CONGRESS. (THE. PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE.) 



155 



ious 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 set- 

 tlement 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, disre- 

 garding technicalities so far as substantial right 

 permits, and to observe the following 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 

 principle of our own Government which prohibits 

 the taking of private property without due pro- 

 cess of law, shall not be violated ; that the welfare 

 of the people of the islands, which should be a 

 paramount consideration, shall be attained con- 

 sistently with this rule of property right; that if 

 it becomes necessary for the public interest of the 

 people of the islands to dispose of claims to prop- 

 erty 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 compensa- 

 tion 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 inter- 

 fered 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 pro- 

 mote and extend, and, as they find occasion, to 

 improve, the system of education, already inaugu- 

 rated by the military authorities. In doing this 

 they should regard a"s of first importance the ex- 

 tension 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 in- 

 stance 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 espe- 

 cially important to the prosperity of the islands 

 that a common medium of communication may be 

 established, and it is obviously desirable 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 ac- 

 quire 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 commission to 

 inquire diligently as to whether there are any 

 further changes which ought not to 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 thoy may be understood by the 

 people; that they should afl'oH tin- lowest practi- 

 cable subjects of taxation which will -crvo for the 

 general distribution of the burden. 



"The main body of the laws which republic the 

 rights- and obligations of the people 1-houM be 

 maintained with as little interference us |>o~~ib]e. 

 Changes made should be mainly in procedure, :md 

 in the criminal laws to secure speedy and imj>,irti;il 

 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 government, and 

 under which many of those tribes are now living 

 in peace and contentment, surrounded by a civil- 

 ization to which they are unable or unwilling to 

 conform. Such tribal governments should, how- 

 ever, be subjected to wise and. firm regulation, and, 

 without undue or petty interference, constant and 

 active effort should be exercised to prevent bar- 

 barous practices and introduce civilized customs. 



" Upon all officci 3 and employees of the United 

 States, both civil and military, 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 dig- 

 nity 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 educational 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 pro- 

 tection for property and life, civil and religious 

 freedom, and wise, firm, and unselfish 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 performance of 

 this obligation, which concerns the honor and con- 

 science 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." 



Coincidently with the entrance of the commis- 

 sion upon its labors I caused to be issued by Gen. 

 MacArthur, the military governor of the Philip- 

 pines, on June 21, 1900, a proclamation of amnesty 

 in generous terms, of which many of the insurgents 

 took advantage, among them a number of im- 

 portant leaders. 



This commission, composed of eminent citizens 

 representing the diverse geographical and political 

 interests of the country, and bringing to their task 

 the ripe fruits of long and intelligent service in 

 educational, administrative, and judicial careers, 

 made great progress from the outset. As early as 

 Aug. 21, 1900, it submitted a preliminary report, 

 which will be laid before the Congress, and from 

 which it appears that already the good effects of 

 returning order are felt ; that business, interrupted 

 by hostilities, is improving as peace extends; that 

 a larger area is under sugar cultivation than ever 

 before ; that the customs revenues are greater than 

 at any time during the Spanish rule ; that economy 



