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thirteen are journalists; eight have been university professors in such higher departments as law or medicine.

Most of the members have already held public office. Nine have been Provincial Governors under the American Administration, and several others Provincial Attorneys. About half have held either civil or military positions in the Philippine revolutionary government. Nearly all have taken work in some one of the Manila colleges, while about twothirds have completed more advanced study in law, medicine, or theology. Two or three have studied in Spain. Six have traveled in the United States, one of whom, Emiliano Gala, is a recent graduate of the Law School of the University of Michigan. All but ten or a dozen are men of property. A few of them, like Mr. Singson, the leader of the Progresistas, are large estate owners and have devoted themselves to the scientific study of farming.

Of the eighty Assemblymen possibly ten are not really first-class choices; three have bad public records, one of whom is the famous Dominador Gomez; but, in general, this first Philippine Assembly is representative of the best elements of Filipino life.

When an American first sees the members in session, he is impressed by their youthful appearance, for their average age is only about thirty-five, and most of the leaders are even younger than this. He notices the further fact that many have considerable Spanish or Chinese blood. The Chinese, it should be added, have been in the islands for hundreds of years, and belong to the well-to-do, intelligent merchant class. While about threefifths of the Assemblymen are of practically pure Filipino stock, the two-fifths who have a mixed ancestry include the great majority of the prominent members. About twenty are partly Spanish, some of them being fully half Spanish. (In the photograph of the Assembly it is easy to recognize the European appearance of such members as Paterno, Rey and Reyés.) There are seven who are in part Chinese. (Mr. Singson's portrait shows distinct Chinese characteristics.) The Filipino race, as a whole, has been very little affected by intermarriage with

Spanish or Chinese, but the ruling old families have considerable foreign blood.

According to parties, the Assembly contains sixteen Progresistas, or avowed supporters of the Government; thirty-two Nacionalistas, whose organization, as the name suggests, is founded upon the idea that the Filipino people form a distinct nation, that they are capable of self-government, and should be granted independence at an early date; seven Inmediatistas, who wish independence instantly; four Independistas; one Catholic; and twenty independent or no-party members. The Nacionalistas, Inmediatistas, and Independistas are practically different groups of the same party.

There is only one real political issue; this relates to the time and the manner of obtaining independence. All agree that eventually the Philippines are to be independent, at least as much so as are Canada and Australia. The Progresistas maintain, however, that the Filipinos are not yet fully prepared for this step, and must develop "progressively," under American leadership, until the Government shall see fit to graduate them from their political schooling. Secretary Taft has said that "this process of political preparation "is likely to "take considerably longer than a generation." All other parties and groups, together with the majority of the no-party members, insist that the Filipinos should be granted full political freedom at a relatively early date.

Party lines are not drawn as tightly as in the United States. Even in regard to the question of independence there are Progresistas who believe that the islands will be ready for self-government in considerably less than the length of time suggested by Secretary Taft; on the other hand, several of the Nacionalistas are not anxious for instant independence, while a very large proportion of them would hesitate to accept it at present unless they foresaw a reasonable prospect that the islands could obtain protection by the United States or a neutrality guaranteed by the Powers. On all other matters there are practically no party divisions in the Assembly; questions are discussed simply on their merits, not as party issues.

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Speaker of the Assembly and its ablest and most influential member

he was elected Speaker by acclamation.
He has in a degree the same rare union
of qualities which marked Henry Clay,
America's distinguished boy Speaker
a wonderful charm of personality and
grace of bearing tempering the dignity
of the presiding officer and the force of
the executive. He is a convincing
speaker, is clear-sighted in judgment, and
by disposition strongly averse to rash or
violent means or measures. His integ-
rity is above suspicion, and while he has

son, besides managing his large estate, has been a successful Provincial Attorney for several years. Of the defeat of the Progresistas Mr. Singson recently said: "The people followed their hearts rather than their heads in the last election; they expressed what they wished rather than what was wise." The people, he considers, are not now ready for independence, not so much because they do not have enough able men to fill the higher positions as because the mass of

them have not yet learned to know their political rights. They are afraid to complain against official abuse and oppression. When the nation shall be ready for independence, Mr. Singson believes that it will choose to remain a protectorate of the United States.

Manuel Queson is the Chairman of the most important committee in the Assembly, that of Ways and Means and Appropriations. He was a major in the revolutionary army, and after peace was brought about was first Provincial Attorney and later Provincial Governor. 'He is one of the most successful. debaters in the Assembly. A friend and political associate of the Speaker, he advocates the same moderate policy, and very largely the same measures. Mr. Queson says that when independence shall be granted, which he believes should be at an early date, the Filipinos will have practically only a choice between an American protectorate and neutralization by the Powers. Personally he would favor a protectorate.

Jaime C. de Veyra, who is also a close political friend of Mr. Osmeña, is another of the younger leaders of the Assembly. Up to the time of his election as Governor of Leyte in 1905 he was considered by many of the American authorities as a revolutionary firebrand, but he has since become a strong advocate of moderate measures. ernor de Veyra says that the Filipinos realize that the Assembly is a political training-school given them by the United States, and that they intend to demonstrate their capacity for self-government by their success in passing actual legislation of benefit to the country.

Gov

The leaders of the small group of Radicals among the Nacionalistas are Alberto Barretto and Fernando Ma. Guerrero. They stand for vigorous legislative action in regard to independence. Guerrero is a talented young journalist, to whose ability it is largely due that El Renaciemento, the aggressively patriotic Manila daily of which he is editor, has become the most popular and most influential paper in the Philippines. Mr. Barretto is largely of European descent. He filled positions of some importance under the Spanish

régime, and played no small part in the subsequent revolutionary government. He is a well-to-do lawyer of integrity and excellent ability. Mr. Barretto wishes for immediate, unconditioned independ

ence.

The best-known and most talked of man in the Assembly is Dr. Dominador Gomez. He is of mixed Filipino, Spanish, and Chinese blood. After receiving his education in Spain, he entered the medical corps of the Spanish army, and finally rose to the rank of captain. In 1901 he resigned his commission and returned to the Philippines. In the elections for the Assembly Gomez carried one of the two Manila districts after an unusually exciting and spectacular campaign. He has a bad record, though the authorities have failed in every effort to convict him of crime. Besides being by far the most eloquent speaker in the Philippines, he is one of the shrewdest and ablest men in the Assembly, and has further a great hold on the mass of the people.

Notwithstanding Dr. Gomez's violent campaigning, and the general impression that he will be a revolutionist in the Assembly, and the fact that the American community, as a whole, distrust and fear him, it is, without any manner of doubt, true that he is decidedly more moderate than the group led by Barretto and Guerrero.

Before the Assembly met it was a very general feeling among the Americans in the islands that it would be a failure, a mere plaything for demagogues like Gomez. Hardly one out of ten really sympathized with it, while the great majority spoke of it with distrust, dislike, and contempt. But now that it has been in session for some time, it is generally conceded that it has acted wisely and moderately.

The first measure which was passed was a resolution thanking the President of the United States and the American Congress for the grant of a national Assembly to the Filipino people. The next measure-and it should be emphasized in judging the character of this body-was one which placed the clerical positions of the Assembly under the rules of the Civil Service. This self

denying ordinance, which prevents the members from paying off political debts by petty appointments, was not passed at the wish of the American Administration, but simply because the Assembly itself saw the wisdom of it.

In regard to future legislation, the general aim of the Assemblymen is to cut down the expenses of the Administration, if possible, by reducing salaries and eliminating or consolidating bureaus, and to spend the money thus saved upon schools, public works, including roads, and the building up of agriculture. It is very probable that the first bill to be passed will be one appropriating half a million dollars for the erection of country school-houses. In order to help the deplorable agricultural situation, the Assembly will undoubtedly petition Congress for the repeal or at least reduction of the United States duties upon Philip pine sugar and tobacco. It will, further, do what is possible to bring about the establishment of an agricuitural bank which can loan money to the planters at reasonable interest on mortgages upon their land.

It is possible that a petition may be passed asking that the Moro country be represented in the Assembly and placed. under its jurisdiction, for there is a more or less popular fear that the United States Government intends to separate the Moro islands, which form about onethird of the archipelago, from those occupied by the Christian Filipinos, and permanently keep them as an American colony.

Just before leaving Manila I asked Speaker Osmeña if he would be willing to give some expression of opinion in regard to the Assembly which might be quoted in the United States, and, after meditating a moment, he replied in substance: "It is no exaggeration to state that the present Assembly marks a new

era in the history of the Philippines. The peace which has existed throughout these islands during the past couple of years has been due to the fact that the people were looking forward to the meeting of this national legislative body, which had been promised them by the United States. I believe that the period of war and of insurrection in the Philippines is now over forever. The grant of the Assembly has further had a great influence in overcoming the feeling of opposition to the American Government and suspicion of its motives, which were very general among the Filipinos a few years ago. Now we have come to trust the Government. As an evidence of this I may say that not a single bill presented to me as Speaker shows any unfriendliness towards the authorities. There is simply a difference of opinion between us and them in regard to the question of our ability to govern ourselves. The general aim of the Assembly is to pass such legislation that the United States will be convinced that we do have the necessary political capacity. We believe that when we shall have fully proven this, the American people will grant us our independence."

What future Assemblies may do or may be cannot, of course, be foretold. That they contain possibilities of failureand of danger is not to be denied; but the convoking of this Assembly has been decidedly successful. This has been due to the public spirit, restraint, and political

VINCENTE SINGSON ENCARNACION Leader in the Assembly of the Progresistas

ability of the Filipino leaders, and is a marked tribute to the fine optimism of American statesmanship, which dared to depart from the harsh rules of colonial government prescribed by all other nations, and for the first time in history trust a subject Oriental people with a real share in legislation, and a part in the problem of self-gov

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ernment.

Yokohoma, Japan.

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