that  event  all  that  has  in  the 
meantime  been  paid  as  interest  by  the  government  will  be  lost. 

The  Filipinos  have  so  far  shown  no  capacity  for  large  financial 
operations,  and  while  their  leaders  probably  no  longer  believe 
with  Mabini**  that  securing  the  money  to  operate  a  government 
is  a  mere  detail,  there  is  no  justification  for  assuming  that  they 
fully  comprehend  the  difficulties  ahead  of  them.  Under  Amer- 
ican control  the  financial  problems  other  than  those  involved  in 
the  Manila  Railroad  deal  can  be  successfully  solved.  But  an 
independent  Filipino  state  would  soon  find  itself  in  the  condition 
of  many  of  the  South  American  republics,  which  would  mean 
inability  to  meet  its  obligations,  repudiation,  intervention  and 
all  the  usual  complications,  including  the  assertion  by  foreign 
bond  holders  of  a  claim  against  the  United  States  on  the  obliga- 
tions issued  or  assumed  by  its  agent  the  Philippine  government. 

When  the  Filipinos  once  fully  grasp  the  situation  and  realize 
the  burdens  and  dangers  involved  in  independence  they  will  prob- 
ably abandon  the  idea,  be  satisfied  with  their  present  government 
and  accept  the  aid  and  protection  of  the  United  States.     The 


43  The  Philippine  government  did  not  merely  purchase  the  road  subject  to 
the  lien  of  the  bonds.  It  bound  itself  by  a  law  incorporated  in  the  contract  of 
purchase  to  create  a  sinking  fund  to  retire  the  bonds. 

4*  Elliott,  The  Philippines:    To  the  End  of  the  Military  Regime,  p.  507. 


THE    INDEPENDENCE    MOVEMENT  453 

present  situation  is  the  result  of  skilful  agitation  based  on  a 
natural  and  proper  desire  for  nationality.  The  great  majority 
of  the  American  people  seem  to  be  perfectly  willing  that  the 
Filipinos  shall  establish  their  own  government  when  the  proper 
time  comes.  They  feel  kindly  toward  them,  wish  them  well,  and 
expect  no  financial  profit  from  the  connection.  They  are  even 
willing  to  continue  bearing  the  financial  burdens  involved  in  the 
present  relation.  Having  entered  upon  an  altruistic  enterprise 
designed  primarily  for  the  benefit  of  the  Filipinos,  they  are  re- 
luctant to  abandon  it  while  half  completed.  They  feel  that  their 
own  honor  and  credit  are  involved. 

It  may  be  that  when  the  Filipinos  are  prepared  for  independ- 
ence they  will  be  sufficiently  intelligent  not  to  desire  it.  They 
now  feel  that  Congress  has  conceded  what  they  regard  as  their 
abstract  rights  and  that  independence  may  be  theirs  when  they 
have  established  a  stable  government  and  demand  the  redemp- 
tion of  the  implied  promise.  "When  that  time  comes,"  as  Mr. 
Quezon  told  the  Senate  committee,  "perhaps  the  Filipino  people 
may  say,  'Well  we  prefer  to  be  under  the  United  States,  we 
prefer  to  be  under  a  country  which  recognizes  our  right  to  be 
free,  and  gives  us  our  opportunity  to  work  out  our  own  salvation 
under  its  flag:.'  "*^ 


*^  Hearings,  Senate  Committee,  1915,  p.  513. 


A  List  of  Books  and  Articles  on  the  Philippines, 
Colonization  and  Colonial  Problems 


4 


\ 


I 


A  LIST  OF  BOOKS  AND  ARTICLES  ON  THE  PHILIPPINES, 
COLONIZATION  AND  COLONIAL  PROBLEMS 

1.   COLONIZATION 

* 

Adams,  G.  B. — Civilisation  During  the  Middle  Ages.    New  York,  1894. 

Arnold,  W.  T. — The  Roman  System  of  Provincial  Administration  to  the  Ac- 
cession of  Constantine  the  Great.    London,  1879. 

Artin,  Yacoub — England  in  the  Sudan.  Translated  from  the  French  by- 
George  Robb,  with  map  and  illustrations.    London,  1911. 

Balch,  T.  B. — French  Colonization  in  North  Africa.  Am.  Pol.  Sci.  Rev., 
Nov.,  1909. 

Bedwell,  C.  E.  a. — The  Legislation  of  the  Empire,  being  a  survej^  of  the 
Legislative  Enactments  of  the  British  Dominions   for   1898-1909,   with  a 
preface  by  Lord  Rosebery.     Four  volumes.     1909. 
^  Bland,  J.  O.  P. — Recent  Events  and  Present  Policies  in  China.    Philadelphia 
and  London,  1912. 

BoHN,  M. — German  Colonial  Policy  in  United  Empire  (N.  S.),  IV,  p.  284. 

Bourne,  E.  G. — Essays  in  Historical  Criticism.    New  York  and  London,  1901. 

Bourne,  E.  G. — Spain  in  America,  1450-1580.    New  York,  1904. 

Brand,  R.  H.—Thc  Union  of  South  Africa.     1909. 

Brodrick,  G.  C. — Political  Studies  (Roman  Colonies).    London,  1879. 

Bruce,  Sir  Charles — The  Broad  Stone  of  Empire,  Problems  of  Crown  Col- 
ony Administration,  with  records  of  Personal  Experience,  with  maps. 
Two  volumes.    London,  1910. 

Brunialti — Le  Colonic  degli  Italiani.    Torino,  1897. 

Bryce,  James — Studies  in  History  and  Jurisprudence.    Oxford  Press,  1901. 

Bryce,  James — Impressions  of  South  Africa.    1897. 

Cabaton,  a. — Java,  Sumatra  and  the  Other  Islands  of  the  Dutch  East  Indies. 
Translated,  with  a  preface  by  Bernard  Miall.  Map  and  illustrations.  Lon- 
don, 1911. 

Chailley,  Joseph — Administrative  Problems  of  British  India.  Translated  by 
Sir  William  Myer.    London,  1910. 

Colquhoun,  a.  R. — China  in  Transformation.    1898. 

CoLviN,  Sir  A. — The  Making  of  Modern  Egypt.  Second  edition.  London, 
1906. 

Cotton,  Sir  Henry — Indian  and  Home  Memories.  London,  1911.  Particu- 
larly valuable  for  its  sympathetic  account  of  the  nationalist  movement  in 
India. 

Cox,  Sir  Edmond  C. — Police  and  Crime  in  India.  London.  A  good  book, 
but  without  a  date  or  index. 

Creswell,  W.  p. — The  Growth  and  Administration  of  British  Colonies. 
1837-1897. 

Cromer,  Earl  of — Modern  Egypt.    In  two  volumes.    London,  1908. 

Cromer,  Earl  of — Political  and  Literary  Essay.    1908-1913.    London,  1913. 

Cromer,  Earl  of — Ancient  and  Modern  Imperialism.    New  York,  1912. 

Cromer,  Earl  of — Abbas  II.    London,  1915. 

Cunningham,  Alfred — Today  in  Egypt.    London,  1912. 

Day,  Clive— The  Policy  and  Administration  of  the  Dutch  in  Java.  New 
York,  1904. 

457 


458  BOOKS    ON    THE    PHILIPPINES 

Day,  Clive— ^  History  of  Commerce.    New  York  and  London,  1907. 

Dicey,  E. — The  Story  of  the  Khedivate.    1902. 

DiLKE,  Sir  Charles  Wentworth — Problems  of  Greater  Britain.  Fourth  edi- 
tion, revised,  with  maps.    1890. 

Douglas,  Sir  Robert  K. — Europe  and  the  Far  East.    1904. 

Driault,  Edouard — La  Question  d'Extrcme  Orient.    1908. 

Edgerton,  Hugh  Edwari>— T/i^  Origin  and  Growth  of  the  English  Colonies 
and  Their  System  of  Government.  An  Introduction  to  Lucas'  Historical 
Geography  of  the  British  Colonies.    Oxford,  1904. 

Edgerton,  , Hugh  Edward — A  Short  History  of  British  Colonial  Policy.  Sec- 
ond edition,  revised.    London,  1908. 

Essays  in  Colonial  Finance,  by  members  of  the  American  Economic  Associa- 
tion, New  York,  August,  1900.     (Third  Series,  I,  p.  3.) 

Francois,  Georges,  et  Rouget,  Fernani>— Momm^/  de  Legislation  Coloniale. 
Paris,  1909. 

Frank,  Tenney — Roman  Imperialism.    New  York,  1914. 

Eraser,  Lovat— /niia  Under  Lord  Curzon  and  After.    London,  1911. 

Fuller,  Sir  Bampfylde— T/t^  Empire  of  India.    Boston,  1913. 

Fyfe,  H.  H.—The  New  Spirit  in  Egypt.    London,  1911. 

Giddings,  F.  H. — Democracy  and  Empire,  with  Studies  of  Their  Psychologi- 
cal, Economic  and  Moral  Foundations.    New  York,  1901. 

Harris — Intervention  and  Colonization  in  Africa.    1914. 

Hazen,  C  T>.— Europe  Since  1815.    New  York,  1910. 

Helps,  Sir  Arthur — The  Spanish  Conquest  in  America.  New  edition,  with 
an  introduction,  maps  and  notes,  by  M.  Oppenheim.    New  York,  1900. 

Holland,  Bernard — Imperium  et  Libertas.    1901. 

Ilbert,  Sir  Courtenay — The  Government  of  India.    1898. 

Ireland,  Alleyne — The  Far  Eastern  Tropics.  Studies  in  the  Administration 
of  Tropical  Dependencies.    Boston,  1905. 

Ireland,  Aisley-^k— Tropical  Colonization.    New  York,  1899. 

Jebb,  Richard — Studies  in  Colonial  Nationalism.    1905. 

Johnston,  H.  'H..—A  History  of  the  Colonization  of  Africa  by  Alien  Races. 
Cambridge,  1899. 

Keller,  Albert  Galloway— Colonization,  A  Study  of  the  Founding  of  New 
Societies.    New  York,  1908. 

Keltie,  J.  S.—The  Partition  of  Africa.    Second  edition.    London,  1895. 

Keltie,  J.  S.— Africa.  The  History  of  the  Nations.  Vol.  XIX,  edited  by 
A.  G.  Keller.    Philadelphia,  1907. 

Kidd,  Benjamin— Prma>/^j  of  Western  Civilisation.    New  York,  1902. 

Lea,  H.  C. — A  History  of  the  Inquisition  in  Spain.  Four  volumes.  New 
York,  1906-1908. 

Leroy-Beaulieu,  P.—De  la  Colonisation  chez  les  Peuples  Modernes.  Fifth 
edition.   Two  volumes.   Paris,  1902. 

Lewis,  Sir  George  Cornewall— ^»  Essay  on  the  Government  of  Depend- 
encies.   Edited,  with  an  introduction,  by  C.  P.  Lucas.    Oxford,  1891. 

Low,  SiD^-EY— Egypt  in  Transition.    London,  1914. 

Lowe,  I.— Prince  Bismarck.    Two' volumes.    New  York,  1886. 

Lucas,  Sir  C.  P.— Lord  Durham's  Report  on  the  Affairs  of  British  North 
America.    Edited,  with  an  introduction,  by  Sir  C.  P.  Lewis.     Three  vol- 
umes.   Oxford,  1912. 
Lucas,  C.  P. — A  Historical  Geography  of  the  British  Colonies.    Second  edi- 
tion, revised  by  R.  E.  Stubbs.   Six  volumes.    Oxford,  1906. 
Lyall,   Sir  Alfred — The  Rise  and  Expansion  of  the  British  Dominion  in 

India.    Fifth  edition,  corrected,  with  maps.    London,  1910. 
Major,  E. — Indian  Educational  Policy,  being  a  Resolution  issued  by  the  Gov- 
ernor-General (Lord  Curzon)  in  Council,  on  March  11,  1904.    Calcutta, 


\ 


BOOKS    ON    THE    PHILIPPINES  459 

Major,  E. — Viscount  Morley  and  Indian  Reform.    London,  1910. 

Major,  R.  H. — The  Life  of  Prince  Henry  the  Navigator,  and  Its  Results. 
London,  1868. 

MiLNER,  Alfred — England  in  Egypt.  Fourth  edition,  with  additions  summa- 
rizing the  course  of  events  to  the  year  1904.   London,  1909. 

MoDY,  H.  P. — The  Political  Future  of  India.  A  Study  of  the  Aspirations  of 
Educated  Indians.    A  prize  essay.    London,  1908. 

MoRLEY,  Viscount — Indian  Speeches.    London,  1910. 

Morley,  John — Life  of  William  Ewart  Gladstone.  Two  volumes.  London, 
1903. 

Moses,  Bernard — The  Establishment  of  Spanish  Rule  in  America.  An  Intro- 
duction to  the  History  and  Politics  of  Spanish  America.    New  York,  1898. 

Moses,  Bernard — The  Spanish  Dependencies  in  South  America.  Two  vol- 
umes.   New  York,  1914. 

Okuma,  Count  Shigenobu — Fifty  Years  of  New  Japan.  English  version  by 
Marcus  B.  Huish.    Two  volumes.    New  York,  1909. 

Payne,  E.  J. — The  Age  of  Discovery.  In  Cambridge  Modern  History,  I, 
Chapter  I,  Cambridge,  1902. 

Perry,  H.  A. — The  Traditions  of  German  Colonisation.  MacMillan's  Maga- 
zine, LXII,  113  (1890). 

Powell,  E.  Alexander — The  Last  Frontier.  The  White  Man's  War  for 
Civilization  in  Africa,  with  map  and  illustrations.    New  York,  1912. 

Reid,  S.  J. — Life  and  Letters  of  Lord  Durham.    Two  volumes.    1906. 

Reinsch,  Paul  S.— World  Politics.    1900. 

Reinsch,  Paul  S. — Colonial  Administration.    New  York,  1905. 

Reinsch,  Paul  S. — Intellectual  and  Political  Currents  in  the  Far  East.  Bos- 
ton, 1911. 

Reinsch,  Paul  S. — Colonial  Government.  An  Introduction  to  the  Study  of 
Colonial  Institutions.    New  York  and  London,  1902. 

Richman,  Irving  Berdine — California  under  Spain  and  Mexico,  I535-I^47> 
with  maps,  charts  and  plans.     Boston,  1911. 

Robinson,  Sir  J. — The  Colonies  and  the  Century.    New  York,  1899. 

Rose,  J.  H. — The  Development  of  European  Nations.    New  York,  1916. 

Roy,  Devereux — Aspects  of  Algeria.    London,  1913. 

Seeley,  Sir  John — The  Expansion  of  England,  1884. 

Seeley,  Sir  John — The  Growth  of  British  Policy.    Two  volumes.    1911. 

Snow,  Alpheus  H. — The  Administration  of  Dependencies.  A  study  of  the 
evolution  of  the  Federal  Empire,  with  special  reference  to  American 
Colonial  problems.    New  York,  1902. 

Stephen,  Leslie — The  Life  of  Sir  James  Fitsjames  Stephen,  1895. 

Strachey,  Sir  John — India,  Its  Administration  and  Progress.  Fourth  edi- 
tion, revised  by  Sir  Thomas  W.  Holderness.    London,  1911. 

TiLBY,  A.  Wyatt — The  English  People  Overseas.  Three  volumes.  Volume  I. 
London,  1908. 

Townsend,  Meredith — Asia  and  Europe.    Third  edition.    New  York,  1910. 

Trevelyan,  G.  M. — The  Life  of  John  Bright.    Boston,  1913. 

ViLLARi,  LuiGi — Italy  after  the  Libian  War.    Fortnightly  Rev.,  Nov.,  1913. 

Watson,  R.  G. — Spanish  and  Portuguese  South  America  During  the  Colonial 
Period.   Two  volumes.   London,  1884. 

WoRSFOLD,  W.  Basil — Lord  Milner's  Work  in  South  Africa,  from  its  com- 
mencement in  1897  to  the  Peace  of  Vereeniging,  in  1902.    New  York,  1906. 

Wrong,  George  W. — The  Earl  of  Elgin.    London,  1905. 

Zimmerman,  Alfred — Die  Europaischen  Kolonien,  with  maps  and  bibliog- 
raphies. In  course  of  publication.  Five  volumes  have  been  published. 
1895-1903. 


460  BOOKS    ON    THE    PHILIPPINES 

2.    THE  PHILIPPINES 
(a)  Books  and  Important  Pamphlets 

Volume  53  of  Blair  and  Robertson's  The  Philippine  Islands  is  devoted  to 
bibliography.  The  collection  of  titles  is  very  complete  to  date  of  publication. 
See  also  the  following : 

Griffin,  A.  P.  C. — A  list  of  books  (with  references  to  periodicals)  on  the 

Philippine  Islands  in  the  Library  of  Congress,  with  chronological  list  of 

maps,  by  P.  Lee  Phillips.    Washington,  1903. 
Tavera,  F.  H.  Pardo  de — Biblioteca  Filipina.   This  valuable  list  is  bound  up 

with  Griffin's  list  of  books  on  the  Philippines,  in  the  Library  of  Congress, 

Washington,  1903. 
Medina,  Jose  Toribia — Bibliografia  Espanola  de  las  islas  Filipinos,  1523-1810. 

Santiago  de  Chile,  1897. 
Retana,  Wenceslao  Emilio — Catalogo  Abreviado  de  la  biblioteca  Filipina. 

Madrid,  1898. 

Aguinaldo,  Emilio — Resena  veridica  de  la  revolucion  filipina,  Reimpresa  por 
or  den  del  Sr.  Guevara,  Jefe  Superior  militar  interior.  Nueva  Caceras, 
1899.  An  English  translation  is  printed  in  Congressional  Record  XXXV, 
Pt.  6,  Appendix,  pp.  440-445. 

Alger,  R.  A. — The  Spanish  American  War.    New  York,  1901. 

Arnold,  John  W. — The  Land  of  Palm  and  Pine.  An  official  guide  and  hand- 
book, prepared  by  John  W.  Arnold  under  the  direction  of  Charles  B.  El- 
liott, Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Police,  Manila,  1911. 

Barrett,  John — The  Philippine  Islands  and  American  Interests  in  the  Far 
East.  An  address.  Hong  Kong,  1899. 

Barrows,  David  J. — A  Short  History  of  the  Philippines. 

Best,  Elsden — Prehistoric  Civilization  in  the  Philippines.  Journal  Polynesian 
Society,  Vol.  I,  pp.  118-125,  195-201.   Wellington,  1892. 

Blair,  Emma  Helen,  and  James  Alexander  Robertson,  Editors — The  Philip- 
pine Islands,  1493-1803.  Explorations  by  early  navigators,  descriptions  of 
the  islands  and  their  people,  their  history  and  records  of  the  Catholic  mis- 
sions, as  related  in  contemporaneous  books  and  manuscripts,  showing  the 
political,  economic,  commercial  and  religious  conditions  of  those  islands 
from  their  earliest  relations  with  European  nations  to  the  beginning  of  the 
nineteenth  century.  Translated  from  the  originals.  Edited  and  annotated 
by  Emma  Helen  Blair  and  James  Alexander  Robertson,  with  historical  in- 
troduction and  additional  notes  by  Edward  Gaylord  Bourne.  Cleveland, 
1903-1907.  Fifty-five  volumes.  A  monumental  work,  invaluable  to  the 
student  of  Philippine  history.  Contains  translations  of  the  principal  nar- 
ratives, such  as  Pigafetta,  Morga,  Legaspi  and  Mas. 

Blount,  James  H. — The  American  Occupation  of  the  Philippines,  i8g8-igi2. 
New  York,  1912. 

Blumentritt,  Ferd. — The  Philippines,  a  summary  account  of  their  ethnologi- 
cal, historical  and  political  conditions,  translated  by  D.  J.  Doherty.  Chi- 
cago, 1900. 

BocoBO,  Jorge — Mabini,  in  The  Filipino  People  for  August,  1913. 

Bourne,  E.  G. — Introduction  to  Blair  and  Robertson's  The  Philippine  Islands. 

Cleveland,  1903. 
BowRiNG,  Sir  John — A  Visit  to  the  Philippine  Islands.    London,  1859. 

Briggs,  Charles  W.,  Missionary  in  Panay  and  Negros — The  Progressing 
Philippines.    Philadelphia,  1913. 

Brown,  A.  J. — The  New  Era  in  the  Philippines.  New  York,  1903. 


\ 


\ 


BOOKS    ON    THE    PHILIPPINES  461 

Bryan,  W.  J. — Republic  or  Empire,  the  Philippine  Question.  Speeches  by 
W.  J.  Bryan  and  other  opponents  of  the  policy  of  expansion.  Chicago, 
1899. 

Burkes,  Frances  W. — Barbara's  Philippine  Journey.   Manila,  1913. 

Callahan,  J.  M. — American  Relations  in  the  Pacific  and  the  Far  East,  1784- 
igoo.   Baltimore,  1901. 

Chadwick,  F.  E. — The  Relations  of  the  United  States  and  Spain.  The  Span- 
ish-American War.    Two  volumes.    New  York,  1911. 

Chamberlin,  Frederick — The  Philippine  Problem.   Boston,  1913. 

Cheyney,  E.  p. — European  Background  of  American  History,  1 300-1600.  In, 
American  Nation  Series,  edited  by  Prof.  A.  B.  Hart.   New  York,  1904. 

Combes,  Francisco — Historia  dc  Mindanao  y  Jolo,  obra  publicada  en  Madrid 
en  1667,  y  que  ahora  con  la  colaboracion  del  P.  Pablo  Pastello  saca  nueve- 
mente  a  luz  W.  E.  Retana.   Madrid,  1897. 

Comyn,  Tomas  de — Estado  de  las  Filipinos  in  1810.    Madrid,  1820. 

Comyn,  Tomas  de — State  of  the  Philippine  Islands,  being  an  historical,  statis- 
tical and  descriptive  account  of  that  interesting  portion  of  the  Indian 
Archipelago.  Madrid,  1820.  Translated  from  the  Spanish,  with  a  prelimi- 
nary discourse  by  William  Watson.  London,  1821. 

CoNANT,  C.  A. — The  United  States  in  the  Orient.  The  Nature  of  the  Eco- 
nomic Problem.    Boston,  1900. 

CooLiDGE,  A.  C. — The  United  States  as  a  World  Power.   New  York,  1908. 

Craig,  Austin — Lineage,  Life  and  Labors  of  Jose  Rizal.    Manila,  1913. 

Dampier,  W. — Account  of  the  Philippines,  1686,  in  Pinkerton's  Collection  of 
Voyages,  Vol.  II,  1812. 

Dauncey,  Mrs.  Campbell — An  English  Woman  in  the  Philippines,  with  illus- 
trations and  a  map.   London,  1906. 

Davis,  Oscar  King — Our  Conquests  in  the  Pacific.  Illustrated.  New  York, 
1899. 

Devins,  John  B. — An  Observer  in  the  Philippines  or  Life  in  Our  New  Pos- 
sessions. Foreword  by  W.  H.  Taft,  with  an  appendix  containing  addresses 
by  President  McKinley,  President  Roosevelt,  Judge  Parker,  Secretary 
Hay,  Secretary  Root,  Secretary  Taft  and  Governor-General  Wright. 
New  York,  1905. 

Dewey,  George — Autobiography  of  George  Dewcv,  Admiral  of  the  Navy. 
Illustrated.    New  York,  1913. 

Elliott,  Charles  Burke — The  Philippines:  To  the  End  of  the  Military 
Regime.    Prefatory  Note  by  Elihu  Root.    Indianapolis,  1917. 

Elliott,  Charles  W. — Phrase  Book  and  Vocabulary  of  the  Lanao  Mora  Dia- 
lect.   Manila,  1912. 

EsTY,  T.  B. — Views  of  the  American  Press  in  the  Philippines.  New  York, 
1899. 

Fabie,  a. — Ensayo  Historico  dc  la  Lcgislacion  Espaiiola  en  sus  Estados  de 
Ultramar.    Madrid,  1896. 

Faust,  Karl  Irving — Campaigning  in  the  Philippines.   San  Francisco.  1899. 

Fee,  Mary  H. — A  Woman's  Impressions  of  the  Philippines.  Illustrated.  Chi- 
cago, 1910. 

Fiske,  Amos  K. — The  Story  of  the  Philippines,  a  popular  account  of  the 
islands  from  their  discovery  by  Magellan  to  the  capture  of  Manila.   1898. 

Foreman,  John — The  Philippine  Islands.  A  Political,  Geographical,  Ethno- 
logical, Social  and  Commercial  History  of  the  Philippine  Archipelago. 
Third  edition.    New  York,  1906. 

Foster,  John  W. — American  Diplomacy  in  the  Orient.  Boston,  1903. 

Freer,  W.  B. — Philippine  Experiences  of  an  American  Teacher.  New  York, 
1906. 

FuNSTON,  Frederick — Memories  of  Two  Wars.  New  York,  1912. 


462  BOOKS    ON    THE    PHILIPPINES 

Gemelli,  Careri  G.  F. — Of  the  Philippine  Islands  (1697-1698).  In  Churchill's 
Collection  of  Voyages  and  Travels,  1704,  Vol.  IV,  p.  416. 

GiRONiERE,  Paul  P.  de  la — Twenty  Years  in  the  Philippines.  Translated 
from  the  French.   New  York,  1854. 

Halstead,  Murat — Aguinaldo  and  His  Captor.    Cincinnati,  1904. 

Halstead,  Murat — The  Story  of  the  Philippines.    Chicago,  1898. 

Hart,  Albert  Bushnell — The  Obvious  Orient.    New  York,  1910. 

/Hoar,  George  F. — Autobiography  of  Seventy  Years.  Two  volumes.  New 
York,  1903. 

Philippine  Insurgent  Records.    MMS.  War  Dept.     Records.     See  Elliott, 
The  Philippines:    To  the  End  of  the  Military  Regime,  p.  381,  note. 

HoRD,  J. — Internal  Taxation  in  the  Philippines.    Baltimore,  1907. 

Jenks,  a.  E. — The  Bontoc  Igorot.    Manila,  1905. 

Jordan,  D.  S. — Imperial  Democracy.  New  York,  1899. 

Kalaw,  Maximo  M. — The  Case  for  the  Filipinos.    New  York,  1915. 

Lala,  Ramon  Reyes — The  Philippine  Islands.   1899. 

Latane,  John  H. — America  as  a  World  Power  (1897-1907),  with  maps.  In 
the  American  Nation  Series,  edited  by  Dr.  A.  B.  Hart.   New  York,  1907. 

Laufer,  Berthold — Relation  of  the  Chinese  to  the  Philippine  Islands.  Smith- 
sonian Institution  Publications.    Vol.  L,  pp.  248-284.     1907. 

Lendoyro,  Constantino — The  Tagalog  Language.  A  Comprehensive  Gram- 
matical Treatise.   Second  edition.   Manila,  1909. 

Lea,  H.  C. — The  Inquisition  in  the  Spanish  Dependencies.    New  York,  1908. 

LeRoy,  James  A. — The  Americans  in  the  Philippines.  A  history  of  the  con- 
quest and  first  years  of  the  occupation,  with  an  introductory  account  of 
the  Spanish  rule,  introduction  by  William  Howard  Taft,  and  a  biograph- 
ical sketch  by  Harry  Coleman.    Two  volumes.    Boston,  1914. 

LeRoy,  J.  A. — Philippine  Life  in  Town  and  Country.   New  York,  1905. 

Lodge,  H.  C.—The  War  with  Spain.    Illustrated.    New  York,  1900. 

Lord,  Walter  Frewen — The  Lost  Possessions  of  England.  Essays  in  Im- 
perial History.   Second  edition.   London,  1898. 

MacMicking,  Robert — Recollections  of  Manila  and  the  Philippines  During 
1848-1850.   London,  1851. 

McKinley,  William — Messages,  Proclamations  and  Executive  Proclamations 
Relating  to  the  Spanish- American  War.  Vol.  X,  of  Richardson's  Com- 
pilation. Washington,  1899. 

Magoon,  Charles  E. — Report  on  the  Legal  Status  of  the  Territory  and  In- 
habitants of  the  Islands  Acquired  by  the  United  States  During  the  War 
with  Spain,  etc.   Sen.  Doc.  234,  56th  Cong.,  1st  Sess. 

Magoon,  Charles  E. — Report  on  the  Law  of  Civil  Government  in  Territory 
Subject  to  Military  Occupation  by  the  Military  Forces  of  the  United 
States.  Washington,  1902. 

Mallat,  Jean — Les  Philippines:  histoire,  geographia,  moeurs,  agriculture, 
Industrie,  et  commerce  des  colonies  Espagnoles  dan  L'Oceanie.  Two  vol- 
umes.   Paris,  1846. 

Mas,  Sinibaldo  de — Informe  Sobre  el  Estados  de  los  Islas  Filipinos.  Manila, 
1843. 

Millard,  T.  F.  F.—The  New  Far  East.    1907. 

Millard,  Thomas  F. — America  and  the  Far  Eastern  Question.  Maps  and 
illustrations.   New  York,  1909. 

Miller,  George  A. — Interesting  Manila.    Illustrated.    Manila,  1906. 

Miller,  Oliver  C. — The  Semi-Civilized  Tribes  of  the  Philippine  Islands.  (In 
American  Academy  of  Political  and  Social  Science,  American  Race  Prob- 
lems, pp.  43-63.)    New  York,  1901. 

Millet,  Francis  D. — The  Expedition  to  the  Philippines.    New  York,  1899. 

Montero  y  Vidal,  J. — Historia  General  de  Filipinas,  desde  el  descubrimiento 
de  dichas  Islas  hasta  nuestros  dias.    Three  volumes.     Madrid,  1887-1895. 


^ 


BOOKS    ON    THE    PHILIPPINES  463 

MoNTERO  Y  ViDAL,  J. — Historia  de  la  Pirateria  Malayo-Mohometana  en 
Mindanao,  Jolo  y  Borneo.   Madrid,  1888. 

MoRGA,  Antonio  de — The  Philippine  Islands,  Molucca,  Siam,  Cambodia, 
Japan  and  China  at  the  Close  of  the  Sixteenth  Century.  Translated  from 
the  Spanish,  with  notes  and  preface,  and  a  letter  from  Louis  Vaez  de 
Torres,  describing  his  voyage  through  the  Torres  Straits.  By  Henry  E.  J. 
Stanley.   London,  1868.    (Hakluyt  Society.) 

MoRGA,  Antonio  de — Sucesos  de  las  islas  Filipinas,  obra  publicada  en  Mejico 
el  ano  de  1609,  nuevamente  sacada  a  luz  y  anotado  por  Jose  Rizal  y  pre- 
sedida  de  un  protogo  del  Prof.  Fernando  Blumentritt.    Paris,  1890. 

Moses,  Edith — Unofficial  Letters  of  an  Official's  Wife.   New  York,  1908. 

MowRY,  William  A. — The  Territorial  Growth  of  the  United  States.  New 
York,  1902. 

Navarrete,  Martin  Fernandez  de — Coleccion  de  los  viagjes  y  descubrimien- 
tos,  que  hicieron  por  mar  los  Espanoles  desde  fines  del  Sigh  XF,  con  varios 
documentos  ineditos  concernientes  a  la  historia  de  la  marina  Casellana  y 
de  los  establecimientos  Espanoles  en  Indias.  Coordinada  y  ilustrada.  Five 
volumes.   Madrid,  1825-1837. 

Noyes,  Theodore  W. — Oriental  America  and  Its  Problems.  Washington, 
1903. 

Olcott,  Chas.  S. — The  Life  of  William  McKinley.  Two  volumes.  Boston, 
1916. 

Philippine  Information  Society — Facts  About  the  Philippines.  A  series  of 
pamphlets  issued  1900-1901. 

Pigafetta,  Francisco  Antonio — The  First  Voyage  Around  the  World  by 
Magellan.  Translated  from  the  accounts  of  Pigafetta  and  other  contempo- 
rary writers,  accompanied  by  original  documents,  with  notes  and  introduc- 
tion by  Lord  Stanley  of  Alderny.  London,  1874.  (Hakluyt  Society, 
Vol.  LH.) 

Plehn,  C.  C. — Taxation  in  the  Philippines.  Pol.  Sci.  Quar.,  XVI,  p.  680; 
XVH,  p.  125. 

Quezon,  Manuel  L. — The  Filipino  People.  A  magazine  published  at  Wash- 
ington by  Manuel  E.  Quezon,  Resident  Commissioner.  Devoted  to  the  ad- 
vocacy of  Philippine  independence.  Contains  articles  by  leading  anti- 
expansionists. 

Randolph,  Carman  F. — The  Law  and  Policy  of  Annexation,  with  special 
reference  to  the  Philippines,  etc.   London,  1901. 

Recopilacion  de  los  Reinos  de  las  Indias.   Madrid,  1841. 

Reed,  W.  A. — Negritos  of  Zambales.  Ethnological  Survey  Publications,  Vol. 
II,  Part  I.   Manila,  1904. 

Reid,  Whitelaw — American  and  English  Studies.  Two  volumes.  New  York, 
1913. 

Reid,  Whitelaw — Problems  of  Expansion.    New  York,  1900. 

Retana,  W.  E. — Vida  y  Escritos  del  Dr.  Jose  Rizal.   Madrid,  1907. 

Rizal,  Jose — The  Reign  of  Greed  (El  Filibusterismo).     Manila.  1912. 

Rizal,  Jose — An  Eagle's  Flight  (Nole  me  Jangere).    New  York,  1900. 

Robertson,  James  A. — Legacpi  and  Philippine  Colonisation.  In  American 
Historical  Association  Report,  1907,  Vol.  I,  pp.  145-155. 

Robinson,  A.  G. — The  Philippines:  the  War  and  the  People;  a  Record  of 
Personal  Observations  and  Experiences.   New  York,  1901. 

Roosevelt,  Theodore — An  Autobiography.   Chap.  XIV.    New  York,  1913. 

Root,  Elihu — Five  Years  of  the  War  Department,  following  the  war  with 
Spain.  1899-1903.  Washington,  1904.  This  volume  contains  the  annual 
reports  of  the  secretary  of  war  during  the  four  years  that  Mr.  Root  held 
the  office. 

Root,  Elihu — The  Military  and  Colonial  Policy  of  the  United  States.  Ad- 
dresses and  Reports.    Cambridge,  1916. 


464  BOOKS    ON    THE    PHILIPPINES 

Root,  J.  W. — Spain  and  Its  Colonies.   1898. 

RoscHER,  W. — The  Spanish  Colonial  System.    Edited  by  E.  G.  Bourne     New 

York,  1904. 
RussEL,  Florence  Kimball—^   Woman's  Journey   Through  the  Philippines 

on  a  Cable  Ship,  That  Linked  Together  the  Strange  Lands  Seen  en  Route 

Boston,  1907. 
Sanger,  Gen.  J.  V.— Census  of  the  Philippine  Islands.    Four  volumes.    1905. 

Volume      I.     Geography,  History  and  Population. 

Volume     II.     Population. 

Volume  III.     Mortality,  Defective  Classes,  Education,  and  Families  and 
Dwellings. 
Sastron,  Manuel — La  hisurreccion  en  Filipenas  y  Guerra  Hispano-Ameri' 

cana  en  el  Archipelago.   Madrid,  1901. 
Sawyer,  Frederic  H.—The  Inhabitants  of  the  Philippines.   London,  1900. 
Schurman,  Jacob  G.— Philippine  Affairs.    A  retrospect  and  outlook.    New 

York,  1902. 
ScHURZ,  Carl — The  Reminiscences  of  Carl  Schurz.     Three  volumes.     New 

York,  1903. 
Scott,  S.  P. — The  Visigothic  Code  (Fuero  Jusgo).    Boston,  1910. 
Smalley,  George  W. — Anglo-American  Memories.   Second  series.   New  York 

1912. 
Sonnichsen,  Albert — Ten  Months  a  Captive  Among  Filipinos.    New  York, 

Stevens,   Joseph   'Easl-e.— Yesterdays  in   the  Philippines.    Illustrated.    New 

York,  1898. 
Storey,  Moorfield — Secretary  Root's  Record.   Boston,  1902. 
Stuntz,  Homer  C.—The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East.   New  York,  1904. 
Taft,  W.  B..— Civil  Government  in  the  Philippines.    (In  The  Philippines,  pp. 

29-142.    New  York,  1902.)  Mr.  Taft's  views  are  found  in  reports  as  presi- 
dent of  the  Philippine  Commission,  civil  governor,  secretary  of  war  and 

messages  as  president  of  the  United  States. 
Taylor,  J.  R.  M. — Philippine  Insurgent  Records.     MMS.  War  Dept.  History 

of  the  Insurrection.   Ibid,  in  proof  sheets. 
Thayer,  R.  T. — The  Life  and  Letters  of  John  Hay.    Two  volumes.    Boston, 

1915. 
Wallace,  A.  R.—The  Malay  Archipelago.   London,  1872. 
Walton,  C.  S. — The  Civil  Law  of  Spain  and  South  America,  including  Cuba, 

Puerto  Rico  and  Philippine  Islands,  and  the  Spanish  Civil  Code  in  force, 

etc.  Washington,  1900. 
Welsh,  Herbert— r/z^  Other  Man's  Country.   Philadelphia,  1900. 
Wilcox,  Marrion— i/ar/)^r'.y  History  of  the   War  in  the  Philippines.    New 

York,  1900. 
Wilkes,    CnAmJES— Narrative    of   the    United   States   Exploring   Expedition 

During  the  Years  1838-1842.   Five  volumes.    Philadelphia,  1844.   Volume  V 

contains  the  matter  relating  to  the  Philippines. 
Williams,  Daniel  R. — The  Odyssey  of  the  Philippine  Commission.   Chicago, 

Willis,  Henry  Parker— Otir  Philippine  Problem,  a  Study  of  American 
Colonial  Policy.   New  York,  1905. 

Wilson,  H.  W.—The  Doimfall  of  Spain.    London,  1900. 

Winslow,  Erving— .^h  Epitome  of  Historical  Events  and  of  Official  and 
Other  Correspondence  Connected  with  the  Acquisition  and  Other  Deal- 
ings of  the  United  States  with  the  Philippine  Islands.  Washington,  1902. 
In  Sen.  Doc.  375,  57th  Cong.,  1st  Sess. 

Woodruff,  C.  'E.— Expansion  of  Races.    New  York,  1909. 

WooLSEY,  Theodore  S. — American  Foreign  Policy.  Essays  and  addresses. 
New  York,  1898. 


BOOKS    ON    THE    PHILIPPINES  465 

Worcester,  D.  C. — The  Philippines,  Past  and  Present.  Two  volumes.  Illus- 
trated.   New  York,  1914. 

Worcester,  D.  C.—The  Philippine  Islands.    New  York,  1899. 

Worcester,  D.  C. — Headhunters  of  Northern  Luzon,  in  Nat.  Geo.  Mag., 
Sept.,  1912. 

Worcester,  D.  C. — Non-Christian  People  of  the  Philippine  Islands,  Nat.  Geo. 
Mag.,  Nov.,  1913. 

Wright,  Hamilton  M. — A  Handbook  of  the  Philippines,  with  maps  and  illus- 
trations.   Second  edition.    Chicago,  1908. 


(b)  Documents  and  Other  Government  Publications 

Correspondence  Relating  to  the  War  with  Spain,  and  conditions  growing  out 
of  the  same,  including  the  insurrection  in  the  Philippine  Islands  (from 
April  15,  1898,  to  July  30,  1902),  with  an  appendix.  Two  volumes.  Wash- 
ington, 1902. 

Handbook  of  Executive  Departments  of  the  Government  of  the  Philippines. 
Manila,  1912. 

Information  from  Abroad.  Publications  of  the  Office  of  Naval  Intelligence. 
Translations  of  Spanish  and  German  pamphlets  and  magazine  articles  on 
various  phases  of  the  Spanish-American  War. 

Philippine  Journal  of  Science.   Each  volume  is  published  in  four  sections : 
Sec.  A.     Chemical  and  Geological  Science. 
Sec.  B.     Medicine. 
Sec.  C.     Botany. 
Sec.  D.     Biology,  Ethnology  and  Anthropology. 

Proclamations  and  Decrees  during  the  war  with  Spain.    Washington,  1899. 

Senate  Document  148,  56th  Congress,  2d  Session.  Contains  papers  relating  to 
the  treaty  with  Spain. 

Senate  Document  66,  56th  Congress,  1st  Session.  Contains  the  account  by 
W.  B.  Wilcox  and  Leonard  R.  Sargent,  United  States  Navy,  of  a  trip 
through  northern  Luzon  in  October  and  November,  1898,  a  letter  from 
General  Charles  King  describing  the  "Filipinos  as  They  Are"  and  a  letter 
to  Congress  by  Felipe  Buencamino. 

Senate  Document  /?,  ^6th  Congress,  ist  Session.  Admiral  Dewey's  Report  of 
April  13,  1898. 

Senate  Document  286,  57th  Congress,  1st  Session  (in  Senate  Document  331, 
p.  1903).  Matter  relating  to  the  alleged  order  for  the  massacre  of  the 
foreign  residents  of  Manila  in  February,  1899. 

Senate  Document  jj?7,  syth  Congress,  ist  Session.  Hearing  before  the  Senate 
Committee  on  the  Philippines  in  relation  to  affairs  in  the  Philippine 
Islands,  January  to  June,  1902.  Three  volumes.  Contains  a  mass  of  inter- 
esting and  valuable  data,  including  the  testimony  of  Governor  W.  H.  Taft, 
Admiral  George  Dewey,  General  R.  P.  Hughes,  Dr.  David  P.  Barrows, 
General  E.  S.  Otis,  General  Arthur  MacArthur,  and  others. 

Statement  of  the  President  as  to  cost  which  has  accrued  to  the  United  States 
as  the  result  of  occupation  of  the  Philippines.  July  19,  1912.  House  Doc. 
875,  62d  Cong.,  2d  Sess. 

The  Retention  of  the  Philippines,  by  Cardinal  James  Gibbons.  House  Doc. 
1446,  62d  Cong.,  3d  Sess. 

Atlas  of  the  Philippine  Islands.  1900.  Twenty-four  pages.  Thirty  maps. 
(Coast  and  Geodetic  Survey.   Special  publication  3.) 


466 


BOOKS    ON    THE    PHILIPPINES 


^    Reports  of  the  Schurman  Commission,  1899-1900.  4.  vols. 

Vol.  1.  Contents. — Efforts  of  commission  toward  conciliation  and  establishment  of 
peace. — Native  peoples  of  Philippines. — Education. — Government. — Governmental 
reforms  desired  by  Filipinos. — Plan  of  government  for  Philippines. — Judicial 
system. — Condition  and  needs  of  United  States  in  Philippines  from  naval  and 
maritime  standpoint. — Secular  clergy  and  religious  orders. — Registration  law. — 
Currency. — Chinese  in  Philippines. — Public  health. 

Vol.  2.    Testimony  and  exhibits. 

Vol.  3.  Contents. — [Geography]. — Hydrography. — Mineral  resources  and  geology. 
— Botany. — Timber  and  fine  woods. — [Animal  life]. — [Ethnology]. — [Language]. 

Vol.  4.  Contents. — Agriculture. — Public  works  and  edifices. — Health,  hygiene,  po- 
lice, and  public  order  under  Spanish  sovereignty. — Benevolent  institutions. — 
..  State   of   industry. — Commerce. — Means   of   communication. — Foreign    population. 

^\  — Public  lands. — Religion. — Climatology. — Chronology. 

The  Philippine  Commission.  Reports  of  the  Philippine  Commission,  Civil 
Governor,  Governors-General,  and  heads  of  executive  departments,  from 
1900  to  1916.  Reports  for  1900-1903,  bound  in  one  volume ;  1901,  two  vol- 
umes or  parts ;  1902,  two  volumes ;  1903,  three  volumes ;  1904,  three 
volumes ;  1905,  four  volumes ;  1906,  three  volumes ;  1907,  three  volumes ; 
1908,  two  volumes  and  an  appendix ;  1909-1916,  one  volume  for  each  year. 
x^  Laws  Enacted  by  the  Commission  Before  the  Creation  of  the  Assembly  in 
1907. 


Dates  of  acts. 

War  Department  reports. 

Nos.  of  acts. 

Year. 

Vol. 

Part. 

1-263 

264-424 

425-949 

950-1251 

1252-1407 

1408-1538 

1539-1800 

Stpt.   12,   1900-Oct.   11,   1901 

Oct.   14,   1901-July  1,   1902 

July  2,   1902 -Oct.   20,   1903 

Oct.   21,   1903-Oct.   20,   1904 

Oct.   26,   1904-Oct.   26,   1905 

Nov.  3,  1905-Sept.  8,  1906 

Sept.   16,   1906-Oct.   12,   1907 

1901 
1902 
1903 
1904 
1905 
1906 
1907 

1 
11 

8 
14 
14 
10 
10 

10 

Act  numbered  1800  is  the  last  enacted  by  the  Philippine  Commission  exercising  ex- 
clusively the  legislative  function  of  government.  The  Philippine  Assembly  convened  on 
Oct.  16,  1907,  and  since  that  date  in  accordance  with  sec.  7  of  the  Act  of  Congress  of 
July  1,  1902,  all  the  legislative  power  theretofore  conferred  on  the  Philippine  Commission 
is  vested  in  a  Legislature  consisting  of  two  houses,  the  Philippine  Commission  and  the 
Philippine  Assembly. 

Laws  Passed  by  the  Philippine  Legislature  and  the  Philippine  Commission. 


No.  of 
legis- 
lature. 

Session. 

Date. 

Acts  Nos. 

1 
1 

2 

1st  and  special.  . 

2d  .  , 

Special 

1st 

Oct.    16,   1907-Aug.   22,    1908 

Aug.   23,    1908-June  26,    1909 

July  28,   1909-June  9,   1910 

1801-1878 
1879-1959 
1960-1994 

2 

June  10,   1910-Oct.  3,   1911 

1995-2075 

2 
3 

2d    and    special.  . 
1st  and  special.  . 

Oct.  4,   1911-June   18,   1912 

Oct.   16,   1912-Feb.    11,   1913 

2076-2187 
2188-2287 

Continued  and  numbered  consecutively  until  October  16,  1916,  when  the  new  Philippine 
Legislature  convened. 

Diario  de  Sesiones  de  la  Asamblea  Filipino.  Eleven  volumes  to  1916.   Manila. 

A  Compilation  of  the  Acts  of  the  Philippine  Commission,  embracing  the  acts 
of  the  Philippine  Commission  and  military  orders  in  force  on  the  15th  day 
of  October,  1907,  omitting  all  private  acts  and  local  acts  and  laws  which 
do  not  constitute  a  part  of  the  general  and  permanent  legislation  of  the 
islands  as  compiled  by  a  committee  created  by  a  resolution  of  the  Philip- 
pine Commission,  together  with  the  organic  laws  of  the  PhiHppine  Islands. 
Manila,  1908.  Although  this  compilation  was  never  enacted  into  law  and  is 
not  official,  it  has  been  in  common  use. 

Journal  of  the  Commission.    Seven  volumes. 


BOOKS    ON    THE    PHILIPPINES  467 

Compilation  of  Insurgent  Records.  Telegraphic  correspondence  of  Emilio 
Aguinaldo,  July  15,  1898,  to  February  28,  1899,  annotated.  Bureau  of  In- 
sular Affairs,  1903.  The  complete  captured  records  are  still  in  manuscript 
in  the  War  Department. 

The  Municipal  Code  and  the  Proznncial  Government  Act,  compiled  and  anno- 
tated, being  Acts  Nos.  82  and  83,  as  amended  by  Acts  of  the  Philippine 
Commission  and  Legislature  down  to  February  3,  1911,  and  as  annotated 
with  decisions  of  the  courts,  opinions  of  the  Attorney-General,  Executive 
Secretary,  etc.,  rulings  and  circulars,  references  to  authorities,  etc.,  to- 
gether with  an  appendix  containing  Acts  Nos.  308,  1147,  1458,  1487  and  151. 
Edited  and  compiled  by  George  A.  Malcom,  Assistant  Attorney-General. 
Manila,  1911.  ^ 

The  Administrative  Code  of  1916.    Prepared  by  the  Code  Commission. 

Hearings  Before  the  Committee  on  the  Philippines.  United  States  Senate, 
65th  Cong.,  3d  Sess.,  on  the  bill  to  declare  the  purposes  of  the  people  of 
the  United  States  as  to  the  future  political  status  of  the  Philippines.  760 
pages.  Washington,  1915.  Contains  testimony  of  General  Frank  Mclntyre, 
Manuel  L.  Quezon,  W.  H.  Taft,  N.  W.  Gilbert,  Lindley  M.  Garrison  and 
others. 

Affairs  in  Philippine  Islands,  hearings  before  Committee  on  Philippines, 
Senate  [January  31-June  28,  1902].  Three  parts,  2,984  pages,  illustrated 
map. 

Acts  of  Congress  Relating  to  Noncontiguous  Territory  and  Cuba,  and  to  Mili- 
tary Affairs,  1903-1907.   Washington,  1907. 

Laws  Against  Treason,  Sedition,  etc.  A  communication  from  the  Law  Officer 
of  the  Division  of  Insular  Affairs  making  a  comparison  between  existing 
laws  of  the  United  States  and  the  provisions  of  Act  No.  292  of  the  Philip- 
pine Commission.   Sen.  Doc.  No.  173,  57th  Cong.,  1st  Sess.  (1902). 

El  Ramo  de  Sanidad  en  Filipinos.  Informe  del  comite  especial  investigador 
sobre  los  asientos  de  la  sanidad  y  sus  dependencias.   Manila,  1914. 

Report  of  the  Chief  of  the  Division  of  the  Currency  to  the  Treasurer  of  the 
Philippine  Islands,  concerning  the  Advisability  of  Establishing  a  Govern- 
ment Agricultural  Board  in  the  Philippines.  Bureau  of  Insular  Affairs. 
Washington,  1906. 

Senate  Document  62,  56th  Congress,  3d  Session.  Contains  the  Treaty  of 
Peace  between  the  United  States  and  Spain.  Protocols  of  the  Conference 
at  Paris.  The  Peace  Protocol  of  August  12,  1898,  and  Correspondence. 
The  Correspondence  between  the  State  Department  and  the  French  Am- 
bassador, as  representing  Spain.  Consular  Reports  on  Philippine  Affairs. 
Statements  of  General  Wesley  Merritt,  General  F.  V.  Green  and  others 
concerning  the  Situation  in  the  Philippines.  A  sketch  of  the  Government 
of  the  Confederated  Malay  States. 

Senate  Document  208,  56th  Congress,  ist  Session.  Contains  Communications 
between  the  Executive  Departments  of  the  Government  and  Aguinaldo. 
Correspondence  between  General  Aguinaldo  and  General  Anderson,  Gen- 
eral Merritt,  General  Otis.  Correspondence  between  General  Miller  and 
the  Filipinos  at  Iloilo.  Records  of  the  conferences  between  the  various 
boards  appointed  by  the  American  Commander  and  Aguinaldo  to  try  and 
bring  about  Peace.  Various  Proclamations  issued  by  Aguinaldo,  and  the 
\         Constitution  of  the  so-called  Philippine  Republic. 

Papers  Relating  to  the  Foreign  Relations  of  the  United  States,  1898. 

The  Spanish  Diplomatic  Correspondence  and  Documents.   Washington,  1905. 

Hearings  before  the  Committee  on  Ways  and  Means.  House  of  Representa- 
tives, December  13-18,  1905,  with  an  appendix  containing  the  Public  Hear- 
ings held  in  the  Philippines.  August,  1905.  Washington,  1906.  Relates 
principally  to  the  Tariff. 


y 


468  BOOKS    ON    THE    PHILIPPINES 

Senate  Document  20S,  57th  Congress,  ist  Session,  Parts  I  and  2.  Letters, 
documents  and  testimony  relating  to  charges  of  cruelty  and  oppression 
exercised  by  American  soldiers  against  the  Filipinos.  1902.,,  Part  1  con- 
tains Gen.  Order  No.  100.  Instructions  for  the  government  of  the  armies 
of  the  United  States  in  the  field. 

An  Open  Letter  to  the  Officers  and  Members  of  the  Anti-Imperialistic  League 
from  Dean  C.  Worcester  (1911). 

Opinion  of  the  Attorney-General  of  the  Philippine  Islands,  of  November  19, 
1913,  on  the  slavery  and  peonage  cases  in  the  Philippines,  mentioned  in  the 
Report  of  former  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  D.  C.  Worcester.  Manila, 
1913. 

The  Penal  Code  in  Force  in  the  Philippines.  Translation  into  English.  Di- 
vision of  Customs  and  Insular  Affairs.    1900. 

A  Special  Report  on  Coinage  and  Banking  in  the  Philippine  Islands  made  to 
the  Secretary  of  War  by  Charles  A.  Conant.  Washington,  1901. 

The  Power  of  the  Governor-General  to  Expel  Aliens,  by  C.  A.  DeWitt. 
Manila,  1910. 

Report  on  the  Agricultural  Bank  of  Egypt  to  the  Secretary  of  War  and  the 
Philippine  Commission  by  E.  W.  Kemerer,  Special  Commissioner  to  Egypt. 
Washington,  1906. 

Memoranda  for  the  Secretary  of  War  on  Currency  and  Exchange  in  the 
Philippines.   Bureau  of  Insular  Affairs.   1900. 

Preliminary  Report  on  Irrigation  in  Java  by  J.  W.  Beardsley.  Manila,  1909. 

Discursos  del  Hon.  Manuel  L.  Quezon,  Comisionado  Residente  de  Filipinos, 
Pronunceados  en  la  Camera  de  Representantes  de  los  Estados  Unidos  con 
motivo  de  la  Discusion  del  Bill  Jones,  Sept.  26  to  Oct.  14,  1914.  Manila, 
1915. 

A  Primer  and  Vocabulary  of  the  Moro  Dialect  (Magindanau)  by  Lieutenant 
R.  S.  Porter.   Washington,  1903. 

Certain  Economic  Questions  of  the  English  and  Dutch  Colonies  in-  the  Orient, 
by  Jeremiah  W.  Jenks,  Special  Commissioner.    Washington,  1902. 

Slavery  and  Peonage  in  the  Philippine  Islands,  by  Dean  C.  Worcester. 
Manila,  1913. 

Informe  sobre  la  Esclavitud  y  Peonaje  en  Filipenas.  Compilado  en  vista  de 
los  Informes  Parciales  y  Exhibitos  Presentados  por  el  Comite  Especial 
Investigador  de  la  Asemblea  Filipena  al  Honorable  Presidente  de  la 
Misma.   Manila,  1914. 

Opinion  of  the  Attorney-General  of  the  Philippines  on  the  Powers  of  the 
Governor-General  to  Deport  Chinese.   June  8,  1910.    Manila,  1910. 

Slavery  in  the  Philippines.  Where  Rests  the  Onus?  A  reply  to  Dean  C. 
Worcester,  by  W.  H.  Phipps  (Insular  Auditor).   Manila,  1913. 

Studies  in  Moro  History,  Law  and  Religion,  by  Najeeb  M.  Saleeby.  Manila, 
1905. 

Limitation  of  the  Amount  of  Land  Which  May  Be  Acquired  by  Individuals 
and  Corporations  in  the  Philippine  Islands.  Opinion  by  George  W.  Wick- 
ersham,  Attorney-General.    December  18,  1909. 

Reciprocity  and  the  Philippine  Islands,  by  Harold  M.  Pitt,  with  an  introduc- 
tory note  by  Charles  B.  Elliott,  Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Police. 
Manila,  1911. 

Limit  of  Indebtedness  of  the  Philippine  Government.  Hearings  before  the 
Committee  on  Insular  Affairs,  House  of  Representatives,  February  21  to 
February  25,  1912. 

United  States  Board  of  Geographical  Names.  Second  Report.  Washington, 
1901. 


BOOKS    ON    THE    PHILIPPINES  469 

Public  Hearings  (at  Manila)  on  the  Philippine  Islands,  upon  the  proposed  re- 
duction of  the  tariff  upon  Philippine  sugar  and  tobacco,  the  extension  of 
the  United  States  Coastwise  Navigation  Laws  to  the  Philippines,  and  the 
general  economic  conditions  in  the  islands,  held  during  the  month  of 
August,  1905,  before  the  Secretary  of  War  and  the  Congressional  Party. 
Manila,  1905. 
^Report  on  the  Organisation  for  the  Administration  of  Civil  Government  Insti- 
tuted by  Emilio  Aguinaldo  and  His  Followers  in  the  Philippine  Archi- 
pelago by  John  R.  W.  Taylor.   Washington,  1903. 

First  Annual  Report  of  the  Sales  Agent,  igi2.   Manila,  1912. 

Report  amending  bill  for  payment  of  claims  of  certain  religious  orders  in 
Philippine  Islands.  1909.   18  pages.    (60th  Cong.,  2d  sess.,  S.  Rept.  793.) 

Catholic  Church  claims  in  Philippine  Islands,  claims  of  friars  in  Philippine 
Islands,  etc.  (In  Insular  Affairs  Committee  Reports,  hearings,  and  acts 
of  Congress  corresponding  thereto,  60th  Congress,  1907-1909,  pages  9  to 
345,  illus.) 

Catholic  Church  claims  in  Philippine  Islands,  statement  of  W.  H.  Taft,  Jan. 
20,  1908.   Pages  27  to  49.    (Insular  Affairs  Committee.) 

Negotiations  for  settlement  of  title  to  certain  lands  in  Philippine  Islands 
claimed  by  Philippine  government  and  by  Roman  Catholic  Church  and  in 
matter  of  charter  of  Spanish-Filipino  bank.  (In  Philippine  Commission 
Report,  1907,  pt.  3,  pages  311  to  407,  1  illus.) 

Papers  relating  to  claim  of  Roman  Catholic  Church  at  Zamboanga,  P.  I. 
1909. '  22  pages.  (61st  Cong.,  1st.  sess.  H.  Doc.  63.  Bound  with  other 
docs. ;  serial  no.  5579.) 

Report  favoring  bill  to  provide  for  payment  of  claims  of  Roman  Catholic 
Church  in  Philippine  Islands.  1908.  65  pages,  illus.  (60th  Cong.,  1st  sess, 
S.  Rept.  378.) 

Hearing  before  Secretary  of  War,  Feb.  25,  1904,  on  Philippine  shipping  bill. 
•    1904.  30  pages.    (58th  Cong.,  2d  sess.   S.  Doc.  182.) 

To  regulate  shipping  between  ports  of  United  States  and  ports  in  Philippine 
Archipelago  [and]  between  ports  in  Philippine  Archipelago  [hearings, 
Feb.  26,  27,  1904].  Ill  pages.  (Merchant  Marine  and  Fisheries  Com- 
mittee.) 

Special  report  of  Wm.  H.  Taft  to  President  on  Philippines  [with  appendix 
A,  Negotiations  for  settlement  of  title  to  certain  lands  in  Philippine 
Islands  claimed  by  Philippine  government  and  by  Roman  Catholic  Church, 
and  in  matter  of  charter  of  Spanish-Filipino  Bank].  1908.  177  pages,  map. 
(War  Dept.) 

Special  Report  of  Brigadier-General  Frank  Mclntyre,  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of 
Insular  Affairs.    1915. 

Scientific  surveys  of  Philippine  Islands.  (In  National  Academy  of  Sciences 
Report,  1904,  pages  21  to  ZZ.) 

Duty  of  Americans  in  Philippines;  address  of  William  H.  Taft  before  Union 
Reading  College,  Manila,  P.  I.,  Dec.  17,  1903.  17  pages.  (58th  Cong.,  2d 
sess.    S.  Doc.  191.) 

Comparison  of  proposed  Philippine  tariff  bill  H.  7555  with  present  Philippine 
tariff  law,  act  of  Mar.  3,  1905,  as  amended.  1909.  253  pages.  (Ways  and 
Means  Committee.) 

Customs  tariff  of  Philippine  Islands,  1909,  with  index  and  appendix  including 
extract  from  United  States  tariff  law  of  1909  concerning  tariff  relations 
with  Philippine  Islands.     166  pages.     (Insular  Affairs  Bureau.) 

Duties  on  Philippine  products,  sugar,  hearing  before  Committee  on  Ways  and 
Means,  Jan.  24,  1905.  54  pages. 


7 


r 


470  BOOKS    ON    THE    PHILIPPINES 

Duties  on  Philippine  products,  tobacco  and  cigars,  hearing  before  Committee 
on  Ways  and  Means,  House,  Jan.  25,  1905.   31  pages.    (Ways  and  Means 
Committee.) 
Philippine  tariff,  hearings  Dec.  13-18,  1905  [on  H.  3,  to  amend  act  to  provide 
revenue  for  Philippine  Islands]  ;  appended.  Public  hearings  in  Philippine 
Islands  [upon  proposed  reduction  of  tariff  upon  Philippine  sugar  and  to- 
bacco, etc.]  held  Aug.  1905   [before  Secretary  of  War  and  Congressional 
party.]    296+186  pages.    (Ways  and  Means  Committee.) 
Proposed  tariff  revision  law  of  1909  for  Philippine  Islands.   1909.   158  pages 
(61st  Cong.,  1st  sess.  H.  Doc.  14.) 
,   Report  amending  bill  to  raise  revenue  for  Philippine  Islands  [etc.].   1909.  104 
pages.    (61st  Cong.,  1st  sess.   S.  Rept.  9.) 
Revenue  for  Philippine  Islands,  hearings  before  Committee  on  Philippines. 

Senate,  Jan.  20  to  Feb.  21,  1906.  984  pages,  illus. 
Same,  with  hearings  Feb..  23-28,  1906.   1247  pages,  illus.   (S9th  Cong.,  1st  sess. 

S.  Doc.  277.) 
Compilation  of  notes  and  reports  on  pearl,  shell,  and  sponge  fisheries  of 
Phihppine  Islands.     (In  Philippine  Commission  Report,   1908,   appendix, 
pages  521  to  554.) 
Administration  of  Philippine  lands,  report  by  Committee  on  Insular  Affairs 
of   Its   mvestigation   of    Interior    Department   of    Philippine   government 
touchmg  administration  of  Philippine  lands  and  all  matters  of  fact  and 
law  pertaining  thereto,   in  pursuance  of  H.  R.  795,   with  views  of   Mr. 
Rucker,   and  of   Messrs.   Hubbard,   Davis,   and   Madison,   hearings    and 
views  of  minority.    1911.   2  vols.,  1305+14  pages.    (61st  Cong.,  3d  sess., 
H.  Rept.  2289.) 
Cooper,  Henry  A.,  of  Wis.  Speech  in  House,  May  8,  1912.   (In  Congressional 
Record  of  Aug.  22,  vol.  48,  no.  217,  pages  12716  to  12725.) 

•»T       .-A^g^'nft  the  sale  of  large  tracts  of  lands  to  corporations  or  to  individuals. 

Martm,  John  A.,  of  Colo.   Speech  in  House,  May  8,  1912.    In  Congressional 
Record  of  May  11,  vol.  48,  no.  131,  pages  6622  to  6637. 

Concerning  the  sale  of  large  portions  of  the  friar  lands  to  alleged  members  of  the 
Sugar  Trust. 

Morse,  Elmer  A.,  of  Wis.   Speech  in  House,  May  1,  1912.    (In  Congressional 
Record  of  May  2,  vol.  48,  no.  122,  pages  6052  to  6054.) 

On  the  acquisition  of  the  friar  lands  by  alleged  members  of  the  Sugar  Trust. 

Quezon,  Manuel  L.,  of  the  Philippines.  Speeches  in  House- 
May  1,  1912.    (In  Congressional  Record  of  May  14,  vol.  48,  no.  134.  pages 

6788  to  6798.) 
May  15,  1912.   (In  Congressional  Record  of  June  1,  vol.  48,  no.  152,  pages 

7991  to  7997.) 

Against  acquisition  of  large  tracts  of  land  by  American  capitalists. 

Report  favormg  bill,  with  views  of  Messrs.  Davis  and  Morse.    1912     13 
pages.    (62d  Cong.,  2d  sess.,  H.  Rept.  280  [pt.  1].) 
Documents  relating  to  sale  of  friar  lands  in  Philippine  Islands.    1910     118 

pages,  1  illus.  map.    (61st  Cong.,  3d  sess.,  H.  Doc.  1071.) 
Fnar-land  inquiry  [by]  Philippine  government   1910.  208  pages.    (Philippine 

Commission.) 

Friar  lands  in  Philippine  Islands.    1910.    5  pages.    (61st  Cong.,  2d  sess.,  H. 

Doc.  911.) 
Martin^^  John  A.,  of  Colo.    Sale  of  friar  lands  in  Philippine  Islands.    Speech 

^^04?°"^^'  ^^''"  ^^'  ^^^^"    ^^^  Congressional  Record,  vol.  45,  no.  79,  pages 
oo44  to  3849.) 

Reply  to  inquiry  as  to  sale  of  friar  lands  in  Philippines.    1910.    11  pages. 

(61st  Cong.,  2d  sess.,  H.  Doc.  894,  pt.  3.) 
Same,  Views  of  minority,  separate. 

,     Includes  reports  by  W._  Cameron  Forbes,  Dean   C.   Worcester,  and  Frank  W.   Car- 
penter  on  fnar-land  inquiry  of  Philippine  government. 


1 


BOOKS    ON    THE    PHILIPPINES  471 

Compilation  of  laws  and  regulations  relating  to  public  lands  in   Philippine 

Islands,  Feb.  1,  1908.   247  pages,  illus.    (Insular  Affairs  Bureau.) 
Exploiting  the  Philippines.    Speech  of  John  A.  Martin  of  Colo.,  in  House, 

June  13,  1910.    (In  Congressional  Record  of  June  17,  vol.  45,  no.  156,  pages 

8481  to  8513.) 

Protesting  against  the  sale  of  the  friar  lands  in  large  sections. 
Information  relative  to  letter  from  Insular  Bureau  to  Strong  &  Cadwalader 

[relating  to  number  of  acres  of  farming  land  which  a  corporation  may 

acquire  in  Philippine  Islands,  etc.]    1910.    11  pages.    (61st  Cong.,  2d  sess., 

H.  Doc.  916.) 
Report  of  director  of  lands  of  Philippine  Islands,  fiscal  year  1909.   88  pages, 

illus.    (61st  Cong.,  2d  sess.,  H.  Doc.  914.) 
Sale  of  public  lands  in  Philippine  Islands.   Speech  of  Edgar  D.  Crumpacker 

of  Ind.,  in  House,  June  13,  1910.    (In  Congressional  Record  of  June  17, 

vol.  45,  no.  156,  pages  8471  to  8477.) 
Spanish  public  land  laws  in  Philippine  Islands  and  their  history  to  Aug.  13, 

1898.   61  pages.    (Philippine  Commission  Forestry  Bureau.) 
Speech  of  Chas.  H.  Dietrich,  of  Nebr.  [in  Senate]   Feb.  13,  1903  [including 

compilation  of  tables  and  data  by  Truman  G.  Palmer].   112  pages.    (57th 

Cong.,  2d  sess.   S.  Doc.  186.   Bound  with  other  docs.;  serial  no.  4428.) 

Against  selling  large  tracts  of  land  to  corporations  for  sugar  and  tobacco  plantations. 

Report  on  geology  of  Philippine  Islands,  followed  by  version  of  Ueber 
tertiare  Fossilien  von  den  Philippinen,  1895.  139  pages,  illus.,  maps. 
[From  21st  Geological  Survey  Report,  1900,  pt.  3.] 

Pronouncing  gazeteer  and  geographical  dictionary  of  Philippine  Islands,  also 
law  of  civil  government  approved  July  1,  1902,  with  index.  1902.  933  pages, 
illus.,  61  maps.    (Insular  Affairs  Bureau.) 

Archipielago  Filipino,  coleccion  de  datos  geograficos,  estadisticos,  cronologi- 
cos  y  cientificos,  entresacados  de  anteriores  obras  u  obtenidos  con  propia 
observacion  y  estudio,  por  algunos  padres  de  la  mision  de  la  Compafiia  de 
Jesus.   1900.  2  vols.,  708-|-469  pages,  illus.,  22  maps.    (State  Dept.) 

Philippine  Archipelago,  collection  of  geographical,  statistical,  chronological,  and  sci- 
entific data  compiled  from  former  works  or  obtained  by  careful  observation  and 
study  of  several  fathers  of  the  Jesuit  mission. 

Philippine  tariff,   statement  of  W.  H.  Taft,  Feb.  23,   1905    [on  control  of 

opium  traffic].    (Philippine  Committee.) 
Report  of  committee  appointed  to  investigate  use  of  opium  and  traffic  therein, 

in  Japan,    Formosa,   Shanghai,   Hong  Kong,   Saigon,    Singapore,   Burma, 

Java,  and  Philippine  Islands.    1906.   283  pages.    (Philippine  Commission.) 
Philippine  insurrection,  1896-1898,  account  from  Spanish  sources.    (In  War 

Dept.  Report,  1903,  pt.  3,  pages  399  to  433,  map.) 
The  truth  about  the  so-called  rebellion  in  the  Philippine  Islands.    Speech  of 

Manuel  L.  Quezon  in  House,  Dec.  29,  1914.  Cong.  Rec.  of  Dec.  31,  vol.  52, 

no.  19,  pages  879  to  881. 

Claims  accounts  of  an  uprising  in  Manila  had  no  foundation  but  the  arrest  of  a 
small  band  of  Christmas  Eve  celebrators. 

Notes  on  military  administration  in  India;  by  Kitchener,  Elles,  and  Curzon. 

1905.  68  pages.    (Philippines  Division,  Bulletin  4.) 
Bulletins  and  circulars  on  hemp,  maguey,  jute,  and  other  fiber  plants.    Pages 

471  to  564+779  to  788.   [From  Philippine  Commission  Report,  1906,  vol.  3.] 

Contents: 

Preliminary  report  on  commercial   fibers  of  Philippines. 

List  of  Philippine  agricultural  products  and  fiber  plants. 

Maguey  in  the  Philippines. 

Jute  industry,  considered  in  relation  to  its  introduction  into  the  Philippines. 

Abaca  (manila  hemp). 

Cultivation  of  maguey  in  Philippine  Islands. 

Maguey  cultivation  in  Mexico,  1904. 

Maguey:    Propagating  abaca  from  seed. 

Public  lands. 


472  BOOKS    ON    THE    PHILIPPINES 

Contributions  to  Philippine  ornithology.    (In  National  Museum  Proceedings, 

1898,  vol.  20,  pages  549  to  625,  6  plates,  map.) 
Commercial  Philippines  in  1906.  66  pages.    (Statistics  Bureau,  Commerce  and 

Labor  Dept.) 
Compilation  by  John  B.  Worcester  of  certain  statistical  matter  on  commerce 
with  Philippine  Islands.    1913.    14  pages.    (63d  Cong.,  1st  sess.,  H.  Doc. 
217.) 
Report  on  right  of  government  of  Philippine  Islands,  instituted  by  United 
States,  to  regulate  commercial  intercourse  with  archipelago  and  to  impose 
import  and  export  duties;  by  C.  E.  Magoon.    1901.    131  pages.    (Insular 
Affairs  Bureau.) 
■■~  Appendix   B. — Summary  of  principal   events   connected  with   military   operations  in 

Philippine    Islands    Sept.,    1900,    to    June,    1901,    and    distribution    of    troops    in 
Islands. 

Trade  of  Philippine  Islands.  1898.  160  pages,  map.  (Foreign  Markets  Bul- 
letin 14.) 

Coal  measures  of  Philippines,  history  of  discovery  of  coal  in  archipelago  and 
subsequent  developments,  with  record  of  MacLeod  coal  concession  in  Cebu 
or  Uling-Lutac  coal  and  railway  concession.  1901.  269  pages,  illus.,  maps. 
(Philippine  Commission.) 

The  currency  of  the  Philippine  Islands.  (In  Report  on  Introduction  of  Gold- 
Exchange  Standard  into  China,  Philippine  Islands,  Panama,  and  Other 
Silver-Using  Countries,  pages  283  to  312.   1904.) 

Special  report  of  director  of  Philippine  Weather  Bureau,  on  cyclones  of  the 
Far  East.  2d  edition.  1904.  283  pages,  illus.  maps.  (Philippine  Commis- 
sion, Weather  Bureau.) 

Forestry  matters  in  Philippines,  hearings  before  Committee  on  Insular  Af- 
fairs, House,  [Feb.  19,  1908.]    11  pages.    (Insular  Affairs  Committee.) 

Useful  information  concerning  Philippine  public  forests  and  possibilities  for 
their  exploitation.  1909.  12  pages,  map.  (PhiHppine  Commission.  For- 
estry Circular  4.) 

Cotton  fabrics  in  Philippines.  1907.  (In  Special  Agents  Series  13,  pages  83 
to  117.) 

Condition  of  Moro  affairs  in  Sulu  group  [1903]  ;  Moros  of  Philippines;  Brief 
summary  of  historical  accounts  respecting  Spanish  military  operations 
against  Moros,  1578  to  1898.  In  War  Dept.  Report,  1903,  pt.  3,  pages  354 
to  398. 

Compilation  of  notes  and  reports  on  mineral  resources,  mines,  and  mining  of 
Philippine  Islands  [with  list  of  books  and  papers  on  Philippine  geology]. 
In  PhiHppine  Commission  Report,  1908,  appendix,  pages  3  to  519. 

Historical  sketch  of  old  walls  of  Manila,  and  an  account  of  the  capture  of 
Manila  by  the  English  in  1762.  (War  Dept.  Report,  1903,  vol.  3,  pages  434 
to  454,  illus.  maps.) 

A  short  history  of  Spanish  rule  in  the  Philippines.     The  plates  show  the  old  gates 
and  portions  of  the  city  wall. 

Conditions  and  future  of  Philippines ;  by  Erving  Winslow.  1909.  8  pages. 
(61st  Cong.,  1st  sess.   S.  Doc.  81.)    [From  North  American  Review.] 

Consular  reports  on  Philippine  affairs  [Feb.  21-Aug.  4,  1898]  ;  Statement  of 
Wesley  Merritt  including  correspondence  with  Aguinaldo ;  Memoranda  by 
F.  V.  Greene;  Statement  of  John  Foreman  on  conditions  in  the  Philip- 
pines ;  Statement  of  R.  B.  Bradford  on  the  Philippines  as  a  naval  base, 
etc. ;  Statement  of  C.  A.  Whittier  on  conditions  in  Philippines ;  Prelimi- 
nary report  of  G.  F.  Becker  on  geological  and  mineral  resources  of  Philip- 
pines ;  Data  concerning  Philippine  Islands,  their  history,  people,  geography, 
etc.  (In  Treaty  of  Peace  between  United  States  and  Spain,  pages  319  to 
607.  1899.) 


BOOKS    ON    THE    PHILIPPINES  473 

Information  as  to  rubber-producing  capacity  of  Philippine  Islands.  1907.  44 
pages,  illus.,  maps.  (59th  Cong.,  2d  sess.  Sen.  Doc.  356.)  [Reprint  of  Bul- 
letin 7  of  Bureau  of  Government  Laboratories  of  Philippine  Islands  and 
Bulletin  3  of  Bureau  of  Forestry  of  Philippine  Islands.] 

Rubber-growing  industry  of  PhiHppine  Islands,  cost  of  production  and  profits. 
1911.  24  pages,  illus.,  maps.    (Insular  Affairs  Bureau.) 

People  of  the  Philippines.    1901.   76  pages.    (Insular  Affairs  Division.) 

Contents. — Their  origin  and  different  tribes. — Domesticated  native. — As  soldier  and 
sailor. — As  citizen. — Characteristic  traits  of  Tagalo  and  Visayas. — The  Chinese. 
— Moros. — Europeans. — Slavery. — Katipunan  Society. — Tulisanes  and  Ladrones. 
— Languagesspoken  in  the  Philippines. — Estimate  of  population  in  1890. 

Peoples  of  Philippines.  (In  8th  International  Geographic  Congress  Report, 
1904,  pages  671  to  675,  chart.    State  Dept.) 

Peopling  of  the  Philippines ;  List  of  native  tribes  of  Philippines  and  languages 
spoken  by  them.  (In  Smithsonian  Report,  1899,  pages  509  to  547,  illus. 
map.) 

Population  of  Philippines  by  islands,  provinces,  municipalities,  and  barrios, 
1903.    100  pages.    (Philippine  Census  Bulletin  1.) 

Preliminary  Report  of  the  Board  to  devise  a  system  of  wireless  telegraphy 
for  the  islands.    Manila,  1911. 

Message  transmitting  joint  reports  by  officers  representing  insular  government 
of  Philippine  Islands,  Army  and  Navy  relative  to  wireless  telegraphy  in 
Philippine  Islands.   1912.  23  pages.    (62d  Cong.,  2d  sess.   S.  Doc.  299.) 

"Will  the  Philippines  pay?"  and  "Real  feelings  of  Filipinos";  by  Augustus  O. 
Bacon.  1902.  20  pages.  (57th  Cong.,  1st  sess.  S.  Doc.  273.  Bound  with 
other  docs.;  serial  no.  4239).  [From  Saturday  Evening  Post  of  Phila- 
delphia.] 
^What  has  been  done  in  Philippines,  record  of  practical  accomplishments  under 
civil  government.  1904.  42  pages.  (58th  Cong.,  2d  sess.  S.  Doc.  304. 
Bound  with  other  docs. ;  serial  no.  4592.) 

Speech  of  Clarence  B.  Miller  of  Minn.,  in  House,  Mar.  5,  1914.  (In  Con- 
gressional Record  of  Mar.  9,  vol.  51,  no.  70,  pages  4842  to  4846.) 

On  the  plight  of  American  men  who  held  minor  government  positions  and  lost  these 
positions  under  the  present  administration  and  who  do  not  wish  to  return  to  the 
United  States  because  they  have  married  Filipino  wives. 

Special  report  of  Hon.  J.  M.  Dickinson  on  Philippines.  1911.  96  pages.  (War 
Dept.) 

Report  of  a  tour  of  investigation  made  by  the  Secretary  of  War. 

Report  of  Major-General  Otis  on  military  operations  and  civil  affairs.  May 
1,  1898,  to  Aug.  31,  1899.   165  pages. 

Report  of  Major-General  Otis,  commanding  division  of  Philippines,  military 
governor.   Sept.  1,  1899,  to  May  5,  1900.    365  pages,  6  maps. 

Annual  report  of  Major-General  MacArthur  commanding  division  of  Philip- 
pines, military  governor  in  Philippine  Islands,  [pt.  2,  reports  of  civil 
officers].   May  5  to  October  1,  1900.   Various  paging. 

Military  notes  on  Philippines.  1898.  314  pages,  51  maps.  Military  Informa- 
tion Publication  20. 

Report  of  Wesley  Merritt  and  other  officers  on  operations  of  troops  in  expe- 
dition to  Philippines.  In  Major-General  Commanding  Army,  Report,  1898, 
pages  39  to  137,  maps. 

Reports  of  various  officers  on  military  operations  in  the  Philippines.  477 
pages,  illus.  maps.  Lieutenant-General  Commanding  Army,  Report,  1900, 
pt.  5. 

Report  of  E.  S.  Otis  commanding  Department  of  Pacific  and  8th  Army 
Corps  and  of  other  officers.  Aug..  1898-Aug.,  1899.  560+642  pages,  illus., 
maps.    (Major-General  Commanding  Army,  Report,  1899,  pts.  2  and  3.) 

Pt.  2.  Chronological  summary  of  principal  events  connected  with  military  opera- 
tions in  Philippine  Islands.' — Annual  report  of  E.  S.  Otis. — Correspondence  with 
insurgent  leaders. — Report  of  operations  against  insurgents,  Eeb.  4  to  Apr.  6, 
1899. 


474  BOOKS    ON    THE    PHILIPPINES 

Pt.  3.    Report  of  R.  P.   Hughes  and  others  concerning  fires  at  Manila   and  accom- 
panying events,   Feb.  22,  23,   1899. — Reports  of   H.   G.   Otis  of   operations   of    1st 
brigade,   2d   division,   Mar.,   1899. — Reports   of   H.   W.    Lawton   of   expeditions  to 
Provinces    of    La    Laguna,    Bulacan,    Nueva    Ecija,    and    Pampanga,    Luzon,    and 
Province   of   Morong. — Report   of   R.    P.    Hughes   commanding   Visayan    Military 
District. — Report  of  B.  A.  Byrne  of  engagement  at  Babong,  Island  of  Negros. — 
Report  of  Loyd  Wheaton  of  operations  along  Pasig  River  and   in   Province  of 
Cavite. — Report  of  Arthur  MacArthur  on  operations  of  1st  division  of  8th  Army 
Corps. 
Report  of  Arthur  MacArthur  of  operations  of  2d  division,  8th  Army  Corps. 
656  pages,  illus.  map.   May  31,  1899-Apr.  6,  1900.   Lieutenant-General  Com- 
manding Army,  Report,  1900,  pt.  6. 

Report  of  operations  against  the  insurgents. 

Report  of  H.  W.  Lawton  of  expedition  to  provinces  north  of  Manila,  Sept.- 
Dec,  1899,  and  reports  of  other  officers  in  the  PhiHppines.  891  pages,  illus. 
maps.    Sept.-Dec,  1899.  Lieutenant-General  Commanding  Army,  1900,  pt.  4. 

Report  of  Arthur  MacArthur  commanding  Division  of  Philippines  [with 
accompanying  reports].  644  pages,  illus.  maps.  Lieutenant-General  Com- 
manding Army,  Report,  1900.   May  5,  1900-Oct.  1,  1900,  pt.  3. 

Contents. — Chronological  summary  of  principal  events  connected  with  military  op- 
erations in  Philippines,  Sept.  1,  1899,  to  Aug.  31,  1900. — Distribution  of  troops 
in  Philippines,  Sept.  1,  1900. — Report  of  Arthur  MacArthur. — Report  of  Loyd 
Wheaton  commanding  Department  of  Northern  Luzon. — Report  of  J.  C.  Bates 
commanding  Department  of  Southern  Luzon. — Report  of  R.  P.  Hughes  com- 
manding Department  of  Visayas. — Report  of  W.  A.  Kobbe  commanding  Depart- 
ment of  Mindanao  and  Jolo. — Report  of  H.  W.  Lawton  of  expedition  to  province 
of  Cavite,  June   10-22,   1899. — Report  of   Schwan's   Expeditionary  Brigade. 

Report  of  G.  W.  Davis  commanding  Division  of  Philippines.    Sept.  30,  1902- 

July  26,  1903.   In  War  Dept.  Report,  1903,  pt.  3,  pages  131  to  459,  illus. 

maps. 
Reports,  Speeches  and  Debates  on  the  Jones  Bill. 
Debates  in  House,  on  Bill  to  declare  the  purpose  of  the  United   States  to 

grant  independence  to  the  Philippines.    Oct.  1,  1914.    Cong.  Rec,  vol.  51, 

no.  347,  pages  17466  to  17481. 
Debates  in  House— Oct.  2,  1914.    (Cong.  Rec,  vol.  51,  no.  248,  pages  17539  to 
17542.) 

Oct.  3,  1914.    (Cong.  Rec,  vol.  51,  no.  249,  pages  17637  to  17641  and  17644 
to  17652.) 

Oct.  6,  1914.    (Cong.  Rec,  vol.  51,  no.  251,  pages  17742  to  17767.) 

Includes  a  discussion  of  slavery  and  religious  freedom  in  the  Philippines. 

Oct.  9,  1914.    (Cong.  Rec,  vol.  51,  no.  254,  pages  17958  to  17984.) 

Includes  some  discussion  of  lands. 

Oct.  10,  1914.    (Cong.  Rec,  vol.  51,  no.  255,  pages  18022  to  18038.) 

A  discussion  of  qualifications  for  voting  and  woman  suffrage  in  the  Philippines. 

Oct.  12,  1914.    (Cong.  Rec,  vol.  51,  no.  256,  pages  18099  to  18122.) 

Oct.  13,  1914.    (Cong.  Rec,  vol.  51,  no.  257,  pages  18188  to  18208.) 
Report  favoring  H.  18459,  to  declare  purpose  of  people  of  United  States  as  to 

future  political  status  of  people  of  Philippine  Islands  and  to  provide  more 

autonomous  government  for  those  islands ;  with  Views  of  minority.    1914. 

2  pts.,  \9-\-7  pages.    (63d  Cong.,  2d  sess.,  H.  Rept.  1115.) 
Ansberry,  Timothy  T.,  of  Ohio.   Extension  of  remarks  in  House,  Oct.  6,  1914. 

(Cong.  Rec,  Oct.  7,  vol.  51,  no.  252,  pages  17841  and  17842.) 
Cline,  Cyrus,  of  Ind.   Extension  of  remarks,  in  House,  Oct.  16,  1914.    (Cong. 

Rec,  vol.  51,  no.  260,  pages  18444  to  18446.) 
Fess,  Simeon  D.,  of  Ohio.    Speech  in  House  Sept.  28,  1914.    (Cong.  Rec,  vol. 

51,  no.  244,  pages  17308  to  17312.) 

"I  say  it  is  dangerous  to  turn  the  PhiHppines  afloat.  The  moment  that  foreign 
capital,  coming  from  foreign  countries,  will  get  a  foothold,  that  moment  con- 
flicting interests  will  be  found." 

Jones,  William  A.,  of  Va.     Speech  in  House,  Sept.  28,   1914.     (Cong.  Rec, 

vol.  51,  no.  244,  pages  17301  to  17306.) 
Jones,  William  A.,  of  Va.    Speech  in  House,  Oct.  2,  1914.    (Cong.  Rec,  Oct. 

16,  vol.  51,  no.  260,  pages  18447  to  18450.) 


BOOKS    ON    THE   PHILIPPINES  475 

Kelley,  Patrick  H.,  of  Mich.     Extension  of  remarks  in  House,  Oct.  9,  1914, 

(Cong.  Rec,  vol.  51,  no.  254,  pages  17995  and  17996.) 
Kinkaid,  Moses  P.,  of  Nebr.    Extension  of  remarks  in  House,  Oct.  19,  1914. 

(Cong.  Rec,  vol.  51,  no.  262,  pages  18531  and  18532.) 
Slayden,  James  L.,  of  Tex.   Speech  in  House,  Oct.  14,  1914.    (Cong.  Rec,  Oct. 

16,  vol.  51,  no.  260,  pages  18435  and  18436.) 
Brent,  C.  H.   Article  from  New  York  Tribune.    (Cong.  Rec,  June  13,  1913, 

vol.  50,  no.  44,  pages  2269,  2270.) 

The  heading  reads,  "Filipinos,  if  free,  prey  to  invaders — would  ultimately  be  de- 
voured, were  United  States  to  relinquish  rule — must  attain  to  strength— dis- 
tinguished churchman  suggests  that  severely  nonpolitical  commission  investigate 
conditions — nation's  reputation  at  stake." 

Burgess,  George  F.,  of  Tex.  Government  of  PhiHppine  Islands.  Speech  in 
House,  July  29,  1913.    (Cong.  Rec,  vol.  50,  no.  7Z,  pages  3219  to  3222.) 

In  favor  of  a  declaration  of  the  Nation's  purpose  in  regard  to  the  ultimate  inde- 
pendence of  the  Philippines. 

Quezon,  Manuel  L,  Extension  of  remarks  in  House,  July  11,  1912.  (Cong. 
Rec,  vol.  48,  no.  181,  pages  9481.  9482.) 

Includes  the  preface  to   American   Occupation  of  the   Philippines,  by  J.   H.   Blount. 

Quezon,  Manuel  L.  True  democratic  policy  for  the  Philippines.  (Cong.  Rec, 
Apr.  3,  1912,  vol.  48,  no.  95,  pages  4487,  4488.) 

An  answer  to  the  article  by  W.  C.  Redfield  which  was  published  in  the  January 
issue  of  the  National  Monthly, 

Redfield,  W.  C.  Suggested  Democratic  policy  for  Philippines.  (Cong.  Rec, 
Apr.  2,  1912,  vol.  48,  no.  94.  pages  4395  to  4397.) 

Not  in  favor  of  giving  the  Philippines  their  independence  immediately.  A  review 
of  conditions  in  the  Philippines. 

Stedman,  Charles  M.,  of  N.  C.   Speech  in  House,  Jan.  2Z,  1915.    (Cong.  Rec, 

vol.  52,  no.  38,  pages  2319  to  2323.) 
Views   of   minority   adverse   to   bill   to   secure  neutralization    of    Philippine 

Islands  and  recognition  of  their  independence  by  international  agreement. 

1912.  6  pages.    (62d  Cong.,  2d  sess.,  H.  Rept.  635,  pt.  2.) 
Cline,    Cyrus,  of   Ind.    Independence  and  neutralization  of  the  Philippines. 

Speech  in  House,  Jan.  30,  1913.    (Cong.  Rec,  Jan.  31,  vol.  49,  no.  44,  pages 

2432  to  2438.) 

In   favor  of  the  independence  of  the  Philippines. 

Jones,  William  A.,  of  Va.  Truth  as  to  conditions  in  Philippines.  Speech  in 
House,  Feb.  13,  1913.  (Cong.  Rec,  Feb.  18,  vol.  49,  no.  62,  pages  3454  to 
3459.) 

In  answer  to  speech  of  Mr.  Redfield  of  New  York. 

Letter  of  C.  C.  McCoIlum  of  Pawnee,  Okla.,  and  other  documents  bearing 
upon  capability  of  Filipino  people.  (Cong.  Rec,  Jan.  27,  1915,  vol.  52,  no. 
42,  pages  2626  to  2637.) 

Against  independence  for  the  Filipinos. 
McDill,   J.   N.     The   Philippines,   America's  lost  opportunity  in   the  Orient. 
(Cong.  Rec,  May  12.  1913,  vol.  50,  no.  27,  pages  1557  to  1559.) 

In  favor  of  independence  for  the  Philippines. 

Miller,  Clarence  B.,  of  Minn.  Speech  in  House,  Apr.  21,  1914.  (Cong.  Rec, 
vol.  51,  no.  108,  pages  7529  to  7534.) 


APPENDICES 


APPENDICES 

Appendix  A    Treaty  of  Peace  between  United  States  and  Spain. 

Appendix  B    Instructions  of  the  President  to  the  Schurman  Commission. 

Appendix  C    Instructions  of  the  President  to  the  Taft  Commission. 

Appendix  D    Aguinaldo's  Proclamation  on  His  Arrival  at  Cavite. 

Appendix  E  Aguinaldo's  Proclamation  of  June  18,  1898,  Establishing 
THE  Dictatorial  Government. 

Appendix  F  Aguinaldo's  Proclamation  of  June  23,  Establishing  the  Rev- 
olutionary Government. 

Appendix  G    The  Constitution  of  the  Philippine  Republic. 

Appendix  H   List  of  Leading  Officials  of  the  Philippine  Government. 

Appendix    I    The  Philippine  Government  Law  of  1916. 

Appendix   J    The  Cost  of  the  Army  in  the  Philippines, 

APPENDIX  A 
TREATY  OF  PEACE  BETWEEN  UNITED  STATES  AND  SPAIN 

To  the  Senate  of  the  United  States: 

I  transmit  herewith,  with  a  view  to  its  ratification,  a  treaty  of  peace  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  Spain,  signed  at  the  city  of  Paris  on  December 
10,  1898,  together  with  the  protocols  and  papers  indicated  in  the  list  accom- 
panying  the  report  of  the  Secretary  of  State.  William  McKinley. 

Executive  Mansion, 

Washington,  January  4,  1899. 


To  the  President: 

The  undersigned,  Secretary  of  State,  has  the  honor  to  lay  before  the 
President,  with  a  view  to  its  submission  to  the  Senate  if  deemed  proper,  a 
treaty  of  peace  concluded  at  Paris  on  December  10,  1898,  between  the  United 
States  and  Spain. 

Accompanying  the  treaty  are  the  protocols  of  the  conferences  of  the  Peace 
Commission  at  Paris,  together  with  copies  of  statements  made  before  the 
United  States  commissioners,  and  other  papers  indicated  in  the  inclosed  list. 

Respectfully  submitted.  Tohn  Hay 

Department  of  State, 

Washington,  January  3,  1899. 


The  United  States  of  America  and  Her  Majesty  the  Queen  Regent  of 
Spain,  in  the  name  of  her  august  son  Don  Alfonso  XIII,  desiring  to  end  the 
state  of  war  now  existing  between  the  two  countries,  have  for  that  purpose 
appointed  as  plenipotentiaries : 

The  President  of  the  United  States, 

William  R.  Day,  Cushman  K.  Davis,  WilHam  P.  Frye,  George  Gray,  and 
Whitelaw  Reid,  citizens  of  the  United  States; 

And  Her  Majesty  the  Queen  Regent  of  Spain, 

Don  Eugenio  Montero  Rios,  president  of  the  senate;  Don  Buenaventura 

479 


480  APPENDICES 

de  Abarzuza,  senator  of  the  Kingdom  and  ex-minister  of  the  Crown;  Don 
Jose  de  Garnica,  deputy  to  the  Cortes  and  associate  justice  of  the  supreme 
court;  Don  Wenceslao  Ramirez  de  Villa-Urrutia,  envoy  extraordinary  and 
minister  plenipotentiary  at  Brussels;  and  Don  Rafael  Cereo,  general  of  di- 
vision ; 

Who,  having  assembled  in  Paris,  and  having  exchanged  their  full  powers 
which  were  found  to  be  in  due  and  proper  form,  have,  after  discussion  of  the 
matters  before  them,  agreed  upon  the  following  articles : 

Article  I 

Spain  relinquishes  all  claim  of  sovereignty  over  and  title  to  Cuba 
TT  •  "?  c  ^  *^^  '^^^"^  ^^'  "P°"  '*^  evacuation  by  Spain,  to  be  occupied  by  the 
United  states,  the  United  States  will,  so  long  as  such  occupation  shall  last 
assume  and  discharge  the  obligations  that  may  under  international  law  result 
from  the  fact  of  its  occupation,  for  the  protection  of  life  and  property. 

Article  II 

^  Spain  cedes  to  the  United  States  the  island  of  Porto  Rico  and  other 
islands  now  under  Spanish  sovereignty  in  the  West  Indies,  and  the  island  of 
Ouam  in  the  Marianas  or  Ladrones. 

Article  III 

Spain  cedes  to  the  United  States  the  archipelago  known  as  the  Philippine 
Islands,  and  comprehending  the  islands  lying  within  the  following  line  • 

A  line  running  from  west  to  east  along  or  near  the  twentieth  parallel  of 
north  latitude  and  through  the  middle  of  the  navigable  channel  of  Bachi 
from  the  one  hundred  and  eighteenth  (118th)  to  the  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
seventh  (127th)  degree  meridian  of  longitude  east  of  Greenwich,  thence  along 
the  one  hundred  and  twenty-seventh    (127th)    degree  meridian  of  longitude 

5^1*  ?f,  ^'■^!"T^A  *?  *¥  P^'^l^"^  °^  ^°"''  ^^Srees  and  forty-five  minutes 
(4  45)  north  latitude,  thence  along  the  parallel  of  four  degrees  and  forty- 
five  minutes  (4  45')  north  latitude  to  its  intersection  with  the  meridian  of 
longitude  one  hundred  and  nineteen  degrees  and  thirty-five  minutes  (119°  35') 
east  of  Greenwich,  thence  along  the  meridian  of  longtitude  one  hundred  and 
nineteen  degrees  and  thirty-five  minutes  (119°  35')  east  of  Greenwich  to  the 
parallel  of  latitude  seven  degrees  and  forty  minutes  (7°  40')  north,  thence 
along  the  parallel  of  latitude  of  seven  degrees  and  forty  minutes  (7°  40') 
north  to  Its  intersection  with  the  one  hundred  and  sixteenth  (116th)  degree 
meridian  of  longitude  east  of  Greenwich,  thence  by  a  direct  line  to  the  inter- 
section of  the  tenth  (10th)  degree  parallel  of  north  latitude  with  the  one 
hundred  and  eighteenth  (118th)  degree  meridian  of  longitude  east  of  Green- 
wich and  thence  along  the  one  hundred  and  eighteenth  (118th)  degrees 
meridian  of  longitude  east  of  Greenwich  to  the  point  of  beginning 

^.fpnmnnnm  -^1.*?*^^  ^'"  P^^  *°  ^P^^"  ^^^  sum  of  twenty  million  dollars 
($^0,000,000)  within  three  months  after  the  exchange  of  the  ratifications  of 
the  present  treaty. 

Article  IV 

The  United  States  will,  for  the  term  of  ten  years  from  the  date  of  the 
exchange  of  the  ratifications  of  the  present  treaty,  admit  Spanish  ships  and 
merchandise  to  the  ports  of  the  Philippine  Islands  on  the  same  terms  as  ships 
and  merchandise  of  the  United  States. 


APPENDICES  481 


Article  V 

The  United  States  will,  upon  the  signature  of  the  present  treaty,  send  back 
to  Spain,  at  its  own  cost,  the  Spanish  soldiers  taken  as  prisoners  of  war  on 
the  capture  of  Manila  by  the  American  forces.  The  arms  of  the  soldiers  in 
question  shall  be  restored  to  them. 

Spain  will,  upon  the  exchange  of  the  ratifications  of  the  present  treaty, 
proceed  to  evacuate  the  Philippines,  as  well  as  the  island  of  Guam,  on  terms 
similar  to  those  agreed  upon  by  the  commissioners  appointed  to  arrange  for 
the  evacuation  of  Porto  Rico  and  other  islands  in  the  West  Indies,  under  the 
protocol  of  August  12,  1898,  which  is  to  continue  in  force  till  its  provisions 
are  completely  executed. 

The  time  within  which  the  evacuation  of  the  Philippine  Islands  and  Guam 
shall  be  completed  shall  be  fixed  by  the  two  Governments.  Stands  of  colors, 
uncaptured  war  vessels,  small  arms,  guns  of  all  calibers,  with  their  carriages 
and  accessories,  powder,  ammunition,  live  stock,  and  materials  and  supplies 
of  all  kinds,  belonging  to  the  land  and  naval  forces  of  Spain  in  the  Philip- 
pines and  Guam,  remain  the  property  of  Spain.  Pieces  of  heavy  ordnance, 
exclusive  of  field  artillery,  in  the  fortifications  and  coast  defenses,  shall  re- 
main in  their  emplacements  for  the  term  of  six  months,  to  be  reckoned  from 
the  exchange  of  ratifications  of  the  treaty ;  and  the  United  States  may,  in  the 
meantime,  purchase  such  material  from  Spain,  if  a  satisfactory  agreement 
between  the  two  Governments  on  the  subject  shall  be  reached. 

Article  VI 

Spain  will,  upon  the  signature  of  the  present  treaty,  release  all  prisoners 
of  war  and  all  persons  detained  or  imprisoned  for  political  offenses  in  con- 
nection with  the  insurrections  in  Cuba  and  the  PhiHppines  and  the  war  with 
the  United  States. 

Reciprocally,  the  United  States  will  release  all  persons  made  prisoners  of 
war  by  the  American  forces  and  will  undertake  to  obtain  the  release  of  all 
Spanish  prisoners  in  the  hands  of  the  insurgents  in  Cuba  and  the  Philippines. 

The  Government  of  the  United  States  will,  at  its  own  cost,  return  to  Spain 
and  the  Government  of  Spain  will,  at  its  own  cost,  return  to  the  United 
States,  Cuba,  Porto  Rico,  and  the  Philippines,  according  to  the  situation  of 
their  respective  homes,  prisoners  released  or  caused  to  be  released  by  them, 
respectively,  under  this  article. 

Article  VII 

The  United  States  and  Spain  mutually  relinquish  all  claims  for  indemnity, 
national  and  individual,  of  every  kind,  of  either  Government  or  of  its  citizens 
or  subjects  against  the  other  Government  that  may  have  arisen  since  the  be- 
ginning of  the  late  insurrection  in  Cuba  and  prior  to  the  exchange  of  ratifica- 
tions of  the  present  treaty,  including  all  claims  for  indemnity  for  the  cost  of 
the  war. 

The  United  States  will  adjudicate  and  settle  the  claims  of  its  citizens 
against  Spain  relinquished  in  this  article. 

Article  VIII 

In  conformity  with  the  provisions  of  Articles  I.  II,  and  III  of  this  treaty, 
Spain  relinquishes  in  Cuba  and  cedes  in  Porto  Rico  and  other  islands  in  the 
West  Indies,  in  the  island  of  Guam,  and  in  the  Philippine  Archipelago,  all  the 
buildings,  wharves,  barracks,  forts,  structures,  public  highways,  and  other 
immovable  property  which,  in  conformity  with  law,  belong  to  the  public  do- 
main and  as  such  belong  to  the  Crown  of  Spain. 


482  APPENDICES 

And  it  is  hereby  declared  that  the  relinquishment  or  cession,  as  the  case 
may  be,  to  which  the  preceding  paragraph  refers,  can  not  in  any  respect  im- 
pair the  property  or  rights  which  by  law  belong  to  the  peaceful  possession  of 
property  of  all  kinds,  of  Provinces,  municipalities,  public  or  private  establish- 
ments, ecclesiastical  or  civic  bodies,  or  any  other  associations  having  legal 
capacity  to  acquire  and  possess  property  in  the  aforesaid  territories  renounced 
or  ceded,  or  of  private  individuals,  of  whatsoever  nationality  such  individuals 
may  be. 

The  aforesaid  relinquishment  or  cession,  as  the  case  may  be,  includes  all 
documents  exclusively  referring  to  the  sovereignty  relinquished  or  ceded  that 
may  exist  in  the  archives  of  the  peninsula.  Where  any  document  in  such 
archives  only  in  part  relates  to  said  sovereignty,  a  copy  of  such  part  will  be 
furnished  whenever  it  shall  be  requested.  Like  rules  shall  be  reciprocally 
observed  in  favor  of  Spain  in  respect  of  documents  in  the  archives  of  the 
islands  above  referred  to. 

In  the  aforesaid  relinquishment  or  cession,  as  the  case  may  be,  are  also 
included  such  rights  as  the  Crown  of  Spain  and  its  authorities  possess  in 
respect  of  the  official  archives  and  records,  executive  as  well  as  judicial,  in 
the  islands  above  referred  to,  which  relate  to  said  islands  or  the  rights  and 
property  of  their  inhabitants.  Such  archives  and  records  shall  be  carefully 
preserved,  and  private  persons  shall  without  distinction  have  the  right  to  re- 
quire, in  accordance  with  law,  authenticated  copies  of  the  contracts,  wills, 
and  other  instruments  forming  part  of  notarial  protocols  or  files,  or  which 
may  be  contained  in  the  executive  or  judicial  archives,  be  the  latter  in  Spain 
or  in  the  islands  aforesaid. 

Article  IX 

Spanish  subjects,  natives  of  the  peninsula,  residing  in  the  territory  over 
which  Spain  by  the  present  treaty  relinquishes  or  cedes  her  sovereignty,  may 
remain  in  such  territory  or  may  remove  therefrom,  retaining  in  either  event 
all  their  rights  of  property,  including  the  right  to  sell  or  dispose  of  such  prop- 
erty or  of  its  proceeds,  and  they  shall  also  have  the  right  to  carry  on  their 
industry,  commerce,  and  professions,  being  subject  in  respect  thereof  to  such 
laws  as  are  applicable  to  other  foreigners.  In  case  they  remain  in  the  terri- 
tory they  may  preserve  their  allegiance  to  the  Crown  of  Spain  by  making, 
before  a  court  of  record,  within  a  year  from  the  date  of  the  exchange  of 
ratifications  of  this  treaty,  a  declaration  of  their  decision  to  preserve  such 
allegiance;  in  default  of  which  declaration  they  shall  be  held  to  have  re- 
nounced it  and  to  have  adopted  the  nationality  of  the  territory  in  which  they 
may  reside. 

The  civil  rights  and  political  status  of  the  native  inhabitants  of  the  terri- 
tories hereby  ceded  to  the  United  States  shall  be  determined  by  the  Congress. 

Article  X 

The  inhabitants  of  the  territories  over  which  Spain  relinquishes  or  cedes 
her  sovereignty  shall  be  secured  in  the  free  exercise  of  their  religion. 

Article  XI 

The  Spaniards  residing  in  the  territories  over  which  Spain  by  this  treaty 
cedes  or  relinquishes  her  sovereignty  shall  be  subject  in  matters  civil  as  well 
as  criminal  to  the  jurisdiction  of  the  courts  of  the  country  wherein  they  re- 
side, pursuant  to  the  ordinary  laws  governing  the  same ;  and  they  shall  have 
the  right  to  appear  before  such  courts,  and  to  pursue  the  same  course  as  citi- 
zens of  the  country  to  which  the  courts  belong. 


APPENDICES  483 


Article  XII 

Judicial  proceedings  pending  at  the  time  of  the  exchange  of  ratifications 
of  this  treaty  in  the  territories  over  which  Spain  rehnquishes  or  cedes  her 
sovereignty  shall  be  determined  according  to  the  following  rules : 

1.  Judgments  rendered  either  in  civil  suits  between  private  individuals, 
or  in  criminal  matters,  before  the  date  mentioned,  and  with  respect  to  which 
there  is  no  recourse  or  right  of  review  under  the  Spanish  law,  shall  be 
deemed  to  be  final,  and  shall  be  executed  in  due  form  by  competent  authority 
in  the  territory  within  which  such  judgments  should  be  carried  out. 

2.  Civil  suits  between  private  individuals  which  may  on  the  date  men- 
tioned be  undetermined  shall  be  prosecuted  to  judgment  before  the  court  in 
which  they  may  then  be  pending  or  in  the  court  that  may  be  substituted 
therefor. 

3.  Criminal  actions  pending  on  the  date  mentioned  before  the  supreme 
court  of  Spain  against  citizens  of  the  territory  which  by  this  treaty  ceases  to 
be  Spanish  shall  continue  under  its  jurisdiction  until  final  judgment;  but, 
such  judgment  having  been  rendered,  the  execution  thereof  shall  be  com- 
mitted to  the  competent  authority  of  the  place  in  which  the  case  arose. 

Article  XIII 

The  rights  of  property  secured  by  copyrights  and  patents  acquired  by 
Spaniards  in  the  island  of  Cuba  and  in  Porto  Rico,  the  Philippines,  and  other 
ceded  territories,  at  the  time  of  the  exchange  of  the  ratifications  of  this 
treaty,  shall  continue  to  be  respected.  Spanish  scientific,  literary,  and  artistic 
works,  not  subversive  of  public  order  in  the  territories  in  question,  shall 
continue  to  be  admitted  free  of  duty  into  such  territories  for  the  period  of 
ten  years,  to  be  reckoned  from  the  date  of  the  exchange  of  the  ratifications 
of  this  treaty. 

Article  XIV 

Spain  will  have  the  power  to  establish  consular  officers  in  the  ports  and 
places  of  the  territories,  the  sovereignty  over  which  has  been  either  relin- 
quished or  ceded  by  the  present  treaty. 

Article  XV 

The  Government  of  each  country  will,  for  the  term  of  ten  years,  accord  to 
the  merchant  vessels  of  the  other  country  the  same  treatment  in  respect  of 
all  port  charges,  including  entrance  and  clearance  dues,  light  dues,  and  ton- 
nage duties,  as  it  accords  to  its  own  merchant  vessels  not  engaged  in  the 
coastwise  trade. 

This  article  may  at  any  time  be  terminated  on  six  months*  notice  given  by 
either  Government  to  the  other. 

Article  XVI 

It  is  understood  that  any  obligations  assumed  in  this  treaty  by  the  United 
States  with  respect  to  Cuba  are  limited  to  the  time  of  its  occupancy  thereof ; 
but  it  will  upon  the  termination  of  such  occupancy,  advise  any  Government 
estabhshed  in  the  island  to  assume  the  same  obligations. 

Article  XVII 

The  present  treaty  shall  be  ratified  by  the  President  of  the  United  States, 
by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate  thereof,  and  by  Her 
Majesty  the  Queen  Regent  of  Spain;  and  the  ratifications  shall  be  exchanged 
at  Washington  within  six  months  from  the  date  hereof,  or  earlier  if  possible. 


484  APPENDICES 

In   faith  whereof,  we,  the  respective   Plenipotentiaries,  have  signed  this 

treaty  and  have  hereunto  affixed  our  seals. 

Done  in  duplicate  at  Paris,  the  tenth  day  of  December,  in  the  year  of  our 

Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  ninety-eight. 

[seal]     William  R.  Day, 
[seal]     Cushman  K.  Davis, 
[seal]     William  P.  Frye, 
[seal]     Geo.  Gray, 
[seal]     Whitelaw  Reid, 
[seal]     Eugenio  Montero  Rios, 
[seal]     B.  de  Abarzuza, 

[seal]       J.   DE   GaRNICA, 

[seal]     W.  R.  DE  Villa  Urrutia, 
[seal]     Rafael  Cereeo. 


APPENDIX  B 

INSTRUCTIONS  OF  THE  PRESIDENT  TO  THE  SCHURMAN 
COMMISSION 

Department  of  State, 
Washington,  January  21.  1899. 
My  Dear  Sir  :    I  inclose  herewith  a  copy  of  the  instructions  which  the 
President  has  drawn  up,  for  the  guidance  of  yourself  and  your  associates  as 
commissioners  to  the  Philippines. 

I  am,  with  great  respect,  sincerely  yours, 

Hon.  Jacob  G.  Schurman,  J°=n  Hay. 

The  Arlington. 


Executive  Mansion, 
Washington,  January  20,  1899, 
The  Secretary  of  State  : 

My  communication  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  dated  December  21,  1898,  de- 
clares the  necessity  of  extending  the  actual  occupation  and  administration  of 
the  city,  harbor,  and  bay  of  Manila  to  the  whole  of  the  territory  which  by  the 
treaty  of  Paris,  signed  on  December  10,  1898,  passed  from  the  sovereignty  of 
Spain  to  the  sovereignty  of  the  United  States,  and  the  consequent  establish- 
ment of  military  government  throughout  the  entire  group  of  the  Philippine 
Islands.  While  the  treaty  has  not  yet  been  ratified,  it  is  believed  that  it  will 
be  by  the  time  of  the  arrival  at  Manila  of  the  commissioners  named  below. 
In  order  to  facilitate  the  most  humane,  pacific,  and  effective  extension  of 
authority  throughout  these  islands,  and  to  secure,  with  the  least  possible  delay, 
the  benefits  of  a  wise  and  generous  protection  of  life  and  property  to  the 
inhabitants,  I  have  named  Jacob  G.  Schurman,  Rear-Admiral  George  Dewey, 
Major-General  Elwell  S.  Otis,  Charles  Denby,  and  Dean  C.  Worcester  to 
constitution  a  commission  to  aid  in  the  accompHshment  of  these  results. 

In  the  performance  of  this  duty,  the  commissioners  are  enjoined  to  meet 
at  the  earliest  possible  day  in  the  city  of  Manila  and  to  announce,  by  a  public 
proclamation,  their  presence  and  the  mission  intrusted  to  them,  carefully  set- 
ting forth  that,  while  the  military  government  already  proclaimed  is  to  be 
maintained  and  continued  so  long  as  necessity  may  require,  efforts  will  be 
made  to  alleviate  the  burden  of  taxation,  to  estabhsh  industrial  and  commer- 


APPENDICES  485 

cial  prosperity,  and  to  provide  for  the  safety  of  persons  and  of  property  by 
such  means  as  may  be  found  conducive  to  these  ends. 

The  commissioners  will  endeavor,  v/ithout  interference  with  the  military 
authorities  of  the  United  States  now  in  control  of  the  Philippines,  to  ascertain 
what  amelioration  in  the  condition  of  the  inhabitants  and  what  improvements 
in  public  order  may  be  practicable,  and  for  this  purpose  they  will  study  at- 
tentively the  existing  social  and  political  state  of  the  various  populations, 
particularly  as  regards  the  forms  of  local  government,  the  administration  of 
justice,  the  collection  of  customs  and  other  taxes,  the  means  of  transportation, 
and  the  need  of  public  improvements.  They  will  report  through  the  Depart- 
ment of  State,  according  to  the  forms  customary  or  hereafter  prescribed  for 
transmitting  and  preserving  such  communications,  the  results  of  their  ob- 
servations and  reflections,  and  will  recommend  such  executive  action  as  may 
from  time  to  time  seem  to  them  wise  and  useful. 

The  commissioners  are  hereby  authorized  to  confer  authoritatively  with 
any  persons  resident  in  the  islands  from  whom  they  may  believe  themselves 
able  to  derive  information  or  suggestions  valuable  for  the  purposes  of  their 
commission,  or  whom  they  may  choose  to  employ  as  agents,  as  may  be  neces- 
sary for  this  purpose. 

The  temporary  government  of  the  islands  is  intrusted  to  the  military  au- 
thorities, as  already  provided  for  by  my  instructions  to  the  Secretary  of  War  of 
December  21,  1898,  and  will  continue  until  Congress  shall  determine  otherwise. 
The  commission  may  render  valuable  services  by  examining  with  special  care 
the  legislative  needs  of  the  various  groups  of  inhabitants,  and  by  reporting, 
with  recommendations,  the  measures  which  should  be  instituted  for  the  main- 
tenance of  order,  peace,  and  public  welfare,  either  as  temporary  steps  to  be 
taken  immediately  for  the  perfection  of  present  administration,  or  as  sugges- 
tions for  future  legislation. 

In  so  far  as  immediate  personal  changes  in  the  civil  administration  may 
seem  to  be  advisable,  the  commissioners  are  empowered  to  recommend  suit- 
able persons  for  appointment  to  these  offices  from  among  the  inhabitants  of 
the  islands  who  have  previously  acknowledged  their  allegiance  to  this  Govern- 
ment. 

It  is  my  desire  that  in  all  their  relations  with  the  inhabitants  of  the  islands 
the  commissioners  exercise  due  respect  for  all  the  ideals,  customs,  and  institu- 
tions of  the  tribes  which  compose  the  population,  emphasizing  upon  all  occa- 
sions the  just  and  beneficent  intentions  of  the  Government  of  the  United 
States.  It  is  also  my  wish  and  expectation  that  the  commissioners  may  be 
received  in  a  manner  due  to  the  honored  and  authorized  representatives  of 
the  American  Republic,  duly  commissioned  on  account  of  their  knowledge, 
skill,  and  integrity  as  bearers  of  the  good  will,  the  protection,  and  the  richest 
blessings  of  a  liberating  rather  than  a  conquering  nation. 

William  McKinley 

APPENDIX  C 

INSTRUCTIONS  OF  THE  PRESIDENT  TO  THE 
TAFT  COMMISSION 

,-,      f,  „,  Executive  Mansion,  April  7,  1900. 

The  Secretary  of  War, 

Washington. 

Sir:    In  the  message  transmitted  to  the  Congress  on  the  5th  of  December, 

1899,  I  said,  speaking  of  the  Philippine  Islands  :    "As  long  as  the  insurrection 

continues   the   military  arm  must  necessarily  be   supreme.     But  there   is   no 

reason  why  steps  should  not  be  taken  from  time  to  time  to  inaugurate  govern- 


486  APPENDICES 

ments  essentially  popular  in  their  form  as  fast  as  territory  is  held  and  con- 
trolled by  our  troops.  To  this  end  I  am  considering  the  advisability  of  the 
return  of  the  commission,  or  such  of  the  members  thereof  as  can  be  secured, 
to  aid  the  existing  authorities  and  facilitate  this  work  throughout  the  islands." 

To  give  effect  to  the  intention  thus  expressed  I  have  appointed  Hon.  Will- 
iam H.  Taft  of  Ohio ;  Prof.  Dean  C.  Worcester,  of  Michigan ;  Hon.  Luke 
E.  Wright,  of  Tennessee ;  Hon.  Henry  C.  Ide,  of  Vermont,  and  Prof.  Bernard 
Moses,  of  California,  commissioners  to  the  Philippine  Islands  to  continue  and 
perfect  the  work  of  organizing  and  establishing  civil  government  already 
commenced  by  the  military  authorities,  subject  in  all  respects  to  any  laws 
which  Congress  may  hereafter  enact. 

The  commissioners  named  will  meet  and  act  as  a  board,  and  the  Hon. 
William  H.  Taft  is  designated  as  president  of  the  board.  It  is  probable  that 
the  transfer  of  authority  from  military  commanders  to  civil  officers  will  be 
gradual  and  will  occupy  a  considerable  period.  Its  successful  accomplishment 
and  the  maintenance  of  peace  and  order  in  the  meantime  will  require  the  most 
perfect  cooperation  between  the  civil  and  military  authorities  in  the  island, 
and  both  should  be  directed  during  the  transition  period  by  the  same  Execu- 
tive Department.^  The  commission  will  therefore  report  to  the  Secretary  of 
War,  and  all  their  action  will  be  subject  to  your  approval  and  control. 

You  will  instruct  the  commission  to  proceed  to  the  city  of  Manila,  where 
they  will  make  their  principal  office,  and  to  communicate  with  the  military 
governor  of  the  Philippine  Islands,  whom  you  will  at  the  same  time  direct  to 
render  them  every  assistance  within  his  power  in  the  performance  of  their 
duties.  Without  hampering  them  by  too  specific  instructions,  they  should  in 
general  be  enjoined,  after  making  themselves  familiar  with  the  conditions 
and  needs  of  the  country,  to  devote  their  attention  in  the  first  instance  to  the 
establishment  of  municipal  governments,  in  which  the  natives  of  the  islands, 
both  in  the  cities  and  in  the  rural  communities,  shall  be  afforded  the  oppor- 
tunity to  manage  their  own  local  affairs  to  the  fullest  extent  of  which  they 
are  capable,  and  subject  to  the  least  degree  of  supervision  and  control  which 
a  careful  study  of  their  capacities  and  observation  of  the  workings  of  native 
control  show  to  be  consistent  with  the  maintenance  of  law,  order,  and  loyalty. 

The  next  subject  in  order  of  importance  should  be  the  organization  of 
government  in  the  larger  administrative  divisions  corresponding  to  counties, 
departments,  or  provinces,  in  which  the  common  interests  of  many  or  several 
municipalities  falling  within  the  same  tribal  lines,  or  the  same  natural  geo- 
graphical limits,  may  best  be  subserved  by  a  common  administration.  When- 
ever the  commission  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  condition  of  affairs  in  the 
islands  is  such  that  the  central  administration  may  safely  be  transferred  from 
military  to  civil  control,  they  will  report  that  conclusion  to  you,  with  their 
recommendations  as  to  the  form  of  central  government  to  be  established  for 
the  purpose  of  taking  over  the  control. 

Beginning  with  the  1st  day  of  September,  1900,  the  authority  to  exercise, 
subject  to  my  approval,  through  the  Secretary  of  War,  that  part  of  the  power 
of  government  in  the  Philippine  Islands  which  is  of  a  legislative  nature  is  to 
be  transferred  from  the  military  governor  of  the  islands  to  this  commission, 
to  be  thereafter  exercised  by  them  in  the  place  and  stead  of  the  military  gov- 
ernor, under  such  rules  and  regulations  as  you  shall  prescribe,  until  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  civil  central  government  for  the  islands  contemplated  in  the 
last  foregoing  paragraph,  or  until  Congress  shall  otherwise  provide.  Exer- 
cise of  this  legislative  authority  will  include  the  making  of  rules  and  orders, 
having  the  effect  of  law,  for  the  raising  of  revenue  by  taxes,  customs  duties, 
and  imposts;  the  appropriation  and  expenditure  of  public  funds  of  the 
islands ;  the  establishment  of  an  educational  system  throughout  the  islands ; 
the  establishment  of  a  system  to  secure  an  efficient  civil  service ;  the  organiza- 
tion  and   establishtaent  of   courts;   the   organization   and   establishment   of 


APPENDICES  487 

municipal  and  departmental  governments,  and  all  other  matters  of  a  civil  na- 
ture for  which  the  military  governor  is  now  competent  to  provide  by  rules  or 
orders  of  a  legislative  character. 

The  commission  will  also  have  power  during  the  same  period  to  appoint 
to  office  such  officers  under  the  judicial,  educational,  and  civil-service  systems 
and  in  the  municipal  and  departmental  governments  as  shall  be  provided  for. 
Until  the  complete  transfer  of  control  the  military  governor  will  remain  the 
chief  executive  head  of  the  government  of  the  islands,  and  will  exercise  the 
executive  authority  now  possessed  by  him  and  not  herein  expressly  assigned 
to  the  commission,  subject,  however,  to  the  rules  and  orders  enacted  by  the 
commission  in  the  exercise  of  the  legislative  powers  conferred  upon  them. 
In  the  meantime  the  municipal  and  departmental  governments  will  continue 
to  report  to  the  military  governor  and  be  subject  to  his  administrative  super- 
vision and  control,  under  your  direction,  but  that  supervision  and  control  will 
be  confined  within  the  narrowest  limits  consistent  with  the  requirements  that 
the  powers  of  government  in  the  municipalities  and  departments  shall  be 
honestly  and  effectively  exercised  and  that  law  and  order  and  individual  free- 
dom shall  be  maintained. 

All  legislative  rules  and  orders,  establishments  of  government,  and  ap- 
pointments to  office  by  the  commission  will  take  effect  immediately,  or  at  such 
times  as  they  shall  designate,  subject  to  your  approval  and  action  upon  the 
coming  in  of  the  commission's  reports,  which  are  to  be  made  from  time  to 
time  as  their  action  is  taken.  Wherever  civil  governments  are  constituted 
under  the  direction  of  the  commission,  such  military  posts,  garrisons,  and 
forces  will  be  continued  for  the  suppression  of  insurrection  and  brigandage, 
and  the  maintenance  of  law  and  order,  as  the  military  commander  shall  deem 
requisite,  and  the  military  forces  shall  be  at  all  times  subject  under  his  orders 
to  the  call  of  the  civil  authorities  for  the  maintenance  of  law  and  order  and 
the  enforcement  of  their  authority. 

In  the  establishment  of  municipal  governments  the  commission  will  take 
as  the  basis  of  their  work  the  governments  established  by  the  military  gov- 
ernor under  his  order  of  August  8,  1899,  and  under  the  report  of  the  board 
constituted  by  the  military  governor  by  his  order  of  January  29,  1900,  to  for- 
mulate and  report  a  plan  of  municipal  government,  of  which  his  honor 
Cayetano  Arellano,  president  of  the  audiencia,  was  chairman,  and  they  will 
give  to  the  conclusions  of  that  board  the  weight  and  consideration  which  the 
high  character  and  distinguished  abilities  of  its  members  justify. 

In  the  constitution  of  departmental  or  provincial  governments,  they  will 
give  especial  attention  to  the  existing  government  of  the  island  of  Negros, 
constituted,  with  the  approval  of  the  people  of  that  island,  under  the  order  of 
the  military  governor  of  July  22,  1899,  and  after  verifying,  so  far  as  may  be 
practicable,  the  reports  of  the  successful  working  of  that  government,  they 
will  be  guided  by  the  experience  thus  acquired,  so  far  as  it  may  be  applicable 
to  the  condition  existing  in  other  portions  of  the  Philippines.  They  will  avail 
themselves,  to  the  fullest  degree  practicable,  of  the  conclusions  reached  by 
the  previous  commission  to  the  Philippines. 

In  the  distribution  of  powers  among  the  governments  organized  by  the 
commission,  the  presumption  is  always  to  be  in  favor  of  the  smaller  sub- 
division, so  that  all  the  powers  which  can  properly  be  exercised  by  the  mu- 
nicipal government  shall  be  vested  in  that  government,  and  all  the  powers  of 
a  more  general  character  which  can  be  exercised  by  the  departmental  govern- 
ment shall  be  vested  in  that  government,  and  so  that  in  the  governmental 
system,  which  is  the  result  of  the  process,  the  central  government  of  the 
islands,  following  the  example  of  the  distribution  of  the  powers  between  the 
States  and  the  National  Government  of  the  United  States,  shall  have  no  direct 
administration  except  of  matters  of  purely  general  concern,  and  shall  have 
only  such  supervision  and  control  over  local  governments  as  may  be  neces- 


488  APPENDICES 

sary  to  secure  and  enforce  faithful  and  efficient  administration  by  local 
officers. 

The  many  different  degrees  of  civilization  and  varieties  of  custom  and 
capacity  among  the  people  of  the  different  islands  preclude  very  definite  in- 
struction as  to  the  part  which  the  people  shall  take  in  the  selection  of  their 
own  officers  ;  but  these  general  rules  are  to  be  observed :  That  in  all  cases  the 
municipal  officers,  who  administer  the  local  affairs  of  the  people,  are  to  be 
selected  by  the  people,  and  that  wherever  officers  of  more  extended  jurisdic- 
tion are  to  be  selected  in  any  way,  natives  of  the  islands  are  to  be  preferred, 
and  if  they  can  be  found  competent  and  willing  to  perform  the  duties,  they 
are  to  receive  the  offices  in  preference  to  any  others. 

It  will  be  necessary  to  fill  some  offices  for  the  present  with  Americans 
which  after  a  time  may  well  be  filled  by  natives  of  the  islands.  As  soon  as 
practicable  a  system  for  ascertaining  the  merit  and  fitness  of  candidates  for 
civil  office  should  be  put  in  force.  An  indispensable  qualification  for  all 
offices  and  positions  of  trust  and  authority  in  the  islands  must  be  absolute 
and  unconditional  loyalty  to  the  United  States,  and  absolute  and  unhampered 
authority  and  power  to  remove  and  punish  any  officer  deviating  from  that 
standard  must  at  all  times  be  retained  in  the  hands  of  the  central  authority  of 
the  islands. 

In  all  the  forms  of  government  and  administrative  provisions  which  they 
are  authorized  to  prescribe,  the  commission  should  bear  in  mind  that  the 
government  which  they  are  establishing  is  designed  not  for  our  satisfaction, 
or  for  the  expression  of  our  theoretical  views,  but  for  the  happiness,  peace, 
and  prosperity  of  the  people  of  the  Philippine  Islands,  and  the  measures 
adopted  should  be  made  to  conform  to  their  customs,  their  habits,  and  even 
their  prejudices,  to  the  fullest  extent  consistent  with  the  accomplishment  of 
the  indispensable  requisites  of  just  and  effective  government. 

At  the  same  time  the  commission  should  bear  in  mind,  and  the  people  of 
the  islands  should  be  made  plainly  to  understand,  that  there  are  certain  great 
principles  of  government  which  have  been  made  the  basis  of  our  govern- 
mental system  which  we  deem  essential  to  the  rule  of  law  and  the  mainte- 
nance of  individual  freedom,  and  of  which  they  have,  unfortunately,  been 
denied  the  experience  possessed  by  us ;  that  there  are  also  certain  practical 
rules  of  government  which  we  have  found  to  be  essential  to  the  preservation 
of  these  great  principles  of  liberty  and  law,  and  that  these  principles  and 
these  rules  of  government  must  be  established  and  maintained  in  their  islands 
for  the  sake  of  their  liberty  and  happiness,  however  much  they  may  conflict 
with  the  customs  or  laws  of  procedure  with  which  they  are  familiar. 

It  is  evident  that  the  most  enlightened  thought  of  the  Philippine  Islands 
fully  appreciates  the  importance  of  these  principles  and  rules,  and  they  will 
inevitably  within  a  short  time  command  universal  assent.  Upon  every  division 
and  branch  of  the  government  of  the  Philippines,  therefore,  must  be  imposed 
these  inviolable  rules : 

That  no  person  shall  be  deprived  of  life,  liberty,  or  property  without  due 
process  of  law ;  that  private  property  shall  not  be  taken  for  public  use  with- 
out just  compensation;  that  in  all  criminal  prosecutions  the  accused  shall 
enjoy  the  right  to  a  speedy  and  public  trial,  to  be  informed  of  the  nature  and 
cause  of  the  accusation,  to  be  confronted  with  the  witnesses  against  him,  to 
have  compulsory  process  for  obtaining  witnesses  in  his  favor,  and  to  have 
the  assistance  of  counsel  for  his  defense;  that  excessive  bail  shall  not  be  re- 
quired, nor  excessive  fines  imposed,  nor  cruel  and  unusual  punishment  in- 
flicted;  that  no  person  shall  be  put  twice  in  jeopardy  for  the  same  offense,  or 
be  compelled  in  any  criminal  case  to  be  a  witness  against  himself ;  that  the 
right  to  be  secure  against  unreasonable  searches  and  seizures  shall  not  be 
violated ;  that  neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude  shall  exist  except  as 
a  punishment  for  crime;  that  no  bill  of  attainder,  or  ex-post-facto  law  shall 


APPENDICES  489 

be  passed ;  that  no  law  shall  be  passed  abridging  the  freedom  of  speech  or  of 
the  press,  or  the  rights  of  the  people  to  peaceably  assemble  and  petition  the 
Government  for  a  redress  of  grievances ;  that  no  law  shall  be  made  respect- 
ing an  establishment  of  religion,  or  prohibiting  the  free  exercise  thereof,  and 
that  the  free  exercise  and  enjoyment  of  religious  profession  and  worship 
without  discrimination  or  preference  shall  forever  be  allowed. 

It  will  be  the  duty  of  the  commission  to  make  a  thorough  investigation 
into  the  titles  to  the  large  tracts  of  land  held  or  claimed  by  individuals  or  by 
religious  orders;  into  the  justice  of  the  claims  and  complaints  made  against 
such  landholders  by  the  people  of  the  island  or  any  part  of  the  people,  and 
to  seek  by  wise  and  peaceable  measures  a  just  settlement  of  the  controversies 
and  redress  of  wrongs  which  have  caused  strife  and  bloodshed  in  the  past. 
In  the  performance  of  this  duty  the  commission  is  enjoined  to  see  that  no 
injustice  is  done;  to  have  regard  for  substantial  rights  and  equity,  disregard- 
ing technicalities  so  far  as  substantial  right  permits,  and  to  observe  the  fol- 
lowing rules : 

That  the  provision  of  the  Treaty  of  Paris,  pledging  the  United  States  to 
the  protection  of  all  rights  of  property  in  the  islands,  and  as  well  the  prin- 
ciple of  our  own  Government  which  prohibits  the  taking  of  private  property 
without  due  process  of  law,  shall  not  be  violated;  that  the  welfare  of  the 
people  of  the  islands,  which  should  be  a  paramount  consideration,  shall  be 
attained  consistently  with  this  rule  of  property  right ;  that  if  it  becomes  neces- 
sary for  the  public  interest  of  the  people  of  the  islands  to  dispose  of  claims 
to  property  which  the  commission  finds  to  be  not  lawfully  acquired  and  held 
disposition  shall  be  made  thereof  by  due  legal  procedure,  in  which  there  shall 
be  full  opportunity  for  fair  and  impartial  hearing  and  judgment;  that  if  the 
same  public  interests  require  the  extinguishment  of  property  rights  lawfully 
acquired  and  held  due  compensation  shall  be  made  out  of  the  public  treasury 
therefor ;  that  no  form  of  religion  and  no  minister  of  religion  shall  be  forced 
upon  any  community  or  upon  any  citizen  of  the  islands ;  that  upon  the  other 
hand  no  minister  of  religion  shall  be  interfered  with  or  molested  in  following 
his  calling,  and  that  the  separation  between  state  and  church  shall  be  real, 
entire,  and  absolute. 

It  will  be  the  duty  of  the  commission  to  promote  and  extend,  and,  as  they 
find  occasion,  to  improve,  the  system  of  education  already  inaugurated  by  the 
military  authorities.  In  doing  this  they  should  regard  as  of  first  importance 
the  extension  of  a  system  of  primary  education  which  shall  be  free  to  all,  and 
which  shall  tend  to  fit  the  people  for  the  duties  of  citizenship  and  for  the 
ordinary  avocations  of  a  civilized  community.  This  instruction  should  be 
given  in  the  first  instance  in  every  part  of  the  islands  in  the  language  of  the 
people.  In  view  of  the  great  number  of  languages  spoken  by  the  different 
tribes,  it  is  especially  important  to  the  prosperity  of  the  islands  that  a  com- 
mon medium  of  communication  may  be  established,  and  it  is  obviously  de- 
sirable that  this  medium  should  be  the  English  language.  Especial  attention 
should  be  at  once  given  to  affording  full  opportunity  to  all  the  people  of  the 
islands  to  acquire  the  use  of  the  English  language. 

It  may  be  well  that  the  main  changes  which  should  be  made  in  the  system 
of  taxation  and  in  the  body  of  the  laws  under  which  the  people  are  governed, 
except  such  changes  as  have  already  been  made  by  the  military  government, 
should  be  relegated  to  the  civil  government  which  is  to  be  established  under 
the  auspices  of  the  commission.  It  will,  however,  be  the  duty  of  the  com- 
mission to  inquire  diligently  as  to  whether  there  are  any  further  changes 
which  ought  not  be  delayed;  and  if  so,  they  are  authorized  to  make  such 
changes,  subject  to  your  approval.  In  doing  so  they  are  to  bear  in  mind  that 
taxes  which  tend  to  penalize  or  repress  industry  and  enterprise  are  to  be 
avoided;  that  provisions  for  taxation  should  be  simple,  so  that  they  may  be 


490  APPENDICES 

understood  by  the  people;  that  they  should  affect  the  fewest  practicable  sub- 
jects of  taxation  which  will  serve  for  the  general  distribution  of  the  burden. 

The  main  body  of  the  laws  which  regulate  the  rights  and  obligations  of 
the  people  should  be  maintained  with  as  little  interference  as  possible. 
Changes  made  should  be  mainly  in  procedure,  and  in  the  criminal  laws  to 
secure  speedy  and  impartial  trials,  and  at  the  same  time  effective  administra- 
tion and  respect  for  individual  rights. 

In  dealing  with  the  uncivilized  tribes  of  the  islands  the  commission  should 
adopt  the  same  course  followed  by  Congress  in  permitting  the  tribes  of  our 
North  American  Indians  to  maintain  their  tribal  organization  and  govern- 
ment, and  under  which  many  of  those  tribes  are  now  living  in  peace  and  con- 
tentment, surrounded  by  a  civilization  to  which  they  are  unable  or  unwilling 
to  conform.  Such  tribal  governments  should,  however,  be  subjected  to  wise 
and  firm  regulation ;  and,  without  undue  or  petty  interference,  constant  and 
active  effort  should  be  exercised  to  prevent  barbarous  practices  and  introduce 
civilized  customs. 

Upon  all  officers  and  employes  of  the  United  States,  both  civil  and  mili- 
tary, should  be  impressed  a  sense  of  the  duty  to  observe  not  merely  the 
material  but  the  personal  and  social  rights  of  the  people  of  the  islands,  and 
to  treat  them  with  the  same  courtesy  and  respect  for  their  personal  dignity 
which  the  people  of  the  United  States  are  accustomed  to  require  from  each 
other. 

The  articles  of  capitulation  of  the  city  of  Manila  on  the  13th  of  August, 
1898,  concluded  with  these  words : 

"This  city,  its  inhabitants,  its  churches  and  religious  worship,  its  educa- 
tional establishments,  and  its  private  property  of  all  descriptions,  are  placed 
under  the  special  safeguard  of  the  faith  and  honor  of  the  American  army." 

I  believe  that  this  pledge  has  been  faithfully  kept.  As  high  and  sacred  an 
obligation  rests  upon  the  Government  of  the  United  States  to  give  protection 
for  property  and  life,  civil  and  religious  freedom,  and  wise,  firm,  and  un- 
selfish guidance  in  the  paths  of  peace  and  prosperity  to  all  the  people  of  the 
Philippine  Islands.  I  charge  this  commission  to  labor  for  the  full  perforrn- 
ance  of  this  obligation,  which  concerns  the  honor  and  conscience  of  their 
country,  in  the  firm  hope  that  through  their  labors  all  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Philippine  Islands  may  come  to  look  back  with  gratitude  to  the  day  when 
God  gave  victory  to  American  arms  at  Manila  and  set  their  land  under  the 
sovereignty  and  the  protection  of  the  people  of  the  United  States. 

William  McKinley. 

APPENDIX  D 
AGUINALDO'S   PROCLAMATION  ON  HIS  ARRIVAL  AT   CAVITE 

My  Beloved  Countrymen  :  I  accepted  the  agreement  of  peace  proposed 
by  Don  Pedro  A.  Paterno  after  his  consultation  with  the  Captain-General  of 
the  islands  (Philippines),  agreeing  in  consequence  thereof  to  surrender  our 
arms  and  disband  the  troops  under  my  immediate  command  under  certain 
conditions,  as  I  believed  it  more  advantageous  for  the  country  than  to  sustain 
the  insurrection,  for  which  I  had  but  hmited  resources,  but  as  some  of  the 
said  conditions  were  not  complied  with,  some  of  the  bands  are  discontented 
and  have  not  surrendered  their  arms.  Five  months  have  elapsed  without  the 
inauguration  of  any  of  the  reforms  which  I  asked  in  order  to  place  our 
country  on  a  level  with  civilized  people — for  instance,  our  neighbor,  Japan, 
which  in  the  short  space  of  twenty  years  has  reached  a  point  where  she  has 
no  reason  to  envy  any  one,  her  strength  and  ascendency  being  shown  in  the 
last  war  with  China.    I  see  the  impotence  of  the  Spanish  Government  to  con- 


APPENDICES  491 

tend  with  certain  elements  which  oppose  constant  obstacles  to  the  progress  of 
the  country  itself  and  whose  destructive  influence  has  been  one  of  the  causes 
of  the  uprising  of  the  masses,  and  as  the  great  and  powerful  North  American 
nation  has  offered  its  disinterested  protection  to  secure  the  liberty  of  this 
country,  I  again  assume  command  of  all  the  troops  in  the  struggle  for  the 
attainment  of  our  lofty  aspirations,  inaugurating  a  dictatorial  government  to 
be  administered  by  decrees  promulgated  under  my  sole  responsibility  and 
with  the  advice  of  distinguished  persons  until  the  time  when  these  islands, 
being  under  our  complete  control,  may  form  a  constitutional  republican  as- 
sembly and  appoint  a  president  and  cabinet,  into  whose  hands  I  shall  then 
resign  the  command  of  the  islands. 

Given  at  Cavite,  May  24,  1898.  Emiuo  Aguinaldo. 

APPENDIX  E 

AGUINALDO'S  PROCLAMATION  OF  JUNE  18,  1898,  ESTABLISHING 
THE  DICTATORIAL  GOVERNMENT^ 

To  the  Philippine  Public : 

Circumstances  have  providentially  placed  me  in  a  position  for  which  I  can 
not  fail  to  recognize  that  I  am  not  properly  quahfied ;  but  since  I  can  not 
violate  the  laws  of  Providence  nor  dechne  the  obHgations  which  honor  and 
patriotism  impose  upon  me,  I  now  salute  you,  oh,  my  beloved  people. 

I  have  proclaimed  in  the  face  of  the  whole  world  that  the  aspiration  of 
my  whole  life,  the  final  object  of  all  my  efforts  and  strength,  is  nothing  else 
but  your  independence,  for  I  am  firmly  convinced  that  that  constitutes  your 
constant  desire,  and  that  independence  signifies  for  us  redemption  from 
slavery  and  tyranny,  regaining  our  liberty  and  entrance  into  the  concert  of 
civilized  nations. 

I  understand,  on  the  other  hand,  that  the  first  duty  of  every  government 
is  to  faithfully  interpret  popular  aspirations;  with  this  motive,  although  the 
abnormal  circumstances  of  the  war  have  compelled  me  to  institute  this  dic- 
tatorial government  which  assumes  full  powers,  both  civil  and  military,  my 
constant  desire  is  to  surround  myself  with  the  most  distinguished  persons  of 
each  province,  those  that  by  their  conduct  deserve  the  confidence  of  their 
province,  to  the  end  that  the  true  necessities  of  each  being  known  by  them, 
measures  may  be  adopted  to  meet  those  necessities  and  apply  the  remedies  in 
accordance  with  the  desires  of  all. 

I  understand,  moreover,  the  urgent  necessity  of  establishing  in  each  town 
a  solid  and  robust  organization,  the  strongest  bulwark  of  public  security  and 
the  sole  means  of  securing  that  union  and  discipline  which  are  indispensable 
for  the  establishment  of  the  republic,  that  is,  government  of  the  people  for 
the  people,  and  warding  off  the  international  conflicts  which  may  arise. 

Following  out  the  foregoing  considerations,  I  decree  as  follows : 

Article  I.  The  inhabitants  of  every  town  where  the  forces  of  the  Spanish 
Government  still  remain  will  decide  upon  the  most  efficacious  measures  to 
combat  and  destroy  them,  according  to  the  resources  and  means  at  their  dis- 
posal, according  to  prisoners  of  war  the  treatment  most  conformable  to 
humanitarian  sentiments  and  to  the  customs  observed  by  civilized  nations. 

Art.  II.  As  soon  as  the  town  is  freed  from  Spanish  domination,  the  in- 
habitants most  distinguished  for  high  character,  social  position,  and  honor- 
able conduct,  both  in  the  center  of  the  community  and  in  the  suburbs,  will 
come  together  in  a  large  meeting,  in  which  they  will  proceed  to  elect,  by  a 
majority  of  votes,  the  chief  of  the  town  and  a  headman  for  each  suburb, 


1  Senate  Doc.  62,  part  1.  55th  Cong.,  3d  sess.,  1898-99,  pp.  432-437. 


492  APPENDICES 

considering  as  suburbs  not  only  those  hitherto  known  as  such,  but  also  the 
center  of  the  community. 

All  those  inhabitants  who  fulfill  the  conditions  above  named  will  have  the 
right  to  take  part  in  this  meeting  and  to  be  elected,  provided  always  that  they 
are  friendly  to  the  Philippine  independence  and  are  20  years  of  age. 

Art.  III.  In  this  meeting  shall  also  be  elected,  by  a  majority  of  votes,  three 
delegates,  one  of  police  and  internal  order,  another  of  justice  and  civil  regis- 
try, and  another  of  taxes  and  property. 

The  delegate  of  justice  and  civil  registry  will  aid  the  chief  in  the  forma- 
tion of  courts  and  in  keeping  of  books  of  registry,  of  births,  deaths,  and  mar- 
riage contracts,  and  of  the  census. 

The  delegates  of  taxes  and  property  will  aid  the  chief  in  the  collection  of 
taxes  and  administration  of  public  funds,  the  opening  of  books  of  registry 
of  cattle  and  real  property,  and  all  work  relating  to  encouragement  of  every 
class  of  industry. 

Art.  IV.  The  chief,  as  president,  with  the  headman  and  the  above- 
mentioned  delegates,  will  constitute  the  popular  assemblies,  who  will  super- 
vise the  exact  fulfillment  of  the  laws  in  force  and  the  particular  interests  of 
each  town. 

The  headman  of  the  center  of  the  community  will  be  the  vice-president  of 
the  assembly  and  the  delegate  of  justice  its  secretary. 

The  headmen  will  be  delegates  of  the  chief  within  their  respective  bound- 
aries. 

Art.  V.  The  chiefs  of  each  town,  after  consulting  the  opinion  of  their 
respective  assemblies,  will  meet  and  elect  by  a  majority  of  votes  the  chief  of 
the  province  and  three  councilors  for  the  three  branches  above  mentioned. 

The  chief  of  the  province  as  president,  the  chief  of  the  town  which  is  the 
capital  of  the  province  as  vice-president,  and  the  above-named  councilors  will 
constitute  the  provincial  council,  which  will  supervise  the  carrying  out  of  the 
instructions  of  this  government  in  the  territory  of  the  province  and  for  the 
general  interest  of  the  province,  and  will  propose  for  this  government  the 
measures  which  should  be  adopted  for  the  general  welfare. 

Art.  VI.  The  above-named  chiefs  will  also  elect  by  a  majority  of  votes 
three  representatives  for  each  one  of  the  provinces  of  Manila  and  Cavite,  two 
for  each  one  of  the  provinces  classified  as  terminal  in  Spanish  legislation,  and 
one  for  each  one  of  the  other  provinces  and  politico-military  commands  of  the 
Philippine  Archipelago. 

The  above-named  representatives  will  guard  the  general  interests  of  the 
archipelago  and  the  particular  interests  of  their  respective  provinces,  and  will 
constitute  the  revolutionary  congress  which  will  propose  to  this  government 
the  m.easures  concerning  the  preservation  of  internal  order  and  external  se- 
curity of  these  islands,  and  will  be  heard  by  this  government  on  all  questions 
of  grave  importance,  the  decision  of  which  will  admit  of  delay  or  adjourn- 
ment. 

Art.  VII.  Persons  elected  to  any  office  whatsoever  in  the  form  prescribed 
in  the  preceding  article  can  not  perform  the  same  without  the  previous  con- 
firmation by  this  government,  which  will  give  it  in  accordance  with  the  cer- 
tificates of  election. 

Representatives  will  establish  their  identity  by  exhibiting  the  above-named 
certificates. 

Art.  VIII.  The  military  chiefs  named  by  this  government  in  each  prov- 
ince will  not  intervene  in  the  government  and  administration  of  the  province, 
but  will  confine  themselves  to  requesting  of  the  chiefs  of  provinces  and  of  the 
towns  the  aid  which  may  be  necessary,  both  in  men  and  resources,  which  are 
not  to  be  refused  in  case  of  actual  necessity. 
,  Nevertheless,  when  the  province  is  threatened  or  occupied  by  the  enemy, 


APPENDICES  493 

in  whole  or  in  part,  the  military  chief  of  highest  rank  therein  may  assume  the 
powers  of  the  chief  of  the  province  until  the  danger  has  disappeared. 

Art.  IX.  The  government  will  name  for  each  province  a  commissioner 
specially  charged  with  establishing  therein  the  organization  prescribed  in  this 
decree  in  accordance  with  instructions  which  this  government  will  communi- 
cate to  him.  Those  military  chiefs  who  liberate  the  towns  from  the  Spanish 
domination  are  commissioners  by  virtue  of  their  office. 

The  above-named  commissioners  will  preside  over  the  first  meetings  held 
in  each  town  and  in  each  province. 

Art.  X.  As  soon  as  the  organization  provided  in  the  decree  has  been 
established,  all  previous  appointments  to  any  civil  office  whatsoever,  no  matter 
what  their  origin  or  source,  shall  be  null  and  void,  and  all  instructions  in  con- 
flict with  the  foregoing  are  hereby  annulled. 

Given  at  Cavite  the  18th  day  of  June,  1898.  Emilio  Aguinaldo. 


APPENDIX  F 

AGUINALDO'S  PROCLAMATION  OF  JUNE  23,  ESTABLISHING 
THE  REVOLUTIONARY  GOVERNMENTi 

Don  Emilio  Aguinaldo  y  Famy,  president  of  the  revolutionary  government  of 
the  Philippines  and  general  in  chief  of  its  army. 

This  government  desiring  to  demonstrate  to  the  Philippine  people  that  one 
of  its  ends  is  to  combat  with  a  firm  hand  the  inveterate  vices  of  the  Spanish 
administration,  substituting  for  personal  luxury  and  that  pompous  ostentation 
which  have  made  it  a  mere  matter  of  routine,  cumbrous  and  slow  in  its  move- 
ments, another  administration  more  modest,  simple,  and  prompt  in  perform- 
ing the  pubHc  service,  I  decree  as  follows : 

Chapter  I 
Of  the  Revolutionary  Government 

Article  I.  The  dictatorial  government  will  be  entitled  hereafter  the  revo- 
lutionary government,  whose  object  is  to  struggle  for  the  independence  of  the 
Philippines  until  all  nations,  including  the  Spanish,  shall  expressly  recognize 
it,  and  to  prepare  the  country  so  that  a  true  republic  may  be. established. 

The  dictator  will  be  entitled  hereafter  president  of  the  revolutionary 
government. 

Art.  II.  Four  secretaryships  of  government  are  created,  one  of  foreign 
affairs,  navy,  and  commerce ;  another  of  war  and  public  works ;  another  of 
police  and  internal  order,  justice,  education,  and  hygiene;  and  another  of 
finance,  agriculture,  and  manufacturing  industry. 

The  government  may  increase  this  number  of  secretaryships  when  it  shall 
find  in  practice  that  this  distribution  is  not  sufficient  for  the  multiplied  and 
complicated  necessities  of  the  public  service. 

Art.  III.  Each  secretaryship  shall  aid  the  president  in  the_  administration 
of  questions  concerning  the  different  branches  which  it  comprises. 

At  the  head  of  each  one  shall  be  a  secretary,  who  shall  not  be  responsible 
for  the  decrees  of  the  presidency,  but  shall  sign  them  with  the  president  to 
give  them  authority. 

But  if  it  shall  appear  that  the  decree  has  been  promulgated  on  the  propo- 

>  Senate  Doc.  No.  62,  part  1,  55th  Cong.  3d  sess.,  1898-99,  pp.  433^37. 


494  APPENDICE^S 

sition  of  the  secretary  of  the  department,  the  latter  shall  be  responsible  con- 
jointly with  the  president. 

Art.  IV.  The  secretaryship  of  foreign  affairs  will  be  divided  into  three 
bureaus,  one  of  diplomacy,  another  of  navy,  and  another  of  commerce. 

The  first  bureau  will  study  and  dispose  of  all  questions  pertaining  to  man- 
agement of  diplomatic  negotiations  with  other  powers  and  the  correspondence 
of  the  government  with  them ;  the  second  will  study  all  questions  relating  to 
the  formation  and  organization  of  our  navy,  and  the  fitting  out  of  such  ex- 
peditions as  the  necessities  of  the  revolution  may  require ;  and  the  third  will 
have  charge  of  everything  relating  to  the  internal  and  external  commerce  and 
the  preliminary  work  which  may  be  necessary  for  making  treaties  of  com- 
merce with  other  nations. 

Art.  V.  The  secretaryship  of  war  will  be  divided  into  two  bureaus — one 
of  war,  properly  speaking,  and  the  other  of  public  works. 

The  first  bureau  will  be  subdivided  into  four  sections — one  of  campaigns, 
another  of  military  justice,  another  of  military  administration,  and  another 
of  military  health. 

The  section  of  campaigns  will  have  charge  of  the  appointment  and  forma- 
tion of  the  certificates  of  enlistment  and  service  of  all  who  serve  in  the  revo- 
lutionary militia ;  of  the  direction  of  campaigns ;  the  preparation  of  plans, 
works  of  fortification,  and  preparing  reports  of  battles ;  of  the  study  of  mili- 
tary tactics  for  the  army,  and  the  organization  of  the  general  staff,  artillery 
and  cavalry;  and  finally,  of  the  determination  of  all  the  other  questions  con- 
cerning the  business  of  campaigns  and  military  operations. 

The  section  of  military  justice  will  have  charge  of  everything  relating  to 
courts  of  war  and  military  tribunals,  the  appointment  of  judges  and  counsel, 
and  the  determination  of  all  questions  of  military  justice.  The  section  of 
military  administration  will  be  charged  with  the  furnishing  of  food  and  other 
supplies  necessary  for  the  use  of  the  army,  and  the  section  of  military  health 
will  have  charge  of  everything  relating  to  the  hygiene  and  healthfulness  of 
the  militia. 

Art.  VI.  The  other  secretaryships  will  be  divided  into  such  bureaus  as 
their  branches  may  require,  and  each  bureau  will  be  subdivided  into  sections 
according  to  the  nature  and  importance  of  the  work  it  has  to  do. 

Art.  VII.  The  secretary  will  inspect  and  supervise  all  the  work  of  his 
secretaryship,  and  will  determine  all  questions  with  the  president  of  the 
government. 

At  the  head  of  each  bureau  will  be  a  director,  and  in  each  section  an  officer 
provided  with  such  number  of  assistants  and  clerks  as  may  be  specified. 

Art.  VIII.  The  president  will  appoint  the  secretaries  of  his  own  free 
choice,  and  in  concert  with  them  will  appoint  all  the  subordinate  officials  of 
each  secretaryship. 

In  order  that  in  the  choice  of  persons  it  may  be  possible  to  avoid  favorit- 
ism it  must  be  fully  understood  that  the  good  name  of  the  country  and  the 
triumph  of  the  revolution  require  the  services  of  persons  truly  capable. 

Art.  IX.  The  secretaries  may  be  present  at  the  revolutionary  congress,  in 
order  that  they  may  make  any  motion  in  the  name  of  the  president,  or  may  be 
interpellated  publicly  by  any  one  of  the  representatives ;  but  when  the  ques- 
tion which  is  the  object  of  the  motion  shall  be  put  to  vote,  or  after  the  inter- 
pellation is  ended,  they  shall  leave  and  shall  not  take  part  in  the  vote. 

_Art._  X.  The  president  of  the  government  is  the  personification  of  the 
Philippine  people,  and  in  accordance  with  this  idea  it  shall  not  be  possible  to 
hold  him  responsible  while  he  fills  the  office. 

His  term  of  office  shall  last  until  the  revolution  triumphs,  unless  under 
extraordinary  circumstances  he  shall  feel  obliged  to  offer  his  resignation  to 
congress,  in  which  case  congress  will  elect  whomsoever  it  considers  most  fit. 


APPENDICES  495 

Chapter  II 
Of  the  Revolutionary  Congress 

Art.  XI.  The  revolutionary  congress  is  the  body  of  representatives  of  the 
provinces  of  the  Philippine  Archipelago,  elected  in  the  manner  prescribed  in 
the  decrees  of  the  18th  of  the  present  month. 

Nevertheless,  if  any  province  shall  not  be  able  as  yet  to  elect  representa- 
tives because  the  greater  part  of  its  towns  shall  have  not  yet  been  able  to 
liberate  themselves  from  Spanish  domination,  the  government  shall  have 
power  to  appoint,  as  provisional  representatives  for  this  province,  those  per- 
sons who  are  most  distinguished  for  high  character  and  social  position,  in 
such  numbers  as  are  prescribed  by  the  above-named  decree ;  provided,  always, 
that  they  are  natives  of  the  province  which  they  represent,  or  have  resided 
therein  for  a  long  time. 

Art.  XII.  The  representatives  having  met  at  the  town  which  is  the  seat 
of  the  revolutionary  government,  and  in  the  building  which  may  be  desig- 
nated, will  proceed  to  its  preliminary  labors,  designating  by  plurality  of  votes 
a  commission  composed  of  five  individuals  charged  with  examining  docu- 
ments accrediting  each  representative,  and  another  commission  composed  of 
three  individuals,  who  will  examine  the  documents  which  the  five  of  the 
former  commission  exhibit. 

Art.  XIII.  On  the  following  day  the  above-named  representatives  will 
meet  again,  and  the  two  commissions  will  read  their  respective  reports  con- 
cerning the  legality  of  the  said  documents,  deciding  by  an  absolute  majority 
of  votes  on  the  character  of  those  which  appear  doubtful. 

This  business  completed,  it  will  proceed  to  designate,  also  by  absolute 
majority,  a  president,  a  vice-president,  and  two  secretaries,  who  shall  be 
chosen  from  among  the  representatives,  whereupon  the  congress  shall  be  con- 
sidered organized  and  shall  notify  the  government  of  the  result  of  the 
election. 

Art.  XIV.  The  place  where  congress  deliberates  is  sacred  and  inviolable, 
and  no  armed  force  shall  enter  therein  unless  the  president  thereof  shall  ask 
therefor  in  order  to  establish  internal  order  disturbed  by  those  who  can 
neither  honor  themselves  nor  its  august  functions. 

Art.  XV.  The  powers  of  congress  are :  To  watch  over  the  general  in- 
terest of  the  Philippine  people,  and  carrying  out  of  the  revolutionary  laws ; 
to  discuss  and  vote  upon  said  laws ;  to  discuss  and  approve,  prior  to  their 
ratification,  treaties  and  loans ;  to  examine  and  approve  the  accounts  presented 
annually  by  the  secretary  of  finance,  as  well  as  extraordinary  and  other  taxes 
which  may  hereafter  be  imposed. 

Art.  XVI.  Congress  shall  also  be  consulted  in  all  grave  and  important 
questions,  the  determination  of  which  admit  of  delay  or  adjournment;  but 
the  president  of  the  government  shall  have  power  to  decide  questions  of 
urgent  character,  but  in  that  case  he  shall  give  account  by  message  to  said 
body  of  the  decision  which  he  has  adopted. 

Art.  XVII.  Every  representative  shall  have  power  to  present  to  congress 
any  project  of  law,  and  every  secretary,  on  the  order  of  the  president  of  the 
government,  shall  have  similar  power. 

Art.  XVIII.  The  sessions  of  congress  shall  be  public,  and  only  in  cases 
which  require  reserve  shall  it  have  power  to  hold  a  secret  session. 

Art.  XIX.  In  the  order  of  its  deliberations,  as  well  as  in  the  internal  gov- 
ernment of  the  body,  the  instructions  which  shall  be  formulated  by  the  con- 
gress itself  shall  be  observed. 

The  president  shall  direct  the  deliberations  and  shall  not  vote  except  in 
case  of  a  tie,  when  he  shall  have  the  casting  vote. 


496  APPENDICES 

Art.  XX.  The  president  of  the  government  shall  not  have  power  to  inter- 
rupt in  any  manner  the  meetings  of  congress  nor  embarrass  its  sessions. 

Art.  XXI.  The  congress  shall  designate  a  permanent  commission  of  jus- 
tice, which  shall  be  presided  over  by  the  auxiliary  vice-president  or  each  of 
the  secretaries,  and  shall  be  composed  of  those  persons  and  seven  members 
elected  by  plurality  of  votes  from  among  the  representatives.  This  commis- 
sion shall  judge  on  appeal  the  criminal  cases  tried  by  the  provincial  courts, 
and  shall  take  cognizance  of  and  have  original  jurisdiction  in  all  cases  against 
the  secretaries  of  the  government,  the  chiefs  of  provinces  and  towns,  and  the 
provincial  judges. 

Art.  XXII.  In  the  office  of  the  secretary  of  congress  shall  be  kept  a  book 
of  honor,  wherein  shall  be  recorded  special  services  rendered  the  country 
and  considered  as  such  by  said  body.  Every  Filipino,  whether  in  the  military 
or  civil  service,  may  petition  congress  for  notation  in  said  book,  presenting 
duly  accredited  documents  describing  the  service  rendered  by  him  on  behalf 
of  the  country  since  the  beginning  of  the  present  revolution.  For  extraordi- 
nary services  which  may  be  rendered  hereafter  the  government  will  propose 
said  notation,  accompanying  the  proposal  with  the  necessary  documents  jus- 
tifying it. 

Art.  XXIII.  The  congress  will  also  grant  on  the  proposal  of  the  govern- 
ment rewards  in  money,  which  can  be  given  only  once,  to  the  families  of  those 
who  were  victims  of  their  duty  and  patriotism  as  a  result  of  extraordinary 
acts  of  heroism. 

Art.  XXIV.  The  acts  of  congress  shall  not  take  effect  until  the  president 
of  the  government  orders  their  fulfillment  and  execution.  Whenever  the 
said  president  shall  be  of  the  opinion  that  any  act  is  unsuitable,  or  against 
public  policy,  or  pernicious,  he  shall  explain  to  congress  the  reasons  against 
its  execution,  and  if  the  latter  shall  insist  on  its  passage,  the  president  shall 
have  power  to  oppose  his  veto  under  his  most  rigid  responsibility. 

Chapter  III 
Of  Military  Courts  and  Justice 

Art.  XXV.  When  the  chiefs  of  military  detachments  have  notice  that 
any  soldier  has  committed  or  has  perpetrated  any  act  of  those  commonly 
considered  as  military  crimes,  he  shall  bring  it  to  the  knowledge  of  the  com- 
mandant of  the  zone,  who  shall  appoint  a  judge  and  a  secretary,  who  shall 
begin  suit  in  the  form  prescribed  in  the  instructions  dated  the  20th  of  the 
present  month.  If  the  accused  shall  be  of  the  grade  of  Heutenant  or  higher, 
the  said  commandant  shall  himself  be  the  judge,  and  if  the  latter  shall  be  the 
accused  the  senior  commandant  of  the  province  shall  name  as  judge  an 
officer  who  holds  a  higher  grade,  unless  the  same  senior  commandant  shall 
himself  have  brought  the  suit.    The  judge  shall  always  be  a  field  officer. 

Art.  XXVI.  On  the  conclusion  of  the  preliminary  hearing  the  senior 
commandant  shall  designate  three  officers  of  equal  or  higher  rank  to  the 
judge,  and  the  military  court  shall  consist  of  said  officers,  the  judge,  the 
councilor,  and  the  president.  The  latter  shall  be  the  commandant  of  the 
zone  if  the  accused  be  of  the  grade  of  lieutenant  or  higher.  This  court  shall 
conduct  the  trial  in  the  form  customary  in  the  provincial  courts,  but  the  judg- 
ment shall  be  appealable  to  the  higher  courts  of  war. 

Art.  XXVII.  The  superior  court  shall  be  composed  of  six  members,  who 
shall  hold  rank  not  less  than  brigadier-generals,  and  the  judge-advocate.  If 
the  number  of  generals  present  in  the  capital  of  the  revolutionary  govern- 
ment shall  not  be  sufficient,  the  deficiency  shall  be  supplied  by  representatives 
designated  and  commissioned  by  congress.  The  president  of  the  court  shall 
be  the  general  having  the  highest  rank  of  all,  and  should  there  be  more  than 


APPENDICES  497 

one  having  equal  rank,  the  president  shall  be  elected  from  among  them  by 
absolute  majority  of  votes. 

Art.  XXVIII.  The  superior  court  shall  have  jurisdiction  in  all  cases 
aflFecting  the  higher  commandants,  the  commandants  of  zones,  and  all  officers 
of  the  rank  of  major  and  higher. 

Art.  XXIX.  Commit  military  crimes :  First,  those  who  fail  to  grant  the 
necessary  protection  to  foreigners,  both  in  their  persons  and  property,  and 
those  who  similarly  fail  to  afford  protection  to  hospitals  and  ambulances, 
including  persons  and  effects  which  may  be  found  in  possession  of  one  or  the 
other,  and  those  engaged  in  the  service  of  the  same,  provided  always  they 
commit  no  hostile  act ;  second,  those  who  fail  in  the  respect  due  to  the  lives, 
money,  and  jewels  of  enemies  who  lay  down  their  arms,  and  of  prisoners  of 
war;  third,  Filipinos  who  place  themselves  in  the  service  of  the  enemy,  acting 
as  spies  or  disclosing  to  them  secrets  of  war  and  the  plans  of  the  revolu- 
tionary positions  and  fortifications,  and  those  who  present  themselves  under 
a  flag  of  truce  without  justifying  properly  their  office  and  their  personality; 
and  fourth,  those  who  fail  to  recognize  a  flag  of  truce  duly  accredited  in  the 
form  prescribed  by  international  law. 

Will  commit  also  military  crimes :  Those  who  conspire  against  the  unity 
of  the  revolutionists,  provoking  rivalry  between  chiefs,  and  forming  divisions 
and  armed  bands ;  second,  those  who  solicit  contributions  without  authority 
of  the  government  and  misappropriate  the  public  funds ;  third,  those  who 
desert  to  the  enemy,  or  are  guilty  of  cowardice  in  the  presence  of  the  enemy, 
being  armed ;  and  fourth,  those  who  seize  the  property  of  any  person  who 
has  done  no  harm  to  the  revolution,  violate  women,  and  assassinate  or  inflict 
serious  wounds  on  unarmed  persons,  and  who  commit  robberies  and  arson. 

Art.  XXX.  Those  who  commit  the  crimes  enumerated  will  be  considered 
as  declared  enemies  of  the  revolution,  and  will  incur  the  penalties  prescribed 
in  the  Spanish  Penal  Code,  and  in  the  highest  grade. 

If  the  crime  shall  not  be  found  in  the  said  code  the  offender  shall  be  im- 
prisoned until  the  revolution  triumphs,  unless  the  result  of  this  shall  be  an 
irreparable  damage,  which,  in  the  judgment  of  the  tribunal,  shall  be  a  suf- 
ficient cause  for  imposing  the  penalty  of  death. 

Additional  Clauses 

The  government  will  establish  abroad  a  revolutionary  committee  com- 
posed of  a  number,  not  yet  determined,  of  persons  most  competent  in  the 
Philippine  Archipelago.  This  committee  will  be  divided  into  three  delegations 
— one  of  diplomacy,  another  of  the  navj%  and  another  of  the  army. 

The  delegation  of  diplomacy  will  arrange  and  conduct  negotiations  with 
foreign  cabinets  with  a  view  to  the  recognition  of  the  belligerency  and  inde- 
pendence of  the  Philippines. 

The  delegation  of  the  navy  will  be  charged  with  the  studying  and  organ- 
izing of  the  Philippine  navy,  and  preparing  the  expenditures  which  the  neces- 
sities of  the  revolution  may  require. 

The  delegation  of  the  army  will  study  military  tactics  and  the  best  form 
of  organization  for  the  general  staff,  artillery,  and  engineers,  and  whatever 
else  may  be  necessary  in  order  to  fit  out  the  Philippine  army  under  the  con- 
ditions required  by  modern  progress. 

Art.  XXXII.  The  government  will  issue  the  necessary  instructions  for 
the  proper  execution  of  the  present  decree. 

Art.  XXXIII.  All  the  decrees  of  the  dictatorial  government  in  conflict 
with  the  foregoing  are  hereby  annulled. 

Given  at  Cavite  the  23d  of  June,  1898.  Emilio  Aguinaldo. 


498  APPENDICES 

APPENDIX  G 
THE  CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  PHILIPPINE  REPUBLIC^ 


Political  Constitution 
Presidency  of  the  Revolutionary  Government  of  Philippines 

Don  Emilio  Aguinaldo  y  Famy,  President  of  the  Revolutionary  Government 

of  Philippines  and  Captain-General  and  Commander  in  Chief  of  the  Army. 

Know  all  Philippine  citizens :  That  the  assembly  of  representatives  of  the 
nation,  using  its  sovereignty,  has  decreed,  and  I  have  sanctioned,  the  political 
constitution  of  the  estate. 

Therefore  I  command  all  the  military  and  civil  authorities  of  any  class  or 
rank  to  keep  it  and  cause  it  to  be  kept,  complied  with,  and  executed  in  all  its 
parts,  because  it  is  the  sovereign  will  of  the  Philippine  people. 

Done  at  Mololos  on  the  21st  day  of  January  in  the  year  eighteen  hundred 
and  ninety-nine. 

The  President  of  the  Council :  Emilio  Aguinaldo. 

Apolinario  Mabini. 


We,  the  representatives  of  the  Philippine  people,  lawfully  invoked,  in  order 
to  establish  justice,  provide  for  common  defense,  promote  general  welfare, 
and  insure  the  benefits  of  freedom,  imploring  the  aid  of  the  Sovereign  Legis- 
lator of  the  Universe  in  order  to  attain  these  purposes,  have  voted,  decreed, 
and  sanctioned  the  following — 

POLITICAL  CONSTITUTION 

First  Title 

The  Republic 

Article  1.    The  political  association  of  all  the  Filipinos  constitutes  a  na- 
tion, the  estate  of  which  is  denominated  Philippine  Republic. 
Art.  2.    The  Philippine  Repubhc  is  free  and  independent. 
Art.  3.    Sovereignty  resides  exclusively  in  the  people. 

Second  Title 

The  Government 

Art.  4.  The  government  of  the  republic  is  popular,  representative,  alterna- 
tive and  responsible,  and  is  exercised  by  three  distinct  powers,  which  are  de- 
nominated legislative,  executive  and  judicial.  Two  or  more  of  these  powers 
shall  never  be  vested  in  one  person  or  corporation;  neither  shall  the  legisla- 
ture be  vested  in  one  individual  alone. 

Third  Title 

Religion 

Art.  5.  The  state  recognizes  the  equality  of  all  religious  worships  and  the 
separation  of  the  church  and  the  state. 


^  See  an  article  in   The  Filipino  People,   Sept.,  1914,  by  Jorge  Bocobo,  on  "Filipe  Cal- 
deron  and  the  Malolos  Constitution." 


APPENDICES  499 

Fourth  Title 
The  Filipinos  and  Their  National  and  Individual  Rights 
Art.  6.    The  following  are  Filipinos  : 

1.  All  persons  born  in  Philippine  territory.  A  vessel  flying  the  Philippine 
flag  shall,  for  this  purpose,  be  considered  a  portion  of  the  Philippine  territory. 

2.  The  offspring  of  a  Filipino  father  and  mother  although  born  outside 
the  Philippine  territory. 

3.  Foreigners  vi^ho  have  obtained  certificates  of  naturalization. 

4.  Those  vi^ho,  without  it,  may  have  gained  "vecindad"  (residence)  in  any 
town  of  the  Philippine  territory. 

It  is  understood  that  residence  is  gained  by  staying  two  years  without 
interruption  in  one  locality  of  the  Philippine  territory,  having  an  open  abode 
and  known  mode  of  Hving  and  contributing  to  all  the  charges  of  the  nation. 

The  nationality  of  the  Filipino  is  lost  in  accordance  with  the  laws.  (S  C 
C,  1st  Title,  1st.  art. ;  S.  C,  1st  Title,  1st  art.) 

Art.  7.  No  Filipino  nor  foreigner  shall  be  arrested  nor  imprisoned  unless 
on  account  of  crime,  and  in  accordance  with  the  laws.     (S.  C,  4th  art.) 

Art.  8.  Any  person  arrested  shall  be  discharged  or  delivered  over  to  the 
judicial  authority  within  twenty-four  hours  following  the  arrest.  (S.  C, 
4th  art.) 

Any  arrest  shall  be  held  without  eflFect  or  shall  be  carried  to  commitment 
within  seventy-two  hours  after  the  detained  has  been  delivered  over  to  a  com- 
petent judge. 

The  party  interested  shall  receive  notice  of  the  order  which  may  be  issued 
within  the  same  time.     (S.  C,  4th  art.) 

Art.  9.  No  Filipino  can  become  a  prisoner  unless  by  virtue  of  the  mandate 
of  a  competent  judge. 

The  decree  by  which  may  be  issued  the  mandate  shall  be  ratified  or  con- 
firmed, having  heard  the  presumed  criminal  within  seventy-two  hours  follow- 
ing the  act  of  commitment.    (S.  C,  5th  art.) 

Art.  10.  No  one  can  enter  the  domicile  of  a  Filipino  or  foreign  resident 
in  the  Philippines  without  his  consent,  except  in  urgent  cases  of  fire,  flood, 
earthquake,  or  other  similar  danger,  or  of  unlawful  aggression  proceeding 
from  within  or  in  order  to  assist  a  person  within  calling  for  help. 

Outside  of  these  cases,  the  entrance  in  the  domicile  of  a  Filipino  or 
foreign  resident  of  the  Philippines  and  the  searching  of  his  papers  or  effects 
can  only  be  decreed  by  a  competent  judge  and  executed  during  the  day. 

The  searching  of  the  papers  and  effects  shall  take  place  always  in  the 
presence  of  the  party  interested  or  of  an  individual  of  his  family,  and,  in  their 
absence,  of  two  resident  witnesses  of  the  same  place. 

Notwithstanding,  when  a  delinquent  may  be  found,  in  "flagranti"  and 
pursued  by  the  authority  with  its  agents,  may  take  refuge  in  his  domicile,  he 
may  be  followed  into  the  same  only  for  the  purpose  of  apprehension. 

If  he  should  take  refuge  in  the  domicile  of  another,  notification  to  the 
owner  of  the  latter  shall  precede.    (S.  C,  6th  art.) 

Art.  11.  No  Filipino  can  be  compelled  to  make  change  of  his  domicile  or 
residence  unless  by  virtue  of  an  executive  sentence.    (S.  C,  9th  art.) 

Art.  12.  In  no  case  can  there  be  detained  nor  opened  by  the  governing 
authority  the  correspondence  confided  to  the  post-office,  nor  can  that  of  the 
telegraph  or  telephone  be  detained. 

But,  by  virtue  of  a  decree  of  a  competent  judge,  can  be  detained  any  cor- 
respondence and  also  opened  in  the  presence  of  the  accused  that  which  may 
be  conveyed  by  the  post-office.     (S.  C,  7th  art.) 

Art.  13.  Any  decree  of  imprisonment,  of  search  of  abode,  or  of  detention 
of  the  correspondence  written,  telegraphed,  or  telephoned,  shall  be  justified. 


500  APPENDICES 

When  the  decree  may  fall  short  of  this  requisite,  or  when  the  motives  in 
which  it  may  be  founded  may  be  judicially  declared  unlawful  or  notoriously 
insufficient,  the  person  who  may  have  been  imprisoned,  or  whose  imprison- 
ment may  not  have  been  ratified  within  the  term  prescribed  in  art.  9,  or  whose 
domicile  may  be  forcibly  entered,  or  whose  correspondence  may  be  detained, 
shall  have  the  right  to  demand  the  responsibilities  which  ensue.  (S.  C. 
8th  art.) 

Art.  14.  No  Filipino  shall  be  prosecuted  nor  sentenced,  unless  by  a  judge 
or  tribunal  to  whom,  by  virtue  of  the  laws  which  precede  the  crime,  is  dele- 
gated its  cognizance,  and  in  the  form  which  the  latter  prescribe.  (S.  C, 
16th  art.) 

Art.  15.  Any  person  detained  or  imprisoned,  without  the  legal  formali- 
ties, unless  in  the  cases  provided  in  this  constitution,  shall  be  discharged  upon 
their  own  petition  or  that  of  any  Filipino. 

The  laws  shall  determine  the  form  of  proceeding  summarily  in  this  case, 
as  well  as  the  personal  and  pecuniary  penalties  incurred  by  him  who  may 
order,  execute,  or  cause  to  be  executed,  the  illegal  detention  or  imprisonment. 

Art.  16.  No  person  shall  be  deprived  temporarily  or  permanently  of  his 
property  or  rights,  nor  disturbed  in  the  possession  of  them,  unless  by  virtue 
of  a  judicial  sentence.     (S.  C,  10th  art.) 

Those  functionaries  who  under  any  pretext  infringe  this  provision  shall  be 
personally  responsible  for  the  damage  caused. 

Art.  17.  No  person  shall  be  deprived  of  his  property  unless  through  ne- 
cessity and  common  welfare,  previously  justified  and  declared  by  the  proper 
authority,  providing  indemnity  to  the  owner  previous  to  the  deprivation. 
(S.  C,  10th  art.) 

Art.  18.  No  person  shall  be  obliged  to  pay  contribution  which  may  not 
have  been  voted  by  the  assembly  or  by  the  popular  corporations  legally  au- 
thorized to  impose  it,  and  which  exaction  shall  not  be  made  in  the  form  pre- 
scribed by  law.     (S.  C,  3d  art.) 

Art.  19.  No  Filipino  who  may  be  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  his  civil  and 
political  rights  shall  be  hindered  in  the  free  exercise  of  the  same. 

Art.  20.    Neither  shall  any  Filipino  be  deprived  of : 

1.  The  right  of  expressing  liberally  his  ideas  and  opinioris  either  by  word 
or  by  writing,  availing  himself  of  the  press  or  of  any  other  similar  means. 

2.  The  right  of  associating  himself  with  all  the  objects  of  human  life 
which  may  not  be  contrary  to  public  morality ;  and,  finally, 

3.  Of  the  right  to  direct  petitions,  individually  or  collectively,  to  the 
public  powers  and  to  the  authorities. 

The  right  of  petition  shall  not  be  exercised  by  any  class  of  armed  force. 
(S.  C,  ISth  art.) 

Apt.  21.  The  exercise  of  the  rights  expressed  in  the  preceding  article 
shall  be  subject  to  the  general  provisions  which  regulate  them. 

Art.  22.  Those  crimes  which  are  committed  upon  the  occasion  of  the 
exercise  of  the  rights  granted  in  this  title  shall  be  punished  by  the  tribunals 
in  accordance  with  the  common  laws. 

Art.  23.  Anj'  Filipino  can  found  and  maintain  establishments  of  instruc- 
tion or  of  education,  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  which  are  established. 

Popular  education  shall  be  obligatory  and  gratuitous  in  the  schools  of  the 
nation.     (S.  C,  12th  art.) 

Art.  24.  Any  foreigner  may  establish  himself  liberally  in  the  Philippine 
territory,  subject  to  the  provisions  which  regulate  the  matter,  exercising 
therein  his  industry  or  devoting  himself  to  any  profession  in  the  exercise  of 
which  the  laws  may  not  require  diplomas  of  fitness  issued  by  the  national 
authorities.  (S.  C,  12th  art.) 
■    Art.  25.     No  Filipino  who  is  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  his  political  and 


APPENDICES  501 

civil  rights  shall  be  hindered  frorn  going  freely  from  the  territory,  nor  from 
removing  his  residence  or  property  to  a  foreign  country,  except  the  obliga- 
tions of  contributing  to  the  military  service  and  the  maintenance  of  the 
pubHc  taxes. 

Art.  26.  The  foreigner  who  may  not  have  become  naturalized  shall  not 
exercise  in  the  Philippines  any  office  which  may  have  attached  to  it  authority 
or  jurisdiction. 

Art.  27.  Every  Filipino  is  obliged  to  defend  the  country  with  arms  when 
he  may  be  called  upon  by  the  laws,  and  to  contribute  to  the  expenses  of  the 
estate  (government)  in  proportion  to  his  property.     (S.  C,  13th  art.) 

Art.  28.  The  enumeration  of  the  rights  granted  in  this  title  does  not  imply 
the  prohibition  of  any  other  not  expressly  delegated. 

Art.  29.  Previous  authorization  shall  not  be  necessary  in  order  to  prose- 
cute before  the  ordinary  tribunals  the  public  functionaries,  whatever  may  be 
the  crime  which  they  commit. 

A  superior  mandate  shall  not  exempt  from  responsibihty  in  cases  of  mani- 
fest infraction,  clear  and  determinate,  of  a  constitutional  provision.  In  the 
other  cases  it  shall  exempt  only  the  agents  who  may  not  exercise  the  au- 
thority. 

Art.  30.  The  guarantees  provided  in  articles  7,  8,  9,  and  10  and  11  and 
paragraphs  1  and  2  of  the  20th  article  shall  not  be  suspended  in  the  repubhc 
nor  anj'  part  of  it,  unless  temporarily  and  by  means  of  a  law,  when  the  se- 
curity of  the  estate  shall  demand  it  in  extraordinary  circumstances. 

It  being  promulgated  in  the  territory  to  which  it  may  apply,  the  special 
law  shall  govern  during  the  suspension  according  to  the  circumstances  which 
demand  it. 

The  latter  as  well  as  the  former  shall  be  voted  in  the  national  assembly, 
and  in  case  the  assembly  may  be  closed  the  government  is  authorized  to  issue 
it  in  conjunction  with  the  permanent  commission  without  prejudice  to  con- 
voking the  former  within  the  shortest  time  and  giving  them  information  of 
what  may  have  been  done. 

But  neither  by  the  one  nor  the  other  law  can  there  be  suspended  any  other 
guarantees  than  those  delegated  in  the  first  paragraph  of  this  article  nor  au- 
thorizing the  government  to  banish  from  the  country  or  transport  any 
Filipino. 

In  no  case  can  the  military  or  civil  chiefs  establish  any  other  penalty  than 
that  previously  prescribed  by  the  law.     (S.  C,  17th  art.) 

Art.  31.  In  the  Philippine  republic  no  one  can  be  tried  by  private  laws  nor 
special  tribunals.  No  person  can  have  privileges  nor  enjoy  emolument  which 
may  not  be  compensation  for  public  service  and  which  are  fixed  by  law.  "El 
fuero  de  guerra  y  mariana"  (the  jurisdiction,  privileges,  and  powers  of  army 
and  navy)  shall  extend  solely  to  the  crimes  and  faults  which  may  have  inti- 
mate connection  with  the  military  and  maritime  discipline. 

Art.  32.  No  Filipino  can  establish  "mayorazgos"  nor  institutions  "vincu- 
ladoras"  (title  of  perpetual  succession  by  eldest  son  nor  institutions  entailed) 
of  property,  nor  accept  honors,  "condecoraciones"  (insignia  or  decoration  of 
orders)  or  titles  of  honor  and  nobility  from  foreign  nations  without  the 
authorization  of  the  government. 

Neither  can  the  government  establish  the  institutions  mentioned  in  the 
preceding  paragraph,  nor  grant  honors  "condecoraciones"  or  titles  of  honor 
and  nobility  to  any  Filipino. 

Notwithstanding  the  nation  may  reward  by  a  special  law,  voted  by  the 
assembly,  eminent  services  which  may  be  rendered  by  the  citizens  to  their 
country. 


502  APPENDICES 

Fifth  Title 
Legislative  Power 

Art.  33.  The  legislative  power  shall  be  exercised  by  an  assembly  of  the 
representatives  of  the  nation. 

This  assembly  shall  be  organized  in  the  form  and  under  the  conditions 
determined  by  the  law  which  may  be  issued  to  that  effect. 

Art.  34.  The  members  of  the  assembly  shall  represent  the  entire  nation, 
and  not  exclusively  those  who  elect  them. 

Art.  35.  No  representative  shall  be  subjected  to  any  imperative  mandate 
of  his  electors. 

Art.  36.  The  assembly  shall  meet  every  year.  It  is  the  prerogative  of  the 
President  of  the  republic  to  convoke  it,  suspend  and  close  its  sessions  and  dis- 
solve it,  in  concurrence  with  the  same  or  with  the  permanent  commission  in 
its  default,  and  within  legal  terms. 

Art.  37.  The  assembly  shall  be  open  at  least  three  months  each  year,  not 
including  in  this  time  that  which  is  consumed  in  its  organization. 

The  President  of  the  republic  shall  convoke  it,  at  the  latest,  by  the  15th 
of  April. 

Art.  38.  In  an  extraordinary  case  he  can  convoke  it  outside  of  the  legal 
period,  with  the  concurrence  of  the  permanent  commission,  and  prolong  the 
legislature,  when  the  term  does  not  exceed  one  month  nor  takes  place  more 
than  twice  in  the  same  legislature. 

Art.  39.  The  national  assembly,  together  with  the  extraordinary  repre- 
sentatives, shall  form  the  constituents  in  order  to  proceed  to  the  modification 
of  the  constitution  and  to  the  election  of  the  new  President  of  the  republic, 
convoked  at  least  one  month  previous  to  the  termination  of  the  powers  of  the 
former. 

In  the  case  of  the  death  or  of  the  resignation  of  the  President  of  the  re- 
public, the  assembly  shall  meet  immediately  by  its  own  right  and  at  the  request 
of  its  president  or  of  that  of  the  permanent  commission. 

Art.  40.  In  the  meantime,  while  the  appointment  of  the  new  President  of 
the  republic  proceeds,  the  president  of  the  supreme  court  of  justice  shall 
exercise  his  functions,  his  place  being  filled  by  one  of  the  members  of  this 
tribunal,  in  accordance  with  the  laws. 

Art.  41.  Any  meeting  of  the  assembly  which  may  be  held  outside  of  the 
ordinary  period  of  the  legislature  shall  be  null  and  void.  That  which  is  pro- 
vided by  art.  39  is  excepted,  and  in  that  the  assembly  is  constituted  a  tribunal 
of  justice,  not  being  allowed  to  exercise  in  such  case  other  than  judicial 
functions. 

Art.  42.  The  sessions  of  the  assembly  shall  be  public.  Notwithstanding, 
they  can  be  secret  at  the  petition  of  a  certain  number  of  its  individuals,  fixed 
by  the  regulations,  it  being  decided  afterwards  by  an  absolute  majority  of  the 
votes  of  the  members  present  whether  the  discussion  of  the  same  matter  be 
continued  in  public. 

Art.  43.  The  President  of  the  republic  shall  communicate  with  the  assem- 
bly by  means  of  messages,  which  shall  be  read  from  the  rostrum  by  a  secre- 
tary of  the  government. 

The  secretaries  of  the  government  shall  have  entrance  into  the  assembly, 
with  the  right  to  the  floor  whenever  they  ask  it,  and  shall  cause  themselves 
to  be  represented  in  the  discussion  of  any  particular  project  by  commissioners 
designated  by  decree  of  the  President  of  the  republic. 

Art.  44.  The  assembly  shall  constitute  itself  a  tribunal  of  justice  in  order 
to  try  the  crimes  committed  against  the  security  of  the  estate  by  the  President 
of  the  republic  and  individuals  of  the  Counsel  of  Government,  by  the  Presi- 


APPENDICES  503 

dent  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Justice,  by  the  Procurer-General  of  the  nation 
by  means  of  a  decree  of  the  same,  or  of  the  permanent  commission  in  its 
absence,  or  of  the  President  of  the  repubhc  at  the  proposal  of  the  Procurer- 
General,  or  of  the  counsel  of  the  government. 

The  laws  shall  determine  the  mode  of  procedure  for  the  accusation,  prepa- 
ration for  trial,  and  pardon. 

Art.  45.  No  member  of  the  assembly  can  be  prosecuted  nor  molested  for 
the  opinions  which  he  may  express  nor  for  the  votes  which  he  may  cast  in  the 
exercise  of  his  office. 

Art.  46.  No  member  of  an  assembly  can  be  prosecuted  in  a  criminal  mat- 
ter without  authorization  of  the  same,  or  of  the  permanent  commission,  to 
whom  shall  immediately  be  given  information  of  the  act  for  proper  dispo- 
sition. 

The  arrest,  detention,  or  apprehension  of  a  member  of  the  assembly  can 
not  take  place  without  previous  authorization  of  the  same  or  of  the  perma- 
nent commission;  but  having  once  notified  the  assembly  of  the  decree  of 
arrest,  shall  incur  responsibihty  if,  within  two  days  following  the  notification, 
it  may  not  authorize  the  arrest  or  give  reasons  upon  which  its  refusal  is 
founded. 

Art.  47.    The  national  assembly  shall  have  besides  the  following  powers : 

1.  To  frame  regulations  for  its  interior  government. 

2.  To  examine  the  legality  of  the  elections  and  the  legal  qualifications  of 
the  members  elected. 

3.  Upon  its  organization  to  appoint  its  President,  Vice-President,  and 
secretaries. 

Until  the  assembly  may  be  dissolved,  its  President,  Vice-Presidents,  and 
secretaries  shall  continue  exercising  their  offices  during  the  four  legislatures ; 
and 

4.  To  accept  the  resignations  presented  by  its  members,  and  grant  leaves 
of  absence  subject  to  the  regulations.     (S.  C,  34th  and  35th  art.) 

Art.  48.  No  project  can  become  a  law  before  being  voted  upon  by  the 
assembly. 

In  order  to  pass  the  laws  there  shall  be  required  in  the  assembly  at  least  a 
fourth  part  of  the  total  number  of  members,  whose  elections  may  have  been 
approved  and  who  may  have  taken  the  oath  of  office. 

Art.  49.  No  proposed  law  can  be  approved  by  the  assembly  without  hav- 
ing been  voted  upon  as  a  whole,  and  article  by  article. 

Art.  50.  The  assemblies  shall  have  the  right  of  censure  and  each  one  of 
its  members  the  right  to  be  heard. 

Art.  51.  The  proposal  of  the  laws  belongs  to  the  President  of  the  republic 
and  to  the  assembly. 

Art.  52.  The  representative  of  the  assembly  who  accepts  of  the  govern- 
ment pension,  employment,  or  commission  with  a  salary,  shall  be  understood 
to  have  renounced  his  office. 

The  employment  of  the  secretary  of  the  government  of  the  republic  and 
other  offices  prescribed  in  special  laws  are  excepted  from  this  provision. 
(S.  C,  31st  art.) 

Art.  53.  The  office  of  representative  shall  be  for  a  term  of  four  years, 
and  those  who  may  exercise  it  have  the  right,  by  way  of  indemnity,  according 
to  the  circumstances,  to  a  sum  determined  by  the  law. 

Those  who  may  absent  themselves  during  the  whole  of  the  legislature 
shall  not  be  entitled  to  this  indemnity,  but  will  recover  this  right  if  they  assist 
in  those  which  follow. 


504  APPENDICES 

Sixth  Title 
The  Permanent  Commission 

Art.  54.  The  assembly,  before  the  closing  of  its  sessions,  shall  elect  seven 
of  its  members  in  order  to  constitute  a  permanent  commission  during  the 
period  of  its  being  closed,  the  latter  obliged  in  its  first  session  to  designate  a 
president  and  secretary. 

Art.  55.  The  following  are  the  functions  of  the  permanent  commission  in 
the  absence  of  the  assembly: 

1.  To  declare  whether  or  not  there  is  sufficient  reason  to  proceed  against 
the  President  of  the  republic,  the  representatives,  secretaries  of  the  govern- 
ment, President  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Justice,  and  the  Procurer-General 
in  the  cases  provided  by  this  constitution. 

2.  To  convoke  the  assembly  to  an  extraordinary  meeting  in  those  cases  in 
which  it  should  constitute  a  tribunal  of  justice. 

3.  To  transact  the  business  which  may  remain  pending  for  consideration. 

4.  To  convoke  the  assembly  to  extraordinary  sessions  when  the  exigency 
of  the  case  may  demand ;  and 

5.  To  substitute  the  assembly  in  its  functions  in  accordance  with  the 
constitution,  exception  being  made  of  the  right  to  make  and  pass  the  laws. 

The  permanent  commission  shall  meet  whenever  it  may  be  convoked  by 
him  who  presides  in  accordance  with  this  constitution. 

Seventh  Title 
The  Executive  Power 

Art.  56.  The  executive  power  shall  reside  in  the  President  of  the  republic, 
who  exercises  it  through  his  secretaries. 

Art.  57.  The  conduct  of  the  interests  peculiar  to  the  towns,  the  provinces, 
and  of  the  estate  belonging  respectively  to  the  popular  assemblies,  to  the 
provincial  assemblies,  and  to  the  active  administration,  with  reference  to  laws, 
and  upon  the  basis  of  the  most  ample  "desceb-trakizacion"  (distribution)  and 
administrative  autonomy. 

Eighth  Title 
The  President  of  the  Republic 

Art.  58.  The  president  of  the  republic  shall  be  elected  by  an  absolute 
majority  of  votes  by  the  assembly  and  the  representative  specially  met  in 
constitutive  chamber. 

His  term  of  office  shall  be  for  four  years  and  he  will  be  re-eligible. 

Art.  59.  The  President  of  the  Republic  shall  have  the  proposal  of  the 
laws  as  well  as  the  members  of  the  assembly,  and  shall  promulgate  the  laws 
when  they  have  been  passed  and  approved  by  the  latter  and  shall  watch  over 
and  insure  their  execution. 

Art.  60.  The  power  of  causing  the  laws  to  be  executed  extends  itself  to 
all  that  which  conduces  to  the  conservation  of  public  order  in  the  interior 
and  the  international  security. 

Art.  61.  The  President  of  the  Republic  shall  promulgate  the  laws  within 
twenty  days  following  the  time  when  they  have  been  transmitted  by  the 
assembly  definitely  approved. 

Art.  62.  If  within  this  time  they  may  not  be  promulgated,  it  shall  devolve 
upon  the  President  to  return  them  to  the  assembly  with  justification  of  the 
causes  of  their  detention,  proceeding  in  such  case  to  their  revision,  and  it 
shall  not  be  considered  that  it  insists  upon  them,  if  it  does  not  reproduce 


^ 


APPENDICES  505 

them  by  a  vote  of  at  least  two-thirds  of  the  members  of  the  assembly  present. 
Reproducing  the  law  in  the  form  indicated  the  government  shall  promulgate 
it  within  ten  days,  announcing  his  nonconformity. 

In  the  same  manner  the  government  shall  become  obligated  if  he  allow  to 
pass  the  term  of  twenty  days  without  returning  the  law  to  the  assembly. 

Art.  63.  When  the  promulgation  of  a  law  may  have  been  declared  urgent 
by  a  vote  expressed  by  an  absolute  majority  of  the  votes  of  the  assembly  the 
President  can  call  upon  them  by  a  message,  stating  his  reasons  for  a  new 
deliberation,  which  can  not  be  denied,  and  the  same  law  being  approved  anew, 
shall  be  promulgated  within  the  legal  term,  without  prejudice  to  the  Presi- 
dent's announcing  his  nonconformity. 

Art.  64.  The  promulgation  of  the  laws  shall  take  place  by  means  of  their 
pubUcation  in  the  official  periodical  of  the  republic  and  shall  take  effect  after 
thirty  days  from  the  date  of  publication. 

Art.  65.  The  President  of  the  Republic  shall  have  command  of  the  army 
and  navy,  making  and  ratifying  treaties  of  peace,  with  the  previous  concur- 
rence of  the  assembly. 

Art.  66.  Treaties  of  peace  shall  not  be  binding  until  passed  by  the  as- 
sembly. 

Art.  67.  In  addition  to  the  necessary  powers  for  the  execution  of  the 
laws,  the  President  of  the  Republic  shall  have  the  following : 

1.  To  confer  civil  and  military  employment  with  reference  to  the  laws. 

2.  To  appoint  the  secretaries  of  the  government. 

3.  To  direct  diplomatic  and  commercial  relations  with  foreign  powers. 

4.  To  see  to  it  that  in  the  entire  territory  may  be  administered  speedy  and 
complete  justice. 

5.  To  pardon  delinquents  in  accordance  with  the  laws,  excepting  the  pro- 
vision relative  to  the  secretaries  of  the  government. 

6.  To  preside  over  national  assemblies  and  to  receive  the  envoys  and  rep- 
resentatives of  the  foreign  powers  authorized  to  meet  him. 

Art.  68.  The  President  of  the  Republic  shall  need  to  be  authorized  by  a 
special  law : 

1.  In  order  to  alienate,  cede,  or  exchange  any  part  of  the  Filipino  ter- 
ritory. 

2.  In  order  to  annex  any  other  territory  to  that  of  the  Philippines. 

3.  In  order  to  admit  foreign  troops  into  the  Philippine  territory. 

4.  In  order  to  ratify  treaties  of  alliance,  offensive  and  defensive ;  special 
treaties  of  commerce — those  which  stipulate  to  give  subsidy  to  a  foreign 
power — and  all  those  which  may  bind  individually  the  Filipinos. 

In  no  case  can  the  secret  articles  of  a  treaty  derogate  those  which  are 
public. 

5.  In  order  to  grant  amnesties  and  general  pardons. 

6.  In  order  to  coin  money.     (S.  C,  55th  art.) 

Art.  69.  To  the  President  of  the  Republic  belongs  the  power  of  dictating 
regulations  for  compliance  and  application  of  the  laws  in  accordance  with  the 
requisites  which  the  same  prescribe.     (S.  C,  54th  art.) 

Art.  70.  The  President  of  the  Republic  can,  with  the  previous  concur- 
rence adopted  by  a  majority  of  the  votes  of  the  representatives,  dissolve  the 
assembly  before  the  expiration  of  the  legal  term  of  its  office. 

In  this  case  they  shall  be  convoked  for  new  elections  within  a  term  of 
three  months. 

Art.  71.  The  President  of  the  Republic  shall  only  be  responsible  in  cases 
of  high  treason. 

Art.  72.  The  compensation  of  the  President  of  the  Republic  shall  be  fixed 
by  a  special  law,  which  can  not  be  changed  until  the  end  of  the  presidential 
term  of  office. 


506  APPENDICEiS 

Ninth  Title 
The  Secretaries  of  the  Government 

Art.  IZ.  The  council  of  the  government  shall  be  composed  of  a  President 
and  seven  Secretaries,  -who  shall  have  charge  of  the  offices  of  Foreign  Affairs, 
Interior,  Treasur3^  Army  and  Navy,  Public  Instruction,  Public  Communica- 
tions and  Works,  Agriculture,  Industry,  and  Commerce. 

Art.  74.  All  that  virhich  the  President  may  order  or  provide  in  the  exer- 
cise of  his  authority  shall  be  signed  by  the  Secretary  to  whom  it  belongs.  No 
public  functionary  shall  give  compliance  to  any  which  lack  this  requisite. 

Art.  75.  The  secretaries  of  the  government  are  responsible  jointly  to  the 
assembly  for  the  general  policy  of  the  government  and  individually  for  their 
personal  acts. 

To  the  Procurer-General  of  the  nation  belongs  the  accusing  of  them,  and 
to  the  assembly  their  trial. 

The  laws  shall  determine  the  cases  of  responsibility  of  the  secretaries  of 
the  government,  the  penalties  to  which  they  are  subject,  and  the  mode  of 
procedure  against  them. 

Art.  76.  If  they  should  be  condemned  by  the  assembly,  in  order  to  pardon 
them  there  shall  precede  the  petition  of  an  absolute  majority  of  the  repre- 
sentatives. 

Tenth  Title 

The  Judicial  Power 

Art.  77.  To  the  tribunals  belong  exclusively  the  power  of  applying  the 
laws  in  the  name  of  the  nation  in  civil  and  criminal  trials. 

The  same  codes  shall  govern  in  the  entire  republic  without  prejudice  to 
modifications  which  for  particular  circumstances  the  laws  may  prescribe. 

In  them  shall  not  be  established  more  than  one  jurisdiction  for  all  the 
citizens  in  common  trials,  civil  and  criminal. 

Art.  78.  The  tribunals  shall  not  apply  the  general  and  municipal  regula- 
tions only  in  so  far  as  they  conform  with  the  laws. 

Art.  79.  The  exercise  of  the  judicial  power  resides  in  the  Supreme  Court 
of  Justice  and  in  the  tribunals  which  are  prescribed  by  the  laws. 

The  composition,  organization,  and  other  attributes  shall  be  governed  by 
the  organic  laws  which  may  be  determined. 

Art.  80.  The  President  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Justice  and  the  "Pro- 
curer-General" shall  be  appointed  by  the  national  assembly  in  concurrence 
with  the  President  of  the  Republic  and  Secretaries  of  the  government,  and 
shall  have  absolute  independence  of  the  executive  and  legislative  powers. 

Art.  81.  Any  citizen  can  institute  a  public  prosecution  against  any  of  the 
members  of  the  judicial  power  for  the  crimes  they  may  commit  in  the  exer- 
cise of  their  office. 

Eleventh  Title 

Provincial  and  Popular  Assemblies 

Art.  82.  The  organization  and  powers  of  the  provincial  and  popular  as- 
semblies will  be  regulated  by  their  respective  laws. 

The  latter  shall  be  regulated  according  to  the  following  principles : 

1.  Government  and  management  of  the  interests  peculiar  to  the  provinces 
or  towns,  by  their  respective  corporations,  the  principle  of  popular  and  direct 
election  being  the  basis  for  the  organization  of  said  corporations. 

2.  Pubhcity  of  the  sessions  within  the  limits  prescribed  by  the  laws. 

3.  Publicity  of  the  budgets,  accounts,  and  important  decisions. 


APPENDICES  507 

4.  Intervention  of  the  government,  and  in  the  proper  case  of  the  national 
assembly  in  order  to  prevent  the  provincial  and  municipal  corporations  from 
exceeding  their  powers,  to  the  prejudice  of  general  and  individual  interests. 

5.  Determination  of  their  powers  in  the  matter  of  taxes,  in  order  that  the 
provincial  and  municipal  taxation  may  never  be  antagonistic  to  the  system  of 
taxation  of  State. 

Twelfth  Title 
The  Administration  of  State 

Art.  83.  The  government  shall  present  yearly  to  the  assembly  budgets  of 
income  and  expenses,  setting  forth  the  alterations  made  in  those  of  the  pre- 
ceding year  and  inclosing  the  balance  of  the  last  fiscal  year  in  accordance 
to  law. 

When  the  assembly  may  meet  the  budgets  will  be  presented  to  it  within  ten 
days  following  its  convening. 

Art.  84.  No  payment  shall  be  made  except  in  accordance  with  the  law  of 
budgets  or  other  special  laws,  in  the  form  and  under  the  responsibilities  fixed 
thereby. 

Art.  85.  It  is  necessary  that  the  government  be  authorized  by  law  in  order 
to  dispose  of  the  goods  and  properties  of  State  or  to  secure  a  loan  upon  the 
credit  of  the  nation. 

Art.  86.  The  public  debt  which  is  contracted  by  the  government  of  the 
republic  in  accordance  with  this  constitution  shall  be  under  the  special  guar- 
anty of  the  nation. 

No  indebtedness  shall  be  created  unless  at  the  same  time  the  resources 
with  which  to  pay  it  are  voted. 

Art.  87.  All  the  laws  relating  to  incomes,  public  expenditures,  or  public 
credit  shall  be  considered  as  a  part  of  those  of  the  budget,  and  shall  be  pub- 
lished as  such. 

Art.  88.  The  assembly  shall  fix  each  year,  at  the  request  of  the  President 
of  the  Republic,  the  military  forces  of  land  and  sea. 

Thirteenth  Title 
Reforms  in  the  Constitution 

Art.  89.  The  assembly,  upon  its  own  motion  or  at  the  proposal  of  the 
President  of  the  Republic,  can  resolve  the  reform  of  the  constitution,  pre- 
scribing for  that  purpose  the  article  or  articles  which  should  be  modified. 

Art.  90.  The  declaration  made,  the  President  of  the  Republic  shall  dis- 
solve the  assembly  and  convoke  the  "constituyente"  (constituting  power), 
which  shall  meet  within  three  months  following.  In  the  convocation  shall  be 
inserted  the  resolution  referred  to  in  the  preceding  article. 

Fourteenth  Title 
The  Observance  and  Oath  of  the  Constitution — Languages 

Art.  91.  The  President  of  the  Republic,  the  government,  the  assembly, 
and  all  the  Filipino  citizens,  shall  faithfully  guard  the  constitution ;  and  the 
legislative  power,  immediately  after  the  approval  of  the  law  of  budgets,  shall 
examine  as  to  whether  the  constitution  has  been  exactly  observed  and  as  to 
whether  its  infractions  have  been  corrected,  providing  that  which  is  most 
practicable  in  order  that  the  responsibility  of  the  transgressors  may  be  made 
effective. 

Art.  92.    Neither  the  President  of  the  Republic  nor  any  other  public  func- 


508  APPENDICES 

tionary  can  enter  upon  the  performance  of  his  duty  without  previously  taking 
the  oath. 

Such  oath  shall  be  taken  by  the  President  of  the  Republic  before  the 
national  assembly. 

The  other  functionaries  of  the  nation  shall  take  it  before  the  authorities 
determined  by  law. 

Art.  93.  The  use  of  the  languages  spoken  in  the  Philippines  is  optional. 
It  can  only  be  regulated  by  the  law,  and  solely  as  to  the  acts  of  public  author- 
ity and  judicial  affairs.  For  the  purpose  of  these  acts  shall  be  used  at  present 
the  Castillian  language. 

Temporary  Provisions 

Art.  94.  In  the  meantime,  and  without  prejudice  to  the  48th  article  and 
the  commissions  which  may  be  appointed  by  the  assembly  for  the  preparation 
of  the  organic  laws  for  the  development  and  application  of  the  rights  granted 
the  Filipino  citizens,  and  for  the  regime  of  the  public  powers  determined  by 
the  constitution,  the  laws  in  force  in  these  islands  before  their  emancipation 
shall  be  considered  as  the  laws  of  the  republic. 

In  like  manner  shall  be  considered  in  force  the  provisions  of  the  civil 
code  in  respect  to  marriage  and  civil  registry,  suspended  by  the  general  gov- 
ernment of  the  islands;  the  instructions  of  the  26th  of  April,  1888,  in  order 
to  carry  into  effect  articles  IT ,  78,  79,  and  82  of  said  code ;  the  law  of  civil 
registry  of  the  17th  of  June,  1870,  referred  to  by  article  332  of  the  same,  and 
the  regulations  of  the  13th  of  December,  1870,  for  the  execution  of  this  law, 
without  prejudice  to  the  local  chiefs  continuing  in  charge  of  the  entries  in  the 
civil  registry  and  intervening  in  rhe  celebration  of  the  marriage  of  Catholics. 

Art.  95.  Pending  the  approval  and  enforcement  of  the  laws  referred  to 
in  the  preceding  article  the  provisions  of  the  Spanish  laws  temporarily  en- 
forced by  said  article  may  be  modified  by  special  laws. 

Art.  96.  After  promulgating  the  laws  which  the  assembly  may  approve 
in  accordance  with  the  94th  article,  the  government  of  the  republic  is  au- 
thorized to  issue  the  decrees  and  regulations  necessary  for  the  immediate 
formation  of  all  the  organizations  of  state. 

Art.  97.  The  President  of  the  Revolutionary  Government  shall  at  once 
assume  the  title  of  President  of  the  Republic,  and  shall  exercise  said  office 
until  the  constituting  assembly  meets  and  elects  the  person  who  is  to  fill  said 
office  definitely. 

Art.  98.  This  congress,  with  the  members  w^ho  compose  it,  and  those  who 
may  be  returned  by  election  or  decree,  shall  continue  four  years — that  is  to 
say,  the  whole  of  the  present  legislature,  beginning  the  15th  of  April  of 
next  year. 

Art.  99.  Notwithstanding  the  general  rule  established  in  the  2d  paragraph 
of  the  4th  article,  during  the  time  the  country  may  have  to  struggle  for  its 
independence  the  government  is  hereby  authorized  to  determine,  at  the  close 
of  congress,  whatever  questions  and  difficulties,  not  provided  for  by  law,  may 
arise  from  unforeseen  events,  by  means  of  decrees,  which  may  be  communi- 
cated to  the  permanent  commission  and  to  the  assembly  on  its  first  meeting. 

Art.  100.  The  execution  of  the  Sth  article  of  title  3  is  hereby  suspended 
until  the  meeting  of  the  constituting  assembly. 

In  the  meantime,  the  municipalities  of  those  places  which  may  require  the 
spiritual  offices  of  a  Filipino  priest  shall  provide  for  his  maintenance. 

Art.  101.  Notwithstanding  the  provisions  of  arts.  62  and  dZ,  the  laws 
returned  by  the  President  of  the  Republic  to  congress  can  not  be  reproduced 
until  the  legislature  of  the  following  year,  the  President  and  his  council  of 
government  being  responsible   for  the  suspension.     If  the  reproduction  be 


APPENDICES  509 

made,  the  promulgation  will  be  compulsory  within  ten  days,  the  President 
stating  his  nonconformity  if  he  so  desires. 

If  the  reproduction  be  made  in  subsequent  legislatures,  it  will  be  consid- 
ered as  being  voted  for  the  first  time. 

Additional  Article.     From  the  24th  of  May  last,  on  which  date  the  dic- 
tatorial government  was  organized  in  Cavite,  all  the  buildings,  properties,  and 
other  belongings  possessed  by  the  religious  corporations  in  these  islands  will 
be  understood  as  restored  to  the  Filipino  government. 
Barasoain,  January  20,  1899. 

The  President  of  the  Congress. 
Pedro  A.  Paterno. 
The  secretaries : 

Pablo  Tecson. 
Pablo  Ocampo. 

APPENDIX  H 

LIST  OF  LEADING  OFFICIALS  OF  THE  PHILIPPINE 
GOVERNMENT 

Military  Governors: 

General  Wesley  Merritt       .     .     Commanding  Department  of  the  Pacific  and 

Military  Governor,  July  25,  1898,  to  Aug.  30, 
1898. 

General  Elwell  S.  Otis  .     .     .     Commanding  Department  of  the  Pacific  and 

Military  Governor  of  the  Philippine  Islands, 
Aug.  30.  1898,  to  May  5,  1900.  (March,  1900, 
was  commanding  Division  of  the  Philippine 
Islands  and  Military  Governor.) 

General  Arthur  MacArthur     .     Commanding  Division  of  the  Philippines  and 

Military  Governor,  May  5,  1900,  to  July  4, 
1901. 

General  Adna  R.  Chaffee    .     .     Commanding    Division    of    the    Philippine 

Islands  and  Military  Governor  over  certain 
Provinces,  July  4,  1901,  to  July  4,  1902,  con- 
tinuing as  Commander  Division  of  the  Phil- 
ippine Islands  until  Sept.  30,  1902. 

Governors-General:*  Period  of  Service 

Wm.  H.  Taft July  4,  1901— Jan.     31,1904 

Luke  E.  Wright Feb.  1,  1904  —  Mar.  30,  1906 

Henry  C.  Ide Apr.  1,  1906— Sept.   19,  1906 

James  F.  Smith Sept.  20,  1906  — Nov.   10,  1909 

W.  Cameron  Forbes Nov.  11,  1909  — Sept.     1,1913 

Francis  Burton  Harrison Sept.  2,  1913  — 

Vice-Governors  of  Philippine  Islands:  Period  of  Service 

Luke  E.  Wright Oct.  29,  1901  — Jan.     31.1904 

Henry  C   Ide                     Feb.  1,  1904  — Mar.  31,  1906 

W.  Cameron  Forbes July  31,  1908- Nov.    10,1909 

Newton  W.  Gilbert Feb.  14,  1910  — Nov.   30,  1913 

Henderson  S.  Martin Dec.  1,  1913  — 

*Title  was  "Civil  Governor"  from  July  4,  1901,  to  Feb.  6,  1905,  when  tille  was  changed 
to  "Governor-General"  by  Act  of  Congress  (Public  43 — Feb.  6,  1905). 


510 


APPENDICES 


PHILIPPINE  COMMISSIONERS 

First  Philippine  Island  Commission,  Appointed  January  20,  iSgg: 
Jacob  G.  Schurman,  Chairman. 
Rear  Admiral  George  Dewey. 
Maj.-Gen.  Elwell  S.  Otis. 
Dean  C.  Worcester. 


Charles  Denby  ■»  Cp^p^.-jp.: 

John  R.  MacArthur  /  Secretaries. 


New  Philippine  Islands  Commission:  Period  of  Service 

Wm.  H.  Taft  (President) Mar.  16,  1900  — Jan.     31,  1904 

Henry  C.  Ide Mar.  16,  1900  —  Sept.  19,  1906 

Luke  E.  Wright Mar.  16,  1900  —  Mar.  30,  1906 

Dean  C.  Worcester Mar.  16,  1900  —  Sept.   IS,  1913 

Bernard  Moses Mar.  16,  1900  —  Dec.    31,  1902 


Changes  in  Above : 

Benito  Legarda . 

T.  H.  Pardo  de  Tavera 

Jose  R.  Luzuriaga 

James  F.  Smith 

W.  Cameron  Forbes 

W.  Morgan  Shuster 

Gregorio  Araneta    .   , 

Newton  W.  Gilbert 

Rafael  Palma 

Juan  Sumulong 

Frank  A.  Branagan 

Charles  Burke  Elliott 

Francis  Burton  Harrison 

Victorino  Mapa 

Jaime  C.  de  Veyra 

Vicente  Ilustre       

Vicente  Singson  Encarnacion    .... 

Henderson  S.  Martin       .     .     ,     .     .     . 

Clinton  L.  Riggs 

Winfred  T.  Denison 

Eugene  E.  Reed 

(Vacancy.) 

The  Philippine  Commission  was  abolished 
Law  of  August  29,  1916.    See  Appendix  I. 


Period  c 

f  Service 

2, 

1901- 

-Dec. 

21, 

1908 

2, 

1901- 

—  Mar. 

1, 

1909 

2, 

1901- 

-Oct. 

26, 

1913 

1, 

1903- 

—  Nov. 

11, 

1909 

16, 

1904- 

-  Sept. 

1, 

1913 

25, 

1906- 

—  Mar. 

1, 

1909 

30, 

1908- 

-Oct. 

26, 

1913 

6, 

1908- 

-Dec. 

1, 

1913 

30, 

1908- 

— 

1, 

1909- 

-Oct. 

26, 

1913 

2, 

1909- 

-Oct. 

26, 

1913 

10, 

1910- 

-Dec. 

6. 

1912 

2, 

1913- 



27, 

1913- 



27, 

1913- 



27. 

1913- 



27, 

1913- 



29, 

1913- 

— 

29, 

1913- 

-Oct. 

31, 

1915 

27, 

1914- 

—  Mar. 

31, 

1916 

24, 

1916- 

-Oct. 

— , 

1916 

Sept. 

Sept. 

Sept. 

Jan. 

June 

Sept. 

June 

July 

June 

Mar. 

Mar. 

Feb. 

Sept. 

Oct. 

Oct. 

Oct. 

Oct. 

Nov. 

Nov. 

Jan. 

May 


by  the  Philippine  Government 


SECRETARIES  OF  DEPARTMENTS  IN  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 

Secretaries  of  Interior:  Period  of  Service 

Dean  C.  Worcester Sept.     1,  1901  —  Sept.  15,  1913 

Winfred  T.  Denison Jan.  27,  1914  —  Mar.   31,  1916 

(Vacancy.) 

Secretaries  of  Commerce  and  Police:  Period  of  Service 

Luke  E.Wright Sept.     1,1901— Jan.    31.1904 

W.  Cameron  Forbes June  16,  1904  —  Nov.   10,  1909 

Charles  Burke  Elliott Feb.  10,  1910  — Dec.      6,  1912 

•  Clinton  L.  Riggs Dec.      1,1913  — Oct.    31,1915 

Eugene  E.  Reed May  24,  1916  — 


APPENDICES 


511 


Secretaries  of  Finance  and  Justice:  Period  of  Service 

Henry  C.  Ide Sept.  1,  1901  —  Mar.  31,  1906 

Gregorio  Araneta June  30,  1908  — Oct.    26,  1913 

Victorino  Mapa Oct.  27,  1913  — 

Secretaries  of  Public  Instruction:  Period  of  Service 

Bernard  Moses Sept.     1,  1901  —Dec.     31,  1902 

James  F.  Smith Jan.       1,  1903  —  Sept.   19,  1906 

W.  Morgan  Shuster Sept.  25,  1906  — Apr.    30,  1909 

Newton  W.  Gilbert Mar.      1,1909  — Nov.    30,1913 

Henderson  S.  Martin Dec.      1,  1913  — 

These  executive  departments  were  reorganized  and  new  departments  cre- 
ated by  the  Philippine  Legislature  soon  after  the  enactment  of  the  Act  of 
Congress  of  August  29,  1916.    See  Sec.  22  thereof,  Appendix  I. 


MEMBERS  OF  THE  SUPREME  COURT  OF  THE  PHILIPPINES 

Chief  Justice 

Cayetano  Arellano 


Associate  Justices: 

Joseph  F.  Cooper 

Fletcher  Ladd 

Victorino  Mapa 

James  F.  Smith 

Florentino  Torres 

Charles  A.  Willard 

John  T.  McDonough 

E.  Finlay  Johnson       

Adam  C.  Carson 

James  F.  Tracey 

Sherman  Moreland 

Charles  Burke  Elliott 

Grant  T.  Trent 

Manuel  Araullo 

All  the  preceding  officers  were  appointed 
by  the  United  States  Senate. 

DIVISION  OF  CUSTOMS  AND  INSULAR  AFFAIRS^ 

Chiefs:  Period  of  Service 

Maj.  John  J.  Pershing Mar.   10,  1899  —  Aug.  24,  1899 

Lieut.-Col.  Clarence  R.  Edwards    .     .     .     Feb.    18,  1900  —  June  30,  1902 


Period  of  Service 

Sept. 

26,  1900  — 

Period  of  Service 

June 

15,  1901  — Oct.     18,  1904 

June 

IS,  1901— July    13,  1903 

June 

15,  1901  —  Sept.  30,  1913 

June 

15,  1901— Jan.      1,  1903 

June 

15,  1901—      - 

June 

15,  1901  — Mar.   13,  1914 

Mar. 

1,  1903  — July    20,  1904 

June 

8,  1903  — 

Nov. 

16,  1904  — 

Tulv 

1,  1905— Feb.      1,  1909 

Feb. 

2,  1909  — 

June 

3,  1909  — Feb.    10,  1910 

Feb. 

15,  1910  — 

Nov. 

29.  1913  — 

by  the  President  and  confirmed 

Assistant  Chiefs: 

Capt.  James  G.  Harbord  . 
Capt.  John  Van  Ness  Philip 


Period  of  Service 
July    31,  1901  — Nov.   19,  1901 
Dec.    20,  1901— June   30,  1902 


BUREAU  OF  INSULAR  AFFAIRS  (AFTER  JULY  1,  1902) 

Chiefs:  Period  of  Service 

Brig.-Gen.  Clarence  R.  Edwards     .     .     .  July  1,  1902 —  Aug.   15,  1912 

Brig.-Gen.  Frank  Mclntyre Aug.  16,  1912  — 

'The  ofFicers  of  this  Bureau  are  not  Philippine  officials,  but  the  business  of  the  Gov- 
ernment of  the  Philippines  is  under  the  direction  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  who  acts 
through  the  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Insular  Affairs. 


512  APPENDICES 

Assistant  Chiefs:  -d  '  j     e  c 

n     .   T  u    \t      at        T^^  •,•  Period  of  Service 

Capt.  John  Van  Ness  Phihp       ....  July  1,  1902 -June   20,  1903 

Col.  Frank  Mclntyre Apr.  20,  1905  -  Aug.    16,  1912 

Maj.  George  HShelton        July  16,  1908 -Mar.    29,1913 

Col.  Chas.  C.  Walcutt,  Jr Aug.  27,  1912 

Maj.  Irvin  L.  Hunt Mar!  28^  1913  — 

APPENDIX  I 

THE  PHILIPPINE  GOVERNMENT  LAW  OF  1916 

V  ^^  ^"^  *°  declare  the  purpose  of  the  people  of  the  United   States  as  to  the  future  po- 
govel^lL?fo°r  Zlsr&^i  '^'  ^'^'"^^'"^   ^^'^"''^'  ^"'^  *°  ^-^^^^  ^   ™°-  -^— '- 

Whereas  it  was  never  the  intention  of  the  people  of  the  United  States  in  the 
incipiency  of  the  War  with  Spain  to  make  it  a  war  of  conquest  or  for 
territorial  aggrandizement ;  and 
Whereas  it  is,  as  it  has  always  been,  the  purpose  of  the  people  of  the  United 
States  to  withdraw  their  sovereignty  over  the  Phihppine  Islands  and  to 
recognize  their  independence  as  soon  as  a  stable  government  can  be  estab- 
lished therein ;  and 
Whereas  for  the  speedy  accomplishment  of  siich  purpose  it  is  desirable  to 
place  in  the  hands  of  the  people  of  the  Philippines  as  large  a  control  of 
their  domestic  affairs  as  can  be  given  them  without,  in  the  meantime  im- 
pairing the  exercise  of  the  rights  of  sovereignty  by  the  people  of  the 
United  States,  m  order  that,  by  the  use  and  exercise  of  popular  franchise 
and  governmental  powers,  they  may  be  the  better  prepared  to  fully  assume 
the  responsibihties  and  enjoy  all  the  privileges  of  complete  independence: 
Iherefore 

Be  it  enacted^  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  United 
litotes  of  America  m  Congress  assembled.  That  the  provisions  of  this  Act 
^i"  S5,"^^^  "?^^  Philippines"  as  used  in  this  Act  shall  apply  to  and  include 
the  Philippine  Islands  ceded  to  the  United  States  Government  by  the  treaty 
of  peace  concluded  between  the  United  States  and  Spain  on  the  eleventh  day 
of  April,  eighteen  hundred  and  ninety-nine,  the  boundaries  of  which  are  set 
forth  m  Article  III  of  said  treaty,  together  with  those  islands  embraced  in 
the  treaty  between  Spam  and  the  United  States  concluded  at  Washington  on 
the  seventh  day  of  November,  nineteen  hundred. 

Sec.  2.  That  all  inhabitants  of  the  Philippine  Islands  who  were  Spanish 
subjects  on  the  eleventh  day  of  April,  eighteen  hundred  and  ninety-nine  and 
then  resided  in  said  islands,  and  their  children  born  subsequent  thereto  shall 
be  deemed  and  held  to  be  citizens  of  the  Philippine  Islands,  except  such  as 
shall  have  elected  to  preserve  their  allegiance  to  the  Crown  of  Spain  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  provisions  of  the  treaty  of  peace  between  the  United  States 
and  Spain,  signed  at  Paris  December  tenth,  eighteen  hundred  and  ninety- 
eight,  and  except  such  others  as  have  since  become  citizens  of  some  other 
Qountry:  Provided,  That  the  Philippine  Legislature,  herein  provided  for  is 
hereby  authorized  to  provide  by  law  for  the  acquisition  of  Philippine  citizen- 
ship by  those  natives  of  the  Philippine  Islands  who  do  not  come  within  the 
foregoing  provisions,  the  natives  of  the  insular  possessions  of  the  United 
Mates,  and  such  other  persons  residing  in  the  Philippine  Islands  who  are 
citizens  of  the  United  States,  or  who  could  become  citizens  of  the  United 
btates  under  the  laws  of  the  United  States  if  residing  therein. 

.  Sec.  3.     That  no  law  shall  be  enacted  in  said  islands  which  shall  deprive 
any  person  of  life,  liberty,  or  property  without  due  process  of  law,  or  deny 


APPENDICES  513 

to  any  person  therein  the  equal  protection  of  the  laws.  Private  property  shall 
not  be  taken  for  public  use  without  just  compensation. 

That  in  all  criminal  prosecutions  the  accused  shall  enjoy  the  right  to  be 
heard  by  himself  and  counsel,  to  demand  the  nature  and  cause  of  the  accu- 
sation against  him,  to  have  a  speedy  and  public  trial,  to  meet  the  witnesses 
face  to  face,  and  to  have  compulsory  process  to  compel  the  attendance  of 
witnesses  in  his  behalf. 

That  no  person  shall  be  held  to  answer  for  a  criminal  offense  without  due 
process  of  law;  and  no  person  for  the  same  offense  shall  be  twice  put  in 
jeopardy  of  punishment,  nor  shall  be  compelled  in  any  criminal  case  to  be  a 
witness  against  himself. 

That  all  persons  shall  before  conviction  be  bailable  by  sufficient  sureties, 
except  for  capital  offenses. 

That  no  law  impairing  the  obligation  of  contracts  shall  be  enacted. 

That  no  person  shall  be  imprisoned  for  debt. 

That  the  privilege  of  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  shall  not  be  suspended, 
unless  when  in  cases  of  rebellion,  insurrection,  or  invasion  the  public  safety 
may  require  it,  in  either  of  which  events  the  same  may  be  suspended  by  the 
President,  or  by  the  Governor-General,  wherever  during  such  period  the 
necessity  for  such  suspension  shall  exist. 

That  no  ex  post  facto  law  or  bill  of  attainder  shall  be  enacted  nor  shall 
the  law  of  primogeniture  ever  be  in  force  in  the  Philippines. 

That  no  law  granting  a  title  of  nobility  shall  be  enacted,  and  no  person 
holding  any  office  of  profit  or  trust  in  said  islands  shall,  without  the  consent 
of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  accept  any  present,  emolument,  office, 
or  title  of  any  kind  whatever  from  any  king,  queen,  prince,  or  foreign  State. 

That  excessive  bail  shall  not  be  required,  nor  excessive  fines  imposed,  nor 
cruel  and  unusual  punishment  inflicted. 

That  the  right  to  be  secure  against  unreasonable  searches  and  seizures 
shall  not  be  violated. 

That  slavery  shall  not  exist  in  said  islands ;  nor  shall  involuntary  servitude 
exist  therein  except  as  a  punishment  for  crime  whereof  the  party  shall  have 
been  duly  convicted. 

That  no  law  shall  be  passed  abridging  the  freedom  of  speech  or  of  the 
press,  or  the  right  of  the  people  peaceably  to  assemble  and  petition  the  Gov- 
ernment for  redress  of  grievances. 

That  no  law  shall  be  made  respecting  an  establishment  of  religion  or  pro- 
hibiting the  free  exercise  thereof,  and  that  the  free  exercise  and  enjoyment  of 
religious  profession  and  worship,  without  discrimination  or  preference,  shall 
forever  be  allowed ;  and  no  religious  test  shall  be  required  for  the  exercise 
of  civil  or  political  rights.  No  public  money  or  property  shall  ever  be  appro- 
priated, applied,  donated,  or  used,  directly  or  indirectly,  for  the  use,  benefit, 
or  support  of  any  sect,  church,  denomination,  sectarian  institution,  or  system 
of  religion,  or  for  the  use,  benefit,  or  support  of  any  priest,  preacher,  minister, 
or  other  rehgious  teacher  or  dignitary  as  such.  Contracting  of  polygamous  or 
plural  marriages  hereafter  is  prohibited.  That  no  law  shall  be  construed  to 
permit  polygamous  or  plural  marriages. 

That  no  money  shall  be  paid  out  of  the  treasury  except  in  pursuance  of  an 
appropriation  hy  law. 

That  the  rule  of  taxation  in  said  islands  shall  be  uniform. 

That  no  bill  which  may  be  enacted  into  law  shall  embrace  more  than  one 
subject,  and  that  subject  shall  be  expressed  in  the  title  of  the  bill. 

That  no  warrant  shall  issue  but  upon  probable  cause,  supported  by  oath 
or  affirmation,  and  particularly  describing  the  place  to  be  searched  and  the 
person  or  things  to  be  seized. 

That  all  money  collected  on  any  tax  levied  or  assessed  for  a  special  pur- 


514  APPENDICES 

pose  shall  be  treated  as  a  special  fund  in  the  treasury  and  paid  out  for  such 
purpose  only. 

Sec.  4.  That  all  expenses  that  may  be  incurred  on  account  of  the  Govern- 
ment of  the  Philippines  for  salaries  of  officials  and  the  conduct  of  their 
offices  and  departments,  and  all  expenses  and  obligations  contracted  for  the 
internal  improvement  or  development  of  the  islands,  not,  however,  including 
defenses,  barracks,  and  other  w^orks  undertaken  by  the  United  States,  shall, 
except  as  otherw^ise  specifically  provided  by  the  Congress,  be  paid  by  the 
Government  of  the  Philippines. 

Sec.  5.  That  the  statutory  laws  of  the  United  States  hereafter  enacted 
shall  not  apply  to  the  Philippine  Islands,  except  when  they  specifically  so  pro- 
vide, or  it  is  so  provided  in  this  Act. 

Sec.  6.  That  the  laws  now  in  force  in  the  Philippines  shall  continue  in 
force  and  effect,  except  as  altered,  amended,  or  modified  herein,  until  altered, 
amended,  or  repealed  by  the  legislative  authority  herein  provided  or  by  Act 
of  Congress  of  the  United  States. 

Sec.  7.  That  the  legislative  authority  herein  provided  shall  have  power, 
when  not  inconsistent  with  this  Act,  by  due  enactment  to  amend,  alter,  modify, 
or  repeal  any  law,  civil  or  criminal,  continued  in  force  by  this  Act  as  it  may 
from  time  to  time  see  fit. 

This  power  shall  specifically  extend  with  the  limitation  herein  provided  as 
to  the  tariff  to  all  laws  relating  to  revenue  and  taxation  in  effect  in  the 
Philippines. 

Sec.  8.  That  general  legislative  power,  except  as  otherwise  herein  pro- 
vided, is  hereby  granted  to  the  Philippine  Legislature,  authorized  by  this  Act. 

Sec.  9.  That  all  the  property  and  rights  which  may  have  been  acquired  in 
the  Philippine  Islands  by  the  United  States  under  the  treaty  of  peace  with 
Spain,  signed  December  tenth,  eighteen  hundred  and  ninety-eight,  except  such 
land  or  other  property  as  has  been  or  shall  be  designated  by  the  President  of 
the  United  States  for  military  and  other  reservations  of  the  Government  of 
the  United  States,  and  all  lands  which  may  have  been  subsequently  acquired 
by  the  government  of  the  Philippine  Islands  by  purchase  under  the  provisions 
of  sections  sixty-three  and  sixty-four  of  the  Act  of  Congress  approved  July 
first,  nineteen  hundred  and  two,  except  such  as  may  have  heretofore  been  sold 
and  disposed  of  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  said  Act  of  Congress, 
are  hereby  placed  under  the  control  of  the  government  of  said  islands  to  be 
administered  or  disposed  of  for  the  benefit  of  the  inhabitants  thereof,  and 
the  Philippine  Legislature  shall  have  power  to  legislate  with  respect  to  all 
such  matters  as  it  may  deem  advisable ;  but  acts  of  the  Philippine  Legislature 
with  reference  to  land  of  the  public  domain,  timber,  and  mining,  hereafter 
enacted,  shall  not  have  the  force  of  law  until  approved  by  the  President  of 
the  United  States :  Provided,  That  upon  the  approval  of  such  an  act  by  the 
Governor-General,  it  shall  be  by  him  forthwith  transmitted  to  the  President 
of  the  United  States,  and  he  shall  approve  or  disapprove  the  same  within  six 
months  from  and  after  its  enactment  and  submission  for  his  approval,  and  if 
not  disapproved  within  such  time  it  shall  become  a  law  the  same  as  if  it  had 
been  specifically  approved :  Provided  further.  That  where  lands  in  the  Philip- 
pine Islands  have  been  or  may  be  reserved  for  any  public  purpose  oi  the 
United  States,  and,  being  no  longer  required  for  the  purpose  for  which  re- 
served, have  been  or  may  be,  by  order  of  the  President,  placed  under  the 
control  of  the  government  of  said  islands  to  be  administered  for  the  benefit 
of  the  inhabitants  thereof,  the  order  of  the  President  shall  be  regarded  as 
effectual  to  give  the  government  of  said  islands  full  control  and  power  to 
administer  and  dispose  of  such  lands  for  the  benefit  of  the  inhabitants  of 
said  islands. 

Sec.  10.  That  while  this  Act  provides  that  the  Philippine  government 
shall  have  the  authority  to  enact  a  tariff  law  the  trade  relations  between  the 


APPENDICES  515 

islands  and  the  United  States  shall  continue  to  be  governed  exclusively  by 
laws  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States:  Provided,  That  tariff  acts  or  acts 
amendatory  to  the  tariff  of  the  Philippine  Islands  shall  not  become  law  until 
they  shall  receive  the  approval  of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  nor 
shall  any  act  of  the  Philippine  Legislature  affecting  immigration  or  the  cur- 
rency or  coinage  laws  of  the  Philippines  become  a  law  until  it  has  been  ap- 
proved by  the  President  of  the  United  States:  Provided  further.  That  the 
President  shall  approve  or  disapprove  any  act  mentioned  in  the  foregoing 
proviso  within  six  months  from  and  after  its  enactment  and  submission  for 
his  approval,  and  if  not  disapproved  within  such  time  it  shall  become  a  law 
the  same  as  if  it  had  been  specifically  approved. 

Sec.  11.  That  no  export  duties  shall  be  levied  or  collected  on  exports 
from  the  Philippine  Islands,  but  taxes  and  assessments  on  property  and 
license  fees  for  franchises,  and  privileges,  and  internal  taxes,  direct  or  indirect, 
may  be  imposed  for  the  purposes  of  the  Philippine  government  and  the  pro- 
vincial and  municipal  governments  thereof,  respectively,  as  may  be  provided 
and  defined  by  acts  of  the  Philippine  Legislature,  and,  where  necessary  to 
anticipate  taxes  and  revenues,  bonds  and  other  obhgations  may  be  issued  by 
the  Philippine  government  or  any  provincial  or  municipal  government  therein, 
as  may  be  provided  by  law  and  to  protect  the  public  credit:  Provided,  how- 
ever, That  the  entire  indebtedness  of  the  Philippine  government  created  by 
the  authority  conferred  herein  shall  not  exceed  at  any  one  time  the  sum  of 
$15,000,000,  exclusive  of  those  obligations  known  as  friar  land  bonds,  nor 
that  of  any  Province  or  municipality  a  sum  in  excess  of  seven  per  centum 
of  the  aggregate  tax  valuation  of  its  property  at  any  one  time. 

Sec.  12.  That  general  legislative  powers  in  the  Philippines,  except  as 
herein  otherwise  provided,  shall  be  vested  in  a  legislature  which  shall  consist 
of  two  houses,  one  the  senate  and  the  other  the  house  of  representatives,  and 
the  two  houses  shall  be  designated  "The  PhiHppine  Legislature" :  Provided, 
That  until  the  PhiHppine  Legislature  as  herein  provided  shall  have  been  or- 
ganized the  existing  Philippine  Legislature  shall  have  all  legislative  authority 
herein  granted  to  the  government  of  the  Philippine  Islands,  except  such  as 
may  now  be  within  the  exclusive  jurisdiction  of  the  Philippine  Commission, 
which  is  so  continued  until  the  organization  of  the  legislature  herein  pro- 
vided for  the  Philippines.  When  the  Philippine  Legislature  shall  have  been 
organized,  the  exclusive  legislative  jurisdiction  and  authority  exercised  by  the 
Philippine  Commission  shall  thereafter  be  exercised  by  the  Philippine  Legis- 
lature. 

Sec.  13.  That  the  members  of  the  senate  of  the  Philippines,  except  as 
herein  provided,  shall  be  elected  for  terms  of  six  and  three  years,  as  herein- 
after provided,  by  the  qualified  electors  of  the  Philippines.  Each  of  the 
senatorial  districts  defined  as  hereinafter  provided  shall  have  the  right  to 
elect  two  senators.  No  person  shall  be  an  elective  member  of  the  senate  of 
the  Philippines  who  is  not  a  qualified  elector  and  over  thirty  years  of  age, 
and  who  is  not  able  to  read  and  write  either  the  Spanish  or  English  language, 
and  who  has  not  been  a  resident  of  the  Phihppines  for  at  least  two  consecu- 
tive years  and  an  actual  resident  of  the  senatorial  district  from  which  chosen 
for  a  period  of  at  least  one  year  immediately  prior  to  his  election. 

Sec.  14.  That  the  members  of  the  house  of  representatives  shall,  except 
as  herein  provided,  be  elected  triennially  by  the  qualified  electors  of  the  Phil- 
ippines. Each  of  the  representative  districts  hereinafter  provided  for  shall 
have  the  right  to  elect  one  representative.  No  person  shall  be  an  elective  mem- 
ber of  the  house  of  representatives  who  is  not  a  qualified  elector  and  over 
twenty-five  years  of  age,  and  who  is  not  able  to  read  and  write  either  the 
Spanish  or  English  language,  and  who  has  not  been  an  actual  resident  of  the 
district  from  which  elected  for  at  least  one  year  immediately  prior  to  his 
election :  Provided,  That  the  members  of  the  present  assembly  elected  on  the 


516  APPENDICES 

first  Tuesday  in  June,  nineteen  hundred  and  sixteen,  shall  be  the  members  of 
the  house  of  representatives  from  their  respective  districts  for  the  term  expir- 
ing in  nineteen  hundred  and  nineteen. 

Sec.  15.  That  at  the  first  election  held  pursuant  to  this  act,  the  qualified 
electors  shall  be  those  having  the  qualifications  of  voters  under  the  present 
law;  thereafter  and  until  otherwise  provided  by  the  Philippine  Legislature 
herein  provided  for  the  qualifications  of  voters  for  senators  and  representa- 
tives in  the  Philippines  and  all  officers  elected  by  the  people  shall  be  as  fol- 
lows : 

Every  male  person  who  is  not  a  citizen  or  subject  of  a  foreign  power 
twenty-one  years  of  age  or  over  (except  insane  and  feeble-minded  persons 
and  those  convicted  in  a  court  of  competent  jurisdiction  of  an  infamous 
offense  since  the  thirteenth  day  of  August,  eighteen  hundred  and  ninety- 
eight),  who  shall  have  been  a  resident  of  the  Philippines  for  one  year  and 
of  the  municipality  in  which  he  shall  offer  to  vote  for  six  months  next  pre- 
ceding the  day  of  voting,  and  who  is  comprised  within  one  of  the  following 
classes : 

(a)  Those  who  under  existing  law  are  legal  voters  and  have  exercised  the 
right  of  suffrage. 

(b)  Those  who  own  real  property  to  the  value  of  500  pesos,  or  who  an- 
nually pay  30  pesos  or  more  of  the  established  taxes. 

(e)  Those  who  are  able  to  read  and  write  either  Spanish,  English,  or  a 
native  language. 

Sec.  16.  That  the  Philippine  Islands  shall  be  divided  into  twelve  senate 
districts,  as  follows : 

First  district :    Batanes,  Cagayan,  Isabela,  Ilocos  Norte,  and  Ilocos  Sur. 

Second  district:   La  Union,  Pangasinan,  and  Zambales. 

Third  district:   Tarlac,  Nueva  Ecija,  Pampanga,  and  Bulacan. 

Fourth  district :   Bataan,  Rizal,  Manila,  and  Laguna. 

Fifth  district:   Batangas,  Mindoro,  Tayabas,  and  Cavite. 

Sixth  district :    Sorsogon,  Albay,  and  Ambos  Camarines. 

Seventh  district :   Iloilo  and  Capiz. 

Eighth  district:  Negros  Occidental,  Negros  Oriental,  Antique,  and 
Palawan. 

Ninth  district:    Leyte  and  Samar. 

Tenth  district :    Cebu. 

Eleventh  district :    Surigao,  Misamis,  and  Bohol. 

Twelfth  district :  The  Mountain  Province,  Baguio,  Nueva  Vizcaya,  and 
the  Department  of  Mindanao  and  Sulu. 

The  representative  districts  shall  be  the  eighty-one  now  provided  by  law, 
and  three  in  the  Mountain  Province,  one  in  Nueva  Vizcaya,  and  five  in  the 
Department  of  Mindanao  and  Sulu. 

The  first  election  under  the  provisions  of  this  Act  shall  be  held  on  the 
first  Tuesday  of  October,  nineteen  hundred  and  sixteen,  unless  the  Governor- 
General  in  his  discretion  shall  fix  another  date  not  earlier  than  thirty  nor 
later  than  sixty  days  after  the  passage  of  this  Act :  Provided,  That  the  Gov- 
ernor-General's proclamation  shall  be  published  at  least  thirty  days  prior  to 
the  date  fixed  for  the  election,  and  there  shall  be  chosen  at  such  election  one 
senator  from  eadi  senate  district  for  a  term  of  three  years  and  one  for  six 
years.  Thereafter  one  senator  from  each  district  shall  be  elected  from  each 
senate  district  for  a  term  of  six  years :  Provided,  That  the  Governor-General 
of  the  Philippine  Islands  shall  appoint,  without  the  consent  of  the  senate  and 
without  restriction  as  to  residence,  senators  and  representatives  who  will,  in 
his  opinion,  best  represent  the  senate  district  and  those  representative  dis- 
tricts which  may  be  included  in  the  territory  not  now  represented  in  the  Phil- 
ippine Assembly:  Provided  further.  That  thereafter  elections  shall  be  held 
only  on  such  days  and  under  such  regulations  as  to  ballots,  voting,  and  quali- 


APPENDICES  517 

fications  of  electors  as  may  be  prescribed  by  the  Philippine  Legislature,  to 
which  is  hereby  given  authority  to  redistrict  the  Philippine  Islands  and 
modify,  amend,  or  repeal  any  provision  of  this  section,  except  such  as  refer 
to  appointive  senators  and  representatives. 

Sec.  17.  That  the  terms  of  office  of  elective  senators  and  representatives 
shall  be  six  and  three  years,  respectively,  and  shall  begin  on  the  date  of  their 
election.  In  case  of  vacancy  among  the  elective  members  of  the  senate  or  in 
the  house  of  representatives,  special  elections  may  be  held  in  the  districts 
wherein  such  vacancy  occurred  under  such  regulations  as  may  be  prescribed 
by  law,  but  senators  or  representatives  elected  in  such  cases  shall  hold  office 
only  for  the  unexpired  portion  of  the  term  wherein  the  vacancy  occurred. 
Senators  and  representatives  appointed  by  the  Governor-General  shall  hold 
office  until  removed  by  the  Governor-General. 

Sec.  18.  That  the  senate  and  house  of  representatives,  respectively,  shall 
be  the  sole  judges  of  the  elections,  returns,  and  qualifications  of  their  elective 
members,  and  each  house  may  determine  the  rules  of  its  proceedings,  punish 
its  members  for  disorderly  behavior,  and,  with  the  concurrence  of  two- 
thirds,  expel  an  elective  member.  Both  houses  shall  convene  at  the  capital  on 
the  sixteenth  day  of  October  next  following  the  election  and  organize  by  the 
election  of  a  speaker  or  a  presiding  officer,  a  clerk,  and  a  sergeant  at  arms 
for  each  house,  and  such  other  officers  and  assistants  as  may  be  required.  A 
majority  of  each  house  shall  constitute  a  quorum  to  do  business,  but  a  smaller 
number  may  meet,  adjourn  from  day  to  day,  and  compel  the  attendance  of 
absent  members.  The  legislature  shall  hold  annual  sessions,  commencing  on 
the  sixteenth  day  of  October,  or,  if  the  sixteenth  day  of  October  be  a  legal 
holiday,  then  on  the  first  day  following  which  is  not  a  legal  holiday,  in  each 
year.  The  legislature  may  be  called  in  special  session  at  any  time  by  the 
Governor-General  for  general  legislation,  or  for  action  on  such  specific  sub- 
jects as  he  may  designate.  No  special  session  shall  continue  longer  than 
thirty  days,  and  no  regular  session  shall  continue  longer  than  one  hundred 
days,  exclusive  of  Sundays.  The  legislature  is  hereby  given  the  power  and 
authority  to  change  the  date  of  the  commencement  of  its  annual  sessions. 

The  senators  and  representatives  shall  receive  an  annual  compensation  for 
their  services,  to  be  ascertained  by  law,  and  paid  out  of  the  treasury  of  the 
Philippine  Islands.  The  senators  and  representatives  shall,  in  all  cases  except 
treason,  felony,  and  breach  of  the  peace,  be  privileged  from  arrest  during 
their  attendance  at  the  session  of  their  respective  houses  and  in  going  to  and 
returning  from  the  same ;  and  for  any  speech  or  debate  in  either  house  they 
shall  not  be  questioned  in  any  other  place. 

No  senator  or  representative  shall,  during  the  time  for  which  he  may  have 
been  elected,  be  eligible  to  any  office  the  election  to  which  is  vested  in  the 
legislature,  nor  shall  be  appointed  to  any  office  of  trust  or  profit  which  shall 
have  been  created  or  the  emoluments  of  which  shall  have  been  increased  dur- 
ing such  term. 

Sec.  19.  That  each  house  of  the  legislature  shall  keep  a  journal  of  its  pro- 
ceedings and,  from  time  to  time,  publish  the  same ;  and  tlie  yeas  and  nays  of 
the  members  of  either  house,  on  any  question,  shall,  upon  demand  of  one- 
fifth  of  those  present,  be  entered  on  the  journal,  and  every  bill  and  joint 
resolution  which  shall  have  passed  botli  houses  shall,  before  it  becomes  a 
law,  be  presented  to  the  Governor-General.  If  he  approve  the  same,  he  shall 
sign  it;  but  if  not,  he  shall  return  it  with  his  objections  to  that  house  in  which 
it  shall  have  originated,  which  shall  enter  the  objections  at  large  on  its  journal 
and  proceed  to  reconsider  it.  If,  after  such  reconsideration,  two-thirds  of 
the  members  elected  to  that  house  shall  agree  to  pass  the  same,  it  sliall  be 
sent,  together  with  the  objections,  to  the  other  hou.se,  by  which  it  shall  like- 
wise be  reconsidered,  and  if  approved  by  two-thirds  of  all  the  members 
elected  to  that  house  it  shall  be  sent  to  the  Governor-General,  who,  in  case 


518  APPENDICES 

he  shall  then  not  approve,  shall  transmit  the  same  to  the  President  of  the 
United  States.  The  vote  of  each  house  shall  be  by  the  yeas  and  nays,  and 
the  names  of  the  members  voting  for  and  against  shall  be  entered  on  the 
journal.  If  the  President  of  the  United  States  approve  the  same,  he  shall 
sign  it  and  it  shall  become  a  law.  If  he  shall  not  approve  same,  he  shall 
return  it  to  the  Governor-General,  so  stating,  and  it  shall  not  become  a  law : 
Provided,  That  if  any  bill  or  joint  resolution  shall  not  be  returned  by  the 
Governor-General  as  herein  provided  within  twenty  days  (Sundays  excepted) 
after  it  shall  have  been  presented  to  him  the  same  shall  become  a  law  in  like 
manner  as  if  he  had  signed  it,  unless  the  legislature  by  adjournment  prevent 
its  return,  in  which  case  it  shall  become  a  law  unless  vetoed  by  the  Governor- 
General  within  thirty  days  after  adjournment:  Provided  further.  That  the 
President  of  the  United  States  shall  approve  or  disapprove  an  act  submitted 
to  him  under  the  provisions  of  this  section  within  six  months  from  and  after 
its  enactment  and  submission  for  his  approval ;  and  if  not  approved  within 
such  time,  it  shall  become  a  law  the  same  as  if  it  had  been  specifically  ap- 
proved. The  Governor-General  shall  have  the  power  to  veto  any  particular 
item  or  items  of  an  appropriation  bill,  but  the  veto  shall  not  affect  the  item 
or  items  to  which  he  does  not  object.  The  item  or  items  objected  to  shall  not 
take  effect  except  in  the  manner  heretofore  provided  in  this  section  as  to  bills 
and  joint  resolutions  returned  to  the  legislature  without  his  approval. 

All  laws  enacted  by  the  Philippine  Legislature  shall  be  reported  to  the 
Congress  of  the  United  States,  which  hereby  reserves  the  power  and  authority 
to  annul  the  same.  If  at  the  termination  of  any  fiscal  year  the  appropriations 
necessary  for  the  support  of  government  for  the  ensuing  fiscal  year  shall  not 
have  been  made,  the  several  sums  appropriated  in  the  last  appropriation  bills 
for  the  objects  and  purposes  therein  specified,  so  far  as  the  same  may  be 
done,  shall  be  deemed  to  be  reappropriated  for  the  several  objects  and  pur- 
poses specified  in  said  last  appropriation  bill;  and  until  the  legislature  shall 
act  in  such  behalf  the  treasurer  shall,  when  so  directed  by  the  Governor- 
General,  make  the  payments  necessary  for  the  purposes  aforesaid. 

Sec.  20.  That  at  the  first  meeting  of  the  Philippine  Legislature  created  by 
this  Act  and  triennially  thereafter  there  shall  be  chosen  by  the  legislature  two 
Resident  Commissioners  to  the  United  States,  who  shall  hold  their  office  for 
a  term  of  three  years  beginning  with  the  fourth  day  of  March  following  their 
election,  and  who  shall  be  entitled  to  an  official  recognition  as  such  hy  all 
departments  upon  presentation  to  the  President  of  a  certificate  of  election  by 
the  Governor-General  of  said  islands.  Each  of  said  Resident  Commissioners 
shall,  in  addition  to  the  salary  and  the  sum  In  lieu  of  mileage  now  allowed  by 
law,  be  allowed  the  same  sum  for  stationery  and  for  the  pay  of  necessary 
clerk  hire  as  is  now  allowed  to  the  Members  of  the  House  of  Representatives 
of  the  United  States,  to  be  paid  out  of  the  Treasury  of  the  United  States, 
and  the  franking  privilege  allowed  by  law  to  Members  of  Congress.  No 
person  shall  be  eligible  to  election  as  Resident  Commissioner  who  is  not  a 
bona  fide  elector  of  said  islands  and  who  does  not  owe  allegiance  to  the 
United  States  and  who  is  not  more  than  thirty  years  of  age  and  who  does 
not  read  and  write  the  English  language.  The  present  two  Resident  Com- 
missioners shall  hold  office  until  the  fourth  of  March,  nineteen  hundred  and 
seventeen.  In  case  of  vacancy  in  the  position  of  Resident  Commissioner 
caused  by  resignation  or  otherwise,  the  Governor-General  may  make  tempo- 
rary appointments  until  the  next  meeting  of  the  Philippine  Legislature,  which 
shall  then  fill  such  vacancy ;  but  the  Resident  Commissioner  thus  elected  shall 
hold  office  only  for  the  unexpired  portion  of  the  term  wherein  the  vacancy 
occurred. 

Sec.  21.  That  the  supreme  executive  power  shall  be  vested  in  an  execu- 
tive officer,  whose  official  title  shall  be  "The  Governor-General  of  the  Philip- 
pine Islands."    He  shall  be  appointed  by  the  President,  by  and  with  the  advice 


APPENDICES  519 

and  consent  of  the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  and  hold  his  office  at  the 
pleasure  of  the  President  and  until  his  successor  is  chosen  and  qualified. 
The  Governor-General  shall  reside  in  the  Philippine  Islands  during  his  official 
incumbency,  and  maintain  his  office  at  the  seat  of  government.  He  shall, 
unless  otherwise  herein  provided,  appoint,  by  and  with  the  consent  of  the 
Phihppine  Senate,  such  officers  as  may  now  be  appointed  by  the  Governor- 
General,  or  such  as  he  is  authorized  by  this  Act  to  appoint,  or  whom  he  may 
hereafter  be  authorized  by  law  to  appoint;  but  appointments  made  while  the 
senate  is  not  in  session  shall  be  effective  either  until  disapproval  or  until  the 
next  adjournment  of  the  senate.  He  shall  have  general  supervision  and  con- 
trol of  all  of  the  departments  and  bureaus  of  the  government  in  the  Philip- 
pine Islands  as  far  as  is  not  inconsistent  with  the  provisions  of  this  Act,  and 
shall  be  commander  in  chief  of  all  locally  created  armed  forces  and  militia. 
He  is  hereby  vested  with  the  exclusive  power  to  grant  pardons  and  reprieves 
and  remit  fines  and  forfeitures,  and  may  veto  any  legislation  enacted  as  herein 
provided.  He  shall  submit  within  ten  days  of  the  opening  of  each  regular 
session  of  the  Philippine  Legislature  a  budget  of  receipts  and  expenditures, 
which  shall  be  the  basis  of  the  annual  appropriation  bill.  He  shall  commis- 
sion all  officers  that  he  may  be  authorized  to  appoint.  He  shall  be  responsible 
for  the  faithful  execution  of  the  laws  of  the  Philippine  Islands  and  of  the 
United  States  operative  within  the  Philippine  Islands,  and  whenever  it  be- 
comes necessary  he  may  call  upon  the  commanders  of  the  military  and 
naval  forces  of  the  United  States  in  the  islands,  or  summon  the  posse 
comitatus,  or  call  out  the  militia  or  other  locally  created  armed  forces, 
to  prevent  or  suppress  lawless  violence,  invasion,  insurrection,  or  rebel- 
lion ;  and  he  may,  in  case  of  rebellion  or  invasion,  or  imminent  danger 
thereof,  when  the  public  safety  requires  it,  suspend  the  privileges  of  the  writ 
of  habeas  corpus,  or  place  the  islands,  or  any  part  thereof,  under  martial 
law :  Provided,  That  whenever  the  Governor-General  shall  exercise  this  au- 
thority, he  shall  at  once  notify  the  President  of  the  United  States  thereof, 
together  with  the  attending  facts  and  circumstances,  and  the  President  shall 
have  power  to  modify  or  vacate  the  action  of  the  Governor-General.  He 
shall  annually  and  at  such  other  times  as  he  may  be  required  make  such 
official  report  of  the  transactions  of  the  government  of  the  Philippine  Islands 
to  an  executive  department  of  the  United  States  to  be  designated  by  the 
President,  and  his  said  annual  report  shall  be  transmitted  to  the  Congress  of 
the  United  States;  and  he  shall  perform  such  additional  duties  and  functions 
as  may  in  pursuance  of  law  be  delegated  or  assigned  to  him  by  the  President. 
Sec.  22.  That,  except  as  provided  otherwise  in  this  Act,  the  executive 
departments  of  the  Philippine  government  shall  continue  as  now  authorized 
by  law  until  otherwise  provided  by  the  Philippine  Legislature.  When  the 
Philippine  Legislature  herein  provided  shall  convene  and  organize,  the  Philip- 
pine Commission,  as  such,  shall  cease  and  determine,  and  the  members  thereof 
shall  vacate  their  offices  as  members  of  said  commission :  Provided,  That  the 
heads  of  executive  departments  shall  continue  to  exercise  their  executive 
functions  until  the  heads  of  departments  provided  by  the  Philippine  Legis- 
lature pursuant  to  the  provisions  of  this  Act  are  appointed  and  qualified. 
The  Philippine  Legislature  may  thereafter  by  appropriate  legislation  increase 
the  number  or  abolish  any  of  the  executive  departments,  or  make  such 
changes  in  the  names  and  duties  thereof  as  it  may  see  fit,  and  shall  provide 
for  the  appointment  and  removal  of  the  heads  of  the  executive  departments 
by  the  Governor-General:  Provided,  That  all  executive  functions  of  the 
government  must  be  directly  under  the  Governor-General  or  within  one  of 
the  executive  departments  under  the  supervision  and  control  of  the  Governor- 
General.  There  is  hereby  established  a  bureau,  to  be  known  as  the  Bureau 
of  Non-Christian  tribes,  which  said  bureau  shall  be  embraced  in  one  of  the 
executive  departments  to  be  designated  by  the  Governor-General,  and  shall 


520  APPENDICES 

have  general  supervision  over  the  public  affairs  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  ter- 
ritory represented  in  the  legislature  by  appointive  senators  and  representa- 
tives. 

Sec.  23.  That  there  shall  be  appointed  by  the  President,  by  and  with  the 
advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  a  vice-governor  of 
the  Philippine  Islands,  w^ho  shall  have  all  of  the  powers  of  the  Governor- 
General  in  the  case  of  a  vacancy  or  temporary  removal,  resignation,  or  dis- 
ability of  the  Governor-General,  or  in  case  of  his  temporary  absence;  and  the 
said  vice-governor  shall  be  the  head  of  the  executive  department,  known  as 
the  department  of  public  instruction,  which  shall  include  the  bureau  of  edu- 
cation and  the  bureau  of  health,  and  he  may  be  assigned  such  other  executive 
duties  as  the  Governor-General  may  designate. 

Other  bureaus  now  included  in  the  department  of  public  instruction  shall, 
until  otherwise  provided  by  the  Philippine  Legislature,  be  included  in  the 
department  of  the  interior. 

The  President  may  designate  the  head  of  an  executive  department  of  the 
Philippine  government  to  act  as  Governor-General  in  the  case  of  a  vacancy, 
the  temporary  removal,  resignation,  or  disability  of  the  Governor-General 
and  the  vice-governor,  or  their  temporary  absence,  and  the  head  of  the  de- 
partment thus  designated  shall  exercise  all  the  powers  and  perform  all  the 
duties  of  the  Governor-General  during  such  vacancy,  disability,  or  absence. 

Sec.  24.  That  there  shall  be  appointed  by  the  President  an  auditor,  who 
shall  examine,  audit,  and  settle  all  accounts  pertaining  to  the  revenues  and 
receipts  from  whatever  source  of  the  Philippine  government  and  of  the  pro- 
vincial and  municipal  governments  of  the  Philippines,  including  trust  funds 
and  funds  derived  from  bond  issues ;  and  audit,  in  accordance  with  law  and 
administrative  regulations,  all  expenditures  of  funds  or  property  pertaining 
to  or  held  in  trust  by  the  government  or  the  Provinces  or  municipalities 
thereof.  He  shall  perform  a  like  duty  with  respect  to  all  government 
branches. 

He  shall  keep  the  general  accounts  of  the  government  and  preserve  the 
vouchers  pertaining  thereto. 

It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  auditor  to  bring  to  the  attention  of  the  proper 
administrative  officer  expenditures  of  funds  or  property  which,  in  his  opinion, 
are  irregular,  unnecessary,  excessive,  or  extravagant. 

There  shall  be  a  deputy  auditor  appointed  in  the  same  manner  as  the 
auditor.  The  deputy  auditor  shall  sign  such  official  papers  as  the  auditor  may 
designate  and  perform  such  other  duties  as  the  auditor  may  prescribe,  and  in 
case  of  the  death,  resignation,  sickness,  or  other  absence  of  the  auditor  from 
his  office,  from  any  cause,  the  deputy  auditor  shall  have  charge  of  such  office. 
In  case  of  the  absence  from  duty,  from  any  cause,  of  both  the  auditor  and  the 
deputy  auditor,  the  Governor-General  may  designate  an  assistant,  who  shall 
have  charge  of  the  office. 

The  administrative  jurisdiction  of  the  auditor  over  accounts,  whether  of 
funds  or  property,  and  all  vouchers  and  records  pertaining  thereto,  shall  be 
exclusive.  With  the  approval  of  the  Governor-General  he  shall  from  time  to 
time  make  and  promulgate  general  or  special  rules  and  regulations  not  in- 
consistent with  law  covering  the  method  of  accounting  for  public  funds  and 
property,  and  funds  and  property  held  in  trust  by  the  government  or  any  of 
its  branches :  Provided,  That  any  officer  accountable  for  public  funds  or 
property  may  require  such  additional  reports  or  returns  from  his  subordinates 
or  others  as  he  may  deem  necessary  for  his  own  information  and  protection. 

The  decisions  of  the  auditor  shall  be  final  and  conclusive  upon  the  execu- 
tive branches  of  the  government,  except  that  appeal  therefrom  may  be  taken 
by  the  party  aggrieved  or  the  head  of  the  department  concerned  within  one 
year,   in  the  manner  hereinafter  prescribed.     The  auditor   shall,   except  as 


APPENDICES  521 

hereinafter  provided,  have  hke  authority  as  that  conferred  by  law  upon  the 
several  auditors  of  the  United  States  and  the  Comptroller  of  the  United 
States  Treasury  and  is  authorized  to  communicate  directly  with  any  person 
having  claims  before  him  for  settlement,  or  with  any  department,  officer,  or 
person  having  official  relations  with  his  office. 

As  soon  after  the  close  of  each  fiscal  year  as  the  accounts  of  said  year 
may  be  examined  and  adjusted  the  auditor  shall  submit  to  the  Governor- 
General  and  the  Secretary  of  War  an  annual  report  of  the  fiscal  concerns  of 
the  government,  showing  the  receipts  and  disbursements  of  the  various  de- 
partments and  bureaus  of  the  government  and  of  the  various  Provinces  and 
municipalities,  and  make  such  other  reports  as  may  be  required  of  him  by  the 
Governor-General  or  the  Secretary  of  War. 

In  the  execution  of  their  duties  the  auditor  and  the  deputy  auditor  are 
authorized  to  summon  witnesses,  administer  oaths,  and  to  take  evidence,  and, 
in  the  pursuance  of  these  provisions,  may  issue  subpoenas  and  enforce  the 
attendance  of  witnesses,  as  now  provided  by  law. 

The  office  of  the  auditor  shall  be  under  the  general  supervision  of  the 
Governor-General  and  shall  consist  of  the  auditor  and  deputy  auditor  and 
such  necessary  assistants  as  may  be  prescribed  by  law. 

Sec.  25.  That  any  person  aggrieved  by  the  action  or  decision  of  the 
auditor  in  the  settlement  of  his  account  or  claim  may,  within  one  year,  take 
an  appeal  in  writing  to  the  Governor-General,  which  appeal  shall  specifically 
set  forth  the  particular  action  of  the  auditor  to  which  exception  is  taken,  with 
the  reason  and  authorities  relied  on  for  reversing  such  decision. 

If  the  Governor-General  shall  confirm  the  action  of  the  auditor,  he  shall 
so  indorse  the  appeal  and  transmit  it  to  the  auditor,  and  the  action  shall 
thereupon  be  final  and  conclusive.  Should  the  Governor-General  fail  to  sus- 
tain the  action  of  the  auditor,  he  shall  forthwith  transmit  his  grounds  of 
disapproval  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  together  with  the  appeal  and  the  papers 
necessary  to  a  proper  understanding  of  the  matter.  The  decision  of  the  Sec- 
retary of  War  in  such  case  shall  be  final  and  conclusive. 

Sec.  26.  That  the  supreme  court  and  the  courts  of  first  instance  of  the 
Philippine  Islands  shall  possess  and  exercise  jurisdiction  as  heretofore  pro- 
vided and  such  additional  jurisdiction  as  shall  hereafter  be  prescribed  by  law. 
The  municipal  courts  of  said  islands  shall  possess  and  exercise  jurisdiction 
as  now  provided  by  law,  subject  in  all  matters  to  such  alteration  and  amend- 
ment as  may  be  hereafter  enacted  by  law;  and  the  chief  justice  and  associate 
justices  of  the  supreme  court  shall  hereafter  be  appointed  by  the  President, 
by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate  of  the  United  States.  The 
judges  of  the  courts  of  first  instance  shall  be  appointed  by  the  Governor- 
General,  by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Philippine  Senate :  Pro- 
vided, That  the  admiralty  jurisdiction  of  the  supreme  court  and  courts  of 
first  instance  shall  not  be  changed  except  by  Act  of  Congress.  That  in  all 
cases  pending  under  the  operation  of  existing  laws,  both  criminal  and  civil, 
the  jurisdiction  shall  continue  until  final  judgment  and  determination. 

Sec.  27.  That  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  shall  have  juris- 
diction to  review,  revise,  reverse,  modify,  or  affirm  the  final  judgments  and 
decrees  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  Philippine  Islands  in  all  actions,  cases, 
causes,  and  proceedings  now  pending  therein  or  hereafter  determined  thereby 
in  which  the  Constitution  or  any  statute,  treaty,  title,  right,  or  privilege  of  the 
United  States  is  involved,  or  in  causes  in  which  the  value  in  controversy  ex- 
ceeds $25,000,  or  in  which  the  title  or  possession  of  real  estate  exceeding  in 
value  the  sum  of  $25,000,  to  be  ascertained  by  the  oath  of  either  party  or  of 
other  competent  witnesses,  is  involved  or  brought  in  question ;  and  such  final 
judgments  or  decrees  may  and  can  be  reviewed,  revised,  reversed,  modified, 
or  affirmed  by  said  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  on  appeal  or  writ 


522  APPENDICES 

of  error  by  the  party  aggrieved  within  the  same  time,  in  the  same  manner, 
under  the  same  regulations,  and  by  the  same  procedure,  as  far  as  applicable, 
as  the  final  judgments  and  decrees  of  the  district  courts  of  the  United  States. 

Sec.  28.  That  the  government  of  the  Philippine  Islands  may  grant  fran- 
chises and  rights,  including  the  authority  to  exercise  the  right  of  eminent  do- 
main, for  the  construction  and  operation  of  works  of  public  utility  and  serv- 
ice, and  may  authorize  said  works  to  be  constructed  and  maintained  over  and 
across  the  public  property  of  the  United  States,  including  streets,  highways, 
squares,  and  reservations,  and  over  similar  property  of  the  government  of 
said  islands,  and  may  adopt  rules  and  regulations  under  which  the  provincial 
and  municipal  governments  of  the  island  may  grant  the  right  to  use  and 
occupy  such  public  property  belonging  to  said  Provinces  or  municipalities : 
Provided,  That  no  private  property  shall  be  damaged  or  taken  for  any  pur- 
pose under  this  section  without  just  compensation,  and  that  such  authority 
to  take  and  occupy  land  shall  not  authorize  the  taking,  use,  or  occupation  of 
any  land  except  such  as  is  required  for  the  actual  necessary  purposes  for 
which  the  franchise  is  granted,  and  that  no  franchise  or  right  shall  be  granted 
to  any  individual,  firm,  or  corporation  except  under  the  conditions  that  it 
shall  be  subject  to  amendment,  alteration,  or  repeal  by  the  Congress  of  the 
United  States,  and  that  lands  or  right  of  use  and  occupation  of  lands  thus 
granted  shall  revert  to  the  governments  by  which  they  were  respectively 
granted  upon  the  termination  of  the  franchises  and  rights  under  which  they 
were  granted  or  upon  their  revocation  or  repeal.  That  all  franchises  or 
rights  granted  under  this  Act  shall  forbid  the  issue  of  stock  or  bonds  except 
in  exchange  for  actual  cash  or  for  property  at  a  fair  valuation  equal  to  the 
par  value  of  the  stock  or  bonds  so  issued;  shall  forbid  the  declaring  of  stock 
or  bond  dividends,  and,,  in  the  case  of  public-service  corporations,  shall  pro- 
vide for  the  effective  regulation  of  the  charges  thereof,  for  the  official  inspec- 
tion and  regulation  of  the  books  and  accounts  of  such  corporations,  and  for 
the  payment  of  a  reasonable  percentage  of  gross  earnings  into  the  treasury 
of  the  Philippine  Islands  or  of  the  Province  or  municipality  within  which 
such  franchises  are  granted  and  exercised :  Provided  further,  That  it  shall 
be  unlawful  for  any  corporation  organized  under  this  Act,  or  for  any  person, 
company,  or  corporation  receiving  any  grant,  franchise,  or  concession  from 
the  government  of  said  islands,  to  use,  employ,  or  contract  for  the  labor  of 
persons  held  in  involuntary  servitude ;  and  any  person,  company,  or  corpora- 
tion so  violating  the  provisions  of  this  Act  shall  forfeit  all  charters,  grants, 
or  franchises  for  doing  business  in  said  islands,  in  an  action  or  proceeding 
brought  for  that  purpose  in  any  court  of  competent  jurisdiction  by  any  officer 
of  the  Philippine  government,  or  on  the  complaint  of  any  citizen  of  the  Phil- 
ippines, under  such  regulations  and  rules  as  the  Philippine  Legislature  shall 
prescribe,  and  in  addition  shall  be  deemed  guilty  of  an  offense,  and  shall  be 
punished  by  a  fine  of  not  more  than  $10,000. 

Sec.  29.  That,  except  as  in  this  Act  otherwise  provided,  the  salaries  of 
all  officials  of  the  Philippines  not  appointed  by  the  President,  including  depu- 
ties, assistants,  and  other  employes,  shall  be  such  and  be  so  paid  out  of  the 
revenues  of  the  Philippines  as  shall  from  time  to  time  be  determined  by  the 
Philippine  Legislature ;  and  if  the  legislature  shall  fail  to  make  an  appropria- 
tion for  such  salaries,  the  salaries  so  fixed  shall  be  paid  without  the  necessity 
of  further  appropriations  therefor.  The  salaries  of  all  officers  and  all  ex- 
penses of  the  offices  of  the  various  officials  of  the  Philippines  appointed  as 
herein  provided  by  the  President  shall  also  be  paid  out  of  the  revenues  of 
the  Philippines.  The  annual  salaries  of  the  following  named  officials  ap- 
pointed by  the  President  and  so  to  be  paid  shall  be :  The  Governor-General, 
$18,000 ;  in  addition  thereto  he  shall  be  entitled  to  the  occupancy  of  the  build- 
ings heretofore  used  by  the  chief  executive  of  the  Philippines,  with  the  fur- 
niture and  efifects  therein,  free  of  rental;  vice-governor,  $10,000;  chief  justice 


APPENDICES 


523 


of  the  supreme  court,  $8,000;  associate  justices  of  the  supreme  court,  $7,500 
each ;  auditor,  $6,000 ;  deputy  auditor,  $3,000. 

Sec.  30.  That  the  provisions  of  the  foregoing  section  shall  not  apply  to 
provincial  and  municipal  officials ;  their  salaries  and  the  compensation  of 
their  deputies,  assistants,  and  other  help,  as  well  as  all  other  expenses  in- 
curred by  the  Provinces  and  municipalities,  shall  be  paid  out  of  the  provincial 
and  municipal  revenues  in  such  manner  as  the  Philippine  Legislature  shall 
provide. 

Sec.  31.  That  all  laws  or  parts  of  laws  applicable  to  the  Philippines  not  in 
conflict  with  any  of  the  provisions  of  this  Act  are  hereby  continued  in  force 
and  effect. 

Approved,  August  29,  1916. 


APPENDIX  J^ 

THE  COST  OF  THE  ARMY  IN  THE  PHILIPPINES 

The  Expenses  of  the  Civil  Government  Are  All  Paid  from  the 
Proceeds  of  Local  Taxes 

Statement  of  the  increased  amount  of  expenditures  made  on  account  of 
the  Philippine  Islands  by  War  Department  bureaus  from  United  States  ap- 
propriations over  that  amount  which  would  have  been  expended  if  the  Army 
had  not  been  in  the  Philippines  and  an  equal  number  of  troops  (exclusive  of 
Philippine  Scouts)  had  been  maintained  in  the  United  States,  showing  the 
character  of  expenditures  and,  so  far  as  practicable,  the  amounts  by  fiscal 
years,  to  which  is  added  a  further  statement  of  the  expenditures  made  by  the 
Coast  and  Geodetic  Survey  and  the  direct  appropriations  made  by  the  Con- 
gress of  the  United  States  for  civil  purposes  on  account  of  the  Philippine 
Islands,  covering  the  period  from  July  1,  1902,  to  June  30,  1914: 

quartermaster  corps  (quartermaster  supplies) 

Quartermaster  supplies,  which  include  all  expenses  from  the  appropria- 
tions for  regular  supplies,  incidental  expenses,  military-post  exchanges,  trans- 
portation of  the  Army  (includes  transport  service  and  rail  transportation  of 
troops  en  route  to  and  returning  from  the  Philippine  Islands),  roads,  walks, 
wharves  and  drainage,  water  and  sewers  at  military  posts,  barracks,  and 
quarters  in  the  Philippine  Islands,  clothing  and  camp  and  garrison  equipage, 
seacoast  defenses  in  Hawaii  and  PhiHppine  Islands,  and  bringing  home  re- 
mains of  deceased  officers  and  soldiers,  etc. : 


Fiscal  year  June  30 : 

1903  $8,140,065.03 

1904  5,159,444.46 

1905  6,036,946.02 

1906  6.251,851.41 

1907  5,539,037.85 

1908  4,901,869.43 

1909  5,795,832.44 

1910  6,203,885.35 

1911  5,233,233.85 

1912  5,106,035.50 

1913  5,009.211.44 

1914  4,897,31721 


Total   $68,274,729.99 


subsistence 
June  30 : 

1903    $1,436,040.53 

1904   1,145,739.65 


1905 
1906 
1907 
1908 
1909 
1910 
1911 
1912 
1913 
1914 


840,819.81 
781,974.52 
800,220.33 
568,379.00 
590,771.01 
716.340.67 
597,832.66 
377,375.81 
395,311.25 
281,016.11 


Total   $8,531,821.35 

^  Prepared  by  Brig.  Gen.  Frank  Mclntyre,  chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Insular  Affairs,  for 
the  Senate  Committee  (1915). 


524 


APPENDICES 


PAY  OF  THE  ARMY  AND  MILEAGE 


This  includes  payment  from  these  appropriations  for  foreign-service  pay 
to  officers  and  enlisted  men,  commutation  of  quarters,  court-martial  expenses, 
and  mileage : 


June  30 : 

1903  $958,390.55 

1904  776,166.95 

1905  626,944.83 

1906  687,126.07 

1907  797,820.63 

1908  790,395.60 

1909  954,516.79 


June  30 — Continued. 

1910    $981,650.68 

1911    911,286.75 

1912    994.635.73 

1913    745,301.01 

1914    873,260.91 


Total  $10,097,496.50 


PHILIPPINE  SCOUTS 


This  includes  all  expenditures  on  account  of  Philippine  Scouts,  for  pay  of 
officers  and  enlisted  men,  travel  pay,  interest  on  soldiers'  deposits,  clothing, 
and  beneficiaries : 


June  30 : 

1903  $633,172.52 

1904  612,412.69 

1905  797,702.07 

1906  803,670.61 

1907  746,491.23 

1908 911,019.09 

1909  1,044,323.04 

1910  1,110,852.28 


June  30 — Continued. 

1911  $1,206,737.24 

1912  1,117,191.89 

1913  1,042,776.97 

1914  1,110,172.52 

May  11, 1908,  to  June  30, 

1914    *23,125.04 


Total  $11,159,647.19 


MEDICAL  DEPARTMENT 


June  30: 

1903  $18,563.51 

1904  19,783.34 

1905  22,634.82 

1906  26,051.75 

1907  53,131.12 

1908  39,302.99 

1909  30,470.63 


June  30 — Continued. 

1910   $27,904.61 

1911 41,833.40 

1912   33,917.85 

1913    21,469.92 

1914   25,489.41 

Total  $360,553.35 


ENGINEER  DEPARTMENT 


July  1,  1902,  to  June  30, 

1911 $4,648,249.06 

June  30: 

1912   1,027,113.60 

1913    1,117,480.82 


June  30 — Continued. 

1914   $782,103.36 


Total   $7,574,946.84 


ORDNANCE  DEPARTMENT 


For  maintenance  Manila  Ordnance  Depot,  Philippine  Scouts,  armament  of 
fortifications,  seacoast  ammunition,  alteration  and  maintenance  of  seacoast 
artillery,  and  seacoast  mines  and  appliances : 
July  1,  1902,  to  June  30,  1914  (total) $7,174,17025 


*  Beneficiaries. 


APPENDICES 


525 


SIGNAL  SERVICE 


For  installation,  maintenance,  and  operation  of  telephone,  telegraph,  and 
cable  systems,  fire-control  installations,  and  maintenance  of  fire  control : 


June  30 : 

1903  $36,466.85 


1904 
1905 
1906 
1907 
1908 
1909 


23,099.44 
23,000.00 
27,768.11 
30,843.51 
21,901.83 
24,153.41 


June  30 — Continued. 

1910   $88,541.87 

1911    51,970.89 

1912    78,147.62 

1913    58,622.11 

1914    73,490.71 


Total   $538,006.35 


Summary  of  Expenditures  by  the  War  Department 

Quartermaster   Corps    $98,063,695.03 

Medical  Department    360,553.35 

Engineer  Department    7,574,946.84 

Ordnance   Department    7,174,170.25 

Signal  Service   538,006.35 

Total   $113,711,371.82 


Coast  and  Geodetic  Survey 


June  30: 

1903    $98,063.00 

1904    98,909.00 

1905    140,843.00 

1906    178,310.00 

1907    172,454.00 

1908    197,130.00 

1909   190,132.00 


June  30 — Continued. 

1910   $173,588.00 

1911    173,099.00 

1912    167,347.49 

1913    188,106.88 

1914    169,397.45 


Total   $1,947,379.82 


Congressional  Relief  Fund 

Act  of  Congress  of  March  3,  1903,  for  the  relief  of  distress  in  the  Philip- 
pine Islands,  $3,000,000. 

Act  of  Congress,  March  3,  1903,  appropriating  funds  for  the  tabulating 
and  printing  of  the  PhiHppine  census,  $351,925.50. 

Grand  total,  $119,010,677.14. 

Average  expenditures  by  War  Department  bureaus  per  fiscal  year, 
$9,475,947.65. 

On  account  of  the  withdrawal  of  many  of  the  troops  the  expenses  are  now 
much  less  than  in  1914. 


INDEX 


INDEX 

Administrative  Code,  adopted  in  1916,  82. 

Aglipay,  Gregoria,  insurgent  leader,  founds  Independent  Filipino  Catholic 
Church,  58-60. 

Agricultural  Bank :  preliminary  investigations,  370 ;  authorized  by  Congress, 
370;  failure  to  secure  private  capital,  370;  organized  as  government  in- 
stitution, 371 ;  slow^  growth  of,  371,  372 ;  absorbed  by  Philippine  Na- 
tional Bank,  372. 

AgricuUural  colonies :  mixed  Moro  and  Filipinos,  372 ;  for  stranded  Ameri- 
cans, 372,  2>7Z. 

Agriculture :  see  Chapter  XVII ;  basis  of  wealth,  338 ;  backwardness  of,  338, 
2)72) ;  encouraged  by  government,  2)72) ;  climate  and  soil,  338,  339 ;  limi- 
tations on,  339;  early  American  experiments,  339;  organization  of  Bu- 
reau of  Agriculture,  340 ;  methods  pursued,  340,  341 ;  bright  anticipa- 
tions, 341 ;  not  fully  realized,  342,  343 ;  introduction  of  new  plants  and 
vegetables,  343,  344 ;  corn,  344 ;  coffee,  tea,  rubber,  etc.,  344 ;  improving 
cattle  and  horses,  345,  346 ;  introduction  of  farm  machinery,  347 ;  grass- 
hoppers, 347 ;  rinderpest,  347 ;  campaign  against,  348,  349 ;  hemp,  its 
cultivation,  350,  351;  export  of,  351;  classification  and  grading  of,  352; 
the  tobacco  industry,  353 ;  the  American  market,  354 ;  exports  of 
cigars  and  tobacco,  354,  355;  sugar,  its  cultivation  and  export,  355-358; 
cocoanut  industry,  359 ;  table  of  exports,  360 ;  rice,  manner  of  cultiva- 
tion, 361,  363;  importation  of,  361;  irrigation,  363-369;  agricultural 
bank,  369-372 ;  agricultural  colonies,  372,  272) ;  encouraging  signs,  272. 

Aguinaldo,  Emilio :  proclamations,  of  May  24,  1898,  490,  Appendix  D ;  estab- 
lishing dictatorship,  491,  Appendix  E;  estabHshing  a  revolutionary  gov- 
ernment, 493,  Appendix  F. 

Amcebic,  now  successfully  treated,  213. 

Annulment  of  laws,  by  Congress,  436. 

Appropriations:  must  be  made  by  legislature,  116,  513;  subject  to  approval 
of  executive,  112,  113;  excessive,  132;  failure  to  appropriate  for  sup- 
port of  government,  116;  misconstruction  of  congressional  act,  117-120; 
corrected  by  Congress,  439. 

Army :  control  by,  162 ;  number  of  troops  in  islands,  163 ;  why  there,  164 ; 
necessity  for,  181 ;  danger  of  insurrection,  181,  182,  183 ;  scouts,  number 
of,  where  stationed,  163 ;  cost  of  army,  163,  164,  523,  Appendix  J ;  de- 
fenses, 164,  165;  friction  with  civil  government,  165,  166;  appreciation  of 
its  work,  166,  167 ;  the  army  theory,  167,  168 ;  army  officers  detailed,  168 ; 
their  valuable  services,  169 ;  native  troops,  169 ;  organization  of  scouts, 
169,  172 ;  number  of,  172 ;  constabulary  organized,  173 ;  under  civil  gov- 
ernment, 174 ;  regular  army  officers  detailed  with,  174 ;  maintained  by 
Spain,  164  note. 

Arolas,  General  Juan,  sanitary  work  in  Jolo,  186. 

Artesian  wells,  203,  204. 

Assembly,  the:  see  Government;  lower  house  of  Philippine  Legislature,  16; 
provided  for  in  Act  July  1,  1902,  11-19;  different  views  as  to,  12,  13; 
election  of  delegates  to  first,  18;  conditions  precedent  to,  14,  15;  def- 
erence shown  to,  124 ;  increased  difficulties  of  administration,  125 ;  use 
of  Spanish  language  in,  107. 

Asuang,  spirits  beheved  to  carry  disease,  186. 

529 


530  INDEX 

Athletics  in  schools,  241. 

Auditor,  insular:    appointed  by  president,  121,  436;  supposed  to  be  check  on 

financial  operations,  121;  jurisdiction  over  accounts,  121. 
Automobile  lines:  over  the  Benguet  road,  316;  in  provinces,  316. 

Baguio :  health  resort  and  mountain  capital,  278,  295 ;  governed  under  special 

charter,  95. 
Balangiga,  treacherous  attack  at,  29. 

Bandholtz,  General  H.  H. :  captures  Ola,  33 ;  chief  of  constabulary,  177. 
Banks :  dealings  w^ith  the  currency,  137 ;  Philippine  National  Bank,  145, 
Batangas  Province,  disturbances  in,  26-29. 
Bates  Treaty,  vi^ith  Sultan  of  Sulu,  abrogated,  35,  36  note. 
Bell,  General  J.  Franklin,  campaign  in  Batangas,  26-29. 
Benguet  Road:  see  Roads;  its  object,  295;  subject  of  criticism,  291,  298;  its 

justification,  298;  cost  of,  296,  298. 
Beriberi,  elimination  of,  212. 
Bill  of  Rights:   in  President  McKinley's  Instructions,  488-489;  in  Act  of  July 

1,  1902,  66-68 ;  in  Act  of  August  29,  1916,  437. 
Bliss,  General  Tasker  H.,  governor  of  Moro  Province,  92. 
Bonded  debt,  of  government,  amount  of,  133. 

Bonds  :  authority  to  issue  and  restrictions  on,  69,  70,  515  ;  friar  lands  bonds,  69. 
Brent,  Bishop  C.  H.,  250. 

Bulletins,  issued  by  Bureau  of  Agriculture,  342,  343. 
Bureaus :  organization  of,  6,  8 ;  too  elaborate,  100 ;  reorganized,  101 ;  changes 

under  1916  law,  444. 

Calderon,  Filipe  G.,  reports  Malolos  constitution,  reasons  for  bicameral  leg- 
islature, 405. 
Carriedo,  Sefior,  gives  money  for  virater  system,  202. 
Cedula :  a  poll  tax,  151 ;  double  for  roads,  283. 
Cemeteries :  old  Spanish,  188 ;  new,  199. 
Census:   taken  preliminary  to  creation  of  legislature,   16;   new   authorized, 

17  tiote. 
Chaffee,  General  Adna  E.,  succeeds  MacArthur,  6. 
Children,  mortality  of,  212. 

Chinese  Exclusion  Laws,  appliable  to  Philippines,  72. 
Cholera :  epidemics  frequent,  205 ;  deaths  from,  205. 
Church  and  State :  see  Chapter  III,  Friars,  Friar  Lands  ;  relations  between,  in 

Spanish  times,  37 ;  control  of  charitable  and  educational  trusts,  39-41 ; 

the  Aglipay  movement,  58-60. 
Citizenship :   provided   for  by  treaty  of  peace,  66 ;   legislature  may  provide 

for,  438. 
Civil  governor:  inauguration  of,  5;  title  changed  to  governor-general.   111 

note. 
Civil  Service,  126,  397-399. 
Clarke  Amendment :  426 ;  see  Jones  Bill. 
Climate,  as  afifecting  agriculture,  338,  341. 
Coast  and  Geodetic  Survey :   cooperation  with  Philippine  government,  327 ; 

progress  in  the  work,  327;  cost  of,  327,  525. 
Coast  guard  service,  336. 
Coast  guard  vessels,  333. 
Cockfights,  licensed  and  restricted,  86. 

Cocoanut  industry:  importance  of,  359;  export  of  copra,  360. 
Coinage :  see  Finances  ;  power  to  coin  money,  69,  136-141 ;  present,  141. 
Colton  Law,  tariff  against  all  but  United  States,  146. 


INDEX  531 

Commission,  the  United  States  Philippine :  see  Chapter  VI ;  known  as  Taf t 
Commission,  97 ;  its  powers,  6,  7,  9 ;  instructed  to  frame  a  government, 
97,  98;  activities,  7;  certain  executive  powers,  98;  transferred  to  civil 
governor,  98 ;  organizes  a  government,  98 ;  sole  legislature  until  1907, 
16;  its  residuum  of  legislative  power,  107-110;  American  majority,  llO; 
Filipinos  given  majority  by  Wilson,  110;  its  loss  of  prestige,  110,  126; 
abolished,  110. 

Conant,  C.  A.,  financial  expert,  141. 

Concentration  camps,  27-29. 

Confiscation,  of  friar  lands,  Z7. 

Congress :  its  control,  61 ;  the  Philippine  government,  its  agent,  61 ;  approved 
acts  of  President  McKinley  and  the  commission,  61 ;  authorized  con- 
tinuance thereof,  63;  passes  Organic  Law  of  July  1,  1902,  adopts  exist- 
ing government,  62 ;  creates  Bureau  of  Insular  Affairs,  63 ;  provides  for 
Philippine  Legislature,  11;  extends  various  laws  to  Philippines,  72-74; 
enacts  new  Organic  Law,  431. 

Constabulary :  organized,  7,  173 ;  controlled  by  the  civil  government,  174 ; 
detail  of  regular  army  officers,  174 ;  abuses  by  constabulary,  174 ;  pres- 
ent organization,  175;  how  enlisted,  176;  selection  and  education  of 
officers,  175,  178 ;  the  constabulary  schools,  176 ;  recent  expansion  of, 
176,  177;  duties  of  constabulary,  177;  recognition  of,  177;  standing  of 
officers,  178 ;  scouts  serving  with  constabulary,  179 ;  the  question  of 
command,  178,  179;  inspection  of  municipal  police,  180;  control  of  ex- 
aminations, 180,  181. 

Constitution,  for  Philippine  Republic,  Appendix  G. 

Cooperation,  of  civil  and  military  authorities,  162. 

Cooper  Law  :  Act  of  February  6,  1905,  provides  for  railway  construction,  302  ; 
authorizing  issue  of  bonds,  71. 

Corn,  importance  of,  344. 

Cost,  of  army  in  Philippines,  Appendix  J. 

Courts,  see  Judiciary. 

Cuba,  policy  as  to,  Z77,  378. 

Culion  Leper  Colony,  209-211. 

Customs :  see  Tariff  ;  new  tariff  law,  8,  72,  72>,  146. 

Dairy  cattle,  346. 

Dalhousie,  Lord,  inaugurated  Indian  railway  system,  270-271. 

Declaration  of  Independence:  read  to  Filipinos,  2;  its  true  meaning,  3. 

Defense  and  Public  Safety,  see  Chapter  VIII. 

Departments :  executive,  organized  by  executive  order,  6,  64 ;  approved  by 
Congress,  64 ;  distribution  of  Bureaus,  101,  102 ;  new  department  cre- 
ated, 444. 

Dickinson,  J.  M.,  secretary  of  war :  visits  islands,  92 ;  ruling  on  powers  of 
local  government,  320. 

Dingley  Tariff  Law,  effect  on  Philippine  trade,  146,  149. 

Disorders  and  disturbances :  after  the  insurrection,  21 ;  restoration  of  order 
difficult,  21,  22;  adverse  influences,  24;  bandits  and  outlaws,  24;  special 
statute  defining  offenses,  34  note;  premature  organization  of  civil  gov- 
ernments, 25,  26 ;  delay  in  using  troops,  24,  25 ;  effect  of  pending  elec- 
tion in  United  States,  32 ;  General  Bell's  Batangas  campaign,  26,  29 ; 
concentration  camps,  27,  28,  29;  suspension  of  writ  of  habeas  corpus, 
29 ;  General  Jacob  Smith  in  Samar,  30 ;  conditions  in  Moro  country, 
34-36. 

Draft  animals,  attempts  to  improve,  345,  346. 

Drugs,  adulteration  of,  200. 


532  INDEX 

Education:  American  theories  of,  219,  224,  225;  ignorance  in  a  republic,  220; 
education  of  masses  essential,  220;  training  of  a  governing  class  only, 
220 ;  Spanish  aristocratic  methods,  220 ;  friars  regarded  education  dan- 
gerous, 220,  221 ;  provided  for  upper  classes  only,  221,  222 ;  demand 
for  popular  education,  221 ;  primary  education,  system  of,  222 ;  few 
taught,  223 ;  system  not  secular,  223,  248 ;  subj  ects  taught,  223 ;  com- 
pensation of  teachers,  223;  schools  broken  up  by  war,  223;  a  new 
spirit,  224;  secularization  of  education,  226;  no  religious  instruction, 
248 ;  the  Faribault  plan,  226 ;  introduction  of  the  American  common 
school  system,  226,  248 ;  industrial  education  favored,  234-240 ;  condi- 
tions unfavorable  for,  237 ;  policy  of  sending  students  to  American 
colleges,  242 ;  comparison  with  British  methods  of  education,  249,  250. 

Education :  see  Schools  ;  vice-governor  must  be  secretary  of  public  instruc- 
tion, 436. 

Elective  franchise :   432-434 ;  election  of  delegates  to  first  assembly,  15,  17,  18. 

Elliott,  Charles  B. :  justice  Supreme  Court,  commissioner,  and  secretary  of 
commerce  and  police,  395  note;  chairman  Joint  Wireless  Board,  327. 

Eminent  domain:  power  of  granted,  69;  to  acquire  friar  lands,  69. 

English  language:  adopted  as  official,  106;  Spanish  retained  in  courts,  106; 
used  exclusively  in  public  schools,  227,  228;  McKinley's  Instructions  as 
to,  227  note;  the  future  of,  107. 

Esteros :  canals  in  Manila,  187 ;  cleaned  up,  200. 

Executive  departments,  see  Departments. 

Executive  secretary,  importance  of  office,  120. 

Expenses,  of  government,  borne  by  Philippines,  514. 

Exploitation,  fear  of,  51,  68. 

Export  duties :  on  hemp,  etc.,  282 ;  now  forbidden  by  Congress,  515. 

Exports,  table  of,  161. 

Extension  of  Acts  of  Congress,  73. 

Extradition  laws,  extended,  special  provisions,  72. 

Farm  machinery,  introduction  of,  347, 

Federal  party,  409. 

Fiestas,  excessive  indulgence  in,  86,  87. 

Filipinization,  of  the  service,  400. 

Finances :  policy,  127,  128 ;  controlled  by  local  government,  127 ;  limited  issue 
of  bonds,  128 ;  amount  outstanding,  133 ;  revenue,  how  raised,  128 ;  cus- 
toms duties,  iz9;  alleged  excessive  expenditure  for  public  works,  129, 
130 ;  over-appropriations  during  Forbes'  administration,  131 ;  retrench- 
ment, 132,  133 ;  use  of  gold  standard  fund,  131 ;  income  and  expendi- 
ture, 132 ;  table  of,  135 ;  sources  of  income,  145 ;  bonded  debt  of  Manila 
and  Cebu,  134;  finances  of  local  governments,  134;  the  currency  in 
Spanish  times,  134;  American  difficulties  with,  136;  new  currency  au- 
thorized, 139;  coinage,  140;  standard  of  value,  theoretical  gold  peso, 
139;  plan  to  maintain  parity,  139,  141-143;  the  gold  standard  fund,  141; 
loans  from,  143 ;  total  silver  coinage,  144 ;  silver  certificate,  144 ;  gold 
reserve,  144;  notes  of  Bank  of  Philippines,  144;  Philippine  National 
Bank,  145 ;  division  of  revenues,  145 ;  tariff  laws,  146,  147 ;  duties  levied, 
147,  149;  Spanish  internal  revenue  laws,  149,  150;  changes  in,  149;  new 
revenue  law,  ISO;  sources  of,  for  insular  government,  151;  the  cedula, 
151 ;  stamp  tax,  152 ;  privilege  tax,  153 ;  distinction  between  business 
and  occupations,  153,  154;  tax  on  volume  of  business,  155;  specific  in- 
ternal revenue  taxes,  155 ;  principal  specific  taxes,  156-157 ;  the  land 
tax,  158 ;  revenues  of  Manila,  158 ;  exempt  property,  158 ;  special  as- 
sessments, 159;  apportionment  of  internal  revenues,  159. 

Fire  departments,  in  villages,  police  act  as  firemen,  86. 


INDEX  533 

Forbes,  W.  Cameron,  commissioner,  secretary  of  commerce  and  police  and 
governor-general:  attitude  toward  Filipinos,  390;  his  character  and 
qualifications,  392. 

Foreign  trade,  increasing,  161. 

Franchise:  powers  to  grant,  6,  70;  must  contain  what,  70;  authorized  by- 
Cooper  Law,  71,  302;  all  subject  to  repeal,  307. 

Free  trade,  between  United  States  and  Philippines,  146. 

Friar  lands :  size  of  the  landed  estates,  43 ;  attempted  forfeiture  by  Malolos 
Congress,  44 ;  condition  and  value  of,  43,  44 ;  rents  in  arrears,  44 ;  the 
titles,  44 ;  investigations  by  commission,  45 ;  recommends  purchase  of 
lands,  46;  Governor  Taft  visits  Rome,  46;  Congress  authorizes  pur- 
chase, 47 ;  negotiations  therefor,  47 ;  purchased,  48,  49 ;  a  wise  ar- 
rangement, 49;  bonds,  50;  sales  of  lands,  50;  question  whether  pub- 
lic land  law  controlled,  51,  55;  sale  of  Mindora  tract,  52;  attacks  in 
Congress,  55,  56;  congressional  investigation,  56;  vindication  of  Forbes 
and  Worcester,  56;  poHcy  of  sales  hi  small  tracts,  57;  the  law  of  1916, 
57. 

Friars:  their  powers  and  influence,  42;  question  of  their  return,  38,  45,  46; 
Archbishop  Chapelle  supports  their  claim,  38;  Filipino  opposition,  39. 

Garrison,  Lindley  M.,  secretary  of  war,  favor  Jones  Bill,  423. 

Gilbert,  Newton  W. :  commissioner,  secretary  of  public  instruction,  vice- 
governor,  395;  acting  governor-general,  119. 

Gold  Standard  Fund :  its  creation  and  purpose,  141-143 ;  loans  from,  143,  144. 

Gota  de  Leche :  to  supply  milk  for  infants,  201 ;  receives  aid  from  state,  201 ; 
its  milk  sterilizing  plant,  202. 

Government,  the  Philippine :  see  Chapter  VI ;  organized  by  Philippine  Commis- 
sion ;  its  legal  nature,  440 ;  original  powers,  8,  9 ;  temporary  form,  8 ; 
commission  recommends  permanent  form,  8  note ;  Taft  at  Washington, 
9;  pending  civil  government  bills,  10;  attitude  of  parties,  10,  11;  pro- 
vision for  assembly,  urged  by  Taft,  12 ;  not  favored  by  Root,  13 ;  enact- 
ment of  Organic  Law  of  July  1,  1902,  16;  its  general  provision.  Chapter 
IV;  provided  for  assembly,  14,  15,  16;  organization  of  the  govern- 
ment, 97,  99,  100 ;  participation  of  Filipinos,  99 ;  difficulties  of  adminis- 
tration, 125 ;  the  Act  of  August  29,  1916,  431-440,  Appendix  I ;  reorgan- 
ization thereunder,  442. 

Governor-General:  president  of  commission.  111;  powers  during  commis- 
sion regime.  111;  as  confirmed  by  Congress,  111,  112;  duties  imposed 
on,  112;  authority  to  "release"  appropriations,  112,  113;  office  magni- 
fied at  expense  of  commission,  114,  126;  practically  named  and  removed 
commissioners,  114,  115;  usurpation  of  authority  over  appropriations, 
116-120;  member  of  both  legislative  bodies,  115;  no  veto  power  orig- 
inally, 115;  conferred  in  1916,  435;  powers  now  defined  by  law,  434. 

Gross  earnings,  tax  on,  70. 

Guaranty,  of  interest  on  railway  bonds,  302,  308,  309. 

Guard,  Civil,  Spanish  constabulary,  7. 

Habeas  corpus,  suspension  of  writ,  29. 

Harbors:  329;  of  Manila,  Iloilo  and  Cebu,  329,  330. 

Harrison,  Francis  Burton:  governor-general,  appointment  of,  418;  his  Luneta. 
speech,  419-420;  unfriendly  toward  American  officials,  420,  421;  re- 
movals by,  420 ;  demoralizing  effect,  421 ;  policy  claimed  destructive, 
421 ;  favors  Jones  Bill  and  early  independence,  421. 

Harty,  Jeramioh,  Archbishop,  41. 

Health  and  sanitation :  see  Chapter  IX ;  study  of  tropical  diseases,  184 ;  con- 
dition in  Spanish  times,  186-190;  unsanitary  Manila,  187;  attitude  of 
natives,  186,  195-197,  215;  local  doctors,  189;  early  work  of  Army 
Medical  Corps,  190;  organization,  192,  199;  educating  physicians,  192; 


534  INDEX 

Health  and  sanitation — Continued. 

hospital  facilities,  192,  193 ;  the  prevention  of  disease,  194 ;  largely  a 
matter  of  money,  194;  restrictions  on  health  work,  195;  comparison 
with  Panama,  195 ;  collection  of  garbage,  198 ;  Manila  sewer  system, 
198;  pubHc  laundries,  199;  jails  and  prisons,  199;  sanitary  markets, 
199,  200;  the  old  moats,  200;  adulterated  drugs  and  food,  200;  bad 
milk,  201,  202 ;  old  and  new  water  systems,  202,  203 ;  boiled  and  distilled 
water,  203,  204 ;  cholera,  205 ;  bubonic  plague,  204 ;  destruction  of  rats, 
214;  leprosy,  history  of,  206;  isolation,  Culion  Colony,  209-211;  treat- 
ment for,  211;  beriberi,  practically  eliminated,  212;  child  mortality, 
212,  213 ;  hook-worm,  213 ;  amoebic,  213 ;  conditions  still  bad,  213 ;  ma- 
laria, fight  against  mosquitoes,  214;  people  underfed,  school  lunches, 
214;  diseases  of  the  Moros,  215;  the  hospital  ship,  216;  the  Public 
Health  Service,  216;  its  organization,  217;  objectionable  council  of  hy- 
giene, 217. 

Heiser,  G.  Victor,  director  of  health,  1905  to  1915,  see  Chapter  IX. 

Hemp:  importance  of,  349;  method  of  cultivation,  350;  lack  of  proper  ma- 
chinery, 351 ;  table  of  hemp  exports,  351 ;  government  classification 
and  grading  of,  352. 

Hook-worm,  prevalence  of,  213. 

Hord,  John  S.,  prepares  original  internal  revenue  law,  150. 

Hospitals,  192,  193,  420. 

Ide,  Henry  C. :  commissioner,  secretary  of  finance  and  justice,  and  governor- 
general,  395 ;  prepares  revenue  law,  150. 

Igorots,  cultivation  of  rice,  irrigation,  362. 

Imports:  table  of,  160;  see  Exports. 

Income  tax,  federal  law  applicable,  72. 

Independence  movement :  see  Chapter  XIX ;  implied  in  our  policy,  422 ;  first 
Filipino  political  party  against,  409 ;  leading  men  favor  American  con- 
trol, 410;  idea  revived,  410;  new  leaders,  410;  effect  of  creating  assem- 
bly, 413 ;  delegates  elected  on  issue  of,  413 ;  new  political  parties  favor, 
412;  Osmefia  and  Quezon  in  charge,  413,  414;  the  campaign  in  the 
islands,  413 ;  renewed  agitation  in  America,  415 ;  Quezon's  labors,  415 ; 
The  Filipino  People,  416;  the  Jones  Bill,  417;  progress  of  the  bill,  417; 
strength  of  present  sentiment,  445;  would  be  injurious  to  natives,  446; 
independent  state  would  fail,  451 ;  probable  acquiescence  in  present 
government,  453. 

Independent  Filipino  Catholic  Church,  its  organization  and  short  life,  58-60. 

Industrial  education :  see  Schools  ;  trade  schools,  234-240. 

Information :  as  to  conditions  in  islands,  375 ;  conflicting  reports  of  travelers, 
375,  376. 

Instruction:  President  McKinley's  to  Schurman  Commission,  484,  Appendix 
B ;  to  Taf t  Commission,  66,  Appendix  C. 

Insular  Affairs,  Bureau  of :  created,  63 ;  its  organization  and  powers,  63. 

Insurrections :  danger  of  uprisings,  181 ;  greatly  exaggerated,  182,  183 ;  frauds 
on  ignorant  natives,  182 ;  control  of  leaders,  182,  183. 

Interisland  commerce :  see  Water  Transportation  ;  condition  of,  332 ;  its 
rehabihtation,  332,  334. 

Irrigation:  necessity  for,  363;  in  India  and  Egypt,  365,  366  note;  first  Phil- 
ippine irrigation  law,  defective,  364 ;  improved  law  enacted,  365 ;  native 
objections,  366;  obtaining  consent  of  landowners,  367,  368;  comparative 
failure  of  irrigation  work,  363,  369;  revised  irrigation  law,  368,  369. 

Joint  Wireless  Board,  322. 

Jones  Bill :  as  introduced  in  1912,  417 ;  made  a  party  measure,  421 ;  attitude 
of  Republicans,  421,  422,  426;  passed  by  House,  422;  Senate  committee 
hearings,  422;  not  reached  in  Senate,  423;  regrets  of  secretary  of  war 


INDEX  535 

Jones  Bill — Continued. 

and  president,  423-424;  new  session,  Senate  debates,  424;  the  Clarke 
Amendment,  426 ;  favored  by  administration  and  Filipinos,  426,  427 ; 
its  passage  a  surprise,  428;  fails  in  House,  428;  enactment  of  the  law, 
428;  the  preamble,  428-430;  its  provisions,  431-440;  effect  on  present 
laws,  437 ;  no  change  in  nature  of  government,  440 ;  grants  general 
legislative  power,  437 ;  bill  of  rights,  437 ;  restrictions  as  to  tariff,  land 
and  currency  laws,  438;  citizenship,  438;  appropriations  continued,  439; 
abolishes  the  commission,  431 ;  creates  new  Philippine  legislature  with 
an  elective  Senate,  431 ;  qualifications  of  electors,  432-434;  abolishes  dis- 
tinction between  Christian  and  non-Christian  territory,  432 ;  senators 
and  representatives  from,  appointive,  432 ;  defines  powers  of  governor- 
general,  434-435 ;  veto  power  conferred,  435 ;  governor-general,  vice- 
governor  and  auditor,  435,  436;  vice-governor  must  be  secretary  of 
public  instruction,  436;  other  departments  controlled  by  legislature, 
436,  437;  the  judicial  system,  439;  ultimate  control  reserved  to  Con- 
gress, 440,  441 ;  reception  of  law  in  Philippines,  441-2 ;  new  election 
under,  442-3 ;  appointment  of  non-Christian  members,  443 ;  organization 
of  government  under,  new  departments,  444. 

Judiciary:  organized  by  commission  ;  appointment  of  justices,  102;  and  judges, 
64,  65;  jurisdiction  of  Supreme  Court,  65,  102;  compensation  of,  65; 
procedure,  65;  tenure  of  justices  of  Supreme  Court,  102;  of  judges, 
104;  judicial  districts,  103;  jurisdiction  of  courts  of  first  instance,  103, 
104;  no  juries,  103;  American  and  Filipino  judges,  103,  104;  Spanish 
the  official  language  in  courts,  106 ;  opposition  to  English,  107 ;  reor- 
ganization of  courts  in  1915,  105;  objectionable  provisions,  105;  jus- 
tices of  the  peace,  105,  106. 

Knepper,  Commander  Chester  H.,  member  Joint  Wireless  Board,  323. 

Labor :  in  the  tropics,  251 ;  factors  of  problem,  252 ;  exclusion  of  Chinese, 
252 ;  early  experience  with  Filipino  labor,  253 ;  must  be  trained  and 
developed,  254,  259.  260;  methods  in  other  countries,  255-258;  vagrancy 
laws,  255 ;  imported  labor,  256-7 ;  prohibited,  258 ;  laborers  sent  to  Ha- 
waii, 258 ;  forced  labor,  261 ;  violation  of  labor  contracts,  no  remedy, 
262 ;  system  of  advances,  263 ;  advances  secured  by  fraud,  264,  265 ; 
Bureau  of  Labor,  266;  wages  paid,  266;  laborers  improving,  259,  260, 
266-7  note. 

Ladrones,  prevalence  of,  7. 

Land  laws :  see  Friar  Lands  ;  restrictions  on  sales.  68,  438. 

Land  mortgage  banks,  authorized  by  Spanish  Code  of  Commerce,  369. 

Laws,  of  Congress :  not  in  force  unless  extended,  73 ;  provision  of  Rev.  Stat. 
not  appliable,  73. 

Legarda,  Benito :  appointed  commissioner,  5 ;  resident  commissioner,  390. 

Legislative  power :  at  first  in  commission,  64 ;  in  two  bodies  after  1907,  64 ; 
powers  retained  by  the  commission,  107-110;  now  in  a  single  legisla- 
ture, with  two  houses,  431. 

Legislature,  Philippine:  created  by  Act  of  July  1,  1902,  16;  composed  of  two 
houses,  the  PhiHppine  Commission  and  the  Philippine  Assembly,  16, 
64;  jurisdiction  over  territory  not  inhabited  by  Moros  and  non-Chris- 
tians, 16,  107-110;  first  session  of,  19;  opened  by  Secretary  Taft,  19; 
distribution  of  power,  107-110;  new  body  with  same  name  created  in 
1916,  with  elective  Senate,  431. 

Leprosy:  formerly,  188;  isolation,  206;  Culion  Colony,  209-211;  treatment 
for,  211. 

Lighthouses,  328. 

Loans,  to  provinces  and  municipalities,  82. 


536  INDEX 

Local  government:  see  Chapter  V;  institution  of  by  military,  76;  under  pro- 
vincial and  municipal  government  acts,  76,  11 ;  for  Moros  and  wild 
men,  99. 

Luzuriaga,  Jose,  appointed  commissioner,  5,  6. 

MacArthur,  Major-General  Arthur:  military  governor,  4;  organization  of 
civil  governments,  25,  26. 

Malolos  Constitution :  see  Appendix  G  ;  not  American  in  spirit,  407. 

Malaria,  greatly  reduced,  214. 

Malvar,  surrenders  to  General  Bell,  29. 

Manila,  City  of :  special  form  of  commission  government,  95 ;  the  police, 
172 ;  its  defenses,  164 ;  new  sewer  system,  198 ;  sanitation  in,  198 ;  old 
water  supply,  187 ;  new,  202 ;  death  rate,  214,  215. 

Manila  Railroad  Company:  its  charter,  305;  purchased  by  government,  311- 
314. 

Manila  Railway  Company,  Limited,  the  old  Spanish  chartered  company,  300, 
303  note. 

Material  development:  policy  of,  Chapter  XII;  backwardness  of  country, 
269 ;  resources  undeveloped,  270 ;  public  works  in  colonies,  India,  270 ; 
schools  and  material  development,  271 ;  order  of,  271 ;  policy  outlined, 
272,  273 ;  its  scope  and  purpose,  277-8 ;  hustling  the  East,  274 ;  public 
works  or  schools,  274 ;  attitude  of  natives  toward  policy,  275 ;  results 
obtained,  276;  expenditures  for,  table,  277. 

Maura  Law,  Spanish  municipal  code,  of  1893,  82. 

Metcalfe,  Sir  Charles,  opposed  to  roads  for  India,  270. 

Mineral  lands,  restrictions  upon  development  of,  68,  69. 

Missionary  work,  250. 

Moats,  old,  unsanitary,  now  parks,  200. 

Momungan,  agricultural  colony  at,  372. 

Monastic  orders,  lands  owned  by,  43. 

Money-orders,  see  Postal  Service. 

Moro  Province:  its  organization,  92,  100;  powers  of,  93,  94;  military  con- 
trol, 93 ;  changes  to  civilian  officers,  94 ;  reorganized  as  the  Department 
of  Mindanao  and  Sulu,  94;  now  subject  to  Philippine  Legislature,  95. 

Municipal  Code,  repealed  by  Administrative  Code  of  1916,  82. 

Municipalities :  their  nature  and  organization,  82 ;  resemble  American  town- 
ships, 82 ;  four  classes,  83 ;  number  of  councilors,  83 ;  officers  of,  their 
duties  and  pay,  83,  84;  duties  of  a  councilor,  84;  powers  of  council, 
84-86;  revenue,  powers  of  taxation,  87;  school  funds,  87;  budget,  87; 
among  uncivilized  tribes,  88-89. 

Municipal  police :  must  be  maintained  by  municipalities,  172 ;  generally  in- 
efficient, 7,  180;  of  Manila,  reasonably  efficient,  172;  improvement  in, 
civil  service  examinations,  180;  examining  board,  180;  enlistments, 
181 ;  extent  of  constabulary  control  over,  180. 

Navigation  Laws,  regulating  coastwise  traffic,  not  applicable,  71. 

Navy:  no  direct  connection  with  the  government,  162;  naval  stations,   164. 

Non-Christian  tribes,  special  governments  for,  101. 

Normal  School,  244. 

Nurses'  Training  School,  244. 

Obras  Pias,  charitable  and  religious  foundations,  40. 

Officials,  list  of.  Appendix  H. 

Ola,  Simeon,  bandit  leader,  Z'h. 

Organic  Laws:  Act  July  1,  1902,  see  Chapter  IV;  Act  August  29,  1916,  Chap- 
ter XIX  and  Appendix ;  see  Jones  Bilx. 

Osmefia,  Sergio :  speaker  of  assembly,  influence  over  legislation,  125 ;  defer- 
ence shown,  124;  works  for  independence,  404. 


INDEX  537 

"Pagett,  M.  P.,"  Z76. 

Parcels  post :  inaugurated  in  islands  by  executive  order,  320 ;  with  foreign 
countries,  319-320. 

Parties,  American  political,  attitude  of,  374. 

Parties,  Filipino  political:  18;  membership  of  first  assembly,  18-19;  demand 
independence,  412. 

Payne  Tariff  Law,  effect  on  Philippine  trade,  147. 

Peace,  declared  by  proclamation,  16,  17. 

Penal  Colony,  at  Iwahig,  a  school  for  reformation  of  convicts,  245. 

Pensionados,  students  educated  in  American  colleges,  242. 

Pershing,  Major-General  John  J.,  governor  Moro  Province,  92. 

Personnel :  of  Philippine  service,  395-403 ;  character  of,  397,  398,  403 ;  fre- 
quent changes  in,  395,  396;  the  subordinate  officials,  397,  398;  Filipino 
officials,  300 ;  the  call  of  the  East,  399 ;  no  permanent  career,  401 ; 
Taf t's  non-partisan  policy,  397 ;  Wilson's  policy,  419,  420 ;  elimination  of 
Americans,  401 ;  rewards  for  retirement,  401-2, 

Philippine  Government  Law  of  1916,  Appendix  I. 

Phihppine  Railway  Company:  its  charter,  309;  interest  on  bonds  guaranteed, 
309. 

Philippines  for  the  Filipinos,  the  policy  of,  382-396. 

Piers,  at  Manila,  331. 

Plague,  204. 

PoHcy,  Philippine:  statement  of,  380;  involved  training  of  the  common  peo- 
ple, 198 ;  compared  with  Cuban  policy,  2)77,  378 ;  plan  outlined  by  Sec- 
retary Hay,  379;  formulated  by  Secretary  Root,  379;  in  McKinley's 
Instructions,  379;  most  difficult  of  all,  387;  alleged  indefiniteness,  277 ; 
criticism  of,  387;  American  business  men,  398,  399;  attitude  of  local 
American  community,  2)77 ;  policy  purely  altruistic,  380 ;  the  Philippines 
for  the  Filipinos,  379 ;  opposition  to  policy,  380,  387 ;  success  meant 
elimination  of  United  States,  380;  implied  ultimate  independence  state- 
ments by  McKinley,  382 ;  Roosevelt,  381,  384,  385 ;  Taft,  382-384,  385, 
386;  approved  by  Congress,  386;  by  President  Wilson's  administration, 
386,  387 ;  time  essence  of,  388 ;  failure  to  satisfy  natives,  388 ;  loss  of 
political  control,  388,  389;  excessive  deference  to  Filipinos,  389,  390, 
391 ;  stronger  executives  required,  390,  391 ;  growth  of  anti-American 
sentiment  under  Smith  and  Forbes,  391-2 ;  early  institution  of  assembly 
a  mistake,  394 ;  frequent  changes  of  higher  officers,  395 ;  non-partisan 
policy,  396-7;  changes  by  Wilson  administration,  397,  401. 

Polygamy,  forbidden,  437,  513. 

Postal  Savings  Bank,  325. 

Postal  Service:  its  importance,  317;  early  American  service,  318;  adoption 
of  Spanish  regulations,  318 ;  turned  over  to  local  government,  318 ; 
an  independent  service,  318;  money-orders  service  with  United  States, 
319;  with  foreign  countries,  negotiations  of  conventions,  319,  320; 
parcels  post  within  the  islands,  320;  the  telegraph,  320;  operators 
trained  in  bureau,  321 ;  cables  laid  by  army,  321 ;  relocated,  321 ;  wire- 
less, 322 ;  the  Joint  Wireless  Board,  322,  323 ;  its  report,  323 ;  President 
Taft  approves,  324 ;  franchise  to  private  concern,  325 ;  postal  service 
efficient,  325 ;  Postal  Savings  Bank,  325. 

Potatoes,  difficulty  in  raising,  345. 

Prisons:  sanitary  condition  of,  199;  death  rate  in  Bilibid,  199. 

Provinces :  Spanish,  78 ;  at  present,  78 ;  are  public  corporations,  78 ;  the  chief 
officers,  78,  80;  control  of  governor-general,  78;  the  governor,  79;  the 
treasurer,  79;  the  fiscal,  80;  the  provincial  board,  how  constituted,  76; 
all  now  elected,  76;  powers  of  board,  80-81;  specially  organized  prov- 
inces, 88-91;  in  non-Christian  country,  91;  the  Moro  Province,  91-93; 
city  of  Manila,  a  province  for  certain  purposes,  78  and  note  5;  under 
special  charter,  95. 


538  INDEX 

Public  Health  Service:  new  name  for  Bureau  of  Health,  217;  its  organization, 

217,  218. 
Public  lands :  see  Land  Laws  ;  conservation  of,  68 ;  acquisition  of,  68. 
Public  Utilities  Commission,  306  note. 
Pure  Food  Law :  Act  of  Congress,  applicable,  72 ;  enforcement  of,  200-20L 

Quadrilleros,  municipal  guards,  164  note. 

Quezon,  Manuel  L. :  resident  commissioner,  414,  415 ;  active  for  independence, 

404;  an  efficient  leader,  406;  recommends  new  governor-general,  418; 

president  of  Senate,  443. 

Railroads :  the  Spanish-English  company,  300 ;  its  claim  against  the  United 
States,  303-304;  study  of  situation,  by  commission,  300;  recommenda- 
tions, 301 ;  the  policy  adopted,  301 ;  authorized  by  Congress,  the  Cooper 
Law,  302-303 ;  Manila  Railroad  franchise,  305 ;  its  provisions,  305 ;  sup- 
plementary contract,  307 ;  northern  and  southern  lines,  308 ;  provides 
for  guaranty  of  interest  on  southern  lines,  308 ;  bond  issue,  308 ;  has- 
tening construction  by  Manila  Railroad  Company,  loans  to,  310;  pur- 
chase of  road  by  government,  311-314;  Manila  street  railway,  315;  the 
Philippine  Railway  Company,  and  its  franchise,  309;  its  prospects, 
315 ;  results  of  railway  construction  disappointing,  314. 

Railway  bonds,  guaranty  of  interest  by  government,  302,  308,  309. 

Rates,  freight  and  passenger,  regulation  of  by  board,  306  note. 

Religious  controversies,  see  Chapter  III. 

Religious  tests,  forbidden,  437. 

Resident  commissioners ;  Filipino,  provided  for,  66,  122 ;  influence  at  Wash- 
ington, adverse  to  government,  122,  123,  414,  415. 

Retirement  Law,  401-2. 

Revenue,  see  Finances. 

Revolution,  right  of,  3. 

Rice :  staple  food  product,  361 ;  importations  of,  361 ;  methods  of  cultivation, 
362 ;  improved  methods  required,  363. 

Rinderpest:  destroys  draft  animals,  treatment  of,  347;  policy  of  isolation, 
348,  349.^ 

Rizal,  cable  ship,  336. 

Roads:  in  early  days,  279,  280;  difficulties  connected  with  construction,  280; 
prior  to  1908,  without  system,  281 ;  early  road  laws,  281,  282 ;  forced 
labor,  282 ;  toll  roads,  283 ;  double  cedilla  law,  283 ;  the  new  policy,  rules 
and  regulations,  284-285 ;  maintenance  provided  for,  285 ;  ca^ninero  sys- 
tem, 288,  289;  methods  of  construction,  285,  289;  classification,  285- 
286;  allotment  of  funds,  improved  conditions,  286,  288;  cost  of  con- 
struction, 289;  expenditure  for  roads,  mileage,  287;  prizes,  288;  road 
construction  in  non-Christian  provinces,  289,  290;  in  Moro  Province, 
290,  291;  roads  built  by  army,  291;  the  Benguet  road,  291-298;  its 
origin  and  early  history,  292;  difficulties  in  way,  293;  policy  of  com- 
mission, 295;  cost  of  the  roads,  296,  298;  difficulties  of  maintenance, 
297. 

Rockefeller  Foundation,  contributes  funds  for  hospital  ship,  216. 

Roosevelt,  Theodore:  as  president,  directs  transfer  of  executive  power  to 
civil  governor,  4 ;  peace  proclamation,  16 ;  statement  of  policy,  381,  384, 
385;  advises  early  independence,  426;  opinion  of  government  personnel, 
403. 

Root,  Elihu :  secretary  of  war,  creates  government  for  Philippines,  11 ;  fa- 
vors delay  in  establishing  assembly,  13. 

Samar:  conditions  in,  30;  the  pulijanes,  30,  31;  abuse  of  natives  by  traders, 
30 ;  regulars  sent  to,  32 ;  General  Smith's  campaign,  30 ;  fight  at  Mag- 
taon,  33 ;  civil  government  for,  32. 


INDEX  539 

Sanger,  General  J.  P.,  superintendent  of  census,  17. 

Sanitation,  see  Health. 

San  Lazaro  Estate,  acquired  by  government,  41. 

Santo  Tomas,  College  of,  controversy  over  control  of,  40,  41. 

Schools :  see  Education  ;  opened  by  military,  225 ;  taken  over  by  commission, 
225;  the  general  policy,  226;  use  of  English  language  in  schools,  227, 
228 ;  importing  American  teachers,  228,  229 ;  the  transport  Thomas  con- 
signment, 219,  229;  the  teachers  and  their  work,  229,  230;  Filipino  in- 
structors necessary,  230,  231 ;  normal  schools  opened,  231 ;  proportion 
of  American  teachers,  232;  insular  provincial  and  municipal  schools, 
232;  secondary  schools  established,  233;  night  schools,  233  note;  in- 
dustrial education,  234-240;  social  prejudice  against,  237;  prizes  at 
Panama-Pacific  Exposition,  240 ;  special  text-books,  240,  241 ;  athletics, 
241 ;  the  pensionados,  242 ;  housing  schools,  243 ;  University  of  the 
Philippines,  243 ;  the  normal  school,  244 ;  nurses'  training  school,  244 ; 
bureau  schools,  244 ;  Iwahig  Penal  Colony,  245 ;  non-Christian  and 
Moro  schools,  245,  246;  number  of  children  in  schools,  246,  247;  cost 
of  educational  work,  247;  results,  250. 

Scouts :  see  Army  ;  organized,  169-172 ;  number  of,  172 ;  valuable  soldiers, 
171,  172. 

Scriven,  Lieutenant-Colonel  George  P.,  member  Joint  Wireless  Board,  323. 

Secretaries,  heads  of  departments :  appointed  from  commission,  100 ;  con- 
stitute cabinet,  215. 

Secularization  of  schools,  226. 

Self-Government :  in  local  governments,  75,  76;  education  of  common  peo- 
ple for,  408;  Filipino  ideas  of,  405;  qualifications  of  Filipinos  for,  405, 
407,  408. 

Senate,  elective,  created  in  1916,  431,  Appendix  I. 

Shuster,  W.  Morgan,  commissioner  and  secretary  of  public  instruction,  395 
note. 

Silver  certificates :  144 ;  see  Finances. 

Smallpox:  ravages  of,  188;  eliminated  by  vaccination,  206. 

Smith,  General  Jacob,  campaign  in  Samar,  30. 

Smith,  James  F.,  governor-general,  391,  395. 

Soil,  fertility  of,  339. 

Spanish  law,  continued  in  force,  64,  103. 

Speaker  of  the  assembly :  office  magnified,  124 ;  excessive  salary,  124 ;  dicker- 
ing with  governor-general,  125. 

Spooner  Law,  restrictions  of,  6. 

Steamship  companies,  331. 

Subsidies,  interisland  commerce,  334,  335. 

Sugar:  importance  of  industry,  355;  methods  of  cultivation,  356;  improved 
conditions,  358;  modern  sugar  mills,  358;  government  assistance,  359; 
attempt  to  develop  large  estates,  opposition  thereto,  358 ;  primitive  meth- 
ods still  in  use,  358;  table  of  exports,  improved  conditions  due  to  high 
prices,  357. 

Sultan  of  Sulu :  Bates  treaty  with  abrogated,  35 ;  relinquishes  claim  of  sov- 
ereignty, 36  note. 

Supreme  Court,  see  Judiciary. 

Taft,  W.  H.,  secretary  of  war  and  president:  head  of  second  commission, 
97 ;  appointed  civil  governor,  4 ;  inauguration  of,  5 ;  work  as  president 
of  commission,  6-9;  visits  Washington,  9;  urges  creation  of  assembly, 
12,  13 ;  becomes  secretary  of  war,  395 ;  visits  islands  and  addresses 
new  legislature,  19;  on  use  of  army,  25  note;  estimate  of  disturbances, 
24;  adjusts  controversies  with  Church,  41;  the  friar  lands  adjustment, 
43-49;  judicial  appointments,   104;   attitude  toward  commission,   110; 


540  INDEX 

Taft,  W.  B..— Continued. 

toward  office  of  governor-general,  114;  calls  speaker  second  in  rank, 
124;  on  command  of  scouts,  179;  Benguet  road  policy,  295;  railway 
policy,  305,  314;  appoints  Wireless  Board.  323;  approves  its  report.  324; 
statement  of  Philippine  policy,  380,  382-384,  385,  386,  422;  non-partisan 
appointments,  397;  opposes  further  extensions  of  power  to  natives, 
416;  opposed  to  early  independence,  417. 

Tariff  laws:  enacted  by  Congress,  72;  changes  in,  146;  Payne  Law  of  1909, 
move  toward  freer  trade,  72;  Underwood  Law  of  1913,  146  note;  Phil- 
ippine tariff  laws,  72,  73. 

Tavera,  Pardo  de,  appointed  commissioner,  5. 

Taxation :  see  Finances  ;  not  excessive,  127,  129 ;  customs,  duties,  internal 
revenue,  149-157;  special  assessments,  159;  exemptions,  158;  land  tax, 
158;  municipal,  87. 

Telegraph:  see  Postal  Service;  constructed  by  army,  320;  transferred  to 
Bureau  of  Posts,  321. 

Text-books,  specially  prepared  for  schools,  240-241. 

Tobacco :  introduction  of,  352 ;  Spanish  methods,  353 ;  admitted  to  American 
market,  354 ;  government  encouragement  of  industry,  354 ;  table  of  ex- 
ports, 354,  355. 

Tonnage  fees,  72. 

Transportation,  see  Chapters  XIII-XVI. 

Treasurer,  insular,  appointed  by  president,  121. 

Treaty  of  peace:  with  Spain,  479-484;  Appendix  A. 

Trusteeship,  of  United  States  of  property  acquired  from  Spain,  68. 

University  of  the  Philippines,  243,  244. 

Usury:  prevalence  of  in  the  East,  369;  attempts  to  pass  usury  laws,  369  note. 

Vaccination,  206. 

Veto:  no  power  of,  115;  granted  governor-general  by  1916  law,  435. 

Vice-Governor :  office  created,  17;  approved  by  Congress,  64;  duties,  100; 
under  present  law,  436;  appointed  by  president,  436;  controls  educa- 
tion and  health,  436. 

Visiting  congressmen,  opinions  confirmed  by,  375. 

Water :  generally  bad,  safe  if  boiled,  204 ;  artesian  wells,  203,  204 ;  distilled 
water  discarded,  204. 

Water  transportation :  see  Chapter  XVI ;  importance  of  in  island  country, 
326;  water  communication  with  Manila,  326-327;  insufficient  charts  and 
lights,  327;  new  modern  surveys,  327;  coast  and  geodetic  survey,  di- 
vision of  expense,  327;  lighthouses,  328;  Weather  Bureau,  important 
services  rendered,  328;  insufficient  harbors,  328;  new  ports  at  Manila, 
Cebu  and  Iloilo,  329 ;  importance  of  minor  ports,  329 ;  modern  wharves, 
330;  the  port  of  Manila,  modern  improvements,  330,  331;  steamship 
service,  331;  destroyed  by  war  and  Act  of  Congress,  331,332;  interisland 
transportation,  new  methods  required,  332 ;  Bureau  of  Navigation,  333 ; 
commissioned  and  enlisted  service  in,  336 ;  abolished,  ■  337 ;  the  coast 
giiard  ships,  333 ;  nursing  interisland  commerce,  333-335 ;  system  of  sub- 
sidies, 333-335 ;  the  cable  ship  Risal,  336 ;  improvement  of  rivers,  337. 

Weather  Service,  328. 

Wilson,  Woodrow,  president:  his  Philippine  policy,  421-422;  before  election, 
417;  Filipino  expectations,  417;  abandons  non-partisan  policy,  418; 
changes  commission,  418 ;  supports  Jones  Bill,  423 ;  approves  Clarke 
Amendment,  426;  removes  Forbes,  418;  appoints  Harrison  governor- 
general,  418. 


INDEX  541 

Wireless :  stations  operated,  322 ;  board  to  extend  same,  322,  323 ;  its  report, 

323;  approved  by  revising  board  and  president,  324;  franchise  granted 

Marconi  Company,  325. 
Wood,  Major-General  Leonard:  military  operations  in  Moro  country,  35; 

recommends  abrogation  of  Bates  treaty,  35;  governor  Moro  Province, 

92 ;  qualifications,  391. 
Worcester,  Dean  C,  commissioner  and  secretary  of  interior,  395. 
Wright,  Luke  E. :  commissioner  and  secretary  of  commerce  and  police,  6; 

first  governor-general,  17 ;  issues  proclamation,  and  calls  election  for 

assembly,  17;  visit  to  Samar,  30  note,  32. 


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