CIVIL GOVERNMENT FOR THE PHILIPPINES.
The United States is often spoken of as a free country. Its people are
free because they have a voice in the making and upholding of their
government. There are strong laws in the land to protect their freedom.
No man and no state can be really free without such laws. If a man would
enjoy liberty, and freedom from the power of evil, he must obey the laws
of goodness. So a people must honor and uphold the laws of the state, if
the state is to be strong enough to protect their liberties. We can
easily see that if there were no laws, and each man were free to do as
he pleased, no man’s life or property would be safe. Every man would
have to take care of himself, and the land where such a condition
existed would cease to be a civilized country. Laws are made for the
protection of a people, and without them there would be an end to
liberty and progress.
For a great many years the government in the Philippine Islands was by
force of arms. It was not a government in which the people had any
voice. They were ruled by laws made by a power outside of themselves,
and often these laws were against their interests and welfare. It is
hard to make a people uphold such laws. The government that tries to do
this will always, in the end, have to call in force to its aid. A
government cannot long rule, however, by force alone. Even a military
government, to be successful, must be based upon just laws. It must
recognize and uphold what is just and right.
At the beginning of American rule in these islands, a good many reforms
had to be made at once. It was necessary to set the country in order, so
that business might go on, justice might be done, and safety insured to
the people. Life and property were in danger, and even among themselves
the people hardly knew who were their friends and who were their foes.
The country needed wise, just laws, strongly upheld, to bring about
peace, order, and safety. At that time a military rule was the best form
of government to meet this need, and military rule was therefore set up
in the islands.
This government made many changes in the country. Courts were
established, and every effort was made to carry out the laws with
justice to all. Many prisoners who had been for years wrongfully
imprisoned were released from jail. Steps were taken at once to open
schools where the children might be taught; and many other reforms were
made that, in time, will show good results in the country. They are of a
sort that will make this a much richer and happier land. This is what
the United States wishes to do. It is a great and powerful nation, and
other nations expect it to build up a good government in these islands.
The government at Washington has declared that the aim of American rule
in the Philippines is to prepare the people for self-government and to
teach them what true liberty really is.
In January, 1899, the President of the United States appointed a body of
men wise in government to come to the Philippine Islands from America.
These men were to learn all that they could about the country and its
people, in order that they might recommend a just form of government for
the country. They had to find out what were the ideas of the Filipino
people in regard to government, and to study the needs of the country,
before they could make any recommendations.
The commissioners came to Manila early in April, 1899, and began work at
once. They traveled about the country to see what it was like. They held
meetings in Manila and elsewhere, and invited leading Filipinos to come
and meet with them. They did this in order to ask them about matters of
interest to the country and its people. They promised the people that
just laws should be established in the country, and the government is
keeping that promise.
The members of the commission saw that good schools are a great need in
the country. An attempt was made to provide these at once, and the
commander of the army established a great many schools, with soldiers as
teachers. It was seen, however, that to make the schools what the people
needed would require experienced teachers. These could not be provided
immediately; but a couple of years later hundreds of trained American
teachers were brought to the islands. In time, when there are enough
trained Filipino teachers to carry on the work, this country will have a
school system as good as any in the world. The American Government has
pledged itself to bring education to these islands, and to see that the
people have justice and fair treatment in all that touches their lives.
It will not cease its efforts until the Filipinos are as able to
maintain themselves securely in their rights and liberties as are the
Americans.
[Illustration:
GOVERNOR WILLIAM H. TAFT.
]
The president of the first Philippine commission was the Hon. Jacob
Schurman, and this commission is known as the Schurman Commission. The
members did the work which they were sent here to do, and made a full
report to Congress. This report sets forth all that the commission had
learned about the country. The views of the Filipinos who appeared
before the commission are given in their own words, which were written
down at the time. The report was printed, in order that both Filipinos
and Americans might know all that had been said and done.
In April, 1900, a new commission was appointed to come to the islands
and do further work. This commission was known as the Taft Commission,
its president being the Hon. William H. Taft. To its members was given
the task of forming a government for the country.
A central government was set up in Manila in September, 1900. Central
government means the government for the whole country. The government of
provinces, towns, and barrios is called local government. The local
government is carried on by the provincial governors, by presidentes,
alcaldes, and lesser officers. These have authority in their own
districts, subject to that of the central government.
The central government at Manila was what is called a military
government—that is, the commander of the army in the islands was
governor-general of the country. He was the executive, or officer whose
business it is to execute, or carry out, the laws of a land. As we have
seen, the government in Spanish times was almost wholly a military
government. It was a different sort of military government, however,
from that in which Americans believe. Americans believe that even armed
force is only for upholding the law. It can never, justly, be law in
itself.
The executive of a country is, as we have said, the official who
executes the laws. In the United States the President is the executive.
The laws are framed by men whom the people elect to do the work. The men
thus elected become what is called a legislative, or law-making, body.
The chief legislative body in the United States is Congress. When the
central government was set up here in the Philippines, in September,
1900, the executive, or governor, was Major-General MacArthur, commander
of the army. The Taft Commission acted as the legislative body, and had,
as well, some executive powers.
[Illustration:
GENERAL ADNA R. CHAFFEE.
]
This government remained in force until July 4, 1901. At that time
Major-General Adna R. Chaffee succeeded Major-General MacArthur as
commander of the army, and Judge Taft, president of the commission, was
made governor of the islands. All the authority formerly held by the
military governor and the commission now passed to Governor Taft.
The new government was not military, but civil. Under a civil government
the law is maintained through the courts and police powers. Only when
the country, or a section of it, is in a state of rebellion is the
military power called upon to act. Even then it does not act for itself,
but as an arm of the civil government, to carry out the laws. The civil
government in the Philippines was set up July 4, 1901, the anniversary
of American independence. On that day Governor Taft was formally
inaugurated, or established, in office.
September 1, 1901, three Filipino members were added to the commission.
They were Dr. T. H. Pardo de Tavera and Señor Benito Legardo, of Manila,
and Señor José Luzuriaga, of Negros. The American members, besides
President (now Governor) Taft, were Hon. Luke E. Wright, Hon. Henry C.
Ide, Hon. Bernard Moses, and Hon. Dean Worcester. Besides carrying on
the present government, the commissioners were charged with the task of
planning a permanent government for the islands. To do this it was
necessary to have the aid of Filipino members, and the gentlemen thus
added to the commission were a great help to the Americans in drawing up
a form of government suitable to the country.
The plan which has been made and submitted to Congress is somewhat as
follows:
There should be a governor and four heads of departments. These should
be appointed by the President of the United States. There should also be
a body to be called the Executive Council. This council would be made up
of the governor, the four heads of departments, and four other members,
to be appointed by the President. Members of the council should be both
Filipinos and Americans. Besides the council there should be an
assembly, of not more than thirty representatives, all to be elected by
the Filipino people. The members of this assembly should serve for two
years. Under such a government the Executive Council and the Assembly
would have the power to elect two delegates to represent the interests
of the islands and of the Filipino people before Congress. These
delegates would be residents of the islands.
Such a system would give the Filipino people what is called a
representative government—that is, they would have a voice in making
their own laws. In time they would have just as much self-government as
they could fit themselves for. The report of the commission to Congress
recommends that such a government be begun here January 1, 1904. If this
is done, the success of the government must depend to a great extent
upon the efforts and faithfulness of the Filipino people themselves.
_Summary._—At the beginning of American rule in the Philippines, the
government was military. The commander of the army in the islands was
also governor-general. In January, 1899, the President of the United
States appointed a commission to come to the archipelago and study the
country. This commission is known as the Schurman Commission. The
commissioners came to Manila early in April, 1899. They held meetings
in Manila and elsewhere, and invited leading Filipinos to come and
talk with them on matters of government and the needs of the country.
They spent the year in learning all that they could about the islands,
and then made a report to Congress. During this year, schools were
opened in many parts of the archipelago, and certain needed reforms
were made in the courts. In April, 1900, a new commission, known as
the Taft Commission, was appointed. It was charged with the task of
forming a government for the country. The government continued for
another year to be military, but on July 4, 1901, civil government was
set up, and Hon. William H. Taft, president of the commission, became
the first civil governor. Three Filipino members were added to the
commission the following September. The civil government proceeded to
draw up plans for a permanent government in the islands, and submitted
them to the President and Congress.
_Questions._—Why is the United States often called a free country? Why
can there be no real liberty where there is no law? What are some of
the changes Americans have made in this country? When was the first
Philippine commission appointed? What did it do? What was the second
commission called? What sort of government was established here in
September, 1900? When was the civil government begun? Who was made
first civil governor? When were the first Filipino commissioners
appointed? How does the form of government recommended by the
commission give the Filipinos a voice in making their own laws?
[Illustration]